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Magnets: An Invisible Pull

Third graders explore magnets — how they attract certain metals, how their two poles attract or repel, and how they can push and pull other magnets without even touching, an invisible force at a distance.

Grade 3Forces40 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsNGSS
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain magnetism.
  • ✓Explain the two poles.
  • ✓Identify magnetic materials.
  • ✓Explain force at a distance.
Essential Question

Hold two magnets near each other and sometimes they snap together, sometimes they push apart — without ever touching! What invisible force is at work?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive

The Magnet Explorer

Project this and tap each idea. Have students learn how magnets attract, repel, and pull without touching!

🧲 Explore magnets — tap eachTry it

The Lesson · 5E Instructional Model (Engage · Explore · Explain · Elaborate · Evaluate)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Engage — Snap or Push?

5 min

Two magnets snap together or push apart without touching — how?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Bring two magnets near.
  • Ask what’s happening.
  • Pose the question.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Feel the pull/push.
  • Wonder how.
  • Predict the idea.
2

Explore — Explore Magnets

10 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to the Magnet Explorer.
  • Note the poles.
  • Note magnetic materials.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap each.
  • Note poles.
  • Note materials.
3

Explain — Poles & Materials

11 min

Students explain.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain magnetism.
  • Explain attract vs. repel.
  • Explain magnetic materials.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain magnetism.
  • Explain poles.
  • Explain materials.
4

Elaborate — Testing Magnets

9 min

Students elaborate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Test what magnets attract.
  • Feel force at a distance.
  • Explain the results.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Test objects.
  • Feel the force.
  • Explain it.
5

Evaluate — Evaluate

5 min

Students conclude.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain magnetism.
  • Explain the poles.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain it.
  • Explain poles.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 3 / Elementary Science).

NGSS
3-PS2-3

Ask questions to determine cause-and-effect relationships of electric or magnetic forces between non-touching objects.

NGSS
3-PS2-4

Define a simple design problem that can be solved with magnets.

NGSS
3-PS2-1

Investigate the effects of forces on motion.

NGSS
SEP-2

Developing and using models.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Attract/repel picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Opposite poles ___.”
  • Test magnets on objects.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with “magnets pull metal.”
  • Test with real magnets.
  • Focus on attract/repel.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Map a magnetic field with filings.
  • Build a compass.
  • Design a magnet device.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🧲Bar and ring magnets
  • 💻The Magnet Explorer
  • 🔩Objects to test
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

magnetan object with magnetismmagnetismthe pull of a magnetpolethe north or south end of a magnetattractto pull togetherrepelto push apartmagnetic materiala metal a magnet attractsforcea push or a pullcompassa tool that uses a magnet to find direction
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What happens when you bring two LIKE poles of magnets together?
They repel (push apart).
QUESTION 2
Name a material that a magnet will attract.
Iron, steel, or nickel.
QUESTION 3
Can a magnet pull another magnet without touching it?
Yes — magnets exert a force at a distance.

Elaborate: build a compass.

Have students magnetize a needle and float it to make a simple compass that points north, showing magnetism at work. A printable magnets sheet is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 MagnetsFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 MagnetsQuiz
Score: 0
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Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ MagnetsPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: attract, compass, force, magnet, magnetic material, magnetism, pole, repel
  1. a push or a pull
  2. to push apart
  3. to pull together
  4. the pull of a magnet
  5. the north or south end of a magnet
  6. an object with magnetism
  7. a metal a magnet attracts
  8. a tool that uses a magnet to find direction

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What happens when you bring two LIKE poles of magnets together?
  2. Name a material that a magnet will attract.
  3. Can a magnet pull another magnet without touching it?
Answer key — Part A: 1) force · 2) repel · 3) attract · 4) magnetism · 5) pole · 6) magnet · 7) magnetic material · 8) compass
Part B: 1) They repel (push apart). 2) Iron, steel, or nickel. 3) Yes — magnets exert a force at a distance.