Whole Earth Curriculum WEC

Lesson 07 — Magnetism: A Force That Acts at a Distance

Learners describe magnetism as a force that acts at a distance: like poles repel, unlike poles attract, and a magnet can pull a metal object across a gap without touching. They test attract and repel, and connect magnetism to the compass that has guided travelers for centuries.

D06 P3: Intellectual & Cognitive Awareness D06.S3 50 minutes Draft

Objectives

Essential question

How can a magnet push or pull on something it is not even touching?

magnetpoleattractrepelforcedistancecompass

Materials

Standard materials

Low-tech / no-cost

Enriched / lab & device

Works in different contexts

A magnetism diagram. At the top, a bar magnet labeled N on the left and S on the right has a paperclip hanging from its underside without touching, connected only by a dashed line labeled 'pull at a distance.' Below on the left, two bar magnets face each other with N near N, and arrows point apart, labeled 'like poles repel.' Below on the right, two bar magnets face each other with N near S, and arrows point together, labeled 'unlike poles attract.' At the bottom, a small compass with a labeled needle points north, with a caption: Earth acts like a giant magnet. Labels and shapes, not color alone, carry the meaning so it prints clearly in grayscale.
A magnetism diagram. At the top, a bar magnet labeled N on the left and S on the right has a paperclip hanging from its underside without touching, connected only by a dashed line labeled 'pull at a distance.' Below on the left, two bar magnets face each other with N near N, and arrows point apart, labeled 'like poles repel.' Below on the right, two bar magnets face each other with N near S, and arrows point together, labeled 'unlike poles attract.' At the bottom, a small compass with a labeled needle points north, with a caption: Earth acts like a giant magnet. Labels and shapes, not color alone, carry the meaning so it prints clearly in grayscale.

Lesson 7 — Magnetism: A Force That Acts at a Distance

Summary

Learners describe magnetism as a force that acts at a distance: a magnet can push or pull another magnet or a metal object across empty space, with no touching. They test attract and repel, meet the two poles, and connect the magnet to the compass — a tool that has guided sailors, travelers, and traders across the world for centuries.

Objectives

  • Describe magnetism as a force that acts at a distance. (D06.S3.05.02)

Connection

A magnet stuck to a metal door or a fridge holds on without glue and without touching anything but the door. Put two magnets near each other and one may leap to the other — or twist away before they meet. And for hundreds of years, a small magnetized needle floating in water has told travelers which way is north, from the Arabian sea routes to the Pacific voyages. All of this is one thing: magnetism, a force that works across a distance.

Materials

  • Magnetism diagram
  • Two magnets and a paperclip or small nail
  • Magnet prediction page

Preparation

  • Print or draw the magnetism diagram and a prediction page per learner.
  • Give each pair two magnets and a paperclip or small nail.
  • Recall Lesson 6: gravity was a force at a distance; today’s force is magnetism.

Facilitator note

Written to the learner (“you”). Two ideas to land: (1) magnetism acts at a distance — through air, and even through paper, wood, or water; (2) like poles repel, unlike poles attract. This is a hands-on predict-and-test lesson: learners write a prediction before each test (attract? repel?) and then check. Safety note: keep magnets away from phones, cards with magnetic strips, and medical devices, and never swallow small magnets. The compass is a natural global/technology tie-in: it was developed and used by many cultures (the magnetic needle appears in Chinese, Arab, and European navigation histories), and Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet. The claim that magnets attract and repel is evidence; the claim that tools like the compass should be available to everyone is a value — separate them (docs/facilitation.md).

Procedure

  1. Gather (5 min). Hold a paperclip near a magnet — but not touching. What happens? Write your prediction first: will it move?
  2. Meet the magnet (10 min). Look at the diagram. A magnet has two ends, called poles — north (N) and south (S). Like poles repel (push apart); unlike poles attract (pull together). And a magnet can pull a metal object across a gap, through air — even through paper — without touching. That is a force acting at a distance.
  3. Predict, then test (15 min). On your page, write predictions for each pair of ends: N–N, S–S, N–S. Then bring the ends near each other, not touching, and record what you feel and see. Did any result surprise you? Now place a sheet of paper between the magnet and the paperclip — does the pull still work?
  4. Evidence and inference (10 min). You can see the paperclip jump and feel the push (evidence). You cannot see the magnetic force itself — you infer it from the jump. Which is which? How is this like what you learned about gravity in Lesson 6?
  5. Close (5 min). A compass works because Earth itself behaves like a giant magnet, pulling a small needle to point north. Magnetism is a force that reaches across empty space — the same kind of “acts at a distance” as gravity, but with push and pull, two poles, and a long history of helping people find their way.

Differentiation

  • Support: Test only N–S (attract) first with a visual record; feel the push and pull with hands before naming poles.
  • Extension: Map the field with iron filings in a sealed sleeve and predict where the force is strongest; then explain why a compass needle points north.

Assessment

  • Formative (observation/peer): Can the learner predict attract vs. repel, and state that magnetism acts at a distance through air or paper?
  • Self-check: The learner asks, “Did I predict before each test, and can I name which poles attract and which repel?”

Home connection

With permission, test a fridge magnet or any magnet on different things at home — metal, wood, paper, cloth. Predict which it will pull before you test, and tell someone what you found.

Resources