Centers

Each center has 10 minutes; near the end of each center, the students will write on their handouts “Things I have learned/want to remember” as a reflection on their experiences at the center. All centers end at at a ‘five’ on the clock. Time to move from center to center is included at the beginning of the 10 minutes, so actual time at the center may be only 7 or so minutes.

Center #1:
Powerful idea: Not all metal objects are attracted to magnets/are magnetic.
Equipment: Six envelopes, each with a variety of items, some attracted to a magnet, some not, including metal objects. Six magnets. Six trays into which to empty the envelopes of items.
Procedure: I plan to have them predict what objects would be attracted to the magnet and briefly explain why they think certain objects will be attracted to the magnet and why others will not be attracted to the magnet.


Center #2:
Powerful ideas: There are two poles in a magnet, North and South. Like poles repel while opposite poles attract.
(Magnets are made up of little magnets (domains) that are lined up)
Equipment: Six sets of cow magnets marked north and south; six rulers; paper clips(test tubes with iron filings).
Procedure: I plan to have them take the magnets and put one down on the table, then take the other one and explore a little with it. See what happens when they bring the like sides together and when they bring opposite sides together. I would then have them see how far away from each other the magnets can be before they are no longer attracted to each other. After we do that I would have them talk about what they saw happening.


Center #3:
Powerful idea: I want them to learn that magnets have different strengths and that it is not necessarily based on their size!
Equipment: Bowl of paper clips and a variety of magnets.
Procedure: At my center I plan to have a bag of magnets, from which each student will grab a magnet. There will be a bowl of paperclips and we will have a competition to see who has the strongest magnet! Then we will compare the color, shape, size of the magnets and hopefully see that magnet’s strength is not directly correlated with it’s size!


Center #4: Powerful ideas:
1. Electricity and magnetism are related
2. A current carrying wire creates a magnetic field around it
3. Opening and closing a circuit causes a nearby compass to move
4. A wire ‘jumps’ when put between two magnets and the circuit is opened and closed
5. A motor can be made by putting a coil of wire in a magnetic field and opening and closing the circuit.
Equipment: Jump board (wire between two magnets; wire connected to a battery so the circuit can to be opened and closed, motor (coil of wire with one side of one end of the wire half coated; magnet; paper clip holders, cup, battery.
Procedure:
Discuss observation of compass orienting around current carrying wire.
Discuss observation of wire jumping when circuit open and closed
Discuss observation of coil spinning above magnet


Center #5:
Powerful idea:
1. The earth is a magnet with North and South poles.
2. The earth’s magnetism may be used by animals that migrate to guide their flights.
Equipment:
Compasses; handouts from book about magnetism used during migrations.
Procedure:
Observe and discuss that the compasses all point the same way.
Talk about migrating birds and butterflies: how do they find their way?