Materials available in this Magnets Lesson Plan include two Magnet Activities and four Magnet Worksheets.Our Magnet Lesson Plan provides you with
A magnetism worksheet for 3rd grade: sort eight classroom objects by whether a magnet attracts them, then find the magnetic object in four sentences. Answer key included for no-prep science practice.
This Is it Magnetic Worksheet has 3rd Grade students sort six classroom objects by the material they are made of, then explain two predictions in writing. Answer key included, so checking work takes seconds.
This fields and poles magnets worksheet has 3rd Grade students name the poles and field of a magnet, predict a push or a pull, and explain how a compass works. An answer key is included.
This magnet activity has kindergarten to 3rd grade students sort picture cards into things a magnet will pull and things it will not, with a sorting mat, practice page and answer key.
This magnetism experiment worksheet has 3rd graders sort eight objects by material, decide whether magnet poles attract or repel, and explain why steel is pulled and plastic is not. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.
This fun with magnets science activity has 1st to 3rd grade students predict, sort and check whether magnet poles attract or repel. Answer key included.
Push, pull, and invisible forces
Third graders discover that magnets push and pull without even touching! They learn that every magnet has a north pole and a south pole: opposite poles attract and like poles repel. They test which objects are magnetic and find out that only some metals, like iron and steel, stick (aluminum foil and pennies don't!). Kids also explore the magnetic field around a magnet and how distance changes the pull. The click moment comes when two magnets suddenly push apart in their hands and they feel the force for themselves.
Magnets are pure hands-on science. These moves turn "whoa!" into real understanding.
Give each group a magnet and a bag of objects: paper clips, coins, foil, a key, a crayon. Kids predict magnetic or not, test each one, then record the results in a T-chart. The surprises spark the best talks.
Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.
Try it withMagnet ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Model with two bar magnets under a document camera: bring north to south, then north to north. Ask kids to describe what they see before you name it. Then they repeat it with their own magnets.
Why it works: showing first, practicing together, then letting kids try alone is the "gradual release" model teachers have relied on for decades (Pearson and Gallagher, 1983).
Try it withMagnets Lesson PlanLesson PlansOpen it →Show pictures of everyday objects and kids give a thumbs up for magnetic, thumbs down for not. A two-minute check like this catches the common idea that all metals are magnetic.
Why it works: pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than rereading it, one of the strongest findings in learning research (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withIs it Magnetic WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Every third grader wants to get their hands on a magnet. These keep the fun scientific.
WorksheetsTest if a magnet can pull a paper clip through paper, cardboard and water. Record which ones work!
Open Magnetism Experiment Worksheet →
ActivitiesUse a magnet to move a paper clip through a maze without touching it. Sneaky science!
Open Fun with Magnets Science Activity →
WorksheetsLabel the poles and draw lines to show where the magnetic force is strongest.
Open Fields and Poles Magnets Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Magnets Lesson Plan, Magnetism Worksheet and Is it Magnetic Worksheet.
Third graders learn that magnets have north and south poles, that opposite poles attract and like poles repel, and that magnets can push or pull objects without touching them. They also test which materials are magnetic.
No. Iron, steel, nickel and cobalt are magnetic, but aluminum, copper, gold and most coins are not. This surprises a lot of kids, which makes it a great experiment.
A magnetic field is the space around a magnet where its force works. You can see it by sprinkling iron filings on paper over a magnet.
Hand your child a fridge magnet and let them test objects around the kitchen. Ask them to predict first, then sort what sticks and what doesn't.
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