LESSON PLAN (Template) - ED101 - Boston University

ED 101 Educational Technology Lab
Fall 08
Boston University – School of Education
LESSON PLAN (Template)
Your Name Cody
Hayden
Supervising
Teacher
Ms. Mary
Yardley
Grade/School Harrington Elementary School/ Kindergarten
Lesson title
Time of
activities
What does a
Magnet do?
1:00pm
Content
area
Duration of
Lesson/Unit
Science: Magnets
20mins/1 month
1. Content Area: My content area is Science. I will be talking about magnets.
Specifically, I will be talking about what a magnet is and give specific examples. I
will also be talking about what a magnet does. I will concentrate on the force the
student feels when they hold a magnet.
2. Topic: The topic of my lesson will be magnetic force. I will talk about the force
of the magnet and how it reacts to certain things in its environment. The students
will develop the skill to identify a magnet, how it can be used, and what it attracts.
The ideas I will be attempting to portray is that a magnet has a force that can be
either a pull or push. I will also be attempting to get across that some things are
attracted by a magnet, others are not, and others allow a magnetic force to go
through it.
3. Goals: My students should be able to grasp the basic concept of magnetic force.
They do not need to know the complex parts of it, they just need to understand
that magnets have a force that attracts or repels objects. They should also be able
to look at an object and say whether or not it is attracted by the magnet, or does
the force go through it. My students should also be able to know what will happen
when two magnets meet.
4. Objectives:
a. My students will be able to sense that a force is a push or pull and be able
to describe it to me or the teacher using words or acting it out.
b. My students will be able to select at least four different materials that are
attracted by a magnet.
c. My students will demonstrate that magnetic force can pass through various
objects by creating their own example to show me or the teacher.

d. My students will demonstrate that the ends of magnets sometimes attract
each other and repel each other by using two magnets and showing me or
the teacher.
e. My students will be able to realize what magnets can be used for in their
school, home, and in the “grown-up” world and demonstrate this by
bringing in a magnet to school and describing what it does outside of the
classroom. This “grown-up” world is how magnets are used in jobs around
the world.
f. My students will be able to give two or more example of something that is
a magnet even if it does not look like a typical magnet. For example, they
will be able to realize that the letters that stick to their refrigerators have
magnets on the back.
g. My students will learn how to go back on the website to learn more about
magnets and show their parents what they learned in school.
5. Technology, Materials, and Aides: I will need one computer that is hooked up to
some sort of projector. Then I would need a screen, Smartboard, or whiteboard to
project the website onto. I would then need some magnets. The magnets will
consist of two bar magnets, a plain black magnet, a refrigerator magnet, and two
or three objects with a magnet on the back that do not look like typical magnets. I
will also have similar things that are not magnets so the students can recognize
what makes something a magnet. I will need objects that are attracted by magnets
and ones that are not attracted by magnets. These will consist of nails, other
magnets, a metal cup, a metal washer, and paper clips. I will also have things that
are not attracted by magnets. These things will be paper, cloth, and a plastic water
bottle. Some of these objects can be collected from the students prior to the
lesson. For example, the students would be asked to bring in one thing they think
can be picked up from a magnet and one thing that cannot be picked up by a
magnet. These will then be discussed with the class as part of the lesson.
6. Procedures/Methods:
a. Overview: The lesson is basically going to be a back and forth discussion
between the students and myself. I will be using the website as a
slideshow for the lesson. I will show one of the pages and then explain
what the page says to the students. Then I will do a “hands-onexperiment”
with the students so they can understand the concept of what
the slide is telling them.
b. Introduction: My lesson will begin with a quick survey of the class to see
what they know about magnets. The students will know what a refrigerator
magnet is and they will be more than happy to tell me. I will explain to
them that there are many different kinds of magnets and that they do
different things. This will get the discussion started and lay the
groundwork for the rest of the lesson.
c. Activities:
i. First slide: “What is a Magnet?” This slide will describe what a
magnet is and what it does.

1. I will then show the students a magnet and explain to them
what a magnet is. I will give them a quick mention of the
magnetic force but not in too much detail just yet. I will
then take a magnet and show that it can attach itself to the
whiteboard.
ii. Second Slide: “What Am I Feeling?” This slide will describe that
when you hold a magnet you will feel a “mysterious” force.
1. I will then have two magnets which I will ask a student to
come up and assist me with. The student and I will try to
put the magnet together only to feel that it will not let us
because it is pushing the two magnets apart. This will
illustrate the pushing power of the magnets.
2. Then I will ask another student to come up and help me
with trying to put a magnet on the whiteboard. I will ask
the student to stand up at the whiteboard with the magnet
and hold it away from the whiteboard a little bit. I will then
ask the student if he/she feels anything. The student should
describe a pulling feeling. I will then ask the student to let
go. When the student lets go, the magnet should attach
itself to the whiteboard. This illustrates the pulling force of
the magnet.
iii. Third Slide: “What Does A Magnet Pick Up?” This slide will
explain that a magnet will attract or repel certain objects.
1. I will show the students some objects and ask them which
ones they think will be picked up by the magnet. I will then
try to pick up each object one at a time. The students will
tell me what happens as I bring the magnet close to the
object. If the object is picked up, I will explain that it is
attracted by the magnet. If not, I will explain that it is not
attracted by the magnet.
2. Then I will ask the students if they can find anything in
common among the objects attracted by the magnet. They
will discover that they are all made of metal and the objects
that were not attracted were not metal.
iv. Fourth Slide: “Does Magnetic Force Go Through Anything?” This
slide will explain that sometimes the magnetic force goes through
something.
1. I will then show how a magnet can go through objects. I will first
demonstrate that a piece of paper cannot stick to the whiteboard on
its own. Then I will pick up a magnet and the piece of paper,
asking the students whether they think that the piece of paper will
stay on the blackboard because of the magnet. Then I will let go of

the magnet allowing it to stick the paper to the whiteboard. This
shows that magnetic force can go through objects.
v. Fifth Slide: “What Happens When Magnets Come Together?” This
slide will explain that magnets attract and repel at different ends.
1. I will have two bar magnets that I will ask a student to help
me put the ends together. We will at first try and put the
magnets together with the same poles facing each other.
The magnets will not attract each other, but instead repel
each other. I will then ask the class what they think I should
do with the magnets in order to get them to attract each
other. Eventually, I will show them that when the poles are
opposite the magnets will attract. This will show students
that sometimes the ends of a magnet attract each other and
sometimes they repel each other.
vi. Sixth Slide: “What Are Magnets Used For?” This slide will
describe the wide world of magnets from refrigerator magnets, to
physics magnets, to big magnets used for construction.
1. I will first explain to the students that magnets can be used
for a lot of things in the world. I will explain to them the
pictures they see on the website. For example, I will
explain to the students that the magnet used in construction
is very strong and is used to pick up big pieces of metal.
Another example is that a compass has a magnet in it that
points north.
2. I will also have various other magnets that do not look
exactly like magnets. I will show the students what the
magnets can be used for in school and their house. These
will be like the magnets they find on their building toys, or
magnets with clips on them, or magnets that connect toy
trains.
d. Follow-up: The students will be given a very simple homework
assignment. The students will be asked to go home and look for some
magnets they have found in their house. They will then be asked to bring
them in. The will also be asked to bring in objects that they think will be
attracted by a magnet, or will have the magnetic force passed through it.
Then the class will go over why they brought in what they did,
concentrating on why something is a magnet or why an object is attracted
by a magnet.
7. Technology Frameworks:
1.7) Collaborate with classmates to use teacher-selected Web sites.
2.1) Follow classroom rules for responsible use of computers.

• The rules will be discussed with the students prior to the lesson. Then I
will often refer to the rules while using my website so they can remember
them better and in context.
2.2) Develop understanding of the school’s rules for safe and ethical Internet use.
(Use of Internet in this gradespan is under close supervision and determined by
district policy.)
• This will be discussed before the use of the website so students understand
the dangers that the Internet could have.
2.4) Develop understanding of how the computer is a tool for learning.
8. Assessment Objectives:
a. My students will be able to sense that a force is a push or pull and be able
to describe it to me or the teacher using words or acting it out.
b. My students will be able to select at least four different materials that are
attracted by a magnet.
c. My students will demonstrate that magnetic force can pass through various
objects by creating their own example to show me or the teacher.
d. My students will demonstrate that the ends of magnets sometimes attract
each other and repel each other by using two magnets and showing me or
the teacher.
e. My students will be able to realize what magnets can be used for in their
school, home, and in the “grown-up” world and demonstrate this by
bringing in a magnet to school and describing what it does outside of the
classroom. This “grown-up” world is how magnets are used in jobs around
the world.
f. My students will be able to give two or more example of something that is
a magnet even if it does not look like a typical magnet. For example, they
will be able to realize that the letters that stick to their refrigerators have
magnets on the back.
g. My students will learn how to go back on the website to learn more about
magnets and show their parents what they learned in school.
The majority of my questions are going to be knowledge based because of the
difficulty of the subject and the age of my students. Magnetism is a difficult
concept to really understand as a Kindergartener so asking them to answer
knowledge based questions seems suitable. I do, however, want them to try to
answer a few application questions. These would not be very difficult questions
and would mostly consist of being able to pick out objects that are either magnets
or are attracted by a magnet. These questions will also have pictures associated
with them so that students will understand exactly what is being asked of them
and will also jog their memory if they forgot a small part of the information.
a. Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What does a magnet do? *Picture of a Magnet*
a. A magnet picks up wooden objects.

. A magnet picks up things made out of paper.
c. A magnet picks up metal things.
d. A magnet picks up food.
(This will be assessing the second objective, which describes that a student will be able to
select the materials a magnet attracts)
2. Which object can a magnet pick up?
a. (Picture of a metal washer) Metal Washers
b. (Picture of a candy bar) A Candy Bar
c. (Picture of a book) A Book
d. (Picture of a cup) A Cup
(This will be assessing the second objective, which describes that a student will be able to
select the materials a magnet attracts)
3. What is it called when you feel a pull between two magnets and then
they stick together? *Picture of two magnets stuck together*
a. It is called Repulsion.
b. It is called Friction.
c. It is called Dragging.
d. It is called Attraction.
(This will be assessing the first and fourth objectives, which describe that a student
should be able to sense that a force is a push or pull and that this happens when two
magnets come in contact with each other.)
4. *Picture of two magnets that have the same poles facing each other*
What do you feel when these two magnets come close to each other?
a. It is really easy to push them together. In fact, they actually
connect on their own. This is called Attraction.
b. It is hard to push them together. Even when I get them really
close they move away from each other. This is called Repulsion.
(This will be assessing the first and fourth objective, which describe that, a student should
be able to sense that a force is a push or pull and that this happens when two magnets
come in contact with each other.)
5. Can a magnet attach through something through other things like
paper? *Picture of Refrigerator Magnet*
a. Yes, a magnet can attract objects through something like paper.
b. No, a magnet cannot attract something through an object.
(This will be assessing the third objective, which describes that a student should be able
to understand that a magnetic force can go through various objects.)

. Other Questions:
1. What are some other objects that are magnets but do not look like
magnets? Where are these objects found?
(This will be assessing the fifth and sixth objective which describes that students should
be able to understand that magnets can be found everywhere in the world and might not
look like a regular magnet.)
Answer Key
a. Multiple Choice:
1. C
2. A
3. D
4. B
5. A
b. Other Questions: (Which objectives?)
1. The answers for this question do not have to be complex. This is the
type of question that is really the closest thing to application a
Kindergartener can get to. The students can say things like a
refrigerator magnet, a magnet used in a junk yard, the magnet in the
special paper clip holders, or even the magnet on their toy cars. The
places they choose can also be very vague, such as my home, school,
junk yard, or my mom/dad’s work. The concept of this question is to
get students to realize that magnets are everywhere and can be a part
of anything.