Problem Solving with Magnets

SOLVING PROBLEMS WITH MAGNETS

Lesson Focus

Scenario #4

Scenario #5

Key Points

Curriculu specifics

Scenario #1

Scenario #6

Scenario #2

Design Process

Gallery Walk

Scenario #3

Scenario #3

Yikes! Mrs. Bolduc was cleaning out her gutters and accidentally knocked a screw into the downspout. She can’t reach it with her hands, and she can’t move the downspout. How can she get the screw out without taking the whole thing apart? Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to Mrs. Sommers. Be prepared to share your model with the class.

Scenario #6:

Mr. Fernandes wants students to build sculptures using paper clips, steel nuts, and steel washers. How would you design a model for him to show the sculptures could be 3-D? Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to Mrs. Sommers. Be prepared to share your model with the class.

Scenario #5:

Oh no! Mrs. Kimball made rice crispy treats for her classes. She dropped a paper clip from the bag into the mix!

How can she get it out without putting her hands into the mixture? Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to Mrs. Sommers. Be prepared to share your model with the class.

Scenario #4

Mrs. Gobeil’s nephew loves to solve mazes. Your task is to create a maze that a model car can travel through.

However, her nephew cannot touch the car to make it move! Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to Mrs. Sommers. Be prepared to share your model with the class.

Scenario #1

“Adventures in Toys” has asked you to design and build a model for a new bobblehead toy. They would like to see your materials list, plan with labels, and description of how/why your toy works before they begin producing it for sale. Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to the store owner. Be prepared to share your model with the class.

Gallery Walk

Students are invited to travel around the room to observe and carefully interact with their classmates' designs.

• Magnets have two poles, north and south, which create a magnetic field around them.
• Opposite poles attract each other, while like poles repel each other.
• Magnets can exert forces on certain materials, such as iron, that are attracted to magnets.
• Magnetic fields can act over a distance, with the strength of the field decreasing as the distance from the magnet increases.
• Magnets can be used to solve real-world problems by leveraging their attractive and repulsive forces.

By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to use your knowledge of magnetism to identify and solve a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets.

Scenario #2

Mrs. Sommers accidentally dropped her paper clips into her water bottle! She doesn’t want to dump her water out, and she also doesn’t want to get her hands wet! Your task is to design something that can retrieve the paper clips. Use the Engineering Design Process organizer to submit your plan to Mrs. Sommers. Be prepared to share your model with the class.