ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Science: 3. Physical Science.

Needs Assessment/Rational

A recent curriculum review of science units in grades K-6 at Larimore Elementary School indicated that grades K-1 emphasized life sciences,so I feel it is important to include physical science units in grade 2. The curriculum review also noted that science class has sometimes been relegated to “if there’s time” status in K-1, making the teaching of science on a regular basis even more important in second grade. In addition, staff called attention to the need for “hands on” science beginning with the lower grades; this underscores goal number one of Goals for Science Education in North Dakota
“Experience the richness and excitement of knowing about and understanding the natural world.”
CTBS scores in 2002 (the most recent CTBS scores we have for first grade) placed 1.9 grade level students at a 1.4 level in science. This significant gap supports the need for a well-articulated science curriculum, taught on a regular basis. NCA goals set by K-12 Larimore staff included “problem-solving” as an objective; implementing a science unit which is based on inquiry and exploration affords very young children just that opportunity. This also addresses our School Standard for Science, Grade 2, 1.: Students will demonstrate competence in inquiry, and ND State Science Standard 2: Students use the process of science inquiry.

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: Students will understand characteristics of magnetism, and the importance of magnets in everyday life.
Goal(s): 1. Students will understand that a magnet is a piece of metal that has the power to attract other metals.  2. Students will understand that magnets have different characteristics.  3. Students will understand that magnets are used in many things they use every day.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: 1. How can we discover characteristics of magnetism?  2. How are magnets used in our everyday lives?
Objectives: 1. Given a variety of magnets, students will, by handling and observing the magnets, be able to state two ways in which the magnets react when touched together.  2. Given several different magnetic and non-magnetic objects and a square magnet, students will, within 10 minutes, be able to categorize with 100% accuracy, two groups of objects: magnetic and non-magnetic.  3. Given two bar magnets, students will be able to identify the poles of the magnets, and to demonstrate and document four ways the magnets interact with one another.  4. Given three types of magnets and a magnetic field demonstrator unit, students will be able to predict with 2/3 accuracy, the parts of the magnets where the attraction is the strongest.  5. Given the opportunity to work in a cooperative learning group, each student will be able to contribute to a collage at least one picture of an everyday item that contains a magnet.

Assessment

What quiz and test items (e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding?
Simple recall worksheets: 1. Given pictures of 10 objects, students will answer the question “Which objects are attracted to magnets?” by circling the appropriate pictures.  2. Given a word bank, students will fill in the blanks of a paragraph on the history of magnets.
What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding?
Probing questions:  1. How are magnets used in your home?  2. What do we use magnets for in our classroom? 3.  How do magnets help us?
What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?
1.  Categorizing: Students will group objects as being magnetic or non-magnetic.  2. Demonstration: Students will show that magnets interact in two ways. 3.  In addition, the students will identify the poles of a bar magnet as North and South, and demonstrate and document how alike poles repel, and opposite poles attract.  4. Prediction: Students will predict where the magnetic force is strongest for each of three magnets, and then test that prediction.
What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect?
I. Observations: As the students work with magnets, I will be looking for evidence that each student is: 1. Experimenting with all objects in the categorization assessment. 2. Trying attract/repel with each type of magnet. 3. Using the magnetic field demonstrator correctly so that a determination of the force field can be made. 4. Contributing to the discussion, collaboration, and picture collage of everyday items that contain magnets. Student self-assessment: II. Students will create and complete a writing rubric for Activity #2 observations. Illustrations: 1. Students will draw a series of lines to indicate the force field of magnets, in answer to the question “Where is the magnetic force field the greatest?”  2. Students will illustrate what happened when magnets were moved together from their original positions of N/N, N/S, S/S, and S/N by captioning pictures taken during an investigation. III. Collage: Students will contribute to a collage depicting items in which magnets are used. The role of the learner during assessment will be to participate in all areas, collaborate, mentor, contribute ideas during discussion and the development of an assessment rubric, and use materials appropriately so that an understanding of magnetism is achieved.

Instructional Strategies

The students will primarily use inquiry-based learning in this unit, as they answer the questions: “What happens when two magnets are put together?” (Objective 1), “Which objects are attracted to magnets?” (Objective 2), “How do alike and opposite poles on magnets interact?” (Objective 3), and “What are the strongest points of attraction on magnets?” ( Objective 4.) Specifically, inquiry would be as follows: “What happens when two magnets are put together?”  After the initial “hook” of presenting a story on the history of magnets, two magnets will be shown to the class, and a question will be posed asking students what might happen if the magnets were moved close together. This will allow students to think, rather than be shown an answer. Predictions will be recorded and students will begin an investigation using magnets. After recording and reporting results, the students may have questions during reflection time such as “Why do they do that?” or “What do you call it when they stick together/pull apart?” or “Do all kinds of magnets do that?”  If the class does not come up with their own questions, the teacher will ask if the class would like to find out why the magnets acted in the ways they did, and if anyone knows words for the interactions of the magnets. Further investigations using different types of magnets will follow, as will other investigations/discussions needed to address questions that may occur during reflection.
A similar process will occur for “Which objects are attracted to magnets” and “How do alike and opposite poles on magnets interact?” and “What are the strongest points of attraction on magnets?”  Not only will the teacher ask these questions, but also “How can we find out?” Collaboration time will allow students to present ideas on how to “find out”.  In the scenario of finding objects that are attracted to magnets, students may come up with a common element in all of the magnetic items. If not, the teacher will guide a discussion to consider what is common in the items. In all scenarios students will be predicting, investigating, recording, reporting, and reflecting.
Project-based learning would also be utilized in this unit (Objective 5). They will begin by discussing ideas of how to solve a problem posed by a vignette. Students will discuss and gather information about everyday items that use/contain magnets. They will work in cooperative learning groups to cut magazine pictures depicting those items, and will scan other pictures from sources that can’t be cut. Each group will make a collage illustrating the uses of magnets in our everyday lives.