Integrated Unit Plan

Candidate: Kimberly McCreary Topic and Grade Level: Magnets, 1st Grade

Resources/Websites: Misconceptions:
Magnet video: Brainpop, Jr.  All metal is attracted to a magnet.
Magnet Phenomenon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBWy9gzGGd4  All silver colored items are attracted to a magnet
Magnet game: Brainpop, Jr.  Magnets repel non metals
 Magnets only attract to iron
 Magnetism causes the objects to attract and repel
 All metals are attracted to a magnet
 Magnetism doesn’t go through objects

Performance Expectation:
Start with a: Science engineering practice (design an investigation, use a model, etc) to provide evidence that (content)…
Investigate forces of a magnet
Investigate how magnets attract or repel different

Science & Engineering Practices
1. Asking questions
2. Developing and using models
3.Analyze and interpret data
4. Design solutions
General Sequence of the Unit - Building for Conceptual Understanding - Interdisciplinary Connections
Disciplinary Core Ideas (Content) Crosscutting Concept(s)
Content Standards 1. Cause and effect
S1P2. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to 2. Patterns
demonstrate the effects of magnets on other magnets and
other objects. a. Construct an explanation of how magnets are 3. Structure and Function
used in everyday life. (Clarification statement: Everyday life uses
could include refrigerator magnets, toys, magnetic latches, and
name tags.) b. Plan and carry out an investigation to
demonstrate how magnets attract and repel each other and the
effect of magnets on common objects.

Students will learn about and investigate the characteristics of magnets.

EVALUATE (Culminating Task):

Students will use what they have learned about magnets to participate in the STEM project, Milo the Dog’s Missing Collar: Oh no, Milo the
dog was getting a bath and his collar fell off his chain and went down the drain! He needs your help! You will need to use a
magnet to design a tool that can reach down the drain. Your magnet must be able to stay on your tool for at least 10 seconds
and must be able to pick up Milo’s lost collar!
 Weekly Lesson Plans

Lesson 1 Lesson 2 Lesson 3 Lesson 4

Essential What is a magnet?
Question:
ENGAGE Math Lesson
(Opening/Hook) Phenomena: magnet blocks
How will you (https://www.youtube.com/wa
ENGAGE students tch?v=tvZ77iK-t9Q)
and/or connect to
prior knowledge? Engage:
Watch Brainpop, Jr. :Magnets,
play the magnet game under
the movie on Brainpop, Jr.
EXPLORE/EXPLAI Explore:
N Magnet walk – each student will
(Work Period) get a magnet and walk around
How will students the classroom/school to see
EXPLORE, EXPLAIN which objects are attracted to
and/or EXTEND a the magnet and record the
concept? objects on a recording sheet.
(Math connection – count the
number of objects that were
attracted to the magnet, and
the number of objects not
attracted to the magnet. How
many items did you test in all?)
How can we describe magnetic force?
Reading/Writing Connection
Phenomena: Show junk yard magnet
lifting metal items out of truck
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
XBWy9gzGGd4)
Engage:
Magnet song
(http://songsforteaching.com/marhar
man/s/magnets.mp3); teach students
a partner dance, when song says
“attract, pull together” pull in closer to
partner, when song says “repel, push
away” push away from partner.
Explore:
Magnet Investigation Stations:
Station 1 – Explore items that are/are
not attracted to a magnet
Station 2 – Guess how many paper
clips your magnet will hold end to end.
Station 3 – Use cubes (as a non-
standard unit of measure – math
connection) to measure how close
your magnet will have to be to attract
a paper clip.
Station 4 – Use cubes (as a non-
standard unit of measure – math
connection) to measure the thickness
of different items (blocks, paper,
How can I investigate how
magnets attract and repel
each other and the effect of
magnets on common objects?
Language Arts Lesson
Phenomena: Magnet magic
trick
https://www.youtube.com/w
atch?v=-wJJN2I4BNw
Engage:
Read Aloud, “That Magnetic
Dog”
Reading connection:
 Fiction or Non-fiction?
 Inferring – What is the
book going to be about?
Why does the author
describe the dog as
“magnetic?”
Explore:
What Can You Catch With a
Magnet?
Have students use recording
sheet to draw the items
provided in their box. Circle
the items they think will be
attracted to the magnet.
Then, students will make a
fishing pole, using a magnet
and go fishing. Keep items
caught by the magnet outside
the box and leave other items
inside the box.
STEM: How can you use
your knowledge of magnets
to help save Milo’s collar?
Phenomena: Dog collar
Engage:
Show a video of a cute
puppy jumping around and
playing.
Tell students that we are
going to help this puppy,
because he lost his collar.
Get ready for a STEM
Challenge!
Watch Class Dojo Growth
Mindset video and discuss
how mistakes help us to
grow and get smarter, so if
we get frustrated during
the STEM challenge, we are
getting smarter!
Explore:
The teacher will introduce
the purpose of the STEM
project/design challenge:
Oh no, Milo the dog was getting a
bath and his collar fell off his
chain and went down the drain!
He needs your help. You will need
to use a magnet and design a tool
that can reach down the drain.
Your magnet must be able to stay
on your tool for at least 10
seconds and must be able to pick
up Milo’s lost collar!

Explain:
Begin making an anchor chart
with information about
Magnets
Discuss as a class (and with
knee partners) what a magnet is Station 6 – Computer – have students
and what types of objects are
attracted to a magnet.
books, etc.). Then place a paper clip
on top of the object and a magnet
under the object. Try to move the
paper clip using the magnet.
Station 5 – Explore – create your own
investigation to do with magnets.
Write your investigation plan on the
paper provided (writing connection).
complete the magnet game on
Brainpop, Jr. Decide which items will
be attracted to the magnet.
(https://jr.brainpop.com/science/force
s/magnets/draganddrop/)
Explain:
Read “Magnets” (Harcourt); record
any additional information on anchor
chart
Students should explain the
observations that were made at each
station, as the book is read aloud,
connecting the information in the
book to the investigations they
participated in. They should use their
understanding of magnets to explain
what was happening in each case.
Elaborate:
(Writing Connection) Write a song and
choreograph a dance to teach others
about magnets.
As an option, have students create
their own magnet station. The station
should cover at least one of the key
concepts covered in the magnet unit.
Explain:
Have students work with their
group to make a poster to
present their findings to the
class. After they create their
posters, ask:
 What items did the magnet
pick up?
 What do those items have
in common?
 Were you surprised by any
of the results?
Have students complete
Hypothesis page with their
group.
Language Arts Connection:
Show the book, “Magnetic
and Nonmagnetic” and show
the table of contents and a
few pages of the book. Ask:
 Fiction or Nonfiction?
 How can you tell?
 Practice re-reading.
Elaborate:
Revisit That Magnetic Dog
where the first page states
“Magnets attract metal
objects like keys and spoons.”
Discuss with students how we
could rewrite that sentence to
make it more scientifically
correct.
Explain:
Read:
Magnetic and Nonmagnetic
by Angela Royston
Criteria for Design
Challenge:
-You must only use the
materials provided for this
challenge.
- Your tool needs to use a
magnet.
-You need to measure your
tool using length units
(unifix cubes, bears,
counters, unit cubes)
-You need to successfully
get his collar out of the sink.
Materials provided:
- magnetic strips
-dowel rods
-wooden skewers
-straws
-tape
-paper clip (create fake dog
collar)
-teacher may choose to
include other materials for
building
Closing: Ticket Out the Door: (formative Ticket Out the Door (formative Ticket Out the Door Evaluate:
How will you assessment) Draw a magnet assessment): Tell what “attract” and (Summative assessment): (summative assessment)
summarize the and 3 things that you think “repel” mean. Writing Connection: Student Journal
lesson? How will would be attracted to a Write a story about The Day Teacher Observation
you EVALUATE? magnet. Evaluate students’ understanding by My Feet Were Magnets. Have Rubric for STEM challenge
conferencing with students while they students write about what
Observation during Magnet are at stations and looking at the things would be attracted to Post-test will be given to
Walk recording sheet after completion their feet, what would not be show growth
attracted, what kinds of
problems would you have if
your feet were magnets, what
kinds of advantages or special
powers might you have?

Assessment (What is the evidence of learning?)

Formative (On-going) Summative (End)
● Magnetic/Nonmagnetic sort A rubric for the culminating task will be provided.
● Magnet walk recording sheet Post-test
● Attract and repel ticket out the door The Day My Feet Were Magnets writing
● Observation/Recording sheets from magnet stations
● STEM design challenge observations

Differentiated Instruction
Small Groups (Based on Assessment Data) Independent Learning Centers
Leveled groups are based on: Computer stations with preselected websites.
 Information gathered from a pretest before beginning unit on items Developing Learner:
attracted to a magnet. https://jr.brainpop.com/science/forces/magnets/
 The teacher’s identification of students who need extra assisstance
based on ELL status and/or reading level (DRA) Proficient and Advanced Learners:
Small groups will be pulled during activities for assistance and extra help http://www.sciencewiz.com/Portal/portal_to_Magnetism.php
with completing the activities.
Advanced Learner:
https://www.coolmath-games.com/0-magnets

Remediation: Teacher will work with small groups of students throughout
all lessons to assist with completion of the activities at an appropriate level.
Teacher will pull students as needed (according to pre-test and observation
throughout lessons) to remediate by breaking information into smaller
segments and showing additional visuals to help the students master the
information. T. will also give these students an opportunity to “act” out
Extension: Extension activities will be provided for students who have already
mastered the standard during each lesson. These extension activities will
include connecting the information to other content areas and planning or
designing solutions connected to that lesson content for real world problems.
 forces of magnets and use kinesthetic activities to help students understand
what is being taught.
Literature Connections
That Magnetic Dog by Bruce Whatley
Magnetic and Nonmagnetic by Angela Royston
Magnets by Harcourt

Supporting Documents: