In Science Class . . . Week of 2/28

Hello, everyone! Many apologies for the delay in blogging - it's been a very busy couple weeks with overnight field trips, report cards, etc. Here's what we've been working on:

We just wrapped up our Living Systems Unit and the students took a quiz last week. Many did quite well. These will go home next week. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding this.

We've started our last unit of the year, entitled "Magnetism and Electricity." Last week, we experimented with what magnets stick to, and how they interact with each other. Key questions:

• What type of objects did your magnet stick to? (Any object with with a lot of iron, including stainless steel objects)
• What happens when two magnets are pushed together? (If the opposite poles are facing each other, then the magnets will attract. If like poles are facing each other, such as north and north, or south and south, then the magnets will repel.)
• Can the force of magnetism act through other materials? (Yes, unless the material is really thick! Magnets stick to each other through paper and other thin materials, but many of the tables in the science room were too thick for the magnets to attract each other.)
• What happens when you stick a paper clip to an iron nail that is touching a magnet? (The iron nail becomes a temporary magnet and will act on the paper clip, making a fun chain of objects! FYI, magnets that stick to the fridge and are always magnets are called permanent magnets. )

Here is a diagram. We used "doughnut" magnets instead of bar magnets, but you get the idea! The iron nail and paper clips become temporary magnets.