APPLICATION OF CONTENT

The teacher understands how to connect concepts and use differing perspectives to engage learners in critical
thinking, creativity, and collaborative problem solving related to authentic local and global issues.

I believe that a core goal of schooling is to educate for meaning and understanding. Teaching
for meaning and understanding are two sides of the same coin. They occur when students
explain and interpret ideas, put facts into a larger context, inquire into essential questions, and
apply their learnings in authentic situations. It is my duty to use variety of teaching strategies
and engaging activities to help my students achieve their academic goal and extend their
knowledge to other related global issues.

Evidence
My first piece of evidence is a lesson I created and thought at St. Thomas School. It was an
engaging and fun lesson activity where students were asked to make some predictions about
magnetic force, perform an experiment and learn from it. I used my knowledge of the content
to plan and teach this lesson. Students were able to apply what they learned from the lesson;
this helped them to discover more information about how magnet functions.

AQUINAS COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
LESSON PLAN FORMAT
Name: Sr. Kate Okolocha.
Grade Level of Lesson: Fourth Grade.
Subject/ Content Area: Magnetism.
Time Limit: 50 minutes
Age: 9 to 12 years.

Michigan Curriculum Framework Science Content Standards and Benchmarks:

I.

Constructing New Scientific Knowledge:

All students will ask questions that will help them learn about magnetism and the world.
Generate questions about magnetism and the world based on observation. All students will
design and conduct investigations using appropriate methodology and technology. Develop

solutions to problems through reasoning, observation and investigation. Manipulate simple

devices that aid observation and data collection.
II.

Reflecting on Scientific Knowledge:

All students will analyze claims for their scientific merit and explain how scientists decide what
constitutes scientific knowledge. Develop an awareness of the need for evidence in making
decisions scientifically.
III.

Adventures in Science Magnetic Fields (Magnetism).

All students will explain what magnets are, what they do, what they are made of, and how we
can use them. Describe ways in which magnets interacts with objects/materials

Unit Outcome:
The Learner will (TLW) observe the patterns formed with different objects, using a variety of
magnets within a magnetic field. They will relate their observations to events involving how
magnets can be used in everyday life.

Lesson Outcomes:

TLW read simple instructions and act on the information.

TLW make a general rule when specific facts are used.
TLW predict kinds of materials magnets attract.
TLW use different kinds of magnets that are available to check their predictions and
record the results.
TLW produce a generalization or rule which defines how to tell the kind of objects
magnets attract and why.
TLW evaluate the generalization by testing it on several given designs to determine its
effectiveness and then modifying it if necessary.

Rationale/Purpose for Lesson:

o The Learner will identify magnetic objects, explain that a magnetic field is a region (area)
of magnetic force around a magnet, explain and illustrate how magnets can be used in
everyday life.

Pre-assessment:
Subject: Science (Magnetic fields)
Student Name: Class ..
1. What kinds of materials do magnets attract? Record your results in the chart below
Objects

Attracted Yes

Attracted No

Name
of
materials

the

Pencil
Eraser
Paper Clip
keys
Coins
Cloth
Paper
Comb
Nails

2. Why do magnets attract some objects and reject others?

..
..
3. When you place a cardboard on top of an object and brings a magnet close to it, what
does the magnet do to the object?
.

Post-Assessment:

Name Class.
1. Why did we do these experiments?
..

2. What is a magnet?

3. What Kinds of materials do magnets attract?

4. Why do we need/use magnets?

.

Assessment:

Teacher will collect and mark assessment worksheet responses of todays

questions and the generalizations written by each student.

Resources/Materials Required:
6 Sets of Large bar Magnets

6 Sets of Horseshoe magnets

6 Pieces of cloth

6 Glass marbles

6 Pennies, Dimes, Nickels, Quarters

6 Pieces of paper

1 Box of Iron filing

6 Wooden and plastic Disks

6 Boxes of paper clips

6 Nails

6 Erasers

6 Keys

6 Combs

6 Pieces of Iron rods

6 Iron teaspoons

Smart board/Technology

Introduction:
Grabber 1: If you hear me clap one, If you hear me clap two, three, four, and five!
Grabber 2: Story: Mary and John had an argument on whether a magnet can attract a plastic
disk. Mary insisted that magnet will attract a plastic disk but John disagreed with that. As the
argument went on, Julie came to the scene, inquired what was going on and asked them to
carry out an experiment, and find out whose prediction was right. That ended the long
argument. Would you like to know the result of their experiment?
We are going to make some predictions about what magnets can attract, test and observe our
predictions, record our results and finally draw conclusions based on our observations.

Procedures:
Magnetism Activity 1: What magnets attract
About 2000 years ago, people from an area called Magnesia found rocks that would attract
small pieces of iron. The rocks are called magnetite. They contain magnetized iron. Magnet is a
material or device that attracts items containing elements of iron, nickel or cobalt. For
hundreds of years we have known about and used magnets at home and other places.
Do we use magnets at home?
o The electric fan you use to keep off the heat and your computers uses magnets to
function.
o The microwave oven where you cook your popcorn uses magnets to function.
o The vacuum cleaner, hair dryer and your washing machine need magnet to work.
o Without magnet, you cant use your earphones, loudspeakers or microphones
o When you close the refrigerator door, the way it sticks to the fridge is because of
magnet.
o We use magnet to create a bulletin board without the use of tracks or tape.
o We use magnet to pick up screws, needles, and other pointy objects from the floor.
o Any appliance that contains electric motor uses magnet to function.
Some things respond to magnetic force/pull, others do not. What kind of materials do magnets
attract? Try this experiment and find out.

Experiment: Touch your bar magnet to each of the items. Which items are attracted and stick to
the magnet? Which items are not attracted to the magnet? Record your results. What is each
item made of?
Magnetic Facts: Did you find that only iron and steel objects are attracted by the magnet?
Magnets also attract cobalt and nickel. Most magnets are made of iron and steel, usually
alloyed mixed with other metals such as nickel and cobalt. But some magnets are made of
plastic and a ceramic material mixed with magnetic powder.

Magnetism Activity 2: Go on a magnet hunt

Where can we find magnetic objects? Every day you see many objects that are magnetic at
homes, companies, industries, etc. This means they are attracted by a magnets pulling force.
Go on a magnetic hunt this week. Try the magnet test on everything you see. Keep a record of
all the objects that you test.
Magnetic Facts: Iron and steel are used in thousands of everyday objects, from household items
such as refrigerators and telephones to vehicles such as cars and trucks. These metals have a
natural attraction to magnets.

Magnetism Activity 3: Fun with Iron Filings

A magnet will attract small bits of iron called iron filings. But will a magnet still attract
iron filings if they are mixed with a nonmagnetic substance such as salt? Try this experiment to
find out.
o Follow these steps: In a cup, mix together a teaspoon (5ml) of salt and a pinch of
iron filings. Stir the mixture well. Spread the mixture onto a piece of paper, making a
very thin layer. Then hold the horseshoe magnet slightly above the mixture. What
happens? Carefully pour the iron filings back into the storage tube.
The teacher walk around to see how each group is carrying out each activity
experiments. She assists students that are having difficulty understanding the
instructions, by explaining the instructions more for them to understand.
Magnetic Facts: When there is a mixture of iron and another nonmagnetic substance, only the
iron is attracted to a magnet. This fact is put to practical use in many industries. Magnets are
often used to separate iron and steel from other materials. For example, in automotive scrap
yards, cars are crushed into small pieces. Then huge magnets are used to separate the iron and
steel from the other materials in the cars. The scrap metal the magnets pull from the cars is

then melted and recycled to make new cars and appliances. This process saves money and
energy, and preserves our supply of metals.
o Food and chemical companies use magnetic separators to make sure that iron
particles arent accidentally mixed into their products. As a result, the products we
buy are safer to use.

Guided Study:
The teacher will give students some experiment activities to do. She gives them instruction on
how to do it. She will walk around to see how students are performing the experiment and
assist them when necessary. She will conclude the experiment activity with some explanations
about each activity.
The teacher will entertain questions from students based on the topic of todays lesson

Review/ Summary of the Lesson:

1. We perform experiment to find out or confirm if our predictions are right or wrong
and learn from it.
2. A magnet is a material or device that attracts items containing the elements iron,
nickel or cobalt.
3. Magnet attracts objects that has iron, steel, nickel and cobalt elements
4. Opposite poles of a magnet attract each other (Law of magnet).
5. Magnets are used to separate iron and steel from other materials.
o When cars are crushed into small pieces in automotive scrap yards, huge
magnets are used to separate the iron and steel from the other materials in
the cars.
o The scrap metal the magnets pull from the cars is then melted and recycled
to make new cars and appliances we use in our homes.
o Food and chemical companies use magnetic separators to make sure that
iron particles arent accidentally mixed into their products. As a result, the
products we buy are safer to use.

Home Work:

Draw a picture of any appliance in your home that uses magnet to function. Bring your work to
school next week.

Closure:
o All students will write their explanations in their assessment form to demonstrate the
skills, knowledge, and attitudes they have learned as a result of this lesson.
o Take volunteers to share their responses and explain how they used their knowledge of
magnet to develop the explanation.
o Dismantle and explain how the magnets work.
o Students evaluate in the assessment form how close their explanation came to the
actual mechanisms at work.

Evaluation and Reflection:

The magnetism adventure, exploration and closure works very well. If students performance in
the assessment worksheets is below average, I will reteach the activities students might have
failed in the assessment worksheet. This will help them understand the lesson better.

Evidence #2
I believe it is important for teachers to have sufficient content information when planning
instruction for classroom. I also feel it is essential for teachers to use engaging strategies that
will help students in learning the material we are teaching so they could use the knowledge in
addressing other related global issues. I create an evaluation worksheet for every lesson I teach
at St. Thomas School. I asked the students to answer the questions on the worksheet after
teaching the topic and I grade the papers. This helps me to assess how much material my
students learned from the lesson. We discuss the questions on each worksheet together in the
class to help students gain more knowledge of the lesson. This has been very helpful in selfevaluation of how much of the content material I used during the lesson, and in evaluating
what the students are learning from every lesson I teach. My second piece of evidence is one of
the evaluation worksheet I created for my Social Studies lesson. I used the worksheet to assess
how much material my students learned from the lesson.

Southeast Evaluation Worksheet

Resources

Coal Mining in the South

List the resources in the Southeast Region

1. -----------------------------------2. -----------------------------------3. -----------------------------------4. -----------------------------------5. -----------------------------------6. -----------------------------------7. -----------------------------------8. ------------------------------------

Floridas Oranges
About _______ percent of
Floridas orange crop
becomes juice.
Concentrated means that the
water is
__________________
And ___________________.
I really enjoyed ___________
________________________
________________________.

Coal is a ____ fuel. It formed from the

remains of ______ and ________.
We call it fossil fuel because it was
formed at the same time the fossils
formed.
Coal is found in the states of ________
and ___________ .
Coal is used to make ______, _____,
_________, ________.
And burning it creates ______
Power.

When a resource is plentiful in a state, draw the

resources in the state