In this unit, students will use scientific process skills to ask questions and investigate phenomena related to electricity and magnetism.
Priority Standards
Middle School Physical Science 2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
Middle School Physical Science 2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Supporting Standard
Middle School Physical Science 2-4: Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
Essential Questions
How do scientists plan investigations to solve problems?
What steps do scientists take to help ensure the validity of their data?
What makes a question testable?
Big Ideas
Scientists plan controlled investigations in an effort to collect accurate data without bias.
Testable questions inquire about the cause/effect relationship seen in a phenomenon.
Scientists carefully plan the test groups and variables of their experiments in an effort to collect valid data.
Middle School Physical Science 2-3: Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
Middle School Physical Science 2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between objects exerting forces on each other even though the objects are not in contact.
Supporting Standard
Middle School Physical Science 2-4: Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
Essential Questions
How do scientists plan investigations to solve problems?
What steps do scientists take to help ensure the validity of their data?
What makes a question testable?
Big Ideas
Scientists plan controlled investigations in an effort to collect accurate data without bias.
Testable questions inquire about the cause/effect relationship seen in a phenomenon.
Scientists carefully plan the test groups and variables of their experiments in an effort to collect valid data.
VocabularyCircuit
Control Group Testable question Constants Hypothesis Forces Independent Variable Magnetism Dependent Variable Cause/Effect |
AssessmentsStudents will ask a question relating to observed electricity or magnetism phenomena.
Students will use scientific process skills to plan how to investigate the answer to their testable question. |