Unit+Overview

The current unit we are working on is tilted **Magnets and Motors**. This unit will teach students about magnetism and how it is connected to electricity. It will mirror the historical development of our understanding and use of magnetism, electricity, and electromagnetism. The unit progresses through these phenomena in the order people first learned about them: magnets, compasses, electricity from batteries, and then electromagnetism (electromagnets, motors, and generators). By the end of this unit students will have the basic understanding of magnetism and how it is an important contributor to the motors and electrical devices we use everyday. This unit will also teach students how magnetism is responsible for some of the fascinating things that occur in nature such as the aurora borealis, the wondering magnetic pole, and the abilities of certain animals to use magnetism as a means of navigation for when they migrate.