Forces and Magnets

This Forces and Magnets Year 3 scheme of work is a great way to teach your KS2 Science class everything they need to know about forces and magnets! From pushes and pulls to uses for magnetic materials, your children will combine practical enquiry and scientific research to help them become more familiar with how forces and magnets work.

This ready-to-teach Forces and Magnets Year 3 planning pack contains everything you need to deliver these fun, practical lessons, including lesson plans, slides, activity ideas, differentiated worksheets, challenges and many other resources. It's enough to make your Science teaching truly magnetic!

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Pushes and Pulls

The first lesson in this Push and Pull Forces Year 3 series reviews what your class already know about forces, looking specifically at pushes and pulls, and helps them to identify which direction forces are acting in. They will also explore how some forces need contact between objects.

This downloadable ready-to-teach Forces and Magnets lesson contains a lesson plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

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Comparing Movement

This Year 3 Forces lesson starts by exploring what a force meter is and how they work. Your class can then undertake a variety of practical enquiries to explore how different surfaces affect how an object will move across that surface, introducing the idea of friction.

The children will be challenged to consider conducting a fair test in their investigation, making sure steps are taken to ensure their readings are accurate and reliable. They will make careful observations and measurements using force meters or a ruler.

This downloadable lesson contains a lesson plan, slideshow presentation and printable teaching resources.

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Magnetic Forces

In this Magnetic Forces KS2 lesson, children will be introduced to magnets, and learn how they can exert a force on certain objects without touching them.

They will explore the different forces a magnetic field can exert, depending on which poles are facing each other. In their independent activities, they will show their understanding of this by using the correct scientific vocabulary.

This Magnetic Forces KS2 lesson includes a detailed plan, informative slide show and differentiated, printable activity sheets.

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Magnetic Materials

In this Magnetic Materials KS2 lesson, children recap on what they already know about magnets, before beginning to discuss and predict what other materials could be attracted to or repelled by magnets.

In their independent activities, children test and record the results for a variety of objects made from different materials. They are encouraged to look carefuly at their findings and notice what the magnetic materials have in common.

An easy-to-follow plan, a set of slides for the teaching input, and differentiated worksheets are all included in this downloadable Magentic Materials KS2 lesson pack.

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Uses of Magnets

In this final lesson your KS2 class will discuss and explore the uses of magnets. The included lesson slides look at different uses such as recycling, credit cards and computers as well as compasses and fridge magnets!

Challenge your class to investigate magnet strengths and conduct a fair test with careful predictions and measurements. Alternatively, have your class create their own compasses using a needle and a magnet.

This lesson comes with a detailed lesson plan, PDF lesson slides and accompanying printable resources.

View Lesson 5