Year 3 - Science
Magnetic and non-magnetic materials
Simple forces including magnets
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Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores how objects move on different surfaces and examines magnetic forces, including attraction, repulsion, and magnetic materials. It covers identifying magnetic poles and predicting interactions and emphasizes practical tests, observations, and presenting findings.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of whether they are attracted to a magnet, and identify some magnetic materials.
Key Notes
- Magnetic materials will be attracted to a magnet and non-magnetic materials will not be attracted to a magnet
- Magnetic materials always contain metal, but not all metals are magnetic
- Iron is magnetic, so is steel because it contains iron
- Most other metals are not magnetic
- Magnets are used to separate magnetic materials from non-magnetic materials at recycling centres and scrap yards
Vocabulary To Learn
- material: A material is the thing that objects are made from such as wood, metal or plastic.
- magnetic: Magnetic materials are materials that are attracted to magnets.
- attract: To attract something is to make it move closer.
- non-magnetic: Non-magnetic materials are materials that are not attracted to magnets.
- metal: A metal is a type of material.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- All metals and silver coloured objects are magnetic and are attracted to a magnet.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
Magnetic materials will be attracted to a magnet and non-magnetic materials will not be attracted to a magnet. Magnetic materials always contain metal, but not all metals are magnetic.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'material'
A material is the thing that objects are made from such as wood, metal or plastic. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: All metals and silver coloured objects are magnetic and are attracted to a magnet. Correction: Explicit teaching, including many examples, will be combined with hands-on exploration to address this misconception.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Blocking magnetic force Study Guide
- Contact forces Study Guide
- Different magnets and their parts Study Guide
- Different surfaces in real life (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Different surfaces: do and review Study Guide
- Different surfaces: plan Study Guide
- Magnetic force (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Magnetic force at a distance Study Guide
- Putting magnets together: attract or repel Study Guide
- Strongest magnet (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Using magnets to solve problems (non-statutory: Scientists and Engineers) Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 3 Science guide library.