Lesson Summary Now that the students have had experience with what magnets can do, they are asked to use what they know about magnetism to make predictions of the behavior of several different objects.  The purpose of the predictions is for the students to see what they are thinking – to examine their own ideas. Teacher Background Emphasize to students that learning science is not so much a process of being right or wrong as it is of finding out new things.  As students make hypotheses – tentative assumptions for the purpose of testing the validity of an idea – about the magnetic characteristics of a variety of objects and materials, many will think that aluminum foil and copper wire are magnetic.  Students will be surprised to discover that not all metals are magnetic. It is important for students to discover that copper and aluminum are not magnetic.  In Lesson 7, students will learn that electricity moving through these materials will make them temporarily magnetic.  The magnetic effect of electric current will be easier for students to comprehend if they first learn that not all metal wires are magnetic.  Asking questions like “Are all metals the same?” and “What are some ways that you can tell different metals apart?” will help students to investigate and clarify this distinction. Set-up/Management Tips Prepare materials for distribution. Prepare mystery boxes – directions in Appendix C.  They can be used as an extension for those who finish early. Literacy Support Students complete chart with their results of magnetic properties. Scientific Vocabulary The following words are key vocabulary words that will be introduced in this lesson and reinforced throughout the unit: