Magnets & Motors
Lesson 14
What Is Inside An Electric Motor
Students learn about what inside an electric motor and how to operate it.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Energy Sources and Kinds: Understand that energy is a property of substances and comes in many forms, including stored energy, energy of motion, heat energy, and other forms of energy (ST01 1.1.4).
Communicating: Communicate scientific procedures, investigations, and explanations visually, orally, in writing, with computer-based technology, and in the language of mathematics (IN05 2.1.5).
An electric current moving through a wire produces magnetism; a coil of copper wire conducting an electric current becomes an electromagnet.
3. Lesson set up and Management
Materials:
You may want to purchase a small electric toy to show as a demonstration for this lesson. Again, hand out materials using the numbered baggies.
Student Management:
Each student should have his or her own motor (if you have enough materials). Make sure students understand that they do not take the motors apart until they have done Steps 1-4 in the Student Books. You may need to help students understand that reversing the wire hookup or turning the battery around will change the direction of the motor. You should also go over vocabulary so that students can talk about the armature and the commutator.
Again, make sure you have taken apart one of the motors ahead of time so you can help students. Putting motors back together without breaking parts is very tricky. If you have someone to help you put motors back together, it might be better not to have students do this. If you have enough supplies, wait until Lesson 15 to put them back together.
Writing Support:
You could have students draw and label pictures of the inside of a motor in their science notebooks.
Reading Support:
See the Student Activity Book for Lesson 14.