Mississippi Science PHS.9.3
The Standard
- PHS.9
- Students will explore basic principles of magnetism and electricity (e.g., static electricity, current electricity, and circuits).
Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to construct a working electric motor to perform a task. Communicate the design process and comparisons of task performance efficiencies. *
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Electricity
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students build a battery-powered motor that turns a marked rotor at least 20 times. They change one part, retest it, and explain which version gets more turns from the same amount of electrical energy.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how the coil, magnet, and battery make the rotor turn. They record turns, voltage, current, and time for two designs, then use those results to justify a revision.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may scrape all the insulation from both coil ends, causing the rotor to stall instead of spinning continuously. They may call the faster motor more efficient without checking how much energy it uses.
How to Assess It
- Give this exit ticket: Motor A makes 40 turns using 20 joules. Motor B makes 45 turns using 30 joules. Show which gets more turns per joule, then name one change you would test next.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Wind an enamelled wire coil, scrape one axle end bare and half of the other, then mount it over a magnet on battery-connected paper clips.
Have pairs sketch their first and revised motors, then explain which change improved turns per joule and what evidence supports it.
Give groups test cards with turns, voltage, current, and time; have them calculate turns per joule and rank the designs.
Place a tissue strip 20 cm from a desk fan, compare its movement at two speeds, and read each setting's watts on a plug-in meter.
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Printable PHS.9.3 Worksheet
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