Virginia SOL 5.4.e

Science5th GradeForce, Motion, and Energy

The Standard

a current flowing through a wire creates a magnetic field.

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students connect electric current with magnetism. They use a compass to detect the magnetic effect near a wire when a simple circuit is closed.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student predicts that a nearby compass needle will move when current is present. The student uses the needle movement as evidence and explains why it stops when the circuit opens.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think the battery makes the wire a permanent magnet. They may believe magnetism occurs only with coiled wire or an iron core. Some think an open circuit still produces the same effect.
How to Assess It: Show an open circuit and a closed circuit, each with a compass beside the wire. Ask students to predict the compass response in each and explain why.

Lesson moves

Place a compass under an insulated wire, briefly close a D-cell circuit, and record how the needle changes when the circuit opens.
Ask, "Why does the compass move only when the circuit is closed?" Require a claim supported by the observation.
Play circuit sort: students match open and closed circuit cards to compass cards showing deflection or no deflection.
Examine a doorbell electromagnet diagram and trace how current produces the magnetic pull that moves the striker.

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A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5.4.e, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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