Virginia SOL PS.9.e
The Standard
electric current and magnetic fields are related
Virginia Standards of Learning for Science · The student will investigate and understand that there are basic principles of electricity and magnetism. Key ideas include
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use a compass or iron objects to detect the magnetic field around a current-carrying wire. They explain that changing the current changes the magnetic field.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students predict when a wire or coil will produce a magnetic field and support the prediction with observed evidence. They can explain why reversing current reverses the field direction.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think a wire is magnetic even when no current flows. They may also confuse electric current with magnetic force or think current direction has no effect on the field.
How to Assess It
- Show diagrams of an open circuit and a closed circuit with a compass beside each wire. Ask students to predict the compass response and explain why.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Wrap insulated wire around an iron nail, connect it briefly to a battery, and count how many paper clips the electromagnet lifts.
Ask students to write how a compass can provide evidence that electric current creates a magnetic field.
Play a prediction game using circuit cards, with students choosing whether each setup produces no field, a weak field, or a stronger field.
Examine a doorbell diagram and trace how electric current creates magnetism that moves the striker.
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Printable PS.9.e Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to PS.9.e, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- PS.9.f
many technologies use electricity and magnetism.
- PS.9.d
magnetic fields cause the magnetic effects of certain materials;
- 5.4.e
a current flowing through a wire creates a magnetic field.
- PS.9
The student will investigate and understand that there are basic principles of electricity and magnetism. Key ideas include
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