In this Form 2 (grade 4-6) study guide, students will learn about the power of magnets, the invisible lines of force surrounding them, why a compass always points north, the difference between permanent and temporary magnets (electromagnets), and that almost everything that is electronic and moves most likely has a magnet in it.
The study guide includes reading assignments from the spine text, narration prompts, and open discussion questions. Experiments related to the reading are also included. Optional supplemental activities, such as current events, videos, and article suggestions when there is time, are also included. Finally, you will find a link to an exam for each course in the introductory material.
- Pages: 70
- Prerequisites: none
Spine Text
This study guide accompanies the living book Magnets by Rocco V. Feravolo (Living Library Press, 2017, ISBN: 0692836640), which must be purchased separately.
- 64 pages
- Reading Level: 4-7 grade
- Prerequisites: none
Rocco Vincent Feravolo was born May 12,1922 in Newark, NJ. He grew up enjoying writing, painting, and swordsmanship. Rocco served in the U.S. Army during WW2, was distinguished as a student at university and won medals internationally as a fencer with sabre and foil. Science was a love for him and he went on to become a science teacher. But he wanted science to provide a true “work experience” for young people and that they would be active participants in their learning. This care for how children relate with science shows when you read his works.
Mr. Feravolo authored more than 12 science books, a science textbook, and a math book. He succeeded in doing what he set out to do: making sure that his books were practical for children. Books that would involve young people in whichever branch of science they were learning about. If he was going to write about flight then you can be sure he was getting his pilot’s license. He wrote the way he likes to live: “active in many fields”. —Michele Jahncke (source)
Other Necessary Items to Complement This Course
- Review the Supply List for this course.
- Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
Schedule:
This study guide includes 33 morning lessons, three per week, each requiring approximately 20-30 minutes. Each week will include the following science lessons:
- Weekly Lesson 1: Nature Lore
- Weekly Lesson 2: Natural History Science Reading and sometimes an activity
- Weekly Lesson 3: Special Studies Reading or Natural History Activity
Other necessary science and nature study should be done during afternoons or evenings, and may include the following:
- Daily work outside exploring and investigating, making notes or drawings of their observations. Due to the subject matter of this study guide, some of this daily work will need to be done after sunset.
- Additional reading on this science topic and nature topics according to individual desire and interest.
I have used a “boxed curriculum” for years (I am a veteran homeschooler of 16 years), but have never liked the science portion of the curriculum I have chosen. Then someone introduced me to SMH and my kids and I LOVE it!! I love the topics, how Nicole weaves in nature study and the length of time they take (not an entire year on one topic–unless you want to). I recommend SMH to anyone who is looking for a easy to use, fun and educational science curriculum!
—Becky H.
Sample Lessons:
A digital version can be purchased below, but the paperback copies of this study guide must be purchased on Amazon.
Neither the study guide nor the accompanying spine text includes religious content. Therefore, a separate secular version is not available.
SMH offers discounted prices for Co-Op and Schools. If you are purchasing for Co-Ops, please refer to this page. For School License, please refer to this page.
Reviews
Enjoyable study
My grade 4 daughter enjoyed learning about magnets through this curriculum. Not all the experiments worked quite as well as anticipated, but that could be fault on our end. As others have noted, the supplies are a little pricier, but I was happy to see that some of the supplies are used again with other units. Overall, it is a well-thought-out curriculum and we enjoyed it.
Great Experiments
The text is great and the experiments were really fun. Some of the materials were a little expensive for this guide. We are in love with SMH guides! I do wish there were more photos for the experiments in the guides. We really liked the photos in the Tech guide for F2. They were so helpful.
Excellent
This was our first SMH guide and it was such a wonderful intro to Form 2. We started reading the book together but eventually my son was wanting to read it himself, narrating and note booking along the way. The initial investment in the magnets is very much worth it.
Magnetic!
I loved doing this curriculum as much as my daughter did (I’ve always loved magnets!). Some of the directions for the activities seemed unclear to us, or didn’t quite work as they were supposed to, but we usually had enough understanding to figure out where we went wrong, or what we were missing. In any case, I do recommend this. Sometime after we finished it, one of our knives was somehow magnetized, and when my daughter discovered it, she was very pleased because she remembered how we magnetized a needle. She also loves demonstrating the polarity of our magnets.
One of our favorites!
This was the first SHM science study that we used and my kids and I loved it. The main text was engaging, and I appreciated all of the support materials in the study guide that helped me prepare for and implement activities. Thank you for a great product!
Excellent bridge for Form 2 students
This is our second SMH guide – after three years using Arabella Buckley’s “Eyes and No Eyes” series, alongside the Burgess books, my now Form 2B was ready to move on to more hands on science. This guide is the perfect bridge and he has enjoyed the experiments. The reading level of the spine is also just right for my burgeoning reader. We will be sticking with SMH Science guides for the foreseeable future 🙂
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