Earth’s Magnetic Essence

The author of this article provides 3 different activities to allow students to investigate magnetism and the Earth’s magnetic poles. The definition of the geomagnetic pole is discussed, an... See More

The author of this article provides 3 different activities to allow students to investigate magnetism and the Earth’s magnetic poles. The definition of the geomagnetic pole is discussed, and it is compared to the Earth’s geographic North and South Poles. The author also provides information about the magnetic source of the Earth’s poles and how the light displays called auroras are produced. Studying the Earth’s magnetic poles can lead to a better understanding of the Earth’s interior, of navigation tools, of global climate change, and about magnets in general. For middle and high school teachers looking for rich, engaging lessons that integrate map reading skills (especially incorporating terms like latitude and longitude) and a unit in Earth Science that includes the relationship between the inner and outer workings of the Earth, this article has some outstanding ideas to consider.

Helping clear up student misconceptions

The author gives a brief, but excellent synopsis of what the magnetic North and South poles are and what causes this phenomena. In addition, the author offers three activities that can be us... See More

The author gives a brief, but excellent synopsis of what the magnetic North and South poles are and what causes this phenomena. In addition, the author offers three activities that can be used to aide students in better understanding what a magnetic poles is and how it relates to magnetism. An excellent list of online resources is also provided.