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Kindergarten · Science · Unit 9 of 11

Magnets & Light

What magnets pull, and how light makes shadows.

What your child practices

Practices which things a magnet pulls, how magnets push and pull each other, that we see things only when there is light, and that some things let light through while others block it and make a shadow.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: K.7; K.8(A); K.8(B) · how magnets push and pull, and how light lets us see and makes shadows

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Magnets pull some metal things, like paper clips.
  2. We need light to see.
  3. When something blocks light, it makes a shadow.

Example: Will a magnet pull a wooden block? Magnets pull some metals. Wood is not metal. Answer: no

Magnets & Light in Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 9 of 11 in Kindergarten Science, after Where Animals Live and before Rocks, Soil, Water & Air.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Two magnets slide apart without touching. They…

    • pull each other
    • push each other
    • break
    • light up

  2. Question 2

    Does a magnet have to touch a paper clip to pull it?

    • Yes, always
    • Only in water
    • No, it can pull from close by
    • Only at night

  3. Question 3

    Two magnets snap together. They…

    • change color
    • melt
    • get wet
    • pull each other

  4. Question 4

    Which one will a magnet pull?

    • A leaf
    • A paper cup
    • A paper clip
    • A crayon

  5. Question 5

    A shadow forms when something…

    • blocks the light
    • makes a sound
    • gets cold
    • gets wet

  6. Question 6

    You put a hand in front of a flashlight. On the wall you see…

    • a rainbow
    • a puddle
    • nothing
    • a hand shadow

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