Magnets are one of those science topics that students think they already understand, right up until you show them something that feels like magic: a train that floats, a material that “locks” in mid-air, or a living thing that can be nudged by a magnetic field without being magnetic in the everyday sense.

That “wait, how is that possible?” moment is gold in a classroom. It is also the perfect launch point for a magnets and maglev trains lesson that builds real physics ideas: forces, fields, energy transfer, electromagnetism, and engineering trade-offs.

In this post, you’ll get 6 incredible facts you can use as hooks, plus practical ways to teach them without turning your prep time into a black hole. If you want a ready-to-use classroom version of this approach (with a built-in engagement structure), this is the companion resource that pairs beautifully with the ideas below:

Magnets & Mag-lev Trains Strange But True Facts + 2 Truths & a Lie Activity Set

And if you prefer a full mini unit in a box around magnets and magnetic levitation trains, this bundle keeps everything coherent across lessons: Magnets + Mag-Lev Trains 4 Resource Bundle

How to teach magnets and maglev trains without a prep spiral

Before the facts, here are three fast classroom structures that work especially well for magnetism:

1) Two Truths and a Lie (10–15 minutes)

Give groups 3 statements (2 true, 1 false). Students must choose the lie and justify their reasoning. This is brilliant for magnets because misconceptions are common (and sticky).

The activity set above is designed exactly for that “science detective” vibe. (The Teaching Astrophysicist)

2) Micro-CER (8–12 minutes)

Students write a mini Claim–Evidence–Reasoning response using one fact as the evidence anchor.

• Claim: What does this show about magnets/fields/forces?

• Evidence: Quote the key detail (number, condition, comparison).

• Reasoning: Explain the physics idea behind it.

3) “Phenomenon first” reading (15–25 minutes)

Students read a short text, answer questions, then revise their explanation model. If you like the idea of leveled passages (so you can hit Grade 6 through Grade 10 in the same unit), this one is a clean fit: Can Trains Float? Physics Reading Comprehension 2 Passage & Questions

The 6 Incredible Facts (with teaching moves)

Fact 1: You can levitate a frog with magnetism

Yes, really. With an ultra-strong magnetic field and a strong gradient, diamagnetism can create a force that balances gravity. Water is weakly diamagnetic, and living tissue contains lots of water, which is why diamagnetic levitation can work for small organisms in extreme lab conditions. Though you should be careful not to do that unless absolutely needed for science. (Science)

Teach it without the danger:You absolutely do not need anything remotely like a frog experiment. Use safe analogues:

• levitating pyrolytic graphite above strong neodymium magnets (classic classroom demo)

• compare “magnetic” vs “diamagnetic” vs “paramagnetic” as categories

Question that sparks real thinking: If water is weakly repelled by magnets, why don’t fridge magnets pull your hand away? (Leads to field strength, gradients, and how tiny the effect is.)

Fact 2: Bacteria that read Earth’s magnetic field exist

Magnetotactic bacteria build chains of magnetic crystals (often magnetite) inside the cell. Those chains act like nanoscale compass needles, aligning the bacteria with Earth’s magnetic field and helping them navigate their environment. (PMC)

Why this belongs in a magnets unit: Students love the biology crossover, and it reinforces that magnetism is not just a hardware-store topic. It’s a real environmental cue.

Quick classroom move: Do a 2-minute concept link task:

• Magnetic field lines (physics)

• Navigation and survival advantage (biology)

• Biomineralization of magnetite (Earth science/chemistry connection)

Fact 3: Levitation isn’t the big energy cost for maglev trains, air is

At high speeds, the dominant resistive force is aerodynamic drag. Drag grows rapidly as speed increases, which is why energy use and design focus so heavily on train shape, tunnels, and airflow, not just levitation. (large.stanford.edu)

Teacher-friendly way to explain it: Students often assume floating must be the hardest part. Flip it:

• Levitation removes rolling friction.

• But once you go fast, air resistance becomes the big opponent.

Fast graph task: Give students a simple drag vs speed curve (even a sketch). Ask:

• “What happens when speed doubles?"

• “Why would maglev design care about nose shape and crosswinds?”

This is a great moment to connect to engineering: “What would you change to reduce drag?” (shape, smoother surfaces, streamlining, pressure waves in tunnels).

Fact 4: Your body is weakly repelled by magnets

Because the body is mostly water, and water is diamagnetic, very strong magnetic fields (and especially strong field gradients) can exert a tiny measurable force. This is part of the same physics behind diamagnetic levitation demonstrations. (University of Nottingham)

Teach it carefully (and safely):

• Emphasize that the effect is extremely small in everyday magnetic fields.

• The classroom hook is conceptual: Not magnetic does not mean no magnetic behavior.

Simple misconception-buster: Ask students to rank materials from most obvious magnetic to still responds a little and justify their ranking. It trains them to think in spectra rather than binaries.

Fact 5: Maglev passenger cabins can be magnetically calmer than you’d expect

A common fear is “Won’t the magnetic field be huge inside the train?” In practice, design and shielding can reduce passenger exposure significantly. A review of magnetic field guidelines notes that fields inside passenger cabins for magnetically levitated trains can be relatively low (reported below 100 μT in that context), though localized higher values (up to several mT) can occur near floor-level components. (icnirp.org)

How to teach this without getting lost in EMF debates: Frame it as an engineering constraints problem:

• Safety and comfort constraints

• Shielding strategies

• Trade-offs between performance, mass, cost, and field containment

Quick classroom task: Design brief in 6 minutes:

• Your train must levitate and accelerate.

• Your cabin must meet a magnetic field target.

• What design choices help? (shielding materials, component placement, geometry, distance)

Fact 6: Superconductors can lock in mid-air

When a type-II superconductor is cooled and exposed to a magnetic field, quantized flux vortices can become pinned in place (flux pinning). That pinning creates the famous hover at a fixed angle like it’s glued to invisible rails effect. (AIP Publishing)

Classroom angle students remember:This is the perfect bridge to:

• superconductivity as “zero resistance”

• magnetic behavior of superconductors

• why advanced maglev systems get so much attention

Safe teaching option:Use videos and diagrams if you don’t have demo equipment. The real learning is in the model:

• What is being “pinned”?

• Why does that stabilize the levitation?

A ready-to-run 3-lesson mini sequence (magnets + maglev)

If you want a clean structure that works in Grades 6–10:

Lesson 1: Hook + misconceptions

• Run a Two Truths & a Lie round using magnets and maglev statements

• Build a class word bank: magnetic field, force, pole, electromagnet, drag, superconductor, levitation(That Strange But True set is built for exactly this style of lesson.) (The Teaching Astrophysicist)

Lesson 2: Build understanding with text

• Use a leveled reading + questions so everyone can access the core ideas.

Lesson 3: Extend into engineering

• Add a focused text on electromagnetic suspension (excellent for linking electricity and magnetism)

• Finish with a design brief: “Build the best maglev train for your city” (constraints: cost, safety, speed, energy use)

If you want the topic area neatly organized so you can pick-and-mix, this page keeps magnetism and electromagnetism resources together.

Why facts are not fluff: they are a shortcut to real science thinking

The best facts do three things:

1. They create curiosity.

2. They expose misconceptions.

3. They demand explanation.

Magnets and maglev trains are perfect for this because the visible phenomena feel like magic, but the underlying physics is beautifully teachable.

If you want a low-prep, high-engagement way to run it, the magnets + maglev Strange But True + Two Truths & a Lie set is the quickest “open and teach” option.

Thanks for reading

Cheers and stay curious

Oliver - The Teaching Astrophysicist