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Could a Magnet Solve It? is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using what magnets pull to decide whether a problem is one they could solve, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-PS2-4. It prints 3 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 11 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Could a Magnet Solve It?

3-PS2-4

NameDate

Sort each problem into the right group.

1.Sort each one: A magnet could solve this or A magnet could not solve this?

Sort: Finding a dropped steel needle in a rug, Holding a note on a wooden door, Sorting steel cans from aluminum cans, Holding a poster on a brick wall

A magnet could solve thisA magnet could not solve this
2.Sort each one: A magnet could solve this or A magnet could not solve this?

Sort: Finding a lost plastic toy in the sandpit, Lifting iron filings out of the sand tray, Picking steel pins out of the grass, Picking glass beads out of the grass

A magnet could solve thisA magnet could not solve this
3.Sort each one: A magnet could solve this or A magnet could not solve this?

Sort: Sorting aluminum cans from plastic bottles, Lifting a gold ring out of a drain, Keeping a steel cupboard door shut, Holding a note on a steel fridge door

A magnet could solve thisA magnet could not solve this

LessonPrint · 3-PS2-4 · Set 11 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Could a Magnet Solve It?

Set 11. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Finding a dropped steel needle in a rug — A magnet could solve this 2. Holding a note on a wooden door — A magnet could not solve this 3. Holding a poster on a brick wall — A magnet could not solve this 4. Sorting steel cans from aluminum cans — A magnet could solve this
  2. 2.1. Finding a lost plastic toy in the sandpit — A magnet could not solve this 2. Lifting iron filings out of the sand tray — A magnet could solve this 3. Picking glass beads out of the grass — A magnet could not solve this 4. Picking steel pins out of the grass — A magnet could solve this
  3. 3.1. Holding a note on a steel fridge door — A magnet could solve this 2. Keeping a steel cupboard door shut — A magnet could solve this 3. Lifting a gold ring out of a drain — A magnet could not solve this 4. Sorting aluminum cans from plastic bottles — A magnet could not solve this

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-PS2-4 of the Next Generation Science Standards.