Collage of eight classroom photos showing elementary students working in small groups around tables. Students hold sheets of white paper and observe or interact with a small gray object placed on the paper as part of a hands-on learning activity. The classroom includes notebooks, pencils, educational materials, and colorful displays in the background. Several images show students collaborating, making observations, and discussing the object with classmates. Visible classroom decorations include posters and learning resources on the walls.

Fourth graders in Grace Rossi's class at Cottonwood Creek Elementary recently had a hands-on science experience as they explored magnetic fields using magnets and iron filings. Learners used iron filings to observe and investigate the shape, pattern and direction of magnetic fields. As the filings responded to the magnets, students could see the invisible forces at work right before their eyes. The excitement was contagious as 4A watched the iron filings move and form patterns around the magnets.