Lesson 1: Marvellous Materials

 Preparation

Equipment

• glue
• paper
• rope
• fabric
• sponge
• metal
• wood
• plastic
• glass

 Lesson Plan

Tuning In

• Discuss students’ knowledge of different types of materials: what they know about them, and what they can be used for.
• Watch the video Primary School Science Series: Physical Properties of Materials for Kids. Pause the video where questions are asked. Take note that the audio on this video is quite fast, so you may need to reduce the playback speed settings to 0.75.

Teacher Instruction

• Display the Chemical Sciences: Clever Changes – Teaching Presentation. Read over the learning objective on Slide 6.
• Read through Slides 7 to 11. Encourage student engagement by asking the question prompts from the presentation.

Guided/Independent Learning

• Divide the class into pairs and designate one material item per pair from the interactive science table. Ask the students to sit in a circle with their items, and give them a minute to talk about their items with their partners.
• Instruct students to speak in order around the circle. Ask each student to share what material they were looking at and one thing they know about that material. Ask questions that prompt students to respond, e.g. “What does the material look like, feel like and sound like? What could you use this for? Where have you seen this before?”
• Provide each student with a copy of the Uses of Materials Sorting Activity. Read through the instructions with the class and ensure students understand the task.
• Monitor and support students as they complete the activity. Encourage them to provide as much detail as possible.

Wrapping Up

• Ask students to return to the mat to revise the lesson. Ask them to share what they recall about different types of materials.
• Introduce the Chemical Sciences: Clever Changes – Word Wall. Ask the class whether they can think of any words from the lesson that could be added immediately. Record student responses on the board, and add words to the Word Wall as required.
• Ask five volunteers to bring something stretchy from home for the interactive table before the next lesson. Communicate with parents to ensure students have permission to bring items to school safely.

 Differentiation

Extending Students

• Encourage more-confident students to extend their knowledge of materials by using the What If? Materials Template to write about objects made from inappropriate materials.

Supporting Students

• Allow less-confident students to complete the Uses of Materials Sorting Activity with a partner or in a small group.

 Assessment Strategies

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• used strategic whole class or individual questioning
• observed student participation during learning activities
• recorded student progress on a checklist
• annotated student work samples
• collected and reviewed student work samples
• facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions
• encouraged student self-reflection
• administered formal assessment tasks.

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