Properties of Materials - Lesson Plan

The lesson plan designed by Mark Inder in 2021 aims to educate pupils on the properties of various materials, with a particular emphasis on metals and elastic materials. The objectives include enabling students to identify materials that can be stretched and revert to their original shape, as well as describing the properties of metals. The lesson extends to future learning where Year 1 students will describe and differentiate the properties of everyday materials and distinguish between objects and the materials they are composed of. The lesson incorporates cross-curricular links to maths, English, and history, such as measuring, using descriptive vocabulary, and learning about the extraction of copper in the Bronze Age. Health and safety considerations are highlighted, including allergy awareness and managing slip hazards.

The lesson includes a variety of activities such as a teacher-led discussion about materials used in everyday objects, a 'Curly Wurly Challenge' where students explore the effects of heat on materials, and an exploration of different metals through handling and discussing properties. Pupils also conduct a water and coins experiment to understand the capacity of different coins to hold water. The lesson concludes with a plenary where students reflect on their learning by answering questions about the properties of materials they've studied. The lesson is interactive and hands-on, with an emphasis on student engagement and practical application of scientific concepts. Keywords such as 'stretchy', 'elastic', 'brittle', and 'bendy' are used to describe materials, and misconceptions such as "all metals are hard" are addressed and corrected.