Materials - Presentation

In today's lesson, students will explore the diverse world of materials and their properties, answering three key questions: Can they name various materials, describe the properties of these materials, and suggest appropriate materials for specific uses? The session is designed to be interactive and engaging, beginning with an activity where students pick an object from a bag and discuss what it's made of and why those particular materials were chosen. They will then use sorting cards to categorize materials such as metal, glass, wood, plastic, concrete, fabric, ceramic, and rubber, delving deeper into the properties that make each material suitable for different applications.

The practical part of the lesson involves a series of experiments to test material properties, such as waterproofness. Students will cover a toy with different materials and pour water over it to see if the toy stays dry, thus determining if the material is waterproof. This experiment will help them understand which materials are best for making an umbrella and why some materials are unsuitable. Another hands-on activity involves biscuit dunking, where students will observe how different biscuits absorb water at varying rates due to their ingredients, teaching them about absorption and the effect of coatings like chocolate on water resistance. By the end of the lesson, students will be able to name different materials, describe properties such as those of metals, and suggest suitable materials for creating objects like wooden items, all while understanding the practical implications of material properties.