An Introduction to Materials - Teacher Explanation

Welcome to Lesson 1.4 of the Year 1 unit on Everyday Materials, where we delve into an Introduction to Materials. This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum, which outlines four key objectives for pupils: firstly, to identify and name common materials such as wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock; secondly, to compare and group these materials based on their simple physical properties; thirdly, to describe these properties; and finally, to understand the distinction between a material and the object it forms. This lesson also integrates cross-curricular links with English, where pupils will write descriptions of material properties, Art and Design Technology (ADT) as they design houses, and potentially History, exploring material use across the Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages.

During the lesson, pupils will engage in hands-on testing of various materials, including rocks, metals, and plastics, to describe their properties such as being bendy or transparent. They will then consider the practical applications of these materials based on their attributes. A creative task will see pupils designing a house and selecting appropriate materials for construction, justifying their choices based on the properties of each material. The lesson plan provides flexibility in the first activity, requiring a collection of materials and objects for pupils to investigate. They will fill out a table, available in the printable section of the lesson on the website, ticking off properties such as shininess, hardness, and transparency. The subsequent task involves identifying the materials that make up everyday classroom objects, recognizing that some items are composed of multiple materials. The lesson culminates with the 'house builders' activity, where pupils collaboratively design a house, focusing on material selection and suitability. Enjoy guiding your pupils through these engaging activities, and we look forward to the next lesson.