Hardness - Teacher Explanation is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

<p>Welcome to Lesson 5.11 on Hardness, a part of the Year 5 curriculum focusing on the Properties and Changes of Materials. This lesson aligns with the National Curriculum's requirement for pupils to compare and group everyday materials based on various properties, such as hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (both electrical and thermal), and their response to magnets. To ensure safety during practical activities, pupils are instructed to wear safety goggles, tuck chairs under desks, tie back long hair, and keep walkways clear of bags. After practical work, thorough handwashing is essential, and any glass slides used must be checked for damage before distribution. The lesson offers cross-curricular opportunities, including research into the hardness of historical tools, creating model alloys in Design and Technology, and writing explanations of material hardness in English.</p>

<p>During the lesson, students will investigate the Mohs scale, a tool used by geologists to rate mineral hardness, which ranges from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond), and they may discover materials such as Lonsdaleite that surpass diamond in hardness. Pupils will conduct research and present their findings, possibly in the form of a table. They will also examine the physical properties of various items, such as glass, plastic, rock, wood, and metal, and develop their own hardness scale based on their observations. The lesson continues with an activity where students rank the hardness of different materials, including a fingernail, a glass slide, a paper clip, and coins, through scratch tests. Additionally, they will explore alloys, learning about their composition and properties, and simulate alloy creation using plasticine and various additives to observe changes in properties. This hands-on approach aims to deepen their understanding of material science and the practical applications of different materials and alloys.</p>

Hardness - Lesson Plan is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

Hardness - Lesson Plan

Hardness - Presentation is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

Hardness - Presentation

Hardness - Objectives Labels is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

Objectives Labels

Hardness - Objectives Labels

Hardness - Results Tables is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

Results Tables

Hardness - Results Tables

Hardness - Self Assessment is part of the lesson Hardness    Students will learn about hardness as part of their learning about properties and changes of materials, as specified by the national curriculum in England: science programmes of study.

Self Assessment

Hardness - Self Assessment

<p>In this lesson, students will learn about hardness as a property of materials. The students will build on their previous learning about everyday materials from years 1-4. In year 1, students identified and named a variety of everyday materials, in year 2 they found out how shapes of solid objects can be changed, in year 3 they compared and grouped different rocks, and in year 4 they compared and grouped materials into solids, liquids, and gases. This lesson is not part of the Year 6 Chemistry curriculum. However, it is linked to cross-curricular subjects such as History, Design and Technology, and English.</p> <p>The main activity in this lesson is to produce a report on the Mohs scale and classify items based on their hardness. Students will use the Mohs scale to identify minerals in the field and it goes from 1-10, with the higher number indicating a harder mineral. Talc is 1 on the scale and diamond is 10. In the materials classification activity, students will use their own scale to classify items based on their hardness and write descriptions of the properties of each material. Finally, in the activity on the hardness of materials, students will physically test the hardness of various materials using a glass slide, copper coin, paper clip, fingernail, and other materials. The properties of the materials studied will be linked to their use, such as rubber being stretchy (elastic), making it ideal for elastic bands.</p> <h2>Misconceptions and Keywords</h2> <p>The lesson will address common misconceptions such as all metals being solids at room temperature and all metals being hard. It will also introduce keywords such as hardness, Mohs Scale, mineral, flexible, elastic, stretchy, and brittle. Influential scientists such as Alexander Parkes, John Wesley Hyatt, Leo Baekeland, Eugen Bauman, Wallace Carothers, and Friedrich Mohs will also be mentioned in the lesson.</p> <h2>Important Lesson Guidance</h2> <p>There is flexibility in the materials that can be tested in this lesson and the results tables are just examples. It would be best if a wide range of materials is available for the students to test for hardness, including rocks. There is also much flexibility in terms of the size of the groups, with the recommended group size being 4 students. The students will use learning pads for the Mohs scale activity.</p>

Hardness

Science

Year 5

Properties and Changes of Materials

Hardness - Teacher Explanation

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Hardness - Teacher Explanation

Science Resource Description