PR-0552UK Primary Science - Book 2

Choosing materials
Properties and characteristics of materials ~ Activity 3
Objective
• identify and investigate
materials that absorb water and
those that are waterproof
Working scientifically
• Questioning
• Observing
• Predicting
• Investigating and
experimenting
• Analysing (interpreting)
• Recording and communicating
Designing and making
• Exploring
Background information
Properties of materials are those
characteristics of materials that
determine their suitability for specific
applications.
Through this unit, pupils should
extend their knowledge of the
range of materials we use and of the
properties that characterise them.
This knowledge should help
them recognise what needs to
be considered when a material is
chosen for a particular use.
Before the lesson
Materials needed
• Each group: about four each of 10-cm squares of paper towel, tissue, writing
paper, magazine paper, newspaper, aluminium foil; a jar of water, teaspoon,
soft drink bottle.
Preparation
• Cut out 10-cm squares of the paper towel for the absorbency test.
• Prepare a wet area for the test.
The lesson
Stimulus
• Discuss what may happen if pencils were made of glass, chairs of concrete,
pillows of steel etc.
• Spill some water and try to mop it up with steel wool or something
inappropriate.
What to do
• Discuss why specific materials have been chosen to make certain objects. For
example, a bath toy is often made of plastic so it will float and does not absorb
water.
• In groups, pupils complete Question 1 on the worksheet.
• As a class, discuss the reasons given in the last column.
Note: This could be one lesson finished.
• Demonstrate the testing procedure to the class; i.e. one teaspoon of water to
be absorbed.
• Pupils complete their testing. (Each group has about four pieces of each material
to test, so they can do a test run first before recording.)
• Pupils complete the questions about the test.
After the lesson
Answers
1. Possible answers
• Soft drink bottle – plastic – transparent to see drink, flexible and will not break
if dropped.
• Window – glass and wood, nails, plastic – transparent, the light comes in, we
can see in and out, hard.
• Shirt – cloth and plastic buttons – light, flexible, dries quickly when washed,
soft to touch (feels nice).
2.– 4.
Teacher check. (Pupils should come to the conclusion that good absorbent paper
has open weave material and is light and dry.
Viewing Sample
Additional activities
• Continue the activity in Question 1 with different objects.
Display ideas
• Set up a display of the materials and a selection of the worksheets.
84 PRIMARY SCIENCE ~ Prim-Ed Publishing ~ www.prim-ed.com