What is a property?
Properties are what we use to describe what a material is like. The properties of a material can affect what it is used for.
Properties of Materials KS1
Everyday Materials - Lesson 3: Describing Properties of Materials
This everyday Materials Year 1 Science lesson pack will challenge your pupils to get stuck into some seriously practical science! They'll identify, name and sort materials – and learn about their ...
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Properties of Materials KS1
Common materials and their properties
Wood
- Wood comes from trees. It is often used to make furniture. It is hard, strong and durable (long-lasting).
Metal
- Metals are a natural material that are found underground. They are strong, hard and shiny.
Plastic
- Plastics are a man-made material. They are made from chemicals in factories. They can be strong, flexible and waterproof.
Glass
- Glass is created by melting sand at high temperatures. It is usually transparent. When thin, it can easily break – it can be fragile.
Fabric
- Fabrics can be natural (made from wool or cotton) or man-made. They are often soft, flexible and absorbent.
Objects can be grouped and sorted according to the properties that they have:
Toys that have been sorted into a Venn diagram according to their properties
When should children learn about Properties of Materials?
According to the National Curriculum Science objectives, children start to learn about properties of materials in KS1. It is assigned as compulsory learning in Year 1 under the 'Everyday Materials' strand of learning, and in Year 2 under the 'Exploring Everyday Materials' strand of learning.
In Year 1, children should be taught to:
- describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials
- compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties
In Year 2, children should be taught to:
- identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses
- find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching.
PlanBee's Everyday Materials scheme of work covers the Year 1 objectives, and our Exploring Everyday Materials scheme of work covers the Year 2 objectives.
