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Properties of Materials KS1

Teach your KS1 class about properties of materials with this ready-to-teach Science lesson. Stretch your children's vocabulary muscles as you challenge them to describe materials according to their properties! Your class will learn and use words such as hard, soft, stretchy, fluffy, rigid and bendy to describe a variety of objects made from different materials.

 

This Properties of Materials KS1 Science lesson includes:

  • a detailed lesson plan with differentiated activities
  • a slideshow for the teaching input
  • a range of printable resources for independent learning activities

This lesson is part of our Everyday Materials Science scheme of work for Year 1.

Properties of Materials KS1 Lesson Pack

£2.99

Scroll through the pictures for a preview of the lesson's resources:

Properties of Materials KS1 slideshow example 1
Properties of Materials KS1 slideshow example 2
Properties of Materials KS1 slideshow example 3
Properties of Materials KS1 slideshow example 4
Properties of Materials KS1 slideshow example 5
Properties of Materials KS1 worksheet example 1
Properties of Materials KS1 worksheet example 2
Properties of Materials KS1 worksheet example 3
Properties of Materials KS1 lesson plan example 1
A selection of objects made from a range of different materials

Properties of Materials

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.

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

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.