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Properties and Changes of Materials
Pupils should be taught to:
• compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets;
• know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution;
• use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating;
• give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic;
• demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes;
• explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.
Y5 Testing Materials for Absorency
Resource Details
Pupils look at a range of materials and predict which ones they think are permeable or impermeable? Pupils record their predictions before designing an investigation to test their predictions.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials by exploring and comparing the properties of a broad range of materials
- WS - pupils might work scientifically by: carrying out tests to answer questions, for example, ‘Which materials would be the most effective for making a warm jacket, for wrapping ice cream to stop it melting, or for making blackout curtains?’
Y5 Opaque, Translucent or Transparent
Resource Details
Pupils sort a range of materials and items that have been designed for our eyes into opaque, translucent or transparent groups. Pupils explain why each item has been designed to either block, reduce or let light pass through them.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Opaque, Translucent and Transparent Coverings
Resource Details
Pupils investigate a range of materials to see if they are opaque, translucent or transparent. They produce a materials disc that places materials in order depending on the amount of light they let pass through them.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Material Properties (Investigation)
Resource Details
Pupils use the information to both plan and carry out an investigation into material properties and light.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, woods and plastics
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Material Properties and Light
Resource Details
Pupils investigate a range of materials and their material properties to see if they are opaque, translucent or transparent. They make their predictions before carrying out an investigation.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - pupils could plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Insulators and Conductors – Investigating Ice Cubes
Resource Details
Pupils investigate a range of surfaces on which an ice cube is placed to see if it affects the rate at which it melts?
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal) and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials by exploring and comparing the properties of a broad range of materials
- WS - pupils might work scientifically by: carrying out tests to answer questions, for example, ‘Which materials would be the most effective for making a warm jacket, for wrapping ice cream to stop it melting, or for making blackout curtains?’
Y5 Absorbent Materials
Resource Details
Pupils learn about permeable (absorbent) and impermeable materials. They learn that some materials are more absorbent than others and that certain materials are chosen to do certain jobs depending on their permeable and/or impermeable material properties.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials by exploring and comparing the properties of a broad range of materials
- WS - pupils might work scientifically by: carrying out tests to answer questions, for example, ‘Which materials would be the most effective for making a warm jacket, for wrapping ice cream to stop it melting, or for making blackout curtains?’
Y5 Properties and Changes of Materials; Materials and Their Properties.
Resource Details
A PowerPoint presentation used to introduce pupils to the fact that materials have different material properties and it is these properties that are important when selecting materials to do certain jobs. The PowerPoint can be used at the beginning of the topic or during it to stimulate scientific discussions, ideas and theories.
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Y5 Properties and Changes of Materials; Do All Things Dissolve?
Resource Details
A PowerPoint presentation used to introduce pupils to the fact that some materials will dissolve and some will not. The PowerPoint can be used at the beginning of the topic or during it to stimulate scientific discussions, ideas and theories.
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Y5 Separating Stones and Wood Shavings
Resource Details
Pupils plan how to separate a mixture of stones and wood shavings.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Separating Soluble and Insoluble Materials
Resource Details
Pupils visit their science table where they see a selection of mixtures. Their task is to use their developing knowledge of separating mixtures and plan and then successfully separate the mixtures. When recording their plans pupils write them as a series of instructions.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Separating Sand and Water
Resource Details
Pupils plan then carry out an investigation to separate sand and water.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Separating Salt and Water
Resource Details
Pupils plan then carry out an investigation to separate salt and water.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Separating Gravel and Water
Resource Details
Pupils plan then carry out an investigation to separate gravel and water.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Planning to Separating a Mixture
Resource Details
Pupils look at range of mixtures and plan how they could separate them.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Separating Mixtures
Resource Details
Pupils plan an investigation to help them separate a mixture of water and stones.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating
- NaG - pupils should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Changing Materials by Burning
Resource Details
Pupils learn about materials and burning and how burning creates new materials, some of which can be toxic and extremely dangerous to animals and humans.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning
- NaG - pupils should explore changes that are difficult to reverse, such as burning
- WS - pupils could observe and compare the changes that take place, for example when burning different materials
Y5 Investigating Heating and Cooling
Resource Details
Pupils investigate which materials will return to their original state when heated and then cooled. They make predictions then carry out an investigation.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning
- NaG - pupils should explore changes that are difficult to reverse, such as burning
- WS - pupils could observe and compare the changes that take place, for example when burning different materials
Y5 Material Properties Investigation Table
Resource Details
Pupils investigate a range of everyday items and materials and record their material properties on a series of data recording tables.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, woods and plastics
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - pupils should carry out tests to answer questions
Y5 Identifying Material Properties
Resource Details
Pupils learn that in order to do their jobs correctly some objects need to be bendy, twistable and stretchy, while others need to remain firm and rigid. Pupils Investigate a range of objects to see if they bend and change or remain firm and rigid. They explain why these properties are important to the jobs each object has been designed to do.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, woods and plastics
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - pupils should carry out tests to answer questions
Y5 Materials and Their Properties (blank)
Resource Details
Pupils investigate a range of common everyday materials to identify their material properties. They also explain why a range of different materials are selected to do a range of different jobs and link this to their material properties.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, woods and plastics
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials
- WS - pupils should plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary
Y5 Material Properties
Resource Details
Pupils look at a range of everyday items made from a range of materials. They try to identify the material properties that made each material ideal for carrying out the jobs that they will be required to do.
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Learning Objectives:
- PoS - give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, woods and plastics
- NaG - pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials