Look at this wooden spoon and this plastic spoon. They both do the same job. Why might someone choose wood for one and plastic for the other?
Two words help us talk about what things are made of.
Material means what something is made of, like wood or plastic.
Property means how a material feels or behaves.
As we handle things today we will notice pairs such as hard or soft, bendy or stiff, see-through or not, and waterproof or not.
Which property would you want for a raincoat?
Your group has a tray of materials. Take turns to hold each one. How does it feel? Does it bend or stay stiff? Can you see through it? What happens if you drip a little water on it?
Talk about what you notice before you sort anything.
As a group, choose one property pair to sort by first: hard or soft, bendy or stiff, see-through or not, waterproof or not.
Put each material into the matching group. Then choose a different property pair and sort again. Be ready to say why one piece went where it did.
Now we will sort some of the same materials on the interactive activity. Four cards appear: wood, plastic, fabric and glass.
We answer yes or no to send each card down the tree: Is it hard? then Is it see-through? Call out where each card should go and why.
Sort materials by property
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