Every object around you is made from a material. Materials include wood, plastic, metal, glass, rubber, fabric and paper. Look closely at a material and you can describe its properties, the words we use for how a material looks, feels and behaves.
Some useful property words are: hard or soft (does it dent when you press it?), bendy or stiff (does it bend and spring back, or stay straight?), waterproof (does it stop water soaking through?) and see-through (can you see through it clearly?).
A material can have more than one property at the same time. Rubber is soft, bendy and waterproof, all at once. Scientists use property words instead of just saying "it feels nice" or "it's good", because property words tell us exactly what a material can do.
Look at a plastic drink bottle.
Step 1: What material is it made from? Plastic.
Step 2: Is it hard or soft? Hard enough to hold its shape.
Step 3: Is it waterproof? Yes, it holds water without leaking.
Step 4: Is it see-through? Yes, you can see how much water is left.
The bottle is made of plastic, and it is hard, waterproof and see-through.
Touch and look at the real object if you are unsure of a property. A property is something you can test, not just guess.
Look at each object below. Write the material it is made from in the second column. Choose from: wood, rubber, glass, wool, metal, plastic.
| Object | Material |
|---|---|
| Wooden spoon | |
| Rubber band | |
| Glass jar | |
| Woollen jumper | |
| Metal spoon | |
| Plastic ruler |
You can change an object's shape in lots of ways: by bending, folding, cutting or squashing it. When this happens, the object looks different, but it is still made of exactly the same material.
Bend a pipe cleaner into a circle and it is still pipe cleaner. Fold a piece of paper into a fan and it is still paper. Cut a lump of playdough into three pieces and every piece is still playdough. Squash a ball of plasticine flat and it is still plasticine. Only the shape has changed, the material has not.
Some other changes are different. If you toast a slice of bread, it turns brown and crunchy and you cannot turn it back into a plain slice of bread. This is not just a change of shape, the bread has become a new thing: toast.
A flat sheet of paper is folded into a paper aeroplane.
Step 1: What material is the sheet made from? Paper.
Step 2: What shape was it before folding? Flat and rectangular.
Step 3: What shape is it now? Folded into a plane.
Step 4: Is it still made of paper? Yes, exactly the same paper.
The material has not changed, only the shape has.
If you could unfold, unbend or open the object back up and get the same material back, it was only a change of shape.
Read each change below. Decide if it is only a change of shape (the object is still the same material) or not. Write T for true or F for false.
People choose materials for a job by matching the material's properties to what the job needs. A raincoat needs to keep water out, so it is made from a waterproof material. A window needs light to pass through, so it is made from see-through glass. A hammer head needs to survive hard knocks, so it is made from strong metal.
If you used the wrong material, the object would not work well. A raincoat made from wool would soak up rain instead of keeping it out. A window made from wood would block out all the light. Thinking about properties helps us pick a material that suits the job.
To choose a good material, ask: what does this object need to do? Then ask: which property would help it do that job well?
Why are oven mitts made from thick fabric instead of thin paper?
Step 1: What does an oven mitt need to do? Protect your hand from a hot tray.
Step 2: What property does it need? It needs to be thick, so heat travels through it slowly.
Step 3: Is thin paper thick? No, and it can also catch fire near heat.
Step 4: Is thick fabric a better choice? Yes, it is much thicker and safer.
Thick fabric suits the job better than thin paper.
Ask what the object needs to do before you decide which material is best for the job.
Each job needs a material with a certain property. Match each job on the left to the material on the right that suits it best. Write the matching letter next to each number.
Choose one match from above. Write one sentence to explain why that material is a good choice for the job.
Complete the property table for each object, writing Yes or No in each column. Then answer the challenge question in full sentences.
| Object | Hard | Bendy | Waterproof | See-through |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wooden spoon | ||||
| Rubber band | ||||
| Glass jar | ||||
| Metal spoon |
Think of something at home made of plastic. If you bent, folded or squashed it, would it still be plastic? Explain your thinking.
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