Unit of Study:Materials, Objects and Structures

Length: 30-40 mins

Input: 5-10 mins

Subject: Science Grade: 1 Timeline: 4 Weeks

LEARNING FOCUS

Overall Expectations Big Ideas Essential Questions

1. assess the impact on people

and the environment of objects
and structures and the materials
used in them;
2. investigate structures that are
built for a specific purpose to
see how their design and
materials suit the purpose;
3. demonstrate an understanding
that objects and structures have
observable characteristics and
are made from materials with
specific properties that
determine how they are used
- Objects have observable
characteristics and are made
from materials.
- Materials have specific
properties
- An object is held together by its
structure
- The materials and structure of
an object determine its purpose
- Humans make choices related
to their use of objects and
- What are objects, materials,
structures?
- Where do materials come
from?
- What are fasterners?
- What is the purpose of the
object?
- Is the type of material
important?
 materials that have a direct
effect on the environment.

Integration Focus
Language (Oral) Language (Reading)
- 1.2 Active listening strategies
- 1.4 Demonstrate Understanding
- 1.4 Demonstrating Understanding
- 1.6 Extending Understanding - 1.6 Extending Understanding
- 1.8 Point of View
- 1.9 Presentation Strategies Language (Media Literacy)
- 2.2 Interactive Strategies
- 2.3 Clarity and Coherence - 3.4 Producing Media Texts
(artwork)
Language (Writing)
- 1.1 Purpose and Audience Math (Spatial Sense)
- 2.1 Form
- 2.4 Sentence Fluency - E1. Geometric and Spatial
- 3.1 Spelling Familiar Words Reasoning
- 3.2 Spelling Unfamiliar Word

Lesson 1 - What are objects, materials, structures?

Mental set:
- Flash images of objects, materials and structures
- Have students make observations
- What do you notice?

Practice: (breakout room)

 - In-home scavenger hunt to fill in a chart (3 objects, 2 materials,1 structure)
- Teacher will ask students to find 3 objects in their home and write/draw them in the chart
- Have students look outside their window to see if they can find a structure and place it in their chart
- Have students find 2 pieces of material in their home and jot it in their chart
- Extra challenge: They would need to write a sentence about the objects they found (e.g. My water bottle is an object)
- They can document this in their science journals

Consolidation:
- Presentation in the breakout room
- Get them to explain their thinking
- Why did they choose those objects?

Lesson 2 - Classifying Materials

Learning goals:
- Understand that objects can be made of more than one material
- Classify and sort different materials

Mental set:
- Bring me game (Scavenger Hunt)
- Teacher says “bring me an object made of ______ (metal/plastic/wood etc..)
- Students have 15-20 seconds to find this object and show it on their screen
- Ensure that students do not destroy anything in the process

Practice: (breakout room)

- Sorting activity (jamboard)
- Students will sort images in their distinct category
- For added challenge, choose objects that distinctly have more than one material - Venn Diagram activity
- For example, a pair of scissors - would you sort this into plastic or metal
- Have students justify their response (writing)

Consolidation:
- Looking around in their room, they will present 3 items that use the same material to their peers in the breakout room

Lesson 3 - Exploring Objects and Materials with our Senses

Learning goals:
 - Students make a connection between a material’s properties and our senses (e.g. metal is hard and cold)

Mental set:
- 5 senses dance song
- Encourage dancing and movement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTMeZ8MvlnA

Practice: (Breakout rooms)

- Students choose an object
- Fill out 5 senses chart
- Instruct students not to taste items

Consolidation:
- Show and tell

Lesson 4 - Mystery Object

Learning goals:
- Build on skills learned in the previous lesson: using our 5 senses to describe an object

Mental set:
- Guess what’s in my box (game) - modelling for practice activity
- Teacher describes item in the box without saying what it is while students guess

Practice: (Breakout room)

- Students find an object and don’t show us what it is
- They describe the object using their senses and their peers have to guess what it is
- E.g. “it feels cold like metal, it feels furry like fur, it feels hard like wood...etc…”
- Is it rough? Heavy? Smooth? etc...

Consolidation:
- Journal entry - draw and write about which object they liked most

Lesson 5 - Where do Materials Come From? Nature or Human Made?

Mental set:
- Sesame Street video
Paper - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA56TLfEE9k
Honey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2J8n1wqNLs

Practice:(breakout rooms)
- Jamboard : sort items whether they think they are human made or from nature
- Students are invited to add onto the list by looking around their home and out their window

Consolidation:
- Discussion: What would happen if we use too much material and waste it? (environmental effects)

Lesson 6 - Fasteners

Learning goals:
- Understand that structures and objects are held together by fasteners
- Identify fasteners

Mental set:
- Present images of fasteners
- Have students guess what is common between them

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- Find an object in your home that has fasteners
- Present it to the group

Consolidation:
- Draw your object or another object that you found interesting that someone presented

Lesson 7 - Identifying Structures

Learning goals:
- Identify that structures are for a purpose
- Understand that they are held together by objects
Mental set:
- Virtual Walk Tour
- What shapes did you notice?
- What fasteners can you find?
- Which things come from nature and which things are built by humans?
- Are there any colour differences?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5iGV0CaSeU

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- Present iconic structures around the world (i.e. CN tower, Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal etc…)
- Discuss what they see (similarities and differences) - materials, shapes, etc… (Also an opportunity to integrate math in
terms of measurements: which is tallest? Widest?)
- Fill in a worksheet (Jamboard) of these observations

Consolidation:
- Discussion: which structure do you think is the strongest? And why?

Lesson 8 - What is the Purpose of the Object or Structure?

Mental set:
- Watching a YouTube video: Materials and their properties
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=340MmuY_osY

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- Now can you spot something around your house (materials, objects), for example chairs
- You can bring them and show to us or/ drew pictures/ , or just talk about them
- Why do you think there are so many different types of objects and structures? Do similar objects/structures have a similar
purpose? Why or why not?

Consolidation
- Can you think of other objects/structures that are similar but not quite the same?
- What happens to all these objects when they break or we no longer need them?

Lesson 9 - Is the Type of Material You Use Important?

Learning goal:
 - Understand that different materials are better to use than others

Mental set: Three Little Pigs read aloud (modelled/choral reading?)

- Why did the houses fall?
- Why didn’t the last pig’s house fall?
- What materials were used in the houses?

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- If you were one of the pigs, what kind of house would you build?
- What material would you use?
- Draw your house and write a sentence about the material you will use and why

Consolidation:
- Present your house

Lesson 10 - Houses Around the World - Properties of Material

Learning goals:
- Integrate diversity in the lesson
- Recall previous lessons about little pigs and 5 senses
- Strengthen the connection between properties and our senses (e.g. Metal is hard)

Mental set:
- Present images of houses around the world
- E.g. Bungalows, igloos, huts, yurts (Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia), Hanoi (Indonesia) etc…
- Ask what they notice? What materials can they identify?
- Which house would they want to live in?
* ensure that you highlight the reasons why each house is appropriate for each climate (for example, an igloo cannot work in a
desert) = connect to materials and their properties

Practice: (breakout rooms):

- Identifying properties of materials (this or that worksheet)
- Give a problem (e.g. spilled milk)
- Ask students which material they would use to clean up and ask to explain their thinking. Why is this material the
best way to clean the spilled milk?
- Give options for students to choose from: sponge, paper towel, paper etc..
Consolidation:
- Discussion: what materials would you want your bed to be made of? Why?

Lesson 11 - Building a Strong and Stable Structure

Mental set:
- Recall the story of the three little pigs and the different houses around the world
- Have students retell parts of the story
- Recall materials used

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- Students are going to build their own strong and stable structure using materials/objects found in their house
- Their structure needs to be strong enough to hold up an apple/pear/or object with weight
- For added challenge, students can do the “wolf” check to see if their structure is stable
- Just like in the three little pigs, the wolf huffed and puffed. They will do the same to see if their structure is stable

Consolidation:
- Take a picture of their structure
- Show and tell

Lesson 12 - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Mental set:
- Sesame Street YouTube Video
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ijMPvIy-U

Practice: (breakout rooms)

- Sorting activity (Jamboard/Nearpod)
- Students will sort different materials and determine if they will go in the trash or recycling
- Highlight students who reused materials in building their strong and stable structure

Consolidation:
- Challenge: How can we reuse an empty toilet paper roll? What can you make with it?
Activities/Ideas
1. Three Little Pigs read aloud (focusing
on why the houses fell= considering
the materials used for the structures)
2. Build a house for your little pig
- What material will you use?
why?
- What shape will it have?
- What will it look like? - draw it
- Five Senses (observation sheet)
- Mystery object game
- Students find an object and
don’t show us what it is
- They describe the object
using their senses and the
class has to guess what it is
- How it’s made video
1. Bring me game (15-20 second timer)
- “bring me something made of
metal/plastic/wood etc…
- Students show it on their
camera - get them engaged
Big Ideas & Specific Expectations
- The materials and structure of an Is the type of material you use
object determine its purpose
- Humans make choices related to
their use of objects and materials
that have a direct effect on the
environment
- Objects have observable
characteristics and are made
from materials
- Materials have specific
properties
- Humans make choices related to
their use of objects and materials
that have a direct effect on the
environment.
- Objects have observable
characteristics and are made
from materials
- Materials have specific
properties
Key objective
important?
- Why do we use certain
materials for certain
structures?
- Exploring objects with our 5
senses
- Materials - what is it made of?
- Using your five senses to
describe an object
- Where do materials come
from?
- Identifying and classifying
materials
 and active
2. Sorting game
- Sort these images of objects
according to their
material/structure or in
whatever category you can
come up with
- Can use this as independent activity
(jamboard)

Stable structure - The materials and structure of an - Understand properties of

- Playing online games on creating a
stable structure
- Tami’s tower
https://ssec.si.edu/tamis-tower
Explore making a stable tower using 3D
figures provided and problem solving
- Group discusses what makes the
structure stable and strong?
object determine its purpose objects/structures
- ( integrate with math 3D & 2D
shapes, geometric properties
decide its stability. E,g,, flat
surface, slope surface, round,
etc.)

Relates to Lesson 3 - Objects have observable - Including diversity

- Virtual Walk ( combine with math characteristics and are made - Observe objects in real-life
preposition) from materials
- Materials have specific purposes
What did you find?
What did you notice?
Which things come from nature and which
things are built by humans?
Are there any colour differences?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=F5iGV0CaSeU

Relates to lesson 16 - An object is held together by its - Hands-on exploration

 1. Building structure - Include diversity
● Looking at the pictures of different - Understanding structure
structures from various countries or composition
objects in the house
● Invite students spot the shapes/ 3D
objects contained in it
● Build the structure with materials you
can find at home
● Decide on which structure students
want to build and how they will fasten
it together
https://www.bocadolobo.com/en/inspiration-
and-ideas/famous-iconic-buildings-die/
(pictures of structures)

- Building a strong structure - Humans make choices related to - Cumulative activity -

- Using any material they find their use of objects understand materials and
at home, they will need to - The materials and structure of an structures
build a strong structure that object determine its purpose.
can hold up a fruit (preferably
and apple or pear or anything
that has some weight)

1. Identifying properties of materials - Materials have specific - Understand that each material
(this or that game) properties has specific properties (i.e.
- Give a problem (e.g. spilled absorption, flexibility,
milk) hardness, softness)
- Ask students which material
they would use to clean up
and ask to explain their
thinking
- Give options for students to
choose from: sponge, paper
towel, paper etc..
2. Testing which material will float
- Teacher will have a bowl of
 water and various materials
to showcase to the students
- Students will make
predictions and observations
- justifying their hypothesis
- Relate it back to them - think
of their favourite toy/object,
Think of the materials they
would use to build a boat to
keep their favourite item dry
- Maybe design their
boat - draw or make

- Looking at different houses around
the world and identifying the
materials
- E.g. Bungalows, igloos, huts,
yurts (Kyrgyzstan), Hanoi
(Indonesia) etc…
- The materials and structure of an - Incorporating diversity into the
object determine its purpose lesson
- An object is held together by its - To show students that not all
structure houses are the same

Crossword game - The materials and structures of - Understand different materials

- What’s it made of? an object determine its purpose and its purpose
- Fill in the game board with clues
(materials of products)

Board Game - The materials and structures of - Understanding what products

- Product guessing using passives and an object determine its purpose made of
past participles - Explore different materials
- Relating to products and materials and its purpose/function