LESSON PLAN #4

Subject Grade 3 Science - Material Properties (Duration: 40 to 60 minutes)

Learning Goals: • Identify different properties of material that are used in building
structures
• Investigate different properties and identify which material is more
suitable on a given property (e.g. absorbency, waterproof, strength,
transparency and hardness)
• Identify which material property should be used/considered when
building certain or given structures

Success Criteria: I will be successful when …

• I am able to identify the different properties that affect the type of
material used in different structures
• I am able to analyze which property of material is more suitable for
a given structure or product
• I use my observation and collaboration skills with my classmates

Overall 1. Assess the importance of form, function, strength and

Expectations: stability in structures through time
2. Investigate strong and stable structures to determine how their
design and materials enable them to perform their load-bearing function
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of structure,
strength, and stability and the factors that affect them.

Specific 1.2 - Assess the environmental impact of structures built by various

Expectations: animals and those built by humans
2.2- Investigate, through experimentation, how various materials and
construction techniques can be used to add strength to structures
2.5- Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including
compression, tension, strut, ties, strength, and stability, in oral and
written communication
3.3- Identify the strength of a structure as its ability to support a load
3.5- Identify properties of materials that need to be considered when
building structures
3.6- Describe ways in which the strength of different materials can be
altered
3.7- Describe ways to improve a structure’s strength and stability
Assessment for • The teacher will observe during tasks, ask questions and provoke
Learning: students thinking.
• The teacher will also use teacher-guided reporting during the tasks
and during consolidation.
• The teacher will collect students work (e.g. worksheet and/or
response)
Assessment AS • The whole class will consolidate about the learning that occurred
Learning: after performing small-group and pair activities. Students will be
 given the opportunity to share their work, share their thinking
(justify their answers and share their “aha moments” and perform
classroom talk with their peers).

Assessment • Small group activity

Strategies: • Worksheets
• Observations (anecdotal notes)

Accommodations: • For English Language Learners, we will incorporate small group

activities to allow dialogue between students, an opportunity to
learn from peers, and foster diversity of skills, experiences and
backgrounds.
• The teacher will also use classroom talk strategies specifically,
“teacher-guided reporting” and “message abundancy.”

Materials Analyzing the structures built in the story, “Three Little Pigs”
• A brick
• A structure made of sticks
• An example of hay
Experiment (Material Property)
• Absorbency: Ruler, plate, water, stopwatch; 10 cm of the following
(paper towel, cardstock, cardboard)
• Hardness: Ruler, 1kg weight, 10 cm x 5 cm x 2 cm piece of
plasticine and styrofoam, 10 cm x 5 cm piece of wood
• Transparency: 1 stretch wrap frame; 1 wax paper wrap; 1 paper
frame
• Strength: 16 pcs. 10 cm x 5 cm paper with a hole punched into the
ends; 2 stacks of books; A variety of weights up to 1 kg
• Waterproof: 3 clear glass jars; 3 elastic bands; medicine dropper,
water, cotton fabric swatch, polyester fabric swatch, neoprene
fabric swatch

INSTRUCTION

Introduction Minds on hook:

The Three Little Pigs:
• Recall: What happened to the story of the 3 little pigs?
• In the story, what structure type of structure was built three
times?
• House #1: “Straw”: “That straw would be perfect to build a house
with…”; The pig chose to built using straw because it was fast and
easy
• House #2: “Sticks”: “Those sticks would be perfect to build a
house with…”; He did not look for other materials to use, as he
bought the sticks right then and there
• House #3: “Bricks”: “Those bricks would be perfect to build a
house with…”; Strong and safe

Input Recall yesterday’s activity

• What were the different material properties that we have discussed
 yesterday (drawing from yesterday’s activity)
• Question: “why is transparency important for a car’s windshield?”
(ask similar question regarding the properties below)

(The photographs used in this activity were chosen based on the examples
given by the students prior to yesterday’s activity)
The Different Material Properties: (provide example for each property;
draw from everyday tools)
• Absorbency - How easily the materials soaks up liquids
• Cost - How much the material cost
• Elasticity - How easily the material returns to its original shape
• Hardness - How difficult it is to scratch the material
• Longevity - How long it will last
• Plasticity - How easily the material keeps its new shape
• Transparency - How see-through it is
• Strength - How hard it is to break the material
• Waterproof - How easily the material resists and repels liquids
• Weight - How light or heavy it is
_____________________________________________________
Experiment (Material Properties): important vocabulary words
• Absorbency
• Hardness
• Transparency
• Strength
• Waterproof
• The students will be divided into 5 groups of 4
• The teacher arranged the groups after observing the
classroom dynamics
• The teacher strategically placed ELL students with peers
(i.e. verbalizes their thinking and encourages participation)
that could provide peer scaffolding while they are
performing various experiments
• Each group will be given 3 minutes on each centre. Instructions are
provided on each centre. Materials will be labelled accordingly.
• Debrief: What are the results? Each group will answer and/or
share their findings on one material property - preferably on the
station where they have started since it is the group number given
to them; highlight findings which other groups may differ to create
dialogue between groups
o Absorbency, which material is least absorbent (did not get
wet or just a little wet) and is more absorbent (the material
 that is more wet)?
§ Which one will you use to make a towel? And
why?
o Hardness, which material is the softest and which material
is the hardest?
§ Which material will you use to build a chair?
Why?
o Transparency, which material is the least transparent and
the most transparent?
§ Which material (based on the frame number) will
you use to make a window or a car’s windshield?
o Strength, what happened when you added many layers of
paper together? How did you know this?
o Waterproof, which material would be the best to make a
rain jacket out of and why?

Closing Recap and word wall:

• From today’s lesson, which terms should we include in our word
wall?
Engineers Task:
Investigate the material properties that affected your parent/s’ decision in
buying the following types of structures:

Sofa; Bed; Car/Bike; Dining Table; Dining Chair

• A survey sheet will be given to each student

ANALYSIS

Grade 3 Structure Unit: Lesson #4 - Material Properties

Overall Expectations Specific Expectations Cognitive Skills or Language

Demands

1. Assess the importance of form,

1.2 - Assess the In this lesson, students were
function, strength and stability
environmental impact of expected to identify, investigate,
in structures through time structures built by various differentiate and describe.
2. Investigate strong and animals and those built by Students were also expected to
stable structures to humans participate in different
determine how their 2.2- Investigate, through experiments wherein they will
design and materials experimentation, how learn the meaning of different
enable them to perform various materials and material properties. In showing or
their load-bearing construction techniques discussing their observations and
function can be used to add results (written and oral), the
3. Demonstrate an strength to structures students were also expected to use
understanding of the 2.5- Use appropriate appropriate science and
concepts of structure, science and technology technology vocabulary words:
strength, and stability vocabulary, including compression, tension, strut, ties,
and the factors that affect compression, tension, strength, and stability.
them. strut, ties, strength, and

Other language demands
required for the tasks in
the lesson and/or broad
skills
In conducting the
experiment, the students
were expected to read and
follow the step-by-step
instruction posted in each
station. They were also
expected to read the
questions on their worksheet.
The students were also
tasked to report or share their
results, and answer which
material is best suitable for
each property.
The students had to recall the
meaning of the word
property for this specific
lesson, as this may have a
different meaning (compared
to the word property that we
own).
stability, in oral and
written communication
3.3- Identify the strength
of a structure as its ability
to support a load
3.5- Identify properties of
materials that need to be
considered when building
structures
3.6- Describe ways in
which the strength of
different materials can be
altered
3.7- Describe ways to
improve a structure’s
strength and stability
Specific language structures or Language demands that
academic or subject-specific exist in the oral texts or
vocabulary teacher’s lecture
The students were tasked to share At the end of the lesson, the
their findings hence they had to teacher gave the students an
use “Based on our results …” “Engineer’s Task” (which was
already explained in the
Important vocabulary words that beginning of the unit), and the
they explored through students need to know the
experimentation: meaning of the word
“affected.”
• Absorbency
• Hardness
• Transparency
• Strength
• Waterproof
The students were expected to
know the difference between and
use of the words least and more,
and softest and hardest.
Reflection:

When I implemented this lesson, I was very much aware of the ESL student that I had hence, I was
very specific with some of the strategies that I have used for this lesson. Now that I look back at it
with a more observant pair of eyes, I have come to realize that there were a lot of language demands
for this lesson. I may have strategically placed the student in a great group, but I have failed to give
him and the class, some specific language objectives like that of the terms “describe” or “observe.”
I think when I implemented this lesson, I was too focused on how the child would understand or
grasp the terms “absorbency,” “hardness,” “transparency,” “strength,” and “waterproof,” that I
forgot to look on the skills required - the basics, I suppose.

Now that I am more aware of what language objectives are and how to create effective ones, I
would do my best to incorporate this to my future lesson plans (in different subject areas). I have
come to realize that indeed, being more specific does not only benefit the ESL student, but also the
entire class. I thought that since they are performing a more experiential learning process, they
would see the “words” in action through their peers, but it could have been better if I looked closely
on the language demands of the lesson; from vocabulary, language functions & structures, language
skills, to language learning strategies.