Material Mania: Exploring and Improving Materials!

Science Grades 5th Grade 4:37 Video
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Lesson Description

Discover what materials are, their properties, and how scientists improve them to make new and better things!

Video Resource

Material World: Crash Course Kids #40.1

Crash Course Kids

Duration: 4:37
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Materials are objects made of matter.
  • Materials have properties that can be observed and measured.
  • Material scientists can improve existing materials by changing their properties.

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to define what a material is.
  • Students will be able to identify properties of different materials.
  • Students will be able to explain how materials can be improved by changing their properties.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what materials they interact with every day. Examples: desks, pencils, paper, etc. Briefly discuss what these materials are made of.
  • Video Viewing (7 mins)
    Play the "Material World: Crash Course Kids #40.1" video. Instruct students to pay attention to the definitions of materials, properties, and how materials are improved.
  • Discussion (8 mins)
    Facilitate a class discussion about the video, focusing on the key concepts and examples presented.
  • Activity: Material Property Sort (15 mins)
    Divide students into small groups and provide each group with a set of various small objects (e.g., a small piece of metal, a plastic spoon, a rubber band, a piece of wood, a small glass object, etc.). Have them observe and record the properties of each object (color, texture, flexibility, hardness, etc.). Then, ask the students to classify the items based on shared properties. Follow up with a discussion about their findings.
  • Wrap Up (5 mins)
    Review the key concepts and learning objectives. Briefly introduce the concept of material science and its importance.

Interactive Exercises

  • Property Scavenger Hunt
    Students look around the classroom for items with specific properties (e.g., find something that is red and hard, something that is flexible and clear).
  • Material Improvement Brainstorm
    Present students with a common material (e.g., paper) and ask them to brainstorm ways they could improve its properties to make it more useful.

Discussion Questions

  • What are some examples of materials we use every day?
  • What are some properties that describe different materials?
  • How did scientists improve the glass used in cell phone screens?
  • Why is it important to improve existing materials?

Skills Developed

  • Observation
  • Classification
  • Critical Thinking
  • Problem-solving

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What is a material?

Correct Answer: An object made of matter

Question 2:

Which of these is a property of a material?

Correct Answer: Color

Question 3:

What do material scientists do?

Correct Answer: Study and improve materials

Question 4:

What was iron turned into to make better weapons and tools?

Correct Answer: Steel

Question 5:

What kind of glass is used on most cell phone screens today?

Correct Answer: Gorilla Glass

Question 6:

What element are particles of sodium replaced with to make stronger glass?

Correct Answer: Potassium

Question 7:

What covers part of little Sabrina's cell phone screen?

Correct Answer: Glass

Question 8:

What solution do scientists dip regular glass in to make gorilla glass?

Correct Answer: Potassium

Question 9:

How can you improve existing materials?

Correct Answer: Changing a material's properties

Question 10:

What happens to the regular strength glass after it gets dipped into a hot solution?

Correct Answer: The glass is improved

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

A ________ is an object made of matter.

Correct Answer: material

Question 2:

________ are the qualities of a certain kind of matter.

Correct Answer: Properties

Question 3:

Scientists who study materials are called ________ scientists.

Correct Answer: material

Question 4:

Iron was heated with charcoal to make ________.

Correct Answer: steel

Question 5:

________ glass is used to cover most cell phone screens today.

Correct Answer: Gorilla

Question 6:

Larger ________ particles in the solution replace smaller particles in the glass.

Correct Answer: Potassium

Question 7:

The original material's ________ were changed to improve the cell phone glass.

Correct Answer: properties

Question 8:

Cell phone screens are made out of ________.

Correct Answer: glass

Question 9:

When cell phones were first made, the glass coverings were applied to the screens to ________ them.

Correct Answer: protect

Question 10:

Humans can improve existing materials when they ________ the materials properties.

Correct Answer: change

Educational Standards

5.PS1-3:Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. [Clarification Statement: Examples of materials to be identified could include baking soda and other powders, metals, minerals, and liquids. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility; density is not intended as an identifiable property.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include density or distinguishing mass and weight.]

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