Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 minutes
Natural or human-made materials?
Materials and their properties
CCSS NGSS.2-PS1-1England: KS1 Y2 Uses of everyday materialsEngland: KS2 Y3 Rocks
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Natural or human-made materials?.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Everyday materials
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: A tray of everyday objects, Sorting hoops, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Everyday materials). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- What is a toothbrush handle usually made from? (fabric / glass / plastic / metal) → plasticPrompt: Is it hard or soft? Shiny? Can you see through it?
- Which object is usually made of metal? (a coin / a pencil / a window / a jam jar) → a coinPrompt: Picture each object. What does it feel like?
- Which of these is a material, not an object? (wood / chair / table / door) → woodPrompt: A material is what something is made of.
Hook · 5 min
- Pass round objects made of different materials and ask why each one was chosen.
- Share the objective: Natural or human-made materials?. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Is this material natural or human-made: concrete?
- Step 1: Human-made materials are made by people changing other materials, often with heat.
- Step 2: So the answer is: human-made
- Answer: human-made
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Is this material natural or human-made: nylon? (natural / human-made) → human-madePrompt: Could you find it like that in nature, or does a factory have to make it?
- Where does this material come from: glass? (clay baked in a kiln / a sheep's fleece / sand heated until it melts / the fluffy seed pods of a cotton plant) → sand heated until it meltsPrompt: Every human-made material starts as something natural.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- True or false? Human-made materials do not come from nature at all. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Trace each material back to where it started.
- Where does this material come from: paper? (the fluffy seed pods of a cotton plant / oil from under the ground / a sheep's fleece / wood from trees) → wood from treesPrompt: Every human-made material starts as something natural.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Everyday materials.
- Use concrete materials: a tray of everyday objects.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-2.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder