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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.
  1. What is a light bulb usually made from? (fabric / plastic / glass / wood) → glassPrompt: Is it hard or soft? Shiny? Can you see through it?
  2. Which object is usually made of metal? (a pencil / a mirror / a key / a towel) → a keyPrompt: Picture each object. What does it feel like?
  3. A spoon can be made of metal, plastic or wood. What does this show? (All materials are the same. / The same object can be made from different materials. / Spoons are not objects. / Only metal is a material.) → The same object can be made from different materials.Prompt: Think about spoons you have seen.

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.
  1. Is this material natural or human-made: clay? (natural / human-made) → naturalPrompt: Could you find it like that in nature, or does a factory have to make it?
  2. Where does this material come from: a cotton T-shirt? (wood from trees / the fluffy seed pods of a cotton plant / oil from under the ground / sand heated until it melts) → the fluffy seed pods of a cotton plantPrompt: 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.
  1. Where does this material come from: paper? (a sheep's fleece / oil from under the ground / wood from trees / clay baked in a kiln) → wood from treesPrompt: Every human-made material starts as something natural.
  2. True or false? Glass is made by melting sand. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Trace each material back to where it started.

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

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Natural or human-made materials?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    True or false? Wool comes from sheep.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  2. Question 2

    Where does this material come from: paper?

    • A. a sheep's fleece
    • B. sand heated until it melts
    • C. wood from trees
    • D. the fluffy seed pods of a cotton plant

  3. Question 3

    Is this material natural or human-made: concrete?

    • A. natural
    • B. human-made

  4. Question 4

    True or false? Glass is made by melting sand.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  5. Question 5

    Where does this material come from: bricks?

    • A. clay baked in a kiln
    • B. oil from under the ground
    • C. sand heated until it melts
    • D. a sheep's fleece

  6. Question 6

    Is this material natural or human-made: glass?

    • A. natural
    • B. human-made

  7. Question 7

    True or false? Paper is made from trees.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  8. Question 8

    Where does this material come from: glass?

    • A. wood from trees
    • B. sand heated until it melts
    • C. a sheep's fleece
    • D. oil from under the ground

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Answer key: Natural or human-made materials?

  1. 1. A. True

  2. 2. C. wood from trees

  3. 3. B. human-made

  4. 4. A. True

  5. 5. A. clay baked in a kiln

  6. 6. B. human-made

  7. 7. A. True

  8. 8. B. sand heated until it melts