Lesson 5 — Physical Properties of Materials

Chemical sciences, strand launch. Students learn that physical properties are the characteristics of a material we can observe and measure without changing it (hardness, strength, flexibility, transparency, absorbency, brittleness). Through a 'guess the material' feely-bag game and hands-on examination of familiar objects, they build the vocabulary of properties and reason about fit-for-purpose — why windows are glass (transparent, not absorbent) and why rain boots are not made of paper. Includes a slide deck with an animated properties-testing sequence, the Material Detectives worksheet, and connects to Design and Technologies (choosing materials for a purpose). Modelled on the SCSA Year 4 exemplar (Mr Tuggle's Troubles; What If Rain Boots Were Made of Paper?).