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Physical ScienceMaterialsYear 1 Science

Objects and the materials they are made of

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What this lesson covers

  • An object is a thing; a material is what it is made of
  • Wood, metal, plastic, glass, fabric and rock are common materials
  • Some objects use one material and some join several together
  • Words for how materials look and feel
  • Using our senses to find out about a material
  • Sorting materials into groups
Key idea

Objects and materials

  • An object is a thing you can see and touch, like a cup or a chair.
  • A material is what the object is made of.
  • A spoon can be made of metal. A toy block can be made of wood.
  • Wood, metal, plastic, glass, fabric and rock are all materials.
Three objects, each with an arrow to its material: a window to glass, a spoon to metal and a toy block to wood
Key idea

One material or more than one

  • Some objects are made of just one material. A glass marble is all glass.
  • Other objects join different materials together.
  • A pencil has a wood outside and a grey middle called graphite. Some pencils also have a metal band and a rubber end.
  • A school bag can have fabric, plastic clips and a metal zip.
A pencil with four labelled parts: a wood body, a grey graphite tip, a metal band and a rubber eraser
Key idea

Use your senses

  • Your senses help you find out about a material.
  • Look at it. What colour and shape is it?
  • Touch it. Is it rough or smooth? Is it hard or soft?
  • Bend it gently. Does it bend, or stay stiff?
  • Tap it and listen. Wood makes a dull knock. Metal can ring.
  • Never taste a material to test it.
Key idea

Words for materials

  • Scientists use clear words to say what a material is like.
  • Something that bends without breaking is called flexible.
WordIt meansExample
SmoothNo bumpsGlass
RoughBumpyRock, tree bark
HardDoes not squash when you press itMetal
SoftSquashes when you press itWool, a sponge
FlexibleBends without breakingRubber, fabric
StiffDoes not bendA wooden block
Key idea

Try it: bends or stays stiff?

Worked example

Describing a material

  • Mia holds a glass marble. What can she say about the glass?
  1. Look: it is round and you can see through iteyes
  2. Touch: it is smooth and hardhands
  3. Bend: it does not bend at allgentle hands
  4. Glass is smooth, hard and stiff
Worked example

Sorting into groups

  • Room 3 found 8 objects and sorted them by one thing: hard or soft.
  • Hard: a rock, a metal spoon, a wooden block and a glass marble.
  • Soft: wool, a sponge, a sock and a cotton ball.
  • They could sort the same objects again another way, such as flexible or stiff.
Two sorting hoops: Hard holds a rock, a spoon, a block and a marble; Soft holds wool, a sponge, a sock and a cotton ball
Key idea

Try it: hard or soft?

Common mistakes

  • The object and the material are the same thing.
    The object is the thing, like a chair; the material is what it is made of, like wood.
  • A clear plastic cup is made of glass because it looks the same.
    Some plastic looks like glass, but plastic is lighter and bends a little, while glass is stiff and can break.
  • Every object is made of only one material.
    Many objects join materials, like a pencil made of wood and graphite.
Try it at home

A material hunt at home

You need: a metal spoon, a sock, a wooden peg or block, a plastic lid, a stone from the garden

  1. Put the five objects on a table.
  2. Feel each one. Say if it is smooth or rough, and hard or soft.
  3. Try to bend each one gently with your hands.
  4. Make two piles: the ones that bend, and the ones that stay stiff.
  5. Look for this: the sock bends, but the spoon, the peg and the stone stay stiff.

Safety: Ask an adult to help pick the objects, and leave out anything sharp, made of glass, or small enough to fit in your mouth.

Your turn

1

What material is a window made of?

2

A jersey is soft and flexible. Is it made of fabric or rock?

3

Which is harder: a metal spoon or a wool sock?

4

A pencil is made of wood and graphite. Is that one material or more than one?

5

A stone and a jersey. Which one bends?

Show answer

1. Glass. 2. Fabric. 3. The metal spoon. 4. More than one material. 5. The jersey bends; the stone stays stiff.

Summary

Recap

  • An object is a thing. A material is what it is made of.
  • Wood, metal, plastic, glass, fabric and rock are materials.
  • Some objects use one material; some join several.
  • We look, touch, bend and listen to find out what a material is like.
  • We can sort materials into groups, like hard and soft.
Maths

The maths behind it

Year 1 MathsAsking Questions and Making Tally ChartsYear 1 MathsShapes: Faces, Edges, Corners and Building Shapes
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