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1st grade · Science · Unit 3 of 8

Materials

What is it made of?

What your child practices

Describing materials (hard, soft, see-through, waterproof) and choosing the best material for a job, like a raincoat or a window.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 1P.2.1.1.1 · testing materials to find which have the properties a job needs

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Things are made of materials like wood, glass, metal and cloth.
  2. Some are soft, hard, see-through or waterproof.
  3. Pick the best material for the job.

Example: What is a good material for a raincoat? A raincoat must keep water out. Plastic is waterproof. Answer: plastic

Materials in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 3 of 8 in 1st grade Science, after Light & Sound and before Parents & Babies.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    A spoon for hot soup should NOT be made of…

    🍲
    • 🪵wood
    • 🥄metal
    • 🧊ice

  2. Question 2

    Why isn't an umbrella made of paper?

    ☔
    • 🏋️paper is too heavy
    • 💧paper gets soggy in rain
    • 🧱paper is too hard

  3. Question 3

    Which one can you fold easily?

    • 📄paper
    • 🥃glass cup
    • 🪨rock

  4. Question 4

    Which material would make the strongest house?

    🏠
    • 📄paper
    • 🧱bricks
    • 🌾straw

  5. Question 5

    Which one floats in water?

    🌊
    • 🪵wooden log
    • 🪨rock
    • 🔑metal key

  6. Question 6

    Is it hard or soft? Tap an item, then tap its basket.

    Sort into: 🔨 hard · ☁️ soft

    • 🪨rock
    • 🔑key
    • 🐚shell
    • 🧽sponge
    • 🧤mittens
    • 🧸teddy bear

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