Investigating Material Properties

Overview

Duration: 43 minutes
Class size: 30 students
Year group: Year 7
Subject: Science
Curriculum: National Curriculum for England

National Curriculum Links

KS3 Programme of Study:
- Materials and their properties
- Pupils should be taught to:
  - Compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets.
  - Know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution.
  - Demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes.
  - Explore reversible and irreversible changes.
Working Scientifically:
- Plan different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary.
- Take measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision.
- Record data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, bar and line graphs, and models.
- Use test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests.
- Report and present findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other presentations.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Identify and describe the properties of different everyday materials (strength, flexibility, absorbency).
Design and conduct a simple, fair experiment to test one property (strength, flexibility, or absorbency).
Collect and record data in a systematic and precise way.
Collaborate effectively to create an interactive digital poster presenting their experimental method, results, and conclusions.
Evaluate their experimental process including variable control and reliability of results.

Success Criteria

Students correctly design an experiment with a controlled variable relating to material properties.
Data is recorded clearly and accurately using tables or diagrams.
Digital posters demonstrate clear explanation of methods, results, and conclusions.
Students can explain how the properties tested relate to everyday uses of materials.

Resources Needed

Variety of everyday materials per group (e.g., paper types, fabrics, plastic sheets, kitchen towel).
Simple equipment to test properties (weights for strength, plastic rulers or card for flexibility, cups and water for absorbency).
Timers or stopwatches.
Measuring equipment (rulers, scales if required).
Tablets or laptops with access to presentation software (e.g., Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other digital poster creation tools).
Worksheets for planning and data recording.
Visual aid with example property tests.

Lesson Structure

1. Starter (5 minutes)

Engage: Quick demonstration of one property test (e.g., soaking two different materials with water to compare absorbency).
Ask: “Why do you think some materials soak up water more than others? How might this affect how we use these materials?”
Brief discussion to activate prior knowledge on material properties.

2. Introduction and Instructions (7 minutes)

Outline the task: In groups of 5, you will design a simple experiment to test one material property – strength, flexibility, or absorbency – using everyday materials.
Explain how to plan a fair test (changing one variable, keeping others constant).
Show examples of simple tests for each property.
Emphasise safety and fair testing principles.
Distribute planning worksheets.

3. Group Investigation and Data Collection (15 minutes)

Students split into groups of 5; each group chooses one property to test.
Groups select materials and decide on an experimental procedure.
Monitor groups to ensure scientific principles are followed.
Encourage precise measurement and recording of results on provided worksheets.

4. Creating Interactive Digital Posters (13 minutes)

Groups rotate to digital devices.
Using presentation software, groups create a digital poster including:
- Title and group members.
- Hypothesis and variable to be tested.
- The method with images or diagrams.
- Table or chart showing data collected.
- Conclusion about the property of the material tested.
- Reflection: What would they change in their experiment to improve it?
Encourage creativity: embedding photos taken during the experiment, using graphs, bullet points and colour for clarity.

5. Plenary and Peer Sharing (3 minutes)

Each group briefly shares one key finding from their experiment.
Highlight diversity of results and reinforce the importance of fair testing.
Quick whole-class feedback: What surprised you? What did you learn about materials today?

Assessment

Formative: Observation of group participation, planning worksheet completion, and experimental data quality.
Peer-assessment: Each group evaluates one other group’s digital poster using a simple rubric (clarity of method, data presentation, logical conclusion).
Self-assessment: Students complete a short exit ticket answering: "What property did we test today? What was the key learning about it?"

Differentiation

Support: Provide sentence starters and scaffolded planning worksheets for students needing help. Allow some groups to focus only on data collection and recording to build confidence.
Challenge: Encourage higher ability groups to design a test that compares more than one material or test more than one property. They can also add hypothesis prediction based on prior knowledge.

Cross-Curricular Links

ICT: Use of digital tools to create interactive posters develops technological skills.
English: Presentation skills and scientific explanation improve communication.
Maths: Measuring and recording data practices underpin numeracy skills.

Reflection Notes for Teacher

Note how well students apply fair testing principles in their experimental design.
Consider the engagement level with digital tools—do students blend creativity with scientific accuracy?
Use feedback from peer-assessments to plan next steps in teaching scientific enquiry skills.

This detailed lesson plan ensures a hands-on, collaborative, and technologically integrated investigation into material properties, aligned specifically to the National Curriculum expectations for Year 7 Science. It develops scientific enquiry skills, promotes deeper understanding of materials, and encourages creativity in communicating science findings.