step 1 of 6
Look at two cups on a shelf. One cup is made of plastic. The other cup is made of glass.
What is the same about them?
Objects vs Materials
Distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made, understanding that objects can be made from different materials
What a learner can do afterwards
- Explain the difference between an object (e.g. a chair) and the material it is made from (e.g. wood)
- Give examples of the same object made from different materials (e.g. plastic cup, glass cup)
- Identify what material a given object is made from by looking at and touching it
1 · Read
An object is a thing, like a cup or a chair. The material is what the object is made from. Wood, glass, and plastic are materials. The same object can be made from many materials. That is why one cup breaks and another cup just bounces.
Try it together
Look at two cups. One cup is made of plastic. Another cup is made of glass. Both are cups, the same object. But they are made from different materials.
Tap each dot and count out loud.
Good to know
You can tell the material by looking and touching. Metal feels cold and hard. Wood feels warm and a bit rough. Plastic feels smooth and light.
Try it together
Look at two spoons. One spoon is wood. One spoon is metal. Both are spoons, the same object. The material is different.
You can often tell the material by looking and touching. Metal feels cold and hard. Wood feels warm and a little rough. Plastic feels smooth and light. Two cups that look the same can still feel different, because they are made from different materials.
The object stays the same, but the material can change.
Readings written for this dataset.
2 · Watch
3 · Play
Take it off screen
Print a worksheetA4 with an answer key page for grown-ups. No screen, no internet.
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
This opens up
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
Then practise
24 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.