Module 5: We Love Our Things
We Love
Our Things
UNDERSTAND
Objective:to understand where the materials come from that we use to make our things
Vocabulary:natural element
Reading:Little Blue Chair
Science Activity:Natural Element
Earth Friends Lesson
Module 5: Lesson 2
Begin Lesson
move & discover: 7 minutes
Materials Make Things
Passing around the materials will be repeated at the beginning of each lesson; however, each week the children will be asked to identify or categorize the materials in a different way.
Materials Needed: a sample* of the following 10 materials
Wood (tree)
Plastic (fossil fuel)
Rubber (tree / fossil fuel)
Metal (rocks and minerals)
Fabric (animal, plant)
Glass (sand)
Paper (tree)
Ceramic (clay)
Cardboard (tree)
Leather (animal)
Have the children sit in a circle and then pass around the material samples one at a time. Where do you think this material came from? What can we use in nature to make this material?
*Samples of materials should be: nondescript (plastic cannot be a straw, metal cannot be a can), about the size of a smart phone, safe with no rough or sharp edges. You can find a good amount at a home renovation store or flooring store.
Curious Question
I wonder where we get our materials to make our things.
Allow the children to share where they think materials come from. This can be anything from outside to a store to a factory. There are no wrong answers.
Main Lesson
The materials we use to make our things are found in nature, like trees and rocks, and we call these natural elements. Some come from underground, like fossil fuels, rocks, and minerals. Some come from plants, like trees and leaves. Some come from animals. We make all our materials from natural elements.
sit & engage: 5 minutes
Natural Elements
Using objects in the classroom, set out 5 different things representing 5 different materials. Have the children discuss what materials each is made out of.
Examples:
Chair (wood)
Marker (plastic)
Artwork (paper)
Jar (glass)
Toy Car (metal)
Closing Sentiment
Humans use materials to make our things. All of our materials come from nature, just like our energy.
sit & learn: 8 minutes
Use the photo book to show the children the different kinds of materials.
End Lesson
Teachers in the Classroom
Teacher Activity
Material Scavenger Hunt
When the children are outside, have them search for something that is made of:
Rubber
Wood
Metal
Plastic
Fabric
See who can find all 5 categories first. Make a finish line and have the children safely run around to find their objects. You can also create teams to add some friendly collaboration to the activity.
Throughout the Week
Discover: materials at lunch. What things are made by humans? What things grow in nature?
Explore: the different materials. At any point, you can choose 5 objects in the classroom and talk about what material they are made of.
Learn: the different kinds of materials we use to make our things. Pass around the material samples and ask the children to identify what that material is called and what it is made from in nature—the natural elements.
Reading:Little Blue Chair
Vocabulary: material, natural element
Good Choices
I can ask what different things are made from.
I can learn what where materials come from in nature.
I can use share my things with someone else.
Vocabulary:
material:Humans make all different kinds of things, and our things are made out of different materials.
natural element:The materials we use to make our things are found in nature, like trees and rocks, and we call these natural elements. Some come from underground, like fossil fuels, rocks, and minerals. Some come from plants, like trees and leaves. Some come from animals. We make all our materials from natural elements
Families at Home
Discuss: We talked about where in nature we find what we need to make materials-wood, plastic, metal, fabric, glass, paper, ceramic, rubber, leather. You can walk around your house with your child and talk about what different things are made of. Share what some of your favorite things are made of, and this week you can take it a step further and talk about where in nature that material comes from.
Wood: trees
Plastic: fossil fuels
Rubber: fossil fuels; tree
Metal: rocks and minerals
Fabric: plants; animals
Glass: sand
Paper: trees; plants
Ceramic: rocks and minerals
Cardboard: trees; plants
Leather: animals
Visit: a state park. See where you can find natural elements. What in nature do we use to make our materials. Examples: sand, trees, plants, clay.
Create: a house from natural elements in your backyard. What can you use to make the walls? What can you use to make the roof? What helps it stay together? Who can live in your house?