ACS: Inquiry in Action - Properties of Materials (Lesson 1.4): Using the Properties of Materials to Improve a Model Boat
Students use what they’ve learned about the properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil to investigate the question: Which materials are best for making a boat that can hold the most pennies before sinking?
Objective
Students will use what they know about the properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil to decide how the materials can be used for a specific purpose.
Key Concepts
- Materials with certain properties are good for specific purposes.
- Designing and making a product takes testing and making changes and testing again.
NGSS Alignment
- NGSS 2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. (This performance expectation integrates traditional science content with engineering through a practice or disciplinary core idea.)
Summary
- Demonstrate making a paper boat to guide students, who work in pairs, to make their own paper boat.
- Place the boat in water and demonstrate how many pennies the boat can hold before sinking. Students are then guided to think of ways to improve the boat by covering it with water proof material.
- Students make the same paper boat and cover it with plastic and aluminum foil.
- Students test the boat to see if it holds more pennies than the original paper boat.
Evaluation
Download the Student Activity Sheet (PDF) and distribute one per student when specified in the activity. The activity sheet will serve as the Evaluate component of the 5-E lesson plan.
Back to Properties of Materials
Guided instructions, lesson plans, classroom activities, video demonstrations, and activity books.
Students plan and conduct an absorbency test on paper, plastic, aluminum foil, and felt to investigate the question: Which material absorbs water and why?
Students sort common objects according to characteristics such as shape, flexibility, and the material they are made from to investigate the question: Can you group objects based on their characteristics?
Students conduct a series of tests on different materials to learn about their properties to investigate the question: What are some of the characteristic properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil?
Students develop a test to compare the dissolving of an M&M and a Skittle in water to investigate the question: Do M&Ms and Skittles dissolve by the same amount?
Students place small common objects made from wax, wood, metal, and rubber in water to investigate the question: Do certain materials tend to float or sink in water?
Students warm butter until it melts and then cool it until it turns hard again as they investigate the question: How do substances change when they are warmed and cooled?
Students do simple tests to observe the properties of water, mineral oil, and corn syrup on the surface of a zip-closing plastic bag to investigate the question: Can liquids that look similar have different properties?
Students design and conduct an experiment to see if baking powder causes more bubbling in warm or cold water to investigate the question: Does baking powder produce more bubbles when it is heated or cooled?
After an introduction of Snap Cubes as models atoms and molecules, students use Snap Cubes to investigate the question: How can Snap Cubes be used to make models of different molecules?
Student groups use four or five Snap Cubes to make as many different objects as possible to investigate the question: How many different objects can be made by rearranging four cubes?
What are you looking for?
Organization
Website URL
Type of Resource
PDF File
Video (Instructional)
Assigned Categories
Resource k12
Students use what they’ve learned about the properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil to investigate the question: Which materials are best for making a boat that can hold the most pennies before sinking?
Objective
Students will use what they know about the properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil to decide how the materials can be used for a specific purpose.
Key Concepts
- Materials with certain properties are good for specific purposes.
- Designing and making a product takes testing and making changes and testing again.
NGSS Alignment
- NGSS 2-PS1-2: Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. (This performance expectation integrates traditional science content with engineering through a practice or disciplinary core idea.)
Summary
- Demonstrate making a paper boat to guide students, who work in pairs, to make their own paper boat.
- Place the boat in water and demonstrate how many pennies the boat can hold before sinking. Students are then guided to think of ways to improve the boat by covering it with water proof material.
- Students make the same paper boat and cover it with plastic and aluminum foil.
- Students test the boat to see if it holds more pennies than the original paper boat.
Evaluation
Download the Student Activity Sheet (PDF) and distribute one per student when specified in the activity. The activity sheet will serve as the Evaluate component of the 5-E lesson plan.
Back to Properties of Materials
Guided instructions, lesson plans, classroom activities, video demonstrations, and activity books.
Students plan and conduct an absorbency test on paper, plastic, aluminum foil, and felt to investigate the question: Which material absorbs water and why?
Students sort common objects according to characteristics such as shape, flexibility, and the material they are made from to investigate the question: Can you group objects based on their characteristics?
Students conduct a series of tests on different materials to learn about their properties to investigate the question: What are some of the characteristic properties of paper, plastic, and aluminum foil?
Students develop a test to compare the dissolving of an M&M and a Skittle in water to investigate the question: Do M&Ms and Skittles dissolve by the same amount?
Students place small common objects made from wax, wood, metal, and rubber in water to investigate the question: Do certain materials tend to float or sink in water?
Students warm butter until it melts and then cool it until it turns hard again as they investigate the question: How do substances change when they are warmed and cooled?
Students do simple tests to observe the properties of water, mineral oil, and corn syrup on the surface of a zip-closing plastic bag to investigate the question: Can liquids that look similar have different properties?
Students design and conduct an experiment to see if baking powder causes more bubbling in warm or cold water to investigate the question: Does baking powder produce more bubbles when it is heated or cooled?
After an introduction of Snap Cubes as models atoms and molecules, students use Snap Cubes to investigate the question: How can Snap Cubes be used to make models of different molecules?
Student groups use four or five Snap Cubes to make as many different objects as possible to investigate the question: How many different objects can be made by rearranging four cubes?
What are you looking for?
Organization
Website URL
Type of Resource
PDF File
Video (Instructional)
