Year 5 Properties and changes of materials

Knowledge and Understanding

Statutory Requirements

5c1: 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

5c2: know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution

5c3: use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating

5c4: give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic

5c5: demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes

5c6: explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.

Knowledge and Understanding

Notes and Guidance

Pupils should build a more systematic understanding of materials by exploring and comparing the properties of a broad range of materials, including relating these to what they learnt about magnetism in year 3 and about electricity in year 4. They should explore reversible changes, including, evaporating, filtering, sieving, melting and dissolving, recognising that melting and dissolving are different processes. Pupils should explore changes that are difficult to reverse, for example, burning, rusting and other reactions, for example, vinegar with bicarbonate of soda. They should find out about how chemists create new materials, for example, Spencer Silver, who invented the glue for sticky notes or Ruth Benerito, who invented wrinkle-free cotton.

Note: Pupils are not required to make quantitative measurements about conductivity and insulation at this stage. It is sufficient for them to observe that some conductors will produce a brighter bulb in a circuit than others and that some materials will feel hotter than others when a heat source is placed against them. Safety guidelines should be followed when burning materials.

Pupils might work scientifically by: carrying out tests to answer questions, for example, ‘Which materials would be the most effective for making a warm jacket, for wrapping ice cream to stop it melting, or for making blackout curtains?’ They might compare materials in order to make a switch in a circuit. They could observe and compare the changes that take place, for example, when burning different materials or baking bread or cakes. They might research and discuss how chemical changes have an impact on our lives, for example, cooking, and discuss the creative use of new materials such as polymers, super-sticky and super-thin materials.

Upper KS2 - Working Scientifically

Statutory Requirements

uks2w1: planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions, including recognising and controlling variables where necessary

uks2w2: taking measurements, using a range of scientific equipment, with increasing accuracy and precision, taking repeat readings when appropriate

uks2w3: recording data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams and labels, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs

uks2w4: using test results to make predictions to set up further comparative and fair tests

uks2w5: reporting and presenting 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

uks2w6: identifying scientific evidence that has been used to support or refute ideas or arguments.

Upper KS2 - Working Scientifically

Notes and Guidance

Pupils in years 5 and 6 should use their science experiences to: explore ideas and raise different kinds of questions; select and plan the most appropriate type of scientific enquiry to use to answer scientific questions; recognise when and how to set up comparative and fair tests and explain which variables need to be controlled and why. They should use and develop keys and other information records to identify, classify and describe living things and materials, and identify patterns that might be found in the natural environment. They should make their own decisions about what observations to make, what measurements to use and how long to make them for, and whether to repeat them; choose the most appropriate equipment to make measurements and explain how to use it accurately. They should decide how to record data from a choice of familiar approaches; look for different causal relationships in their data and identify evidence that refutes or supports their ideas. They should use their results to identify when further tests and observations might be needed; recognise which secondary sources will be most useful to research their ideas and begin to separate opinion from fact. They should use relevant scientific language and illustrations to discuss, communicate and justify their scientific ideas and should talk about how scientific ideas have developed over time.

These opportunities for working scientifically should be provided across years 5 and 6 so that the expectations in the programme of study can be met by the end of year 6. Pupils are not expected to cover each aspect for every area of study.

Separating solutions Investigation Free!

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C004

Learning objective

I can explain how to recover a substance from a solution.

Children investigate the best place to put a cup of salt solution so that the water evaporates most quickly. They choose 4 locations and measure the amount of water in each container over the course of 7 days. They transfer their results to a line graph and use this to answer the question.

5c2: know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution

Solutions cannot be separated by filtering using a sieve.

The solute can be recovered from a solution (for example salt from seawater) by evaporation of the solvent.

Water in different environments can evaporate at different rates.

Year 4 Properties and changes of materials | Outstanding Science

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Properties of materials Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C001

Learning objective

I can group materials according to their properties.

Children investigate the properties of 10 different materials. They predict and then investigate whether the materials are electrical conductors, transparent, strong thermal conductors or magnetic. They record their results in a table, and then complete a Venn diagram containing 2 intersecting sets, choosing 2 properties by which to group the materials.

5c1: 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

Materials can have different combinations of properties, including electrical and thermal conductivity, magnetism and transparency.

Year 5 Properties and changes of materials | Outstanding Science

3 pages

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Soluble materials Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C002

Learning objective

I can investigate which materials are soluble in water.

Children investigate whether sand, sugar, salt, flour or iron filings will dissolve in water. They record their results in a table and then display them in a single-set Venn diagram. They consider how they could separate the mixtures and solutions.

5c1: 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

When a solute dissolves in a solvent to create a solution, its particles spread out so that they can no longer be seen or retrieved by filtering.

Some materials are soluble in water, but others are not.

2 pages

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Investigating hardness Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C003

Learning objective

I can investigate the hardness of materials and place them in order of hardness.

Children investigate whether 5 different materials can be scratched by 4 different objects of increasing hardness. They use their results to place the materials in order of hardness.

5c1: 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

Hardness is a measure of how resistant a material is to deformation.

Some materials are harder than others.

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Separating mixtures Investigation

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C005

Learning objective

I can suggest ways in which different mixtures can be separated.

Children consider 6 different mixtures / solutions and discuss the best way to separate each. They attempt to separate them using their chosen method. They discuss whether their method worked and why.

5c3: use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating

Methods for separating mixtures include picking out by hand, decanting, sieving, filtering, using a magnet, and evaporation.

Not all methods of separation will work for all mixtures.

3 pages

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Uses of materials Worksheet

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C006

Learning objective

I can explain why materials are used for different purposes.

Children identify the materials that 4 different objects are made from and explain why they have been chosen with reference to their physical properties. Next, they describe the physical properties and uses of 6 different materials - metals, plastics, wood, fabrics, glass and leather. They cut and paste or write their own descriptions.

5c4: give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic

The properties of different materials make them suitable for some purposes, but not for others.

3 pages

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New materials Worksheet

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C007

Learning objective

I can explain the advantages of new materials and how they were created.

Children learn about the origins of Post-It Notes, wrinkle-free cotton, polar fleece and Gore-Tex. They complete an information text, showing when and by whom they were invented, their advantages and disadvantages, and common applications.

5c4: give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic

Scientists can create new and synthetic materials with beneficial properties.

3 pages

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Reversible and irreversible changes Worksheet

Outstanding Science Year 5 | Properties and changes of materials | OS5C008

Learning objective

I can identify if a change is easily reversible and how to reverse it.

Children examine 11 different physical changes of materials. They identify whether they can be easily reversed and explain how or why.

5c5: demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes
5c6: explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda.

Some physical changes are readily reversible (such as freezing and melting), while some are not (such as burning, because new substances have been produced).