Lesson By Lesson Guide - wakek5science / Home Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives ..... 3 Essential Question for Unit..... 3 Unit Pre Special Notes About this Unit..... 3

Investigating Properties Page 1

Lesson by Lesson Guide

Investigating Properties

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Table of Contents NC Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives ............................................................ 3

Essential Question for Unit ............................................................................................. 3

Unit Pre-Assessment ........................................................................................................... 3

Special Notes About this Unit............................................................................................. 3

Lesson 1: Lots of Leaves .................................................................................................... 4

Lesson 2: String Stuff ......................................................................................................... 7

Lesson 3: Shoe Store ......................................................................................................... 10

Lesson 4: Are Properties Important? ................................................................................ 12

Lesson 5: Put It In Order ................................................................................................... 14

Lesson 6: Where Does It Belong? .................................................................................... 16

Lesson 7: Gloop ................................................................................................................ 18


NC Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives

K.P.2 Understand how objects are described based on their physical

properties and how they are used.

K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size,

color, shape, texture, weight and flexibility.

K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials

(clay, wood, cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they

are used.

Essential Question for Unit

How can we observe and compare the properties of objects?

Unit Pre-Assessment A formative assessment probe from Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volumes 1-4,

by Page Keeley is not assigned to this Kindergarten unit of study. You might consider

prompting students to respond to the Essential Question for the Unit in a brief, two-

minute discussion, drawing, or written response.

Special Notes about this Unit Check the Master List of Supplies in the TG for a list of materials to be gathered

before teaching the unit

Refer to the “Before You Begin” section which precedes each lesson – it is

important to review this section as you are planning the lessons

This unit is divided into 7 Lessons which are divided into Sessions; you will find

Estimated Time suggestions throughout this Lesson by Lesson Guide


Lesson 1: Lots of Leaves Estimated Time: Five 20-30 minute class sessions or two 60-minute sessions.

Students collect their own leaves. Then teams of two combine their leaves and sort them

according to properties. Teams share their observations to create a class chart, listing

words that describe specific properties of the leaves. Students are introduced to the term

properties, and teams use the properties of leaves to play sorting games. Students

observe leaves with hand lenses to find hidden properties. Afterward, teams tape their

leaves on classroom trees by matching the properties of the leaves to the properties of the

leaves on the trees.

Clarifying Objectives

K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,

texture, weight and flexibility.

Focus Question What are properties and how can objects be sorted by their properties?

Activity Guiding Questions

- Introduce the activity –

assemble students as a group

and read the poem “Lots of

Leaves” available in both the

teacher and student guides.

Have the students connect the

poem to their own personal

experiences.

- Students take a walk and use

their senses to observe leaves.

Discuss why “taste” would not

be a good sense to use for this

activity. They collect 6-8

leaves to bring inside.

- Students work with a partner to

sort their leaves and share the

ways sorted with the class. As

they share, record their

describing words on a class

chart.

- Remind students the words on

the chart describe the leaves and

that these are “properties” of

leaves. Share teacher selected

leaves and have students

describe the leaf. After each

- What are some things you can

find out about this leaf by

looking? Touching? Smelling?

Listening?

- What color is the leaf? How do

you know?

- What else can you find out

about this leaf by using your

sense of sight?

- How is my leaf like one of your

leaves? How can you tell?


description, answer with “yes,

____ is a property of this leaf”

to reinforce the term “property.”

- Play the “Has/Does-Not-Have”

game (directions available in

the teacher manual) to reinforce

ways to sort leaves by their

properties. There are also

additional sorting games

described in the teacher manual

if your students struggle with

this concept.

- After a teacher demonstration of

how to appropriately use a hand

lens, students use this tool to

observe their leaves in more

detail. Encourage them to

compare how this tool effects

their observations (what can

they see with the hands lens that

was difficult without it).

- Place cutouts of trees around the

room. Students compare and

match the properties of their

leaves to the leaves on the

cutouts. Bring the class

together to observe each tree

and explain their placement

decisions.

- Ask students “What questions

do you have now?”

Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:

Senses – see, hear, smell, touch, taste

Observation

Properties

Hand lens

Integration Hints

- Teach with a “Fall” theme and discuss how leaves can be signs of this season.

- In math, sort and use leaves to make patterns. Also, you could make a class leaf

graph by properties or types of leaves.

- In art make dancing leaf people or animals.


- During a language arts time you could read the vignette about Geerat Vermeij

(Jerry Ver-may) in the student and teacher guides and discuss comprehension

questions such as – What do scientists do? What did this scientist observe? What

senses did he use? How has our work in class been similar to his work?

Science Notebook Helper - Preprint the focus questions on address labels and use them for entries in the

science notebooks.

- Have students complete a leaf rubbing of their favorite leaf from their collection

in their notebooks. Tape the leaf to the back of the page so it will not move

during the rubbing and use the side of a crayon to rub across it.

- Students can copy or write (possibly through dictation to an adult) properties of

this leaf on the page as well.

Assessment Opportunities - Have students draw a leaf before the first session and then again after the final

session. Review students’ drawings to see if they include more detail and

properties.

- Can also provide a student with a bag of leaves and ask to have it sorted by a

particular property. Then have the student sort the leaves in a different way and

describe the property used. Dated entries in science notebooks are excellent as

well.


Lesson 2: String Stuff Estimated Time: Five 20-30 minute class sessions or two 60 minute sessions.

Students hear the story of “Simmy and the String Stuff,” in which Simmy Squirrel brings

a sack of messy, stringlike materials into the family’s tidy home. Student teams sort the

string stuff by properties, record suggestions for sorting, and add to the classroom

charts. As they discuss the properties of the pieces of string, students become aware that

the pieces are made from different materials. Students are introduced to the term

materials. Then, as a class, students sort objects according to the materials from which

they are made and set up a materials museum. Individually, students find objects made of

single and multiple materials and draw them in their science notebooks.




K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials (clay, wood,

cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they are used.

Focus Question What are different materials things are made from and how can we sort objects by

these materials?



assemble students as a group

and read the story “Simmy and

the String Stuff” available in the

student and teacher guides.

Review the class list from

lesson one and remind the

students that these were

properties. Ask if Simmy could

sort the string stuff by

properties just as we sorted

leaves by properties.

- Students work with a partner to

sort a bag of string stuff and

share the ways sorted with the

class. Have them explain their

rational for sorting. Ask them

to sort their bag several times in

different ways (begin to lead

them away from the basic way

of just sorting by color).

- Ask questions that help students

rethink or express their rationale for

sorting such as “Why did you put

this piece of string, but not this

other piece, in the fuzzy group?” or

“If you are sorting by the property

of shape and this is the round

group, where will you put this

piece?”

- What did you observe that made

you decide to put it in this group?

- What property did you sort by to

make this group?

- How are the pieces alike in this

group?

- Where might we place this pencil

that is made of wood, metal, and

rubber? Explain your thinking?


- As a class compare the ways

groups chose to sort their string

stuff. Compare similarities

and differences among the

groups.

- Discuss how some pieces are

different from others because

they are made of different stuff.

The stuff things are made of is

called material. Observe and

discuss the different materials

the string is made of.

- Play the “Sorting by Materials”

game describe in the teacher

guide. Make a materials chart

to list the various materials

objects can be made from

(wood, plastic, metal, fabric,

paper, etc.).

- Review the materials objects are

made of and sort a group of

objects by their materials.

Distribute objects made of the

same material among the

students. Make a chart to

record the properties of that

material. Repeat this process

until several materials have

been described and their

properties recorded. Set up a

properties museum around the

room housing each material

group and its list of properties.

Allow students to collect

objects to add to the museum

while it is on display.

- Introduce objects made of more

than one material. Ask students

how these could be added to the

materials museum. Discuss the

problem and solutions generated

for adding these objects to the

museum. Also discuss reasons

why objects may need to be

made of more than one material.



do you have now?”


Properties

Materials – metal, wood, plastic, glass, fabric, paper

Integration Hints

- Materials tend to be a difficult concept for students to grasp. Plan to bring it up

several times throughout the year. For example, what material is the water

fountain, door, key, jump rope, book, etc made of?

- Repeat the sorting activities during center times.

- During math, graph objects by their materials or collect data and graph which

materials we use most often throughout a day.

Science Notebook Helper Students can draw how they sorted their string stuff. They can create a page for each

material where they draw objects made of that material.

Assessment Opportunities They can split a page in half – on the top have students draw objects made of one

material (can label the material as well), and on the bottom have them draw objects made

of more than one material.


Lesson 3: Shoe Store Estimated Time: Three 20-minute class sessions or one 60-minute session.

The class creates the Mixed-Up Shoe Store using students’ shoes. Students pretend to

shop for certain shoes by describing specific properties of the shoes. Teams attempt to

impose some order on the store by sorting the shoes. Student teams sort the shoes by

properties and other students guess how the team sorted the shoes. The class develops a

name for the newly organized shoe store. Then individual students record in their science

notebooks information about the properties of two imaginary shoes.




Focus Question How can we use properties to organize our shoes?



assemble students in a circle

and have them remove one

shoe. Invite them to pretend the

pile of shoes is a shoe store.

- Pretend to shop from the store

by describing the properties of

the shoe you want to “buy”.

Search the pile until you find a

shoe that closely matches your

description. Point out the

properties you were looking for

on the shoe. Have individual

students repeat this process.

- Students work together to find a

shoe. One student is the

“ordering” student. This

student directs another student

the “shopper” to find a shoe by

describing its properties.

- Place a sign stating “The

Mixed-Up Shoe Store” on the

pile of shoes. Introduce the

difficulties of finding what is

needed in the mixed up store.

Have the students split into

teams to develop a plan of how

the store could be organized.

Fill in the blanks with student names:

- How did ___ know what kind of

shoe to shop for?

- What was helpful to ___ in

finding a shoe for ___?

- How did ___ find the shoe so

quickly?

- Why did ___ pick out this shoe?

- What are some important things

about playing this game?

- Is it easy to shop at the Mixed

Up Shoe Store? Why or Why

not?

- How might you sort or organize

the shoes to help you organize

the store?

- How might you organize the

shoe store in more than one

way?


Each team then organizes the

store and has the other teams

guess the properties they used.

- Read and discuss “Sharing

investigations” available in the

student guide. Discuss how

describing and sorting objects is

a type of investigation.


do you have now?”


Properties

Materials

Investigation

Integration Hints

- Read Cinderella and describe the properties of her two pairs of shoes and the

materials each was made of.

- In math, hide a student’s shoe in a location around the room. The student who is

missing the shoe describes its properties. The other students offer positional

words to aid in finding the lost shoe.

- Play “Guess My Reason” by calling a few students to the front of the room who

share a certain property (e.g., wearing shoes that tie or stripes on shirt, etc.) and

the students remaining at their seats try to guess the reason why you called the

others forward.

Science Notebook Helper Students draw a picture of the way they organized the shoe store and label the property

used.

Assessment Opportunities They could split a page in half – on the top they draw a picture of a shoe they would like

to have and write its properties and on the bottom draw a shoe they would not like and

write its properties.


Lesson 4: Are Properties Important? Estimated Time: Two 20-minute class sessions or one 40-minute session.

In the first session, students listen as the teacher describes the properties of a specific

leaf. They draw the described leaf and compare their drawings. Next students draw a leaf

from the teacher’s subjective descriptors such as pretty, nicest, favorite, and compare

their drawings. Students conclude that one description was more helpful than the other in

communicating ideas about the leaves. In the second session, students consider why

knowing about properties is helpful. They listen to a story titled “Pointing Is Not Polite!”

The resulting discussion helps students express why knowing about properties is helpful.




Focus Question Are properties important?


- Review what we have learned

about properties. Display an

object, such as a ball, and have

students describe its properties.

- Have students split a page in

half. On the top half ask the

students to draw a leaf

according to your description

(round with wavy edges, about

the size of your hand, green

with a short stem). Describe a

leaf using subjective properties

(very pretty, nicest I have ever

seen, my favorite leaf). Have

students compare their pictures.

What was the problem? Have

them draw another leaf on the

bottom half of the page. This

time use properties to describe

the leaf. Compare the drawings.

Why do they look similar now?

- Compare objective descriptors

(properties) to subjective

descriptors (pretty, etc.).

Discuss which were the most

helpful.

- Was the first or second picture

more like the pictures of your

classmates?

- How were the two descriptions

different?

- Which description was more

helpful? Why?

- Which description told about the

properties of the leaf?

- How were the property words

helpful?

- Do you think it is helpful for people

to know about properties? If so,

why?

- Why is it helpful for people to

describe things by their properties?


- Read “Pointing is not Polite”

available in both the student and

teacher guides. Discuss which

objects are being described in

the story. How do we know?

- Discuss how we could help

someone who did not know

anything about properties.

Make a chart telling why it is

helpful to know properties.


do you have now?”


Properties

Subjective

Objective

Integration Hints Students could repeat the drawing activity with a partner at centers. The partners could

take turns choosing, describing, and drawing leaves for each other.

Science Notebook Helper If students lost their favorite toy how would they describe it? They can draw their

favorite toy using properties in their notebook. They can write about the helpfulness of

properties and why they are important.

Assessment Opportunities Have students work with a partner to describe an object objectively and have the partner

draw it.


Lesson 5: Put It In Order Estimated Time: Five 15-30 minute class sessions or two 60 minute sessions.

Students listen to a poem, “Playing Basketball,” to help prepare for the task of

comparing heights. Student attempt to sort themselves by size: short or tall. They solve

the problem by placing themselves in serial order by height. Then the class puts shoes in

serial order by length. Students trace their feet and the feet of their family members. Each

team combines its outlines of family feet and places them on a poster in serial order by

length. The class compares ways of organizing objects by their properties; they order an

assortment of spoons by materials and by properties.




Focus Question How do we use height and weight to put things in order?


- Introduce the activity – assemble

students as a group and read the

poem “Playing Basketball,”

available in the student and teacher

guides. Discuss that size is a

property.

- Students sort themselves into two

groups – short or tall. Ask what we

should do with those people who

are medium height. Discuss how

the class could be organized by

height.

- Students line up from short to tall

(could involve a stuffed animal

helper as well so no student feels

bad about being the shortest).

Allow students to leave the line and

view it from the teacher’s point of

view.

- Assemble students and discuss

another property of size – length.

Students compare their shoe with a

partner’s shoe. With a group

students order their shoes by length.

Discuss what to do if shoes are

equal. (could bring in several sizes

of shoes from home so they get a

- Why is it hard to sort yourselves

into short or tall groups?

- Where does ‘short’ leave off and

‘tall’ begin?

- How might you group or organize

yourselves by height?

- What properties of the spoons were

you observing?

- What properties did you use to

order the spoons?

- Were all the spoons the same

length? How could you tell?


clear picture of this as most of their

feet are about the same size)

- Students trace the feet of their

family members and bring the

cutouts to school. They make a

family feet poster according to the

directions in the student guide.

Compare the family feet poster and

discuss how we could find out

which are the longest/shortest foot

out of all of them. Try several

suggestions.

- Students play a game where they

sort spoons by a “secret” order –

length, material, color, etc.

- Ask students “What questions do

you have now?”


Properties

Height

Length

Order

Materials

Integration Hints

- In math, measure and record student heights on a large chart. Redo and compare

later in the year.

- Compare heights or feet outlines with those of preschoolers and basketball

players.

- In centers, display sets of common objects (wrenches, screwdrivers, dolls,

measuring spoons, etc.) and have students arrange them in serial order.

Science Notebook Helper Students can draw their family in order from shortest to longest.

Assessment Opportunities Have students chose a group of objects in the room and draw them from shortest to

tallest/longest.


Lesson 6: Where Does It Belong? Estimated Time: One 30 minute class session plus time in centers or one 90 minute class

session.

The class develops a fair test of “bounciness.” Students use the test to order several balls

by this property. Next, the class orders the same balls by the property of weight. In the

second session, teams move between eight centers* investigating properties such as

shininess, transparency, and weight of various materials. Students order the materials by

degree of property and compare their records.

*This session will require the help of a teacher assistant and/or adult volunteers.




Focus Question How can we test and order objects by one of their properties?



students and review how to put

objects in order by their properties.

- Show them the collection of balls

(good time to introduce the word

sphere). Discuss what we can do

with balls. Introduce one thing we

can do is bounce them. Discuss

how some bounce better than

others.

- Predict which balls will bounce

better and put them in order by the

predictions.

- As a class develop a test for

bouncing the balls to observe which

bounce better than others. Test the

bounciness, put them in order by it,

and record the order using colored

dots.

- Use a balance to compare the

weights of the balls. Discuss how

the balance helps us get

information. Compare ways to test

the weight – balls against balls, or

each ball against teddy bear

counters. Test the weight, put them

- Why did you use the balance to

order the balls by weight?

- How did the balance help you get

information about the weight of the

balls?

- Which ball is heavier? How can

you tell?


in order by it, and record the order

using colored dots.

- Introduce the centers described in

the teacher guide to the class. Place

center directions (masters available

in the teacher guide) at each center.

Students rotate through the centers

completing each activity and record

the order of objects using the

colored dots.

- After all centers have been

completed assemble the students

and discuss the results. Discuss that

materials can possess varying

degrees of a property.


you have now?”


-Senses – see, hear, smell, touch, taste -Dull

-Properties -Shiny

-Balance -Rough

-Light -Smooth

-Heavy -Soft

-Loud -Flat

-Round -See Through

-Dark -Slow

-Fast

Integration Hints In math discuss how to calibrate a balance. They can discuss if the weight of the ball

affects its bounciness.

Science Notebook Helper Students can record the information from each center in their science notebook.

Assessment Opportunities Have students draw a group of objects and write which property could be tested and how

they would test it.


Lesson 7: Gloop Estimated Time: Six 20-30 minute class sessions or three 60 minute sessions

The class receives a package containing a mysterious substance called gloop*

accompanied by a request for the students’ help. Teams investigate gloop by using their

senses to discover properties of the substance then share the results of their

investigations. Each team plans a use for gloop based on its special properties and

shares its plan in a presentation to the class.

*Recipes for gloop are found in the teacher guide. It needs to be made ahead of time so it

sets properly.




K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials (clay, wood,

cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they are used.

Focus Question How do we use properties to describe a mystery object?



students as a group. Introduce

gloop and read the letter from

“Discovery Laboratory” (available

in the teacher guide).

- Students investigate the gloop and

record their observations of its

properties. Encourage them to

manipulate and test the gloop.

- Students share their findings of the

gloop and its properties with the

class. Discuss that they were able

to find out more about the gloop by

investigating it than they did by just

looking at it. Discuss the different

ways that students described

properties.

- Review the properties of gloop and

brainstorm ideas of things gloop

could be used for.

- Students choose their favorite use

for gloop and create an

advertisement for it. Encourage

- Are there any properties of gloop

that you can discover by touching

it?

- What else can you tell about gloop

by looking at it?

- Can you hear gloop when it moves?

- Can you write on gloop? Will it

pick up writing?

- Can you mold gloop into different

shapes like you can with play

dough?

- What did you learn about the

properties of gloop by investigating

or doing things to it?

- Why are you doing that to/or with

gloop? What question are you

trying to answer?


them to come up with a name and

price for their product, as well as, to

list some of its properties on their

advertisement.

- Students use their advertisement to

create a commercial about their

gloop product.

- Assemble students and decide on

what important gloop information

to send back to the scientists.


you have now?”


Senses – see, hear, smell, touch

Observation

Properties

Investigate

Advertisement

Integration Hints Read the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Compare Gloop to the Oobleck.

To make oobleck, use equal parts cornstarch and water. Use green food coloring to turn it

green.

Science Notebook Helper Students can record their observations of gloop and ideas for its uses in their science

notebooks. Students draw a picture of gloop and use words to describe what properties

they notice about the gloop. Students draw things they do to the gloop and what the

gloop does when they do it.

Assessment Opportunities Decide on a rating scale for the gloop presentations. Students could help decide on the

criteria for rating.

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Lesson By Lesson Guide - wakek5science / Home Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives ..... 3 Essential Question for Unit..... 3 Unit Pre Special Notes About this Unit..... 3