Ben's Playhouse
Ben made a playhouse from a big box. It has a hole for a window.
Will any material make a good window?
Page 1
Science · Grade 2 Science
Chapter 1: Properties of Materials
Start with the job, not the material.
Ben made a playhouse from a big box. It has a hole for a window.
Will any material make a good window?
Make your guess to turn the page.
Still to come: 6 pages · Words to Know · What We Learned · 4 questions · Ask and Wonder
The idea this lesson is working on — Children think windows are glass because that is what windows are made of: the use feels like part of the thing. Ben works it the other way round. He says what the window must do, tries materials, and keeps the one that does both jobs. Ask: what does it have to do? Then: which material can do that?
Sometimes two jobs, two materials — A saucepan must carry heat into the food, so the pan is metal. Its handle must not carry heat into your hand, so it is wood or plastic. One object, two jobs, two materials.