1 www.sciencea-z.comPROPERTIES Classifying Objects Materials per group q Properties Cards Version A or B q 12 objects: penny, rubber ball, dice, marble, playing card, soccer ball, pencil
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PROPERTIES
Classifying Objects
Materials
(per group)
q Properties Cards (Version A or B)
q 12 objects: penny, rubber ball, dice, marble, playing card, soccer ball, pencil, paper clip, small box, large box, sheet of paper, and index card
Optional Materials
q Photo Cards
q ruler
q balance scale
q Graph Template
q crayons
Purpose
To observe objects and classify them by their properties
Process Skills
Observe, classify, measure, communicate, collect data,
interpret data, draw conclusions
Background
All things are made up of different kinds of matter, or materials
Matter has properties that can be used to describe it Properties
may include state of matter (solid/liquid/gas), size, shape, color,
texture, weight, magnetism, buoyancy, flexibility, and more
The properties of an object can be important in designing things
or in selecting things for our use Properties can also help us
describe how things are similar and how they are different In
this exploration, students will observe the properties of a variety
of objects Then they will use these observations to classify the
objects into different categories
Time – 1 hour
Procedure
Preparation
Decide whether you will have students
examine the objects suggested in the materials
list or whether you want to select your own
set of objects for each group Either way, it
may be helpful to have a set of objects ready
for each group before beginning the activity
with students Photo Cards are provided as
an alternative to gathering the materials
Two versions of the Properties Cards are
provided Version B may be more appropriate
for younger students and emerging writers
The Graph Template is provided at the end of
this process activity Part 3 is a recommended
activity in which students can create their
own graphs to display the results of their
classifying
Part 1: Observing the Properties of Objects
1 Review the key vocabulary from the
Properties unit with students Be sure students understand that everything is
made of matter, is made up of various
materials, and has certain properties
2 Explain to students that they will observe
a set of twelve objects and describe the properties of each object on paper Place students in small groups Distribute copies of the Properties Cards sheet to each group Provide enough copies so that each group will have a Properties Card for each of the twelve objects
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3 Choose one object from the set Model
for the class how to complete a Properties
Card for that object
TIP: Project the card on a screen or
whiteboard, or draw one on a chalkboard
Write the name of the object at the top
Ask students to help you list the materials
the object is made of, and complete that
section of the card Think aloud as you
observe the object’s color, shape, texture,
size, and other properties Then fill in
the rest of the card with the appropriate
information
exploration, if you want students to
measure the dimensions (length, width,
and height) of objects, provide each group
with a ruler and instruct them on its use
Students can record this information on
their Properties Cards (version A) under
the heading Other properties Similarly, if
you want groups to be able to compare
the weights of objects, provide balance
scales (See the Process Science domain
on for instructional
resources related to the tools of science.)
4 Distribute a set of objects to each group
and ask students to observe one of the
objects together Have each group complete
a Properties Card as a whole group for
their first object Encourage students to
communicate with each other about each
object’s properties Help groups record
their observations
the remaining objects and completing the rest of the Properties Cards If groups finish early, they may draw the objects
on the backs of the cards
6 Discuss Part 1 with the whole class
Which properties were easiest to identify and which were most difficult? When groups disagreed on an object’s properties, how did they resolve their difference
of opinion? Were students unable to determine or agree upon any of the properties? If so, how did the groups decide what to write on the card?
Part 2: Classifying Objects by Their Properties
1. Tell the class that they now know a lot about each of their objects In the second part of the exploration, they will use
what they have observed to classify the
objects—or to put them into groups— according to their properties Explain
to students that the groups they place
objects into can also be called categories.
2. Model how to classify the complete set
of objects by one of the properties on the cards—color Invite volunteers to place the objects into categories by color Point out to students that some categories may contain just one object Also, some objects may have more than one color, so gather students’ ideas on how to classify objects that don’t fit into one category
3. Instruct students to classify their objects
by using a property other than color They can use their Properties Cards to decide which objects should be placed in each category Once done, have all members of the group raise their hands and wait for you to visit Ask members of the group
to explain how they classified their objects and invite them to share any challenges they faced Then have the group classify their objects by using another property
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4. Have groups continue classifying their
objects and explaining their choices to you
After groups have had enough time to
explore classifying with several properties,
stop the activity and ask groups to share
some of their results with the class
Part 3: Creating Graphs (optional)
1. Now that students have classified their
objects in several ways, help them to
create graphs that display their results
Give each group a copy of the Graph
Template Ask each group to choose one
of the ways they classified the objects
during Part 2 Have each group classify
its objects again, using the property
it has chosen
2. Explain to students that they are going
to make a bar graph to show how many
objects they placed in each category For
example, if they have seven smooth objects
and five rough ones, they can show these
numbers on a graph Instruct students
to write the property they have chosen
(e.g., color, size, how it feels) near the top
of their Graph Template
3. Have one group at a time tell the class the name of each category they used for classifying their objects For example, if
they chose size as their property, their categories might be small, medium, and
large If they chose color as their property,
their categories might be red, silver, tan,
and so on Once all groups have identified the names of their categories, instruct them
to label the (horizontal) X-axis of their graph with each of these categories
TIP: It may be helpful to model this step for students by using a projector
or whiteboard
4. Next, have students label the (vertical) Y-axis of their graph with numbers The point where the two axes meet should
be labeled zero (0) Each hash mark up the axis should be labeled with the next number, counting by ones Students may number the Y-axis all the way to twelve,
or they may stop once they get to the highest number of objects they placed
in any single category
Trang 45. Now model for students how to create a
bar graph with sample data On a blank
copy of the Graph Template, use a crayon
to draw a rectangle up to the hash mark
labeled with a 7, indicating that the first
category had seven objects in it Then use
a different crayon to show that the second
category had two objects in it Ask students
how they would show that there were no
objects in a category (don’t draw any
rectangle above the zero line, or use a
different crayon and darken that section
of the X-axis with a short line segment)
6. Have each group of students study the
objects they classified, count the number
of objects in each category, and complete
their bar graph Students should use a
new color of crayon for each category
7. Once groups have completed their graph,
invite them to share their work with the
class Discuss the fact that words and
graphs can display the same information
in different ways
Discussion Questions
Use these questions to guide a discussion
about the exploration
1. Which objects were similar to each other?
What properties were the same or similar
for these objects?
Responses will vary Similar objects include the penny and marble (similar size), the large and small boxes (same shape), and the paper clip and penny (both made of metal) Students might refer back to their completed Properties Cards to answer this question.
2. Which objects were different from each other? Which properties were different for these objects?
Responses will vary Objects that were different include the rubber ball and pencil (different shapes), the dice and the sheet of paper (different sizes), and the paper clip and the playing card (different materials) Students might refer back to their completed Properties Cards to answer this question.
3. Were any objects the same in some ways and different in other ways? Explain
Every object used was unique in some way Therefore, every object used in this activity was different from all the other objects in some way But every object may also have shared some properties with at least one other object For example, an index card and a large box are both paper products but may have different sizes, shapes, and colors.
4. Was it difficult to decide which category to put an object into? Why? Give examples
Answers will vary Some objects may have been difficult to put into a category because they had qualities that could place them into multiple categories Examples might include
an object with multiple colors or an object that has both smooth and bumpy parts.
5. If two objects were never put in the same category as each other, what would that tell you about those objects?
It would mean that the objects did not have any properties in common They were different
in color, size, shape, and so on.
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6 Were there any properties that forced
all twelve objects to be placed into the
same group?
If students classified the objects by state of
matter, all twelve objects in this activity would
likely have been placed in the solid category
(Some of the objects might also contain liquids
or gases, such as a ball that is filled with air.)
Conclusion
Why are the properties of an object
important?
Every object’s properties allow us to use it in
specific ways For example, a soccer ball would
not work as well if it were shaped like the dice
The index card might be hard to write on if it
had a rough surface And if the marble didn’t
have interesting color patterns, it would be
hard to tell it apart from other marbles
Extensions and Variations
• Math: Have students make up math word
problems that involve the data collected
in this activity For example, “How many
more smooth objects were there than
rough objects?” or “How many white
and yellow objects were there altogether?”
Then encourage students to exchange their
questions with classmates and solve them
• Variation: When making graphs, have students use symbols or Xs for each object
within a category rather than making a bar graph Or have them use a color code
to fill in a pie chart that has been divided into twelve equal slices
• Inquiry Science/Home Connection: Let
students bring in their own collection
of objects or have them conduct the exploration at home
• Field Trip: Bring students to a zoo or an
area with wildlife and ask them to complete
a Properties Card for each animal they observe Back in class, have students classify the animals they observed according to various properties
• Writing: Have students reflect on the
activity in a science journal Encourage them to draw pictures of what they did and to explain how they described and classified objects See for extensive writing instruction
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Object: _
Materials:
Color(s):
Shape: _
How it feels:
Size (circle one):
Other properties:
Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
Object: _
Materials:
Color(s):
Shape: _
How it feels:
Size (circle one):
Other properties:
Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
Object: _ Materials: Color(s): Shape: _ How it feels: Size (circle one):
Other properties: Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
Object: _ Materials: Color(s): Shape: _ How it feels: Size (circle one):
Other properties: Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
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PROPERTIES CARD
Version B
Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
Names:
PROPERTIES CARD
Names:
Trang 8EXPLORATION Properties—Classifying Objects Graph Template
Name Date _
Property:
Names of Categories
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