Year 1 Science Unit: Everyday Materials (5 Lesson Plans)

This engaging, hands-on science unit helps pupils develop a secure understanding of everyday materials and their properties, building strong foundations for scientific vocabulary, observation, and simple investigation skills. Designed for Year 1 and aligned with the National Curriculum, the lessons promote learning through practical exploration, discussion, and fair testing.

Across the unit, children identify and name a range of common materials, describe their physical properties, and begin to explain why certain materials are suitable for different purposes. With a clear structure and “grab-and-go” format, this resource is ideal for both experienced teachers and those wanting a ready-made sequence of lessons.

Each lesson includes:

• A clear learning goal and success criteria
• Teacher-friendly guidance with step-by-step lesson structure
• Practical, engaging activities using real objects and simple investigations
• Key vocabulary lists to build scientific language and confidence
• Differentiation ideas (support, core, and challenge tasks)
• Assessment suggestions for quick and meaningful checks of understanding

What’s included:

• 5 fully-planned lesson outlines (45 minutes each)
• Resources lists for easy preparation
• Investigation and recording suggestions
• Differentiation guidance for mixed-ability classes
• Structured starters, main input, independent tasks, and plenaries for every lesson

Lesson overview:

• Lesson 1: Everyday Materials
  Children explore familiar classroom objects and identify what they are made from (wood, plastic, metal, glass, fabric, paper, rock).
• Lesson 2: How Does It Feel? (Material Properties)
  Pupils describe materials using scientific vocabulary such as hard/soft, rough/smooth, shiny/dull, bendy/stiff, waterproof and absorbent.
• Lesson 3: What’s it made of?
  Children match objects to materials and learn that the same object can be made from different materials depending on purpose.
• Lesson 4: Which material is best? (Simple Investigation)
  A practical waterproofing investigation where pupils predict, test fairly, observe, and record results to decide which material would work best (e.g. for an umbrella).
• Lesson 5: Design a Material Superhero
  A creative end-of-unit lesson where pupils apply their learning by designing a superhero whose “powers” come from material properties.

Perfect for whole-class teaching, small group support, or science enrichment. The lessons are structured yet flexible, making them ideal for cover/supply teaching, and ensuring consistent, high-quality Science teaching with minimal preparation.

Save hours of planning and give your pupils a fun, vocabulary-rich introduction to materials and their properties with this ready-to-use Year 1 unit!