Matter and Materials [Grade 6 English]

WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCE PROGRAMME

An example of a learning experience in the Natural Sciences

MATTERMATERIALS

Grade 6&

We all need houses1. We use many different materials to build our houses2. Different materials have different properties3. Building materials – introducing a table of properties4. Investigation: What kinds of materials are suitable for foundations,

damp courses and walls?5. Investigation: What materials will we use for our roof to keep

our house at a comfortable temperature?6. Can you make the temperature inside your box house more

comfortable?7. Investigation: How easily do

our roofing materials burn?8. What kind of housing

is suitable?

©W

este

rnC

ape

Prim

ary

Scie

nce

Prog

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me

(PSP

)

RationaleThese materials were written to support teachers in their work with learners aroundthe content area of Matter and Materials. This is not a complete work schedule. Itoffers possibilities for teachers to include other learning experiences and to extendand develop it further. This example learning experience shows how you can worktowards the three Learning Outcomes in the Natural Sciences of the NationalCurriculum Statements (NCS).

LO1: Scientific InvestigationsA The learner will be able to act confidently on curiosity about natural phenomena,

and to investigate relationships and solve problems in scientific, technologicaland environmental contexts

LO2: Constructing Science KnowledgeA The learner will know and be able to interpret and apply scientific, technological

and environmental knowledge

LO3: Science, Society and the EnvironmentA The learner will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the interrelationships

between science and technology, society and the environmentWe know that children are naturally curious and observant. Children learn about theworld by observing, asking questions and trying to make sense of what theyexperience. Science teaching should allow these natural tendencies to keep growing.Encourage your learners to ask questions. Questions are an opportunity to engage theclass in observations and discussions.

In Science we want students:A to develop a lively curiosity about the world around them

A to be confident to raise questions

A to link their questions to what they observe in their home environments and inthe world.

This can lead to a rich thinking, talking and writing environment. Children who havethis curiosity will learn and become creative human beings too.

AssessmentThe assessment tasks in this group of learning experiences are directly linked to theLearning Outcomes of the NCS. They are designed to encourage learners to showwhat they know, to show what they are thinking and to record and show you theirquestions.

Course presented by Nontsikelelo Mahote and Rose Thomas

Booklet designed by Welma Odendaal.

Illustrated by Janet Ranson and Nicci Cairns

Western Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)Edith Stephens Wetland Park

Lansdowne Road, Philippi, 7785

P O Box 24158, Lansdowne 7779 South Africa

Tel: 021 691-9039 Fax: 021 691-6350

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.psp.org.za

Contents

SECTION 1 Learning Experiences: We all need houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5–401. We use many different materials to build our houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52. Different materials have different properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83. Building materials - introducing a table of properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134. Investigation:

What kinds of materials are suitable for foundations, damp courses and walls? . . . . . .145. Investigation:

What materials will we use for our roof to keep our house at a comfortable temperature? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

6. Assessment task for LO1Investigation:Can you make the temperature in your box house more comfortable? . . . . . . . . . . . .27

7. Investigation: How easily do our roofing materials burn? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Assessment task for LO2Drawing and writing about what we have learnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

8. Assessment task for LO3What kind of housing is suitable? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Suggested Workscheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

SECTION 2 Teacher resourcesLearner task cards to photocopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44–60Assessment Task cards

LO1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55LO2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58LO3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Article: “Are prefabricated houses the solution?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Pictures of houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62Classification of materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

SECTION 3 Extracts from NCSCore knowledge and concepts in Matter and Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Learning Outcomes and Assessment Standards (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

4

SSEECCTTIIOONN 11LEARNING EXPERIENCES: We all need houses

Assessment tasksLO1 Can you make the temperature in your box house more comfortable? . . . .28

LO2 Drawing and writing about what we have learnt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

LO3 What kind of housing is suitable? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Suggested workscheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Introduction1. Introduce the lesson by discussing a story about building a house such

as ‘The Three Little Pigs’, pointing out the followingL The different parts in the little pigs’ houses e.g. roofs doors etcL The different solid materials they used to build the parts of their

houses e.g. roof made of grass etc2. Give each learner some paper to make a drawing with labels of an

interesting house (learners can use their home language to label theirhouses)

1. Draw a picture of an interesting house2. Label the parts of your house.

5

1 We use many differentmaterials to build our houses

• Most houses have commonfeatures in their structures,e.g. roofs, walls, doors etc

• We use different materialsto make the different partsof our houses

• We use many different solidmaterials to build ourhouses.

Key concepts Teacher Task

Learner Task

You will have to helplearners with thenames of somematerials, e.g. asbestos.Also help them withtheir drawings.

Teacher Note

House with tiled roof

Flat-roofed house

Rondawel / hut with thatched roof

roof (asbestos)

door frame door

window pane

window

beams

foundation

thatched roof wooden walls

6

1. Make a drawing of a house on the chalkboard or use one of the learner’sdrawings. Refer to the drawing to introduce the names for the differentparts of a house in as many languages as possible. N.B. learners mayhave to improve their drawings to include the parts they did not draw.

Checklist

2. Let learners choose two different pictures of houses made of differentbuilding materials (page 62).

Teacher Task

Learner Task

English isiXhosa Afrikaans

Roof Uphahla Dak

Foundation Isiseko Fondasie

Window panes Ifestile /iglasi ye festile Vensterrame

Wall Udonga Muur

Door frame Umgubasi Deurraam

Window frame Isisekelo se glasi ye festile Vensterraam

(Can be used to assess LO2)

Comparing the materials used in two different houses1. Draw a picture of an interesting house.

2. Label the parts of your house.

3. Choose pictures of two different houses.

4. Look at the pictures of the different houses andthe materials they are made of. Complete the table below.

5. Write sentences like the following to compareeach part of your two houses:

One house has a roof made of zinc but the other house has a roof made of asbestos.

House 1

House 2

Part of thehouse

What materials is it made of?

House 1 House 2

Roof Zinc Asbestos

Wall Bricks Cement bricks

Door Wood Wood

Window Glass Glass

Door frame Wood Metal

Window frame Wood Metal

Foundation Stone Concrete

task card tophotocopy on

page 44.

7

Assessment task for LO2Comparing houses

ConsolidationFacilitate a class discussion in order to start learners thinking aboutL Why certain materials were used (usually chosen because of their unique

[special] properties, or because of their price or availability)L Where they came from (they can always be traced back to the

environment). This discussion lays the foundation for the next activity.

Ask

Assessment task Assessment criteria for LO2

Sentences comparing the materialsused in two different houses

L The sentences should comparethe same part of the two housese.g. compare roof with roof

L The learner must use the keywords for the parts and thematerials correctly (such as walls,asbestos, roof, zinc, windows,glass, etc.)

are all houses madeof the samematerials?

can a house be madeof only one

material? why orwhy not?

think of manyreasons why they

used differentmaterials.

what is specialabout the different

materials?

what can you do withthem and how do they

contribute to thestructure of the

house?

8

2 Different materials havedifferent properties

IntroductionExplainExplain to the learners that when we talk about the properties of materialswe are talking about the unique features of that material that makes ituseful in a house. For example we use glass for windows that we want to seethrough because it is transparent and strong. But we might choose ‘frosted’glass for our bathroom windows because it lets the light through (istranslucent) but is not transparent.

Refer to the houses of the three little pigs again and discuss with learnersthe properties of the materials that each little pig used to build hisparticular house.

Describing the properties of the different materials1. Use flash cards (labels) to introduce vocabulary to describe the

properties of the different materials used to build the different parts ofthe classroom e.g. the classroom brick walls are strong and hard, themetal chalkboard is rigid and flat etc. Ask the learners to make labels ofthe different properties and to prestik them on the appropriate place inthe classroom.

2. Show some examples or pictures of different materials and help learnersto name the materials and describe their properties using adjectivessimilar to the ones below andon the opposite page.

• Different solid materialshave different propertiese.g. hard, soft, shiny,transparent, waterproof,smooth, strong, flexible,brittle, hardwearing etc.

• The materials are usedbecause they have suitableproperties for a specificpurpose or they look nice(they have aestheticqualities).

Key concepts Teacher task

rigid flat

Steel (hard,flexible andstrong)

Cement (strongand hard)

9

Brick (hard wearing, rigid and strong)

Glass: (transparent and waterproof)

Ceramic tiles (smooth and flat)

Zinc (shiny, smooth and malleable)Plastic (waterproof and flexible)

Wood (easy to cut, smooth)

10

3. Send different groups to different parts of the school tolook at the building materials used. (Provide thefollowing task sheet.)

Learner task Finding out about the properties of thematerials our school is made of

Instructions1. Choose an area of your school building for example, the foyer, the corridor, a classroom, the

bathrooms, etc.

2. Name the different materials used in that area

3. Describe the properties of those materials

4. Record the information on the table below.

Part of the school Materials used for buildingWhy did the builder use thismaterial?Write down the properties below

is that metal?no it is a mirror.

it is glass.

task sheet to photocopyon page 45.

11

this gutter is made ofplastic …

these tiles are made of concrete.

Teacher task1. Lead a class discussion about what the learners found out.

AskM Who went to the corridor/ admin block etc.? M What building materials were used to build the corridor/

admin block etc., and what are the properties of thesebuilding materials?

M Why do you think the builder decided to use this material?2. Complete the chart using the learners’ feedback from the

whole class. The learners can copy this into their books atthe same time.

Part of the school Materials used for building Why did the builder use thismaterial? Write down theproperties below

Foyer

Roof Roof tiles Waterproof

Walls Cement bricks Strong

Windows Glass Transparent

Floor Ceramic tiles Smooth, easy to walk on, easy toclean

Classroom

Roof Asbestos Weather proof and fireproof


Door Wood Weather proof

Chalkboard Metals (covered with special paint) Smooth, easy to write on (flat)

School hall

Roof Tiles Water proof


Doors Wood Weather proof

Foundation Concrete Very strong

Bathroom

Sink Stainless steel Light, smooth, not breakable, canhold water

Pipes Plastic Light, durable, does not rust,waterproof

Toilet bowl Porcelain Smooth, easy to clean

Corridor

Roof Fibre glass Translucent, (lets in light)waterproof

Poles Concrete Strong

ConsolidationHelp the learners to write sentences like the following describing thedifferent materials and their properties.

12

ceramic tiles

stainless steel

plastic.

Our school buildingOur school building is made of different kinds of materials. We use each material because of its useful properties for a particular purpose.

Glass is used for windows because it is weatherproof and transparent

Cement bricks are used for building walls because they are strong and hard.

Asbestos is used for making the roof of the classrooms because it is weatherproof

and fireproof.

The builder used fibreglass to make the roof of the corridor because it lets in the

light and is waterproof.

Concrete poles are used along the corridor because they are very strong and hold

up the roof.

Learner writing task

Prop

erti

es o

f Mat

eria

lsPr

oper

ty o

f the

mat

eria

lH

ow th

e m

ater

ial

resp

onds

to:

Gla

ssM

etal

sW

ood

Plas

tic

Plan

t &

Ani

mal

fibre

pro

duct

s(G

rass

, ree

ds, p

aper

,ca

rdbo

ard,

car

pet,

fibre

boar

d, e

tc.)

Cla

y pr

oduc

ts(F

ired

and

unfir

edcla

y)

Ston

e an

dco

ncre

te

Tran

smis

sion

of

light

Tran

smits

ligh

tD

oes

not

tran

smit

light

; may

ref

lect

light

Doe

s no

ttr

ansm

it lig

htM

ay

tran

smit

light

Bei

ng r

e-sh

aped

Can

be

re-s

hape

dby

cut

ting

or a

fter

heat

ing

Can

be

re-s

hape

daf

ter

heat

ing

Can

be

re-

shap

ed b

ycu

ttin

g an

dsa

ndin

g

Can

be

re- s

hape

d,by

cut

ting,

ben

ding

etc.

Kee

ping

its

shap

eat

hig

hte

mpe

ratu

res

(500

°C to

800

°C)

and

whe

n ex

pose

dto

fire

Reta

ins

its s

hape

Man

y re

tain

the

irsh

ape

Bend

s at

200

°Can

d bu

rns

abov

eth

is t

empe

ratu

re

Dec

ompo

ses

(und

ergo

es a

chem

ical

cha

nge)

or m

elts

and

bur

ns

It g

oes

hard

aft

erfir

ing

at o

ver

500°

C

Con

duct

ing

heat

Con

duct

orG

ood

heat

cond

ucto

rBa

d he

atco

nduc

tor

Bad

heat

cond

ucto

r

Con

duct

ing

elec

tric

ity

Doe

s no

t co

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

Man

y ar

e go

odco

nduc

tors

Doe

s no

tco

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

Doe

s no

t co

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

Bei

ng t

este

d fo

rst

reng

th

Shat

ters

eas

ilyM

ost

are

stro

ngSt

rong

Stro

nger

tha

n gl

ass

Abs

orbi

ng w

ater

Not

abs

orbe

ntN

ot a

bsor

bent

13

3 Building materials Introducing a table of properties Introduce Introduce the following table of materials and some of their usefulproperties.

Explain1. Read through the table below with the learners to help them find out

more about the properties of different building materials.2. Tell learners that some of the information on the table is missing but

they will do investigations to find out more about the materials and theirproperties. After each investigation we will be able to fill in more of themissing information on the table.

• Certain materials haveproperties that make themsuitable to use for building

• The properties of materialsusually relate to the waythe material responds tolight, water, heat and otherforms of energy, and theway it can be re-shaped

Key concepts

see full sizetable on page 59.

14

4

Introduction1. Lead a class discussion about houses and the materials they are made of.

Ask

What would happen to your house if there were heavy rainsor floods?Look at the pictures of the houses. What will happen to these houses inheavy rains or in a flood?

See page 62 for pictures of houses

2. Read the following article with the learners

• Some materials naturallyabsorb water and some arewaterproof

• Sometimes walls are madefrom materials that canabsorb water from the soil.In this case the water willrise up the wall making itdamp; this is called risingdamp

• Inserting a damp course,made of a waterproofmaterial, into a buildingbetween the foundationand the walls can stoprising damp.

Key concepts

InvestigationWhat kinds of materials are suitable forfoundations, damp courses and walls?

what materials are housesmade of?

what are formal housesmade of?

what are informal housesmade of?

Rising dampIn the early 1990s when Khayelitsha near CapeTown was being developed into a new suburb ofCape Town, developers built many houses. Peoplebought the houses but soon afterwards took to thestreets to toyi-toyi because their houses had beenbadly built.

One of the complaints was that after a few yearsall the houses had developed rising damp in thewalls.

People complained about the black mould andfungus that was damaging their carpets andcupboards that stood against the damp walls. Inaddition people were complaining of asthma andskin irritations because of allergies to the fungusand mould.

15

The problem of rising dampOne of the problems for a builder is that water from the soil will slowly rise upthe foundations and walls of a building, even when the material is fairly hardand waterproof. The water rises up the tiny pores and cracks in the material.This is called rising damp and it occurs naturally. If rising damp is not stoppedit will eventually make the walls soft and spongy and will cause the roof beamsto rot if it reaches that high. Also you will see fungus and mould growing onthe walls and carpets (this has serious health implications for people especiallyasthmatics). The fungus likes to grow on the damp walls. It feeds on theminerals in the wall.

Preventing rising dampThe builder can prevent rising damp by laying down a damp course. The dampcourse is usually made of a waterproof material such as a thick sheet of plastic.The builder lays down a thick plastic sheet on top of the foundations andunder the floor of the house. This forms a waterproof barrier and preventswater from rising any further. So the walls and floor will stay dry.

The need to have building plansMost municipalities provide strict regulations for new buildings. Theseregulations require that the builder must submit his plans for the building. Theplan must comply with various specifications for safety reasons. For example,the roof beams must be strong enough to support the roofing material; thefoundations must be deep and strong enough to support the walls and theremust be a damp course between the foundations and the walls. During thebuilding process the building inspector has to come and check that the builderis actually making the building according to the plan.

Teacher Note

Askwhy do you thinkthese houses hadrising damp?

what do youthink wentwrong when

these houses werebuilt?

whose fault is itthat they are

damp?

16

Introducing the idea of a damp course Make a simple drawing of a house on the chalkboard. Introduce the idea of adamp course by colouring it in, in the correct position on your drawing of ahouse.

Testing building materials and showing how a damp courseworksExplain to the learners that they are going to test and compare some bricksto see if they absorb water and if the water rises up the outside. They arealso going to test to see what happens to the water and the bricks when welay a damp course between the bricks. We will also test wood and cardboardbecause these materials are used for walls in informal housing as well as insome formal housing.1. Ask learners to collect the following materials in shapes that can be

stacked on top of each other.L commercial fired clay bricks or smaller pieces of brick L cement bricks or smaller pieces L pieces of thick cardboard L they can make bricks from any other material

2. Provide sheets of plastic (cut from a shopping bag) for the damp course.3. Provide ice cream containers or trays to stand the bricks in. 4. Put water into the container so that the first layer of bricks at the

bottom is standing in water (about half way up the bricks).5. Leave the bricks for at least a week. Make sure they are always standing

in water.

Each group can test a different kind of brick and then share their resultswith another group.

House showing the position of a damp course

roof

door

the floor insidethe house isabove the dampcourse

foundation

windowwindow pane

wall above damp course

black plasticdamp course

note theposition of adamp course.

You may like to get thelearners to make somesun-dried bricks out ofclay. They must mixclay with grass andshape it into bricks anddry them in the sun.You can get the clayfrom a craft shop orpottery supply shop orfind it in the localenvironment.

Teacher Note

17

InvestigationWill all kinds of bricks absorb water? And does a damp course protectthe bricks from the water? 1. Set up your bricks like this:

Do the bricks absorb the water? Does the water rise up the bricks?2. Leave the bricks like this for at least a week, making sure the bricks at

the bottom are always standing in water. 3. Write and draw to show what happened to your bricks when there was no

damp course. 4. Draw and write to show what happened to the

bricks that had a damp course.5. Write to tell what happened to the bricks

above the damp course.

The bricks above the damp course remained dry.

6. Explain why we must have a damp course laidwhen we are building our house?

We want to stop the water rising from the ground up through the foundations into the floor and walls.

small pieces of grass or straw

raw clay

finished brick to dry in the sun

A. One pile of brickshas a damp course

B. The other does not.

A B

The bricksare dampand wet.

The bricks below the damp course are wet. Thebricks above are dry

Making a clay brick

Task card to photocopyon page 48.

18

7. Now look at your drawing of a house and draw where you would put thedamp course.

8. Write to explain why a house should have a damp course.

A house should have a damp course to protect the walls and floor from

rising damp. After some time rising damp will make the people ill and

weaken the structure of the house.

1. Set up a demonstration to show how a damp course works. Fill somematchboxes with sand. Set them up like this:

Explain that the damp course (sheet of plastic) prevented the damp fromrising in the matchbox bricks.

Teacher task

A. Without a damp course

matchbox bricks

container

rising damp

water level

B. With a damp course

dry matchbox bricks

container

damp course (sheet ofplastic)

wet matchbox bricks

no rising damp

water level

Investigation continued

19

ConsolidationHelp learners to share their results. Each group must present a short reporton their results. Place all the different bricks at the front of the classroomand together with the learners decide on the best materials to use for the

L WallsL The damp course L The foundations.

Explain that if we know about the properties of a material it helps us tochoose the best one for a particular purpose.

Finally the learners complete the following writing task and table.

1. What are the best materials to use for our foundations, walls, and dampcourse? Explain why you have chosen those materials.

2. Copy and complete the table of properties.

Learner task

Property Glass Metals Wood Plastic Plant andanimal fibres(cardboard,grass, fibreboard, etc)

Clay products(fired andunfired clay)

Absorbswater

Notabsorbent

Notabsorbent

Absorbswater

Does notabsorb water

Absorbswater

Hard bricksDo not absorbwater but getdamp on theoutsideDried clayAbsorbswater

20

5 InvestigationWhat materials will we use for our roof tokeep our house at a comfortable temperature?

• Different roofing materialscan affect the airtemperature inside a house

• Different roofing materialsabsorb or reflect heatdifferently.

Key concepts Teacher task

Let learners make someguesses about what is acomfortable tempera-ture. DDiissccuussss:: is the tempera-ture in the classroomtoday comfortable?Explain why or whynot.IInnttrroodduuccee the labora-tory thermometer anddemonstrate how to useit. Take the temperaturein the classroom. NNooww ddeecciiddee what willbe a comfortabletemperature range inthe classroom (Usually21°C –27°C)

Teacher Note

IntroductionA. Planning: Developing questions to investigateStart by asking:What makes a room comfortable to live in?

(Learners will give answers like: comfortable furniture, right size, enoughlight, not too much noise, carpet, curtains, security, comfortabletemperature, good view etc.)

L What is a comfortable room temperature?L How can we find out what is a comfortable temperature?

don’t hold the thermometer by the bulb when you are measuring the air temperature. the air must be in contact with the bulb.

not too hot, not too cold.

just right!

L Does the temperature in the room stay the same all day? Why or why not?

21

1. Ask learners what factors (things) might influence the temperature insidea house? L Do you think the materials that the roof is made of can influence

the temperature inside the house?2. Make a mind map on the chalkboard of all the factors that could

influence the air temperature inside a house.

3. Develop a question for investigation:Take an idea from the mind map and develop a question that could beinvestigated. For example:L Does our roofing material keep our house at a comfortable

temperature?4. Make a hypothesis

Help the learners to make a statement like the one below as a hypothesis(a statement that they believe might be true).

For example:L Hypothesis

We think that: Our roofing material helps to maintain a comfortabletemperature (about 21°C to 27°C) in our houses during the day.

Explain

Teacher task

Teacher task

If there are carpets or not

If it has air conditioning

FACTORS THATAFFECT THE AIRTEMPERATUREINSIDE A HOUSE

The weatherThe size of the house

How manywindows anddoors it has

If it has aceiling or not

If the doors and windows are open or shut

The roofing material – is there a tiled roof or a plastic roof?

If there are curtains toblock out the sun or keepin the heat

If there is heating

If other buildingsor trees nearbyblock out the sunEtc.

after doing the investigation you willbe able to decide whether your

statement is true or not.

22

B. Conducting the investigation and collecting data

Prepare a) Collect the cardboard lids from A4 size photocopy paper boxes - one per

group. Every group should have the same sized box.(Alternatively collect shoeboxes)

b) Collect a different roof material for each group e.g. tiles, black plastic,tin foil, cardboard, transparent plastic, grass, newspaper etc.

c) Provide laboratory thermometers (one per group) and sticky taped) Provide graph paper for each learner. The learners must draw the vertical

(y) axis to plot the temperature in °C and the time of the day on thehorizontal (x) axis.

Task card to photocopy on page 50.

A. Making box houses with different roofing materials1. Make a box house like the one below.

2. Choose one of the materials and make a roof for your box. Use stickytape to seal it.

3. Insert the thermometer in the hole and seal the hole with Prestik. Thebulb of the thermometer must be inside the house and the rest of thethermometer must stick out so that you can read the temperature withouttaking it out of the box.

4. Put the box houses next to each other outside your classroom in a sunnyplace.

5. Measure the temperature every hour and record it below.

Before the learners dothis task, make surethey know how to plota graph correctly.

Teacher Note

Learner task

black plasticthermometer

hole for thermometer

thermometer

grass

wood

23

B. Measuring the temperature in my box house to find out:Does our roofing material keep our house at a comfortabletemperature?

1. What material is the roof of your box house made of?Black plastic

2. What are some of the properties of your roof material?Not transparent (opaque), strong, waterproof, flexible, smooth, shiny

3. Our hypothesis

We think that: Our roofing material helps to maintain a comfortable temperature (about 21°C to 27°C) in our houses during the day.

C. Evaluating data and communicating findings1. Make a graph to show the temperature inside the house at different

times of the day.Your graphs must have a suitable scale of numbers to show thetemperature e.g. 10, 20, 30, 40°C.Plot the time on the X-axis and the temperature on the Y-axis.

is it fair to compare thetemperatures if the boxesare not the same size?

no the boxes must all bethe same size.

ROOF MATERIAL: Black plastic

Time of day Air temperature measurement insidethe box in °C

8 am (Before school) 13°C

9 am 15°C

10 am 20°C

11 am 23°C

12 pm 29°C

1 pm 35°C

2 pm 44°C

Etc.

TEMPERATURES INSIDE MY HOUSE

Learner task

24

A graph to show how the air temperature changes insidemy box house.

Learner task

Compare the temperature in different houses 1. Gather the class results on a chart like this on the chalkboard. The

learners can copy this into their books.2. Facilitate a class discussion.

25

Questions about the graph1. What is the highest air temperature inside your box house?

The highest temperature in the house was 44°C2. Would your box house be comfortable to live in? Explain why or why not.

No, the box house would not be comfortable to live in because the temperature reaches 44°C during

the day. After 12 pm the temperature is already 29°C, which is too hot for comfort. A comfortable

temperature in the house would be 21°C to 27°C. Above that temperature it becomes uncomfortable.3. Was your hypothesis correct or not? Explain why or why not.

No, our hypothesis was not correct. We thought that the roof would keep the temperature even

throughout the day. But we have proved that this is wrong, because we measured the temperature

and it went up.

Teacher task

GROUP ROOFINGMATERIALS

PROPERTIES OFTHE MATERIAL

HIGHESTTEMPERATURE

LOWESTTEMPERATURE

A Aluminium foil Smooth, flexible,shiny

28°C 13°C

B Cardboard Thick, dense, dull,inflexible

36°C 13°C

C Thatch/grass Flexible, dull,dense whenbundled together

32°C 13°C

D Black plastic Shiny, black, thin,waterproof, flexible

44°C 13°C

E Tiles (clay) Rigid, hard, dense,dull

30°C 13°C

F Clear plastic Thin, flexible,waterproof,transparent

39°C 13°C


page 51


page 53,

26

Ask

These readings tell us that none of the roofing materials keeps thetemperature even throughout the day. Aluminium foil is the best to keepthe temperature cooler in the house. On the other hand, black plasticmakes the house very hot. We can see that the roofing material doeshave an influence on the temperature inside the house.

Consolidation1. Fill in the table of properties of the different materials.

Writing taskL What material will you use for your roof if you want to keep a steady

temperature in the house?L Write a few sentences to explain why you would choose it.

Learner task

Property Glass Metals Wood Plastic Card, paper,board, fibre

Ceramictiles

Does it keepthe heat in?(Absorbsheat)

Yes Absorbs someheat butreflects a lot

Yes Cleartraps theheat

Blackabsorbs heatvery much

Wood, cardor paperabsorbs someheat

Grass orreed absorbs someheat

Absorbs someheat

what do thesereadings tell us?

27

6 InvestigationCan you make the temperature insideyour box house more comfortable?

ExplainDifferent materials respond to heat and light energy in different ways. Somematerials absorb energy whilst others reflect the energy. Transparentmaterials let light through and you can also see clearly through them.Transparent materials trap heat energy.

With the help of the drawings explain the followingL Transparent surfaces transmit heat and trap itL Shiny surfaces reflect heat L Dark surfaces absorb heat.

• Materials respond to heatand light energy in differentways

• Some materials absorbenergy while others reflectthe energy

• Translucent and transparentmaterials trap energy

Key concepts Teacher input

Clear plastic(transparent)

Aluminium Foil(shiny)

Black plastic (dark)

sunlight energy

some energy isreflected

energy is trapped

energy is reflected away

only a little energy is reflected

black plasticabsorbs a lot ofenergy andheats up the airin the box

L Explain that some materials prevent the heat from coming in or goingout – these materials are called heat insulators.

28

IntroductionAskL Can we make our houses in such a way that the temperature inside

remains even and steady? (By ventilating the house; by opening doorsand windows and by insulating the house;)

L Explain to the learners that they will be doing a project in which theywill experiment with materials to make the temperature in their boxhouses more comfortable (steady and even throughout the day at asuitable temperature).


Assessment task for LO1Investigation: Can you make the temperature inside yourbox house more comfortable?1. PlanL Design and carry out an investigation to find out what is the best way of

keeping the temperature of your box house comfortable and steady. L You can do anything to your house to achieve this.L For example, you can insulate it, make doors and windows, make the walls

and roof thicker, use different combinations of materials, etc.

2. Do and recordL Make and set up your box-house.L Take temperature measurements and record them on a table.L Draw graphs to prove that your house has a comfortable, steady

temperature.L Hand in the recording and the graph for assessment.

3. Report

A. Your group must show your house and tell and explain to the rest of the class aboutL the materials you used to build the house L the properties of the materialsL what you did with the materials to make the house more comfortable.

B. Your group must write a few paragraphs on what you learnt aboutL the materials you used to build the houseL the temperature inside your house (from the graph).

Houses made by learners.

Work in groupsRefer to AssessmentStandards for LO1 Grade 6 on page 79.

29

Suggested guide for assessment


1. Plan

Planning and making the house(Planning investigations)

To earn 80% and above

The learners mustL Make their own choice of suitable materials L Use the materials imaginatively and with

knowledge of their properties to control thetemperature better.

The learner must choose a selection of unusualmaterials and use them exceptionally imaginatively.

2. Do and record

(Conducting investigations and collecting data)


The learners mustL Make and set up their box house correctlyL Measure the temperature correctly every hourL Record the temperatures on a table correctly

(including the units of measurement)L Draw a graph of their results

(The graph must be correctly plotted, the Xand Y axes labelled, an appropriate scaleprovided, and it must have an appropriateheading).

The learner must work exceptionally logically: Thetables, readings and graphs must show outstandingattention to detail, accuracy and neatness.

3. Writing a reportWriting about what they have learnt

(Evaluating data and communicating findings)


The writing mustL Contain detailed information under the given

headings L Show that the learners understand the concept

of a comfortable temperatureL Show whether the learners have succeeded or

not in achieving a more comfortabletemperature. (They should understand howtheir results relate to the investigation question)

L Show that the learners have learnt somethingabout the properties of the materials they used

L Be written in a logical and coherent way. Itmust make sense.

The learner’s report must be exceptionally clearand logical to read, and contain detailedexplanations about what they did and why. Itshould include any changes or innovations theymade to their method and how this improved theirresults or not.

30

7 InvestigationHow easily do our roofing materials burn?

IntroductionStart a discussion about the learners’ experiences of fires that havedestroyed houses, particularly in the case of informal housing.

Ask

A.L Have any of you experienced or heard

about a house or houses burning down?L What kinds of houses catch fire?L How does a house catch fire? What are

some of the causes of fires in houses?L Why do houses burn so easily?

B.L How can we prevent a fire in our house?

• Some materials burn moreeasily than others, whichmake them unsafe to useas building materials

• Materials that burn easilyare called flammablematerials and those that donot burn easily are callednon-flammable

Key conceptsWhen learners are testing their roofing materials to see how well they burn,take the following precautions• Burn very small amounts of each roofing material. Cut the materials into

pieces no more than the size of a child’s little finger nail• Do not burn substances that produce poisonous fumes like linoleum and

polystyrene, etc.• Open the windows because this activity produces bad fumes and smoke.Some materials will not catch alight very easily when placed on top of thegauze mat. They can be held directly in the flame using a piece of wire orneedle stuck into a cork.

Safety Note for Teachers

Teacher task

There aremanydifferentcauses ofhouse fires

31

A. Planning: Developing questions for investigationAsk learners to think about the materials that houses are made of. Ask whichmaterials they think will burn easily. 1. Tell the learners that they are going to test roofing materials to find out

how they burn and which ones will burn more easily.2. Introduce the following vocabulary in as many languages as possible:

Flammable (something that burns easily); ezitsha lula, vlambaar

Non-flammable (something that does not burn easily), ezingatshi lula, nie-vlambaar

Sooty, umsizi, vol roet; fumes, umsi, dampe; bad smell, uvumba elibi,slegte reuk; poisonous substances, ezinetyefu, gifstowwe; etc.

B. Carrying out the investigation and recording data1. Give each group of learners the following apparatus

L Spirit burnerL Tripod standL Wire gauzeL MatchesL A sample of each roofing material (very small amounts, about the size

of your fingernail)L A needle or a piece of wire and a cork.


Observing how easily our roofing materialswill burnInstructions1. Place a small piece of each roofing material (about the size of your small

finger nail) on the wire gauze – one at a time.

2. Light the spirit burner and place it under the wire gauze.

3. Record your observation on the recording sheet.

4. Do the same with all the other samples.

cork wire

piece ofmaterial

flametripod

small piece of roofmaterial

wire gauze

spirit burnerSpirit burner with tripod and wire gauze mat

Holding a piece of materialin a flame.

Learner task

32

Observing how easily our roofing materials will burn

OBSERVATION SHEET

C. Evaluating data and communicating findings

Sequencing the roofing materials1. Make a list of the roofing materials and sequence them from the most

flammable (dangerous) to the least flammable (much safer). Use yourresults from the table above.

2. Use everything you have learnt about the materials to decide

L Which roofing material is the best. Explain why you say so.

Fill in the table of properties of the different materials

Blackplastic

Tin foil Ceramictiles

Cardboard Grass Paper

Does thematerial catchfire easily?

Yes No No No Yes Yes

Does it burnwith a big ora small flame?

Big flame –and it melts

No flame No flame Small flame Big flame Bigflame

What colouris the flame?

Yellow flame No flame No flame Orange Yellow/ orange Yellow/orange

Does it makesmoke?

Yes No No Yes Yes, a lot Yes

How does itsmell when itburns?

Very, verybad, chemicalsmell

A little bitbad

– Bad, a veryacrid smell

Very bad, catchesat the back ofyour throat

Bad

What is leftafter it hasburnt?

Sticky stuff White ash – Black ash Black and whiteash

Whiteash


Ceramic tiles

Does it burneasily?(Flammableor non-flammable)

No Doesn’t burn.Changes towhite ash

Yes Clear: Yesand it melts

Black: Yesand it melts

Wood, cardor paper:Yes it burns

Grass orreeds: Yes itburns

No

33

Class discussion1. Facilitate a class discussion on choosing safer materials for roofing

Ask L Which roofing material is most likely to suffocate people or damage

their lungs when it burns?L Which material gives off unpleasant (probably poisonous) fumes?L Which material just smoulders and gives off lots of smoke?L Which material melts as it burns? Why is this very dangerous as roof

material when it is on fire? (Because as plastic melts it drops downonto people and sticks to their skin causing bad burns)

L Why do people choose flammable materials to build their homes?L Are there other materials that they could choose?L What else could people do to prevent fires?

Most people who livein informal settlementsin South Africa havevery little choice aboutthe materials they usefor building. This isbecause of the cost ofthe materials. Manycheap and recycledmaterials do haveuseful properties,which make themsuitable for building.However these usefulproperties must also beweighed up againsttheir adverse(unfavourable)properties such as theirflammability. Whilepoor communities maynot be able to replacetheir building materialswith more suitableones, at least if theyare aware of theflammability of thematerial, such as aplastic roof, they maybe able to take specialprecautions to use firemore safely in theirhomes.

Teacher Note Teacher task

Assessment task for LO2

Drawing and writing about what we have learnt aboutmaterials and houses

A. Complete a table1. Complete the table of the properties of materials on page 34 using the

information from the investigations you have done so far and using yourown knowledge.

2. Is there any information on the table that you could not fill in yet? Which information?

3. If you could not fill it in yet explain why?

we keep a bucketof sand in our

house to put outfires

Learner task


Refer to the AssessmentStandards for LO2 Grade 6 on page 80.

34

Prop

erti

es o

f Mat

eria

lsPr

oper

ty o

f the

mat

eria

lH

ow th

e m

ater

ial

resp

onds

to:

Gla

ssM

etal

sW

ood

Plas

tic

Plan

t &

Ani

mal

fibre

pro

duct

s(G

rass

, ree

ds, p

aper

,ca

rdbo

ard,

car

pet,

fibre

boar

d, e

tc.)

Cla

y pr

oduc

ts(F

ired

and

unfir

edcla

y)

Ston

e an

dco

ncre

te

Tran

smis

sion

of

light

Tran

smits

ligh

tD

oes

not

tran

smit

light

; may

ref

lect

light

Doe

s no

ttr

ansm

it lig

htM

ay

tran

smit

light

Do

not

tran

smit

light

Do

not

tran

smit

light

Do

not

tran

smit

light

Bei

ng r

e-sh

aped

Can

be

re-s

hape

dby

cut

ting

or a

fter

heat

ing

Can

be

re-s

hape

daf

ter

heat

ing

Can

be

re-

shap

ed b

ycu

ttin

g an

dsa

ndin

g

Can

be

re- s

hape

d,by

cut

ting,

ben

ding

etc.

Can

be r

e-sh

aped

,by

cut

ting,

ben

ding

,fo

lding

.

Can

be r

e-sh

aped

,be

fore

hea

ting

(bef

ore

it is

fired

).

Ston

e ca

n be

cut

into

sha

pe

Kee

ping

its

shap

eat

hig

hte

mpe

ratu

res

(500

°C to

800

°C)

and

whe

n ex

pose

dto

fire

Reta

ins

its s

hape

Man

y re

tain

the

irsh

ape

Bend

s at

200

°Can

d bu

rns

abov

eth

is t

empe

ratu

re

Dec

ompo

ses

(und

ergo

es a

chem

ical

cha

nge)

or m

elts

and

bur

ns

It b

urns

It g

oes

hard

aft

erfir

ing

at o

ver

500°

CKe

ep it

s sh

ape

Con

duct

ing

heat

Con

duct

orG

ood

heat

cond

ucto

rBa

d he

atco

nduc

tor

Bad

heat

cond

ucto

rBa

d he

atco

nduc

tor

Bad

heat

cond

ucto

rBa

d he

atco

nduc

tor

Con

duct

ing

elec

tric

ity

Doe

s no

t co

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

Man

y ar

e go

odco

nduc

tors

Doe

s no

tco

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

Doe

s no

t co

nduc

tel

ectr

icity

D

oes

not

cond

uct

elect

ricity

Doe

s no

t co

nduc

tele

ctric

ityD

oes

not

cond

uct

elect

ricity

Bei

ng t

este

d fo

rst

reng

th

Shat

ters

eas

ilyM

ost

are

stro

ngSt

rong

Stro

nger

tha

n gl

ass

Stre

ngth

var

ies

depe

nding

on

the

thick

ness

Fire

d cla

y is

stro

ngbu

t sh

atte

rs w

hen

hit

or d

ropp

ed

Very

str

ong

Abs

orbi

ng w

ater

Not

abs

orbe

ntN

ot a

bsor

bent

Abso

rbs

wate

rIs

wat

erpr

oof

Abso

rbs

wate

rFi

red

clay

does

not

abso

rb w

ater

Unf

ired

clay

does

Doe

s no

t ab

sorb

wate

r

See uncompleted table on page 59.

35

B. Write and draw

Writing task (work individually or in pairs)

Writing task about different roofing materials 1. Read the following

In class we have talked about the properties of different building materials.We tested materials to see the effect of a damp course. We have alsotested and compared how the different roofing materials affect thetemperature in the house. We also tested to see whether the roofingmaterial burns.

2. Draw and write to tell everything you have learnt about different roofingmaterials and how they can affect the comfort and safety of your home.You can include anything you have learnt in class and at home and whatyou know from your own experience.

Learner task

36


Filling in the table of properties of materials


The table must

M Be filled in correctly except for the informationthat learners have not had access to, forexample the information about the conductionof electricity by the materials. Some of theother information they will be able to fill infrom their own knowledge

M Contain the key words describing theproperties used correctly e.g. Transmit,conduct, absorb, shatter, etc.

The learner can fill in all the information correctly(even that which they have not investigated).

Write and draw to tell what you have learntabout different roofing materials


The drawing and writing about materials and theirproperties should show that the learner

M Understands the effect of materials and theirproperties on the temperature and safety andcomfort inside the house

M Has correct concepts about materials and theirproperties

M Can make connections to their own contexte.g. drawings and writing about the role of thematerials in shack fires, effects of flooding onthe material, effects of smoke inhalation, etc

M Can write clear and correct explanations.

Can include any other relevant information whichshows deeper understanding.


37

8 What kind of housing issuitable?Introduction1. Collect some pictures of different types of houses and show them to the

learners (examples to photocopy on pages 61–66).AskM Which house has the most advantages? Give reasons for those advantagesM Which house has the most disadvantages? Give reasons for those

disadvantages.

2. Read the newspaper article called ‘Areprefabricated houses the solution?’ with thelearners on page 39. Alternatively, find otherappropriate newspaper articles about housing.Help learners with the difficult words. Explainthat ‘Prefabricated housing’ refers to buildingsthat are made in pieces in a factory and thenassembled at the place where the house mustbe built.

3. Let learners carry out the learner task below.You must pretend to be the mayor (or choosea learner to play the role of the mayor). Makesure that all the questions are dealt with. Eachgroup takes one or two questions from part B.

Assessment Task for LO3Refer to the Assessment Standards for LO3 Grade 6 on page 82.

How do we provide suitable housing for people?

A. Read (whole class)

Read the newspaper article called ‘Are prefabricated houses the solution?’ Orfind your own newspaper article about housing.

1. Do you think that prefab housing like this will be a good way to providepeople with housing in the future? Discuss why or why not?

B. Discuss (in groups)

Pretend you are the mayor or town planner of a town. There are people inthe town who do not have homes and they do not have access to buildingmaterials to build their own homes. There are also people who have builttheir own homes out of any materials they could find. 1. What would you do to help those people to get houses?

Would you let people build their own houses? Why or why not?

• All people should havesuitable housing. This is ahuman right

• There are many differentkinds of suitable houses

• Governments, towns andindividuals supervise thebuilding of houses

• People choose buildingmaterials that are easilyaccessible and that havesuitable properties

Key concepts

Note about assess-ment of this taskYou will have to movearound the classroomand listen to thediscussion in order toassess part B (thediscussion). You canassess part C whilelistening to thelearners’ suggestions.

Teacher Note

Learners will havedifferent opinionsabout which type ofhousing is mostsuitable. Theadvantages of thehouse may depend onthe access to servicesmore than the actualconstruction of thehouse.

Teacher Note

Task card to photocopy

on page 60.

Suggested guide for

assessment on page 40.

38

2. If you were a building inspector, what rules would you make for buildingsafe, comfortable houses? Make up six rules and give reasons for makingthose rules.

3. How would you help or advise people about the best (safest, strongest,cheapest, etc.) materials to build houses?

4. Would you supply people with building materials if they want to buildtheir own houses? Why? Would they have to pay for them? Why or whynot?

5. What kind of materials would be suitable for people to build with andwhy? Would the same materials be suitable for all towns in South Africa?Why?

6. Should people build their own houses? Why? Who should teach them?7. Why is it important to think and make decisions about housing?

C. Presenting ideas1. Each group must take two of the above questions and prepare some ideas

about housing that you can suggest to the mayor. Pretend you aretalking to the mayor.

2. You must have 5 or 6 good suggestions about the question. Each personin the class must present one good suggestion to the mayor.

3. You must write down and draw your ideas and then talk about them.

39

Are prefabricated houses the solution?This is an article about an idea of how people could address the housingshortage in South Africa. This idea was put forward by Mr Paul Garner. He isan engineer who wrote an article in the newspaper. He suggests that we useprefabricated (built in a factory) buildings to supply houses more quickly.

Questions1. Measure out the size of a 20m2 house on the ground near your classroom.

Do you think this house is a good size for a family? Why?3. What are some of the advantages of making prefabricated houses?

What are some disadvantages?

Housing shortage afterthe warPaul Garner grew up inEngland after theSecond World War. Afterthe War there was ahuge housing shortage.More than half a millionhouses had beendestroyed or damagedby bombs. At the sametime, many soldiers werereturning and needed aplace to live.

Factories made wallsand roofs

The British government needed a quick way toprovide houses for everybody. They decided that thefactories that had made guns and bombs during thewar should now make houses. The factories madethe walls and roofs for the houses from big, flatpieces of wood and metal. Then lorries took thepieces (walls and roofs) straight to the building site.As a child, Paul Garner saw lorries driving past thestreet where he lived, each carrying half a house.Every half-hour another lorry drove past.

The factories thought that these prefabricatedhouses would last about 20 years. But some are stillin use today, 60 years later!

Housing crisis in South AfricaHere in South Africa, we also have a housing

crisis. In 1965 our population was 20 million. Todayit is more than 43 million. In the Western Capealone, we are short of 360 000 homes. Less than 17000 houses were built in 2003/2004. And in2004/2005 just over 14 500 were built. Many people

have been waiting 20years for properhousing. In themeantime they havebuilt their own‘informal’ houses or‘shacks’. We know thatinformal houses (orshacks) can burn veryeasily. Every year wehave terrible shack firesin Cape Town.

Mr Garner makes asuggestion

Mr Garner suggestedthat the government

starts to make prefabricated non-burning steelhouses. He says the houses will be 20m2 in size(about 5 metres long and 4 metres wide). They willhave ceiling and roof insulation so that they don’tget too hot or too cold. The pieces will be puttogether (assembled) at the place where the housesare to stand. The walls will be welded together atthe corners.

Mr Garner suggested that these prefabricatedhouses could be produced in factories in thetownships. People in the community could betrained to weld the pieces together. He says thehouses will be quick to make and assemble. Eachhouse will cost about R10 000 to make. At a laterdate, a bathroom with a toilet can be bolted on tothe house. In this way we can begin to providepeople with houses quickly.

Adapted from Paul Garner’s article published in theCape Times of Tuesday 10 May 2005

Homeless … A fact of life for many without housing

Are prefabricated houses the solution?

40


ConsolidationAsk learners to talk about everything they have learnt about materials, their properties and the materials we use for housing. Capture their ideas on a class mind map. (The learners can copy the mind map into their books)

Assessment task for LO3 Assessment criteria

B Discussion about housing(Participation in the group)


The learners must

M Be active in the discussion

M Contribute ideas about the questions beingdiscussed

M Show that they have understood the problemsof housing in the past and the future

M Be able to talk about their own possiblesolutions to the problem of housing.

The learners must explore a range of issues in theirdiscussion: the structure of houses; social issues;historical issues; health; economic issues; etc. andshow that they have depth of understanding.

C Presenting ideas(Individual presentation)


The learners must

M Be able to articulate their suggestion clearly andaudibly to the mayor

M Speak logically

M Use key words relevant to the topic

M Use eye contact and appropriate body language

M Show understanding about how to makehousing accessible to those who need it: withreference to issues of cost, availability ofmaterials, suitability of materials, ease ofconstruction, etc.

The learners must discuss and present their owncreative and insightful ideas about how to solve thehousing crisis.

41

Suggested work scheme

PERIOD 1 PERIOD 2 PERIOD 3 PERIOD 4 PERIOD 5

Learning exp. 1• Teacher tells story about

houses• Learners draw pictures

of houses• Teacher names parts of a

house

Contd.• Learners compare the

materials used in twodifferent houses- tableand sentences

• Teacher consolidates –asks questions

Learning exp. 2• Teacher explains

properties andintroduces materials

• Learners makeobservations of materialsand properties in school-complete a table

Contd.• Teacher leads discussion

and compiles all theobservations onto a classtable

• Learners copy table ofcombined results

Contd.Consolidation• Learners write sentences

about materials and theirproperties


Learning exp. 3• Teacher introduces the

Table of Properties

Learning Exp. 4• Teacher leads discussion

about houses and readsarticle about risingdamp.

Contd.• Teacher explains and

draws a damp course onpicture of house andintroduces investigation

• Learners set up theirinvestigation

Contd.• Learners make

observations over thenext week

• Teacher demonstratesdamp course withmatchbox bricks

NB Give learners time tomake their observationsand consolidate afterthey have done so.

Learning exp. 5• Teacher asks questions

about making a roomcomfortable

• Learners take thetemperature in theclassroom

• Teacher and learnersmake a mind map aboutthe factors affectingtemperature

Contd.• Teacher and learners

develop a question andmake a hypothesis aboutroofing material andtemp

• Learners make boxhouses


Contd.• Learners set up box

houses and record thetemperatures

Contd.• Learners draw graphs

from their results andanswer questions aboutthe graph

Contd.• Teacher compiles chart

of highest and lowesttemperatures recorded inthe box houses

• Learners copy table• Teacher leads discussion

about the findings

Contd.• Teacher consolidates• Learners complete table

of properties and writesentences

Learning exp. 6• Teacher explains

absorption, transmissionand reflection of energyby materials

Assessment task forLO1

• Teacher introducesassessment task andcriteria

• Learners startassessment task


Contd.• Learners try to make

their own box housesmore comfortable

• Learners take thetemperatures

Contd.• Learners draw graphs

Contd.• Learners show and tell

about their houses andgraphs

Contd. • Learners write

paragraphs about whatthey have learnt

NB Make time to givelearners feedback afterthe assessment hasbeen marked

Learning exp. 7• Teacher leads discussion

about fire and houses• Teacher asks learners to

predict which materialswill burn easily

• Teacher introducesvocabulary about firesand burning


Contd.• Learners set up

apparatus and burndifferent materials

• Learners record theirresults

Contd.• Learners list materials

from most flammable toleast flammable andcomplete the table ofproperties

Contd.• Teacher facilitates class

discussion about results• Teacher introduces

assessment task

Assessment task forLO2• Learners do assessment

task (Complete a table,draw and write)

NB Make time to givelearners feedback afterthe assessment hasbeen marked

Learning Exp. 8• Teacher leads discussion

about advantages anddisadvantages ofdifferent houses

• Teacher and learnersread article aboutprefabricated houses

Work scheme continued on page 42

42

PERIOD 26 PERIOD 27 PERIOD 28 PERIOD 29

Contd. Assessment task forLO3• Teacher introduces

Assessment task andcriteria

• Learners discuss thequestions about housing

Contd.• Learners prepare to

present their ideas

Contd.• Learners present their

ideas NB Make time to give

learners feedback afterthe assessment hasbeen marked

Contd.• Teacher consolidates

whole section andcaptures learners’ ideason a mind map

43

SSEECCTTIIOONN 22Teacher resourcesLearner task cards to photocopyTask card 1 Comparing the materials used in two different houses . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Task card 2 Finding out about the properties of the materials our school is made of . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Task card 3 A. Investigation: Will all kinds of bricks absorb water? And does a damp course protect the bricks from the water? . . . . . . . 48

Task card 4 A. Making box houses with different roofing materials . . . . . . . . . . 50

Task card 5 Assessment task for LO1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Investigation: Can you make the temperature in your box house more comfortable?

Task card 6 Investigation: Observing how easily our roofing materials will burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Task card 7 Assessment task for LO2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58Writing and drawing to tell everything we have learnt about houses and materialsProperties of Materials: Uncompleted table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Task card 8 Assessment task for LO3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60How do we provide suitable housing for people?

Article: “Are prefabricated houses the solution?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Pictures of houses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62-67

Classification of materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

44

Comparing the materials used in two different houses1. Draw a picture of an interesting house.

2. Label the parts of your house.

3. Choose pictures of two different houses.

4. Look at the pictures of the different houses and the materials they are made of. Complete the table below.

Learner Task

TASK CARD 1 Task card to photocopy

Part of the house What materials is it made of?HOUSE 1 HOUSE 2

Roof

Wall

Door

Window

Door frame

Window frame

Foundation

5. Write more sentences like the following to compare each part of your two houses:

One house has a roof made of …………………………………… but the other house has a roof

made of ………………………………………

45

Finding out about the properties of the materials ourschool is made ofInstructions1. Choose an area of your school building for example, the foyer, the corridor, a classroom,

the bathroom, etc.

2. Name the different materials used in that area.

3. Describe the properties of those materials.

4. Record the information on the table below.

Learner Task


Part of the school Materials used for building Why did the builder use thismaterial? Write down theproperties below.

46

5. Complete the chart using the feedback from the whole class.

Learner Task

TASK CARD 2 (Continued) Task card to photocopy

Part of the school Materials used for building Why did the builder use this material?

Write down the properties below

Foyer

Classroom

School hall

Bathroom

Corridor

47

Write sentences like the following describing the different materials and their properties. Write sentences about at least six different materials.

Our school building

Our school building is made of different kinds of materials. We use each material in the building because

of its useful properties. Glass is used for windows because it is weatherproof and transparent.

Learner Task


48

A. INVESTIGATION

Will all kinds of bricks absorb water? And does a dampcourse protect the bricks from the water? InstructionsEach group can test a different kind of brick and then share their results with another group.

1. Set up your bricks like this.

Learner Task


2. Leave the bricks like this for at least a week, making sure that the bricks at the bottom are alwaysstanding in water.

3. Write and draw to show what happened to your bricks when there was no damp course.

4. Draw and write to show what happened to the bricks that had a damp course.

49

5. Write to tell what happened to the bricks above the damp course.

6. Explain why we must have a damp course laid when we are building our house.

7. Now look at your drawing of a house (on task card 1) and draw where you wouldput the damp course.

8. Write to explain why a house should have a damp course.

Learner task1. What are the best materials to use for our foundations, walls, and damp course?

Explain why you have chosen those materials.

2. Copy and complete the table of properties.

Learner Task


Property Glass Metals Wood Plastic Plant andanimalfibres(cardboard,grass, fibreboard, etc

Clayproducts

Absorbswater

Notabsorbent

Notabsorbent

Hard brick:

Dried clay:

50

A. Making box houses with different roofing materials1. Make a box house like the one below.

2. Choose oneof thematerials andmake a rooffor your box.Use sticky tapeto seal it.

3. Insert the thermometer in the hole and seal the hole with prestik. The bulb of the thermometermust be inside the house and the rest of the thermometer must stick out so that you can read thetemperature without taking itout of the box.

4. Put the box houses next toeach other outside yourclassroom in a sunny place.

5. Measure the temperature everyhour and record it below.

Learner Task


A box house with roof material of your choice

is it fair to compare thetemperatures if the boxes are

not the same size?no the boxes must all be

the same size.

ROOF MATERIAL: Black plastic

Time of day Air temperature measurement insidethe box °C

8 am (before school)

9 am

10 am

11 am

12 pm

1 pm

2 pm

Etc.

51

B. Measuring the temperature in my box house to find out:

Does our roofing material keep our house at a comfortable temperature?1. What material is the roof of your box house made of?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. What are some of the properties of your roof material? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3. Our hypothesis: We think that: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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C. Evaluating data and communicating findings1. Make a graph to show the temperature inside the house at different times of the day.

Your graph must have a suitable scale of numbers to show the temperature e.g. 10, 20, 30, 40 °C.

Plot the time on the X-axis and the temperature on the Y-axis (Graph paper overleaf).

Questions about the graph1. What is the highest temperature of air inside your box house? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. Would your box house be comfortable to live in? Explain why or why not.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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3. Was your hypothesis correct or not? Explain why or why not.

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Learner Task


53

Learner TaskD. Compare the temperature in different houses 1. Gather the class results on a chart like this.


Discuss this question in your group and then write to tellWhat do these temperature readings tell us?

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Group Roofing materialsProperties of thematerial

Highesttemperature

Lowesttemperature

A

B

C

D

E

F

54

Learner TaskE. Fill in the table of properties of the different materials

1. Writing taskM What material will you use for your roof if you want to keep a steady temperature in the house?

M Write a few sentences to explain why you would choose it.

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Property Glass Metals Wood Plastic Card,paper,board, fibre

Ceramictiles

Does itkeep theheat in?(Absorbsheat)

Yes Yes Clear

Black

Wood, cardor paper

Grass orreed

55

Learner Task Assessment task for LO1

Investigation: Can you make the temperature in your box house more comfortable?

Work in groups

1. PlanM Design and carry out an investigation to find out what is the best way of keeping the

temperature of your box house comfortable and steady.

M You can do anything to your house to achieve this.

M For example, you can insulate it, make doors and windows, make the walls and roof thicker, use different combinations of materials, etc.

2. Do and recordM Make and set up your box house.

M Take temperature measurements and record them on a table.

M Draw graphs to prove that your house has a comfortable, steady temperature.

M Hand in the recording and the graph for assessment.

3. ReportA. Your group must show your house and tell and explain to the rest of the class about

M the materials you used to build the house

M the properties of the materials

M what you did with the materials to make the house more comfortable.

B. Your group must write a few paragraphs on what you learnt about

M the materials you used to build the house

M the temperature inside your house (from the graph).


56

Learner Task InvestigationObserving how easily our roofing materials will burnInstructions1. Place a small piece of each roofing material (about the size of your small finger nail) on the wire

gauze - one at a time.

2. Light the spirit burner and place it under the wire gauze.

3. Record your observation on the recording sheet.

4. Do the same with all the other samples.


cork wire

piece ofmaterial

flametripod

small piece of roofmaterial

wire gauze

spirit burner

Spirit burner with tripodand wire gauze mat

Holding a piece of materialin a flame.

Black plastic Tin foil Ceramic tiles Cardboard Grass Paper

Does the materialcatch fire easily?

Does it burn with abig or a small flame?

What colour is theflame?

Does it makesmoke?

How does it smellwhen it burns?

What is left after ithas burnt?

Observing how easily our roofing materials will burnObservation recording sheet

57

Learner Task

Evaluating data and communicating findingsSequencing the roofing materials1. Make a list of the roofing materials and sequence them from the most flammable

(dangerous) to the least flammable (much safer). Use your results from the table above.

2. Use everything you have learnt about the materials to decide which roofing material is the best. Explain why you say so.

3. Fill in the table of properties of the different materials.

4. Discuss these questions with your class.

1. Which roofing material is the most likely to suffocate people or damage their lungs when it burns?

2. Which material gives off unpleasant (probably poisonous) fumes?

3. Which material just smoulders and gives off lots of smoke?

4. Which material melts as it burns? Why is this a very dangerous roof material when it is on fire?

5. Why do people choose flammable materials to build their homes?

6. Are there other materials that they could choose?

7. What else could people do to prevent fires?


we keep a bucketof sand in our

house to put outfires


Ceramic tiles

Does it burneasily?(Flammableor non-flammable)

Clear:

Black:

Wood, cardor paper:

Grass orreeds:

58

Learner Task


Assessment task for LO2

Writing and drawing to tell everything we have learntabout houses and materials

A. Complete a table1. Complete the table of the properties of materials using the information from the

investigations you have done so far and using your own knowledge.

2. Is there any information on the table that you could not fill in yet? Which information?

3. If you could not fill it in yet, explain why.

B. Write and draw (work individually or in pairs)

Writing task about different roofing materials 1. Read the following.

In class we have talked about the properties of different building materials. We tested materials to see the effect of a damp course. We have also tested and compared how the different roofing materials affect the temperature in the house. We also tested to see whether the roofing material burns.

2. Draw and write to tell everything you have learnt about different roofing materials and how they can affect the comfort and safety of peoples’ homes. You can include anything you have learnt in class and at home and what you know from your own experience.

Prop

erti

es o

f Mat

eria

lsPr

oper

ty o

f the

mat

eria

lH

ow th

e m

ater

ial

resp

onds

to:

Gla

ssM

etal

sW

ood

Plas

tic

Plan

t &

Ani

mal

fibre

pro

duct

s(G

rass

, ree

ds, p

aper

,ca

rdbo

ard,

car

pet,

fibre

boar

d, e

tc.)

Cla

y pr

oduc

ts(F

ired

and

unfir

edcla

y)

Ston

e an

dco

ncre

te

Tran

smis

sion

of

light

Tran

smits

ligh

tD

oes

not

tran

smit

light

; may

ref

lect

light

Doe

s no

ttr

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it lig

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ay

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smit

light

Bei

ng r

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Can

be

re-s

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dby

cut

ting

or a

fter

heat

ing

Can

be

re-s

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daf

ter

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Can

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re-

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Can

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cut

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ben

ding

etc.

Kee

ping

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res

(500

°C to

800

°C)

and

whe

n ex

pose

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Reta

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Man

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the

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Bend

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200

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Dec

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It g

oes

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at o

ver

500°

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Con

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Con

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ood

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cond

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atco

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Bad

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cond

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Con

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elec

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Doe

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Man

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icity

Bei

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Shat

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ilyM

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Stro

nger

tha

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Abs

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ng w

ater

Not

abs

orbe

ntN

ot a

bsor

bent

59

60

Learner Task


Assessment Task for LO3

How do we provide suitable housing for people?A. Read and discuss

Read the newspaper article called ‘Are prefabricated houses the solution?’ Or find your ownnewspaper article about housing.

1. Do you think that prefab housing like this will be a good way to provide people with housingin the future? Discuss why or why not?

B. DiscussPretend you are the mayor or town planner of a town. There are people in the town whodo not have homes and they do not have access to building materials to build their ownhomes. There are also people who have built their own homes out of any materials theycould find.

1. What would you do to help those people to get houses?

Would you let people build their own houses? Why or why not?

2. If you were a building inspector, what rules would you make for building safe, comfortablehouses? Make up six rules and give reasons for making those rules.

3. How would you help or advise people about the best (safest, strongest, cheapest, etc.)materials to build houses?

4. Would you supply people with building materials if they want to build their own houses?Why? Would they have to pay for them? Why or why not?

5. What kind of materials would be suitable for people to build with and why? Would the samematerials be suitable for all towns in South Africa? Why?

6. Should people build their own houses? Why? Who should teach them?

C. Presenting ideas1. Each group must take two of the above

questions and prepare some ideas about housing that you can suggest to the mayor. Pretend your teacher is the mayor.

2. You must have at least six suggestions about the question. Each person in the class must present one good suggestion to the mayor.

3. You must write down and/or draw your ideas and then talk about them.

61

Housing shortages exist in other parts of the world …

In south-east Asia wooden houses are built on stilts asprotection against floods.

Even in wealthy societies in Europe, housing shortageshave to be addressed.

Housing shortage afterthe warPaul Garner grew up inEngland after theSecond World War. Afterthe War there was ahuge housing shortage.More than half a millionhouses had beendestroyed or damagedby bombs. At the sametime, many soldiers werereturning and needed aplace to live.

Factories made walls and roofsThe British government needed a quick way to

provide houses for everybody. They decided that thefactories that had made guns and bombs during thewar should now make houses. The factories madethe walls and roofs for the houses from big, flatpieces of wood and metal. Then lorries took thepieces (walls and roofs) straight to the building site.As a child, Paul Garner saw lorries driving past thestreet where he lived, each carrying half a house.Every half-hour another lorry drove past.

The factories thought that these prefabricatedhouses would last about 20 years. But some are stillin use today, 60 years later!

Housing crisis in South AfricaHere in South Africa, we also have a housing

crisis. In 1965 our population was 20 million. Todayit is more than 43 million. In the Western Capealone, we are short of 360 000 homes. Less than 17000 houses were built in 2003/2004. And in2004/2005 just over 14 500 were built. Many people

have been waiting 20years for properhousing. In themeantime they havebuilt their own‘informal’ houses or‘shacks’. We know thatinformal houses (orshacks) can burn veryeasily. Every year wehave terrible shack firesin Cape Town.

Mr Garner makes asuggestion

Mr Garner suggested that the government startsto make prefabricated non-burning steel houses. Hesays the houses will be 20m2 in size (about 5 metreslong and 4 metres wide). They will have ceiling androof insulation so that they don’t get too hot or toocold. The pieces will be put together (assembled) atthe place where the houses are to stand. The wallswill be welded together at the corners.

Mr Garner suggested that these prefabricatedhouses could be produced in factories in thetownships. People in the community could betrained to weld the pieces together. He says thehouses will be quick to make and assemble. Eachhouse will cost about R10 000 to make. At a laterdate, a bathroom with a toilet can be bolted on tothe house. In this way we can begin to providepeople with houses quickly.

Adapted from Paul Garner’s article published in theCape Times of Tuesday 10 May 2005

Homeless … A fact of life for many without housing

Are prefabricated houses the solution?

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A stone-and-mud house with a roof of natural grasses in rural Ethiopia …completely environmentally friendly!

68

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SSEECCTTIIOONN 33Extracts from the NationalCurriculum Statements for Natural Sciences grades R-91. Core knowledge and concepts for Matter and Materials (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

2. Outcomes and assessment standards (NCS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74

70

Properties and Uses of Materials Structure, Reactions and Changes of Materials

Unifying statement: We can classify materials by their Unifying statement: We can modify properties, in order to establish types and patterns. Properties materials in ways we choose, determine the selection of materials for particular uses. through our understanding of their

sub-structure.

Foundation Phase

v Materials have different properties such as texture, colour, v Substances can be mixed and strength and heaviness, and can be classified by these sometimes changes can be seen,properties. We make things with materials which have the such as the dissolving of a properties we want. solid, or new colours when

food colourings/paints are mixed.

Intermediate Phase

v Pure substances have melting temperatures and boiling v Some changes to materials aretemperatures which are characteristic for each substance, temporary but other changes areand help us to identify the substance. permanent.

v Materials are evaluated and classified by their properties v Substances change when they(such as hardness, flexibility, thermal conductivity or receive or lose energy as heat.insulation, electrical conductivity or insulation whether These changes include contrac-they can be magnetised, solubility and rusting). tion and expansion, melting,

evaporation, condensation andsolidification. (Links with

Energy and Change)v Major classes of materials are metals, ceramics (including v The dissolving of a substance in

glasses) and polymers (including plastics and fibres). a solvent depends on variablesComposite materials combine the properties of two or more which affect the rate of materials. dissolving.

Natural Sciences

CORE KNOWLEDGE AND CONCEPTS IN MATTER AND MATERIALS

Core Knowledge and Concepts in Matter and Materials

71

Properties and Uses of Materials Structure, Reactions and Changes of Materials Changes of Materials

Senior Phase

v Substances in different states (‘phases’) have distinct properties such as crystalline structures, or compressibility/incompressibility, or tendency to diffuse.

v Dark-coloured surfaces get hotter than light-coloured surfaces when exposed to radiating sources of energy like the sun. Dark-coloured objects radiate their energy as heat more readily than shiny light-coloured objects. (Links with Energy and Change)

v Some materials are magnetised by electric currents or magnets. Some materials can be electrically changed by rubbing them with a different material. (Links with Energy and Change)

v Some conductors and circuit components reduce the current in an electric circuit to a significant extent and are called resistors. Resistors can be selected or designed to control currents.

v A pure substance cannot be separated into different substances while a mixture can be separated usually by physical means. Differences in properties can be used to separate mixtures of different substances (by methods such as filtration, distillation, evaporation, chromatography or magnetism). (Links with Matter and Materials)

v Specific gases may be separated from the air or produced in reactions, and have many uses in industry and other sectors of the economy. Oxygen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide have characteristic properties and reactions by which we can identify them.

v Extracting useful materials from raw materials depends on chemical reactions and methods of separation.

v Raw materials, from which processed materials are made, must be mined, grown or imported from other countries. Raw materials that are mined are non-renewable and mining has environmental costs. Growing raw materials involves choices about the use of arable land and water catchment areas.


v A particle model of matter canexplain physical changes ofsubstances such as melting,evaporation, condensation,solidification, diffusion and heatingby conduction.

v Many household substances areacidic or basic. Indicators aresubstances that react with acids andsoluble bases to produce productsthat have distinctive colours. Acidsand bases neutralise one another toform salts. Acids have characteristicreactions with metals, metal oxides,hydroxides and carbonates.

v Many chemical reactions need someenergy to get started; many chemicalreactions give off energy as theyhappen.

v Elements are made of just one kindof atom, whereas compounds aremade of two or more kinds of atomsin fixed proportions. Elements mayreact to form compounds, andcompounds may be decomposed intotheir elements. Energy input isneeded to break a compound into itselements, whereas energy is givenout when elements react to form acompound.

National Curriculum Statements Grades R–9 (Schools)

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Properties and Uses of Materials Structure, Reactions and Changes of Materials Changes of Materials

(There are no further core knowledge statements for Matter v Oxygen has characteristic and Materials in this Phase.) reactions with metals and non-

metals, forming oxides. Some of these oxides dissolve in water to form acidic or alkaline solutions. Some metals react more readily with oxygen than other metals. Corrosion of iron is an economically important reaction which can be prevented through an understanding of the reactions between iron, water and oxygen.

v The reaction of oxygen with food releases energy in the cells of living things. (Links with Life and Living)


Natural Sciences

WESTERN CAPE PRIMARY SCIENCEPROGRAMME TRUST (PSP)

The PSP is an in-service education organisation that supports primary schoolteachers in the field of Natural Sciences and related learning areas particularly intownship primary schools in the Western Cape. We are based at the Edith StephensWetland Park, Philippi, situated close to many disadvantaged communities in theCape Flats.

The PSP has been operating since 1984 and has built up good relationships withover 200 primary schools from all the township areas, including the Boland andWest Coast rural areas. More than 1050 teachers from grades 4 to 7 and 126,000children benefit from the work of the PSP.

The PSP works in an environment where most teachers and learners have tooperate in a 2nd or 3rd additional language. We therefore also work on developinglearners’ communication skills while focusing on science related learning areas andenvironment.

The PSP currently operates with a complement of 9 staff.

CONTACT DETAILSWestern Cape Primary Science Programme (PSP)Edith Stephens Wetland ParkLansdowne RoadPhilippi, Cape Flats, 7785.

P.O. Box 24158 Lansdowne 7779South AfricaTel: (021) 6919039 ( Fax: (021) 6916350e-mail: [email protected] (website: www.psp.org.za)

NPO: 015-822Registration Number: IT2806/99

Matter and Materials [Grade 6 English]

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