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Investigating Properties Page 1
Lesson by Lesson Guide
Investigating Properties
(Tracks)
Investigating Properties Page 2
Table of Contents NC Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives ............................................................ 3
Essential Question for Unit ............................................................................................. 3
Unit Pre-Assessment ........................................................................................................... 3
Special Notes About this Unit............................................................................................. 3
Lesson 1: Lots of Leaves .................................................................................................... 4
Lesson 2: String Stuff ......................................................................................................... 7
Lesson 3: Shoe Store ......................................................................................................... 10
Lesson 4: Are Properties Important? ................................................................................ 12
Lesson 5: Put It In Order ................................................................................................... 14
Lesson 6: Where Does It Belong? .................................................................................... 16
Lesson 7: Gloop ................................................................................................................ 18
Investigating Properties Page 3
NC Essential Standards and Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2 Understand how objects are described based on their physical
properties and how they are used.
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size,
color, shape, texture, weight and flexibility.
K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials
(clay, wood, cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they
are used.
Essential Question for Unit
How can we observe and compare the properties of objects?
Unit Pre-Assessment A formative assessment probe from Uncovering Student Ideas in Science, Volumes 1-4,
by Page Keeley is not assigned to this Kindergarten unit of study. You might consider
prompting students to respond to the Essential Question for the Unit in a brief, two-
minute discussion, drawing, or written response.
Special Notes about this Unit Check the Master List of Supplies in the TG for a list of materials to be gathered
before teaching the unit
Refer to the “Before You Begin” section which precedes each lesson – it is
important to review this section as you are planning the lessons
This unit is divided into 7 Lessons which are divided into Sessions; you will find
Estimated Time suggestions throughout this Lesson by Lesson Guide
Investigating Properties Page 4
Lesson 1: Lots of Leaves Estimated Time: Five 20-30 minute class sessions or two 60-minute sessions.
Students collect their own leaves. Then teams of two combine their leaves and sort them
according to properties. Teams share their observations to create a class chart, listing
words that describe specific properties of the leaves. Students are introduced to the term
properties, and teams use the properties of leaves to play sorting games. Students
observe leaves with hand lenses to find hidden properties. Afterward, teams tape their
leaves on classroom trees by matching the properties of the leaves to the properties of the
leaves on the trees.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
Focus Question What are properties and how can objects be sorted by their properties?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity –
assemble students as a group
and read the poem “Lots of
Leaves” available in both the
teacher and student guides.
Have the students connect the
poem to their own personal
experiences.
- Students take a walk and use
their senses to observe leaves.
Discuss why “taste” would not
be a good sense to use for this
activity. They collect 6-8
leaves to bring inside.
- Students work with a partner to
sort their leaves and share the
ways sorted with the class. As
they share, record their
describing words on a class
chart.
- Remind students the words on
the chart describe the leaves and
that these are “properties” of
leaves. Share teacher selected
leaves and have students
describe the leaf. After each
- What are some things you can
find out about this leaf by
looking? Touching? Smelling?
Listening?
- What color is the leaf? How do
you know?
- What else can you find out
about this leaf by using your
sense of sight?
- How is my leaf like one of your
leaves? How can you tell?
Investigating Properties Page 5
description, answer with “yes,
____ is a property of this leaf”
to reinforce the term “property.”
- Play the “Has/Does-Not-Have”
game (directions available in
the teacher manual) to reinforce
ways to sort leaves by their
properties. There are also
additional sorting games
described in the teacher manual
if your students struggle with
this concept.
- After a teacher demonstration of
how to appropriately use a hand
lens, students use this tool to
observe their leaves in more
detail. Encourage them to
compare how this tool effects
their observations (what can
they see with the hands lens that
was difficult without it).
- Place cutouts of trees around the
room. Students compare and
match the properties of their
leaves to the leaves on the
cutouts. Bring the class
together to observe each tree
and explain their placement
decisions.
- Ask students “What questions
do you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Senses – see, hear, smell, touch, taste
Observation
Properties
Hand lens
Integration Hints
- Teach with a “Fall” theme and discuss how leaves can be signs of this season.
- In math, sort and use leaves to make patterns. Also, you could make a class leaf
graph by properties or types of leaves.
- In art make dancing leaf people or animals.
Investigating Properties Page 6
- During a language arts time you could read the vignette about Geerat Vermeij
(Jerry Ver-may) in the student and teacher guides and discuss comprehension
questions such as – What do scientists do? What did this scientist observe? What
senses did he use? How has our work in class been similar to his work?
Science Notebook Helper - Preprint the focus questions on address labels and use them for entries in the
science notebooks.
- Have students complete a leaf rubbing of their favorite leaf from their collection
in their notebooks. Tape the leaf to the back of the page so it will not move
during the rubbing and use the side of a crayon to rub across it.
- Students can copy or write (possibly through dictation to an adult) properties of
this leaf on the page as well.
Assessment Opportunities - Have students draw a leaf before the first session and then again after the final
session. Review students’ drawings to see if they include more detail and
properties.
- Can also provide a student with a bag of leaves and ask to have it sorted by a
particular property. Then have the student sort the leaves in a different way and
describe the property used. Dated entries in science notebooks are excellent as
well.
Investigating Properties Page 7
Lesson 2: String Stuff Estimated Time: Five 20-30 minute class sessions or two 60 minute sessions.
Students hear the story of “Simmy and the String Stuff,” in which Simmy Squirrel brings
a sack of messy, stringlike materials into the family’s tidy home. Student teams sort the
string stuff by properties, record suggestions for sorting, and add to the classroom
charts. As they discuss the properties of the pieces of string, students become aware that
the pieces are made from different materials. Students are introduced to the term
materials. Then, as a class, students sort objects according to the materials from which
they are made and set up a materials museum. Individually, students find objects made of
single and multiple materials and draw them in their science notebooks.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials (clay, wood,
cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they are used.
Focus Question What are different materials things are made from and how can we sort objects by
these materials?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity –
assemble students as a group
and read the story “Simmy and
the String Stuff” available in the
student and teacher guides.
Review the class list from
lesson one and remind the
students that these were
properties. Ask if Simmy could
sort the string stuff by
properties just as we sorted
leaves by properties.
- Students work with a partner to
sort a bag of string stuff and
share the ways sorted with the
class. Have them explain their
rational for sorting. Ask them
to sort their bag several times in
different ways (begin to lead
them away from the basic way
of just sorting by color).
- Ask questions that help students
rethink or express their rationale for
sorting such as “Why did you put
this piece of string, but not this
other piece, in the fuzzy group?” or
“If you are sorting by the property
of shape and this is the round
group, where will you put this
piece?”
- What did you observe that made
you decide to put it in this group?
- What property did you sort by to
make this group?
- How are the pieces alike in this
group?
- Where might we place this pencil
that is made of wood, metal, and
rubber? Explain your thinking?
Investigating Properties Page 8
- As a class compare the ways
groups chose to sort their string
stuff. Compare similarities
and differences among the
groups.
- Discuss how some pieces are
different from others because
they are made of different stuff.
The stuff things are made of is
called material. Observe and
discuss the different materials
the string is made of.
- Play the “Sorting by Materials”
game describe in the teacher
guide. Make a materials chart
to list the various materials
objects can be made from
(wood, plastic, metal, fabric,
paper, etc.).
- Review the materials objects are
made of and sort a group of
objects by their materials.
Distribute objects made of the
same material among the
students. Make a chart to
record the properties of that
material. Repeat this process
until several materials have
been described and their
properties recorded. Set up a
properties museum around the
room housing each material
group and its list of properties.
Allow students to collect
objects to add to the museum
while it is on display.
- Introduce objects made of more
than one material. Ask students
how these could be added to the
materials museum. Discuss the
problem and solutions generated
for adding these objects to the
museum. Also discuss reasons
why objects may need to be
made of more than one material.
- Ask students “What questions
Investigating Properties Page 9
do you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Properties
Materials – metal, wood, plastic, glass, fabric, paper
Integration Hints
- Materials tend to be a difficult concept for students to grasp. Plan to bring it up
several times throughout the year. For example, what material is the water
fountain, door, key, jump rope, book, etc made of?
- Repeat the sorting activities during center times.
- During math, graph objects by their materials or collect data and graph which
materials we use most often throughout a day.
Science Notebook Helper Students can draw how they sorted their string stuff. They can create a page for each
material where they draw objects made of that material.
Assessment Opportunities They can split a page in half – on the top have students draw objects made of one
material (can label the material as well), and on the bottom have them draw objects made
of more than one material.
Investigating Properties Page 10
Lesson 3: Shoe Store Estimated Time: Three 20-minute class sessions or one 60-minute session.
The class creates the Mixed-Up Shoe Store using students’ shoes. Students pretend to
shop for certain shoes by describing specific properties of the shoes. Teams attempt to
impose some order on the store by sorting the shoes. Student teams sort the shoes by
properties and other students guess how the team sorted the shoes. The class develops a
name for the newly organized shoe store. Then individual students record in their science
notebooks information about the properties of two imaginary shoes.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
Focus Question How can we use properties to organize our shoes?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity –
assemble students in a circle
and have them remove one
shoe. Invite them to pretend the
pile of shoes is a shoe store.
- Pretend to shop from the store
by describing the properties of
the shoe you want to “buy”.
Search the pile until you find a
shoe that closely matches your
description. Point out the
properties you were looking for
on the shoe. Have individual
students repeat this process.
- Students work together to find a
shoe. One student is the
“ordering” student. This
student directs another student
the “shopper” to find a shoe by
describing its properties.
- Place a sign stating “The
Mixed-Up Shoe Store” on the
pile of shoes. Introduce the
difficulties of finding what is
needed in the mixed up store.
Have the students split into
teams to develop a plan of how
the store could be organized.
Fill in the blanks with student names:
- How did ___ know what kind of
shoe to shop for?
- What was helpful to ___ in
finding a shoe for ___?
- How did ___ find the shoe so
quickly?
- Why did ___ pick out this shoe?
- What are some important things
about playing this game?
- Is it easy to shop at the Mixed
Up Shoe Store? Why or Why
not?
- How might you sort or organize
the shoes to help you organize
the store?
- How might you organize the
shoe store in more than one
way?
Investigating Properties Page 11
Each team then organizes the
store and has the other teams
guess the properties they used.
- Read and discuss “Sharing
investigations” available in the
student guide. Discuss how
describing and sorting objects is
a type of investigation.
- Ask students “What questions
do you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Properties
Materials
Investigation
Integration Hints
- Read Cinderella and describe the properties of her two pairs of shoes and the
materials each was made of.
- In math, hide a student’s shoe in a location around the room. The student who is
missing the shoe describes its properties. The other students offer positional
words to aid in finding the lost shoe.
- Play “Guess My Reason” by calling a few students to the front of the room who
share a certain property (e.g., wearing shoes that tie or stripes on shirt, etc.) and
the students remaining at their seats try to guess the reason why you called the
others forward.
Science Notebook Helper Students draw a picture of the way they organized the shoe store and label the property
used.
Assessment Opportunities They could split a page in half – on the top they draw a picture of a shoe they would like
to have and write its properties and on the bottom draw a shoe they would not like and
write its properties.
Investigating Properties Page 12
Lesson 4: Are Properties Important? Estimated Time: Two 20-minute class sessions or one 40-minute session.
In the first session, students listen as the teacher describes the properties of a specific
leaf. They draw the described leaf and compare their drawings. Next students draw a leaf
from the teacher’s subjective descriptors such as pretty, nicest, favorite, and compare
their drawings. Students conclude that one description was more helpful than the other in
communicating ideas about the leaves. In the second session, students consider why
knowing about properties is helpful. They listen to a story titled “Pointing Is Not Polite!”
The resulting discussion helps students express why knowing about properties is helpful.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
Focus Question Are properties important?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Review what we have learned
about properties. Display an
object, such as a ball, and have
students describe its properties.
- Have students split a page in
half. On the top half ask the
students to draw a leaf
according to your description
(round with wavy edges, about
the size of your hand, green
with a short stem). Describe a
leaf using subjective properties
(very pretty, nicest I have ever
seen, my favorite leaf). Have
students compare their pictures.
What was the problem? Have
them draw another leaf on the
bottom half of the page. This
time use properties to describe
the leaf. Compare the drawings.
Why do they look similar now?
- Compare objective descriptors
(properties) to subjective
descriptors (pretty, etc.).
Discuss which were the most
helpful.
- Was the first or second picture
more like the pictures of your
classmates?
- How were the two descriptions
different?
- Which description was more
helpful? Why?
- Which description told about the
properties of the leaf?
- How were the property words
helpful?
- Do you think it is helpful for people
to know about properties? If so,
why?
- Why is it helpful for people to
describe things by their properties?
Investigating Properties Page 13
- Read “Pointing is not Polite”
available in both the student and
teacher guides. Discuss which
objects are being described in
the story. How do we know?
- Discuss how we could help
someone who did not know
anything about properties.
Make a chart telling why it is
helpful to know properties.
- Ask students “What questions
do you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Properties
Subjective
Objective
Integration Hints Students could repeat the drawing activity with a partner at centers. The partners could
take turns choosing, describing, and drawing leaves for each other.
Science Notebook Helper If students lost their favorite toy how would they describe it? They can draw their
favorite toy using properties in their notebook. They can write about the helpfulness of
properties and why they are important.
Assessment Opportunities Have students work with a partner to describe an object objectively and have the partner
draw it.
Investigating Properties Page 14
Lesson 5: Put It In Order Estimated Time: Five 15-30 minute class sessions or two 60 minute sessions.
Students listen to a poem, “Playing Basketball,” to help prepare for the task of
comparing heights. Student attempt to sort themselves by size: short or tall. They solve
the problem by placing themselves in serial order by height. Then the class puts shoes in
serial order by length. Students trace their feet and the feet of their family members. Each
team combines its outlines of family feet and places them on a poster in serial order by
length. The class compares ways of organizing objects by their properties; they order an
assortment of spoons by materials and by properties.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
Focus Question How do we use height and weight to put things in order?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity – assemble
students as a group and read the
poem “Playing Basketball,”
available in the student and teacher
guides. Discuss that size is a
property.
- Students sort themselves into two
groups – short or tall. Ask what we
should do with those people who
are medium height. Discuss how
the class could be organized by
height.
- Students line up from short to tall
(could involve a stuffed animal
helper as well so no student feels
bad about being the shortest).
Allow students to leave the line and
view it from the teacher’s point of
view.
- Assemble students and discuss
another property of size – length.
Students compare their shoe with a
partner’s shoe. With a group
students order their shoes by length.
Discuss what to do if shoes are
equal. (could bring in several sizes
of shoes from home so they get a
- Why is it hard to sort yourselves
into short or tall groups?
- Where does ‘short’ leave off and
‘tall’ begin?
- How might you group or organize
yourselves by height?
- What properties of the spoons were
you observing?
- What properties did you use to
order the spoons?
- Were all the spoons the same
length? How could you tell?
Investigating Properties Page 15
clear picture of this as most of their
feet are about the same size)
- Students trace the feet of their
family members and bring the
cutouts to school. They make a
family feet poster according to the
directions in the student guide.
Compare the family feet poster and
discuss how we could find out
which are the longest/shortest foot
out of all of them. Try several
suggestions.
- Students play a game where they
sort spoons by a “secret” order –
length, material, color, etc.
- Ask students “What questions do
you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Properties
Height
Length
Order
Materials
Integration Hints
- In math, measure and record student heights on a large chart. Redo and compare
later in the year.
- Compare heights or feet outlines with those of preschoolers and basketball
players.
- In centers, display sets of common objects (wrenches, screwdrivers, dolls,
measuring spoons, etc.) and have students arrange them in serial order.
Science Notebook Helper Students can draw their family in order from shortest to longest.
Assessment Opportunities Have students chose a group of objects in the room and draw them from shortest to
tallest/longest.
Investigating Properties Page 16
Lesson 6: Where Does It Belong? Estimated Time: One 30 minute class session plus time in centers or one 90 minute class
session.
The class develops a fair test of “bounciness.” Students use the test to order several balls
by this property. Next, the class orders the same balls by the property of weight. In the
second session, teams move between eight centers* investigating properties such as
shininess, transparency, and weight of various materials. Students order the materials by
degree of property and compare their records.
*This session will require the help of a teacher assistant and/or adult volunteers.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
Focus Question How can we test and order objects by one of their properties?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity – assemble
students and review how to put
objects in order by their properties.
- Show them the collection of balls
(good time to introduce the word
sphere). Discuss what we can do
with balls. Introduce one thing we
can do is bounce them. Discuss
how some bounce better than
others.
- Predict which balls will bounce
better and put them in order by the
predictions.
- As a class develop a test for
bouncing the balls to observe which
bounce better than others. Test the
bounciness, put them in order by it,
and record the order using colored
dots.
- Use a balance to compare the
weights of the balls. Discuss how
the balance helps us get
information. Compare ways to test
the weight – balls against balls, or
each ball against teddy bear
counters. Test the weight, put them
- Why did you use the balance to
order the balls by weight?
- How did the balance help you get
information about the weight of the
balls?
- Which ball is heavier? How can
you tell?
Investigating Properties Page 17
in order by it, and record the order
using colored dots.
- Introduce the centers described in
the teacher guide to the class. Place
center directions (masters available
in the teacher guide) at each center.
Students rotate through the centers
completing each activity and record
the order of objects using the
colored dots.
- After all centers have been
completed assemble the students
and discuss the results. Discuss that
materials can possess varying
degrees of a property.
- Ask students “What questions do
you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
-Senses – see, hear, smell, touch, taste -Dull
-Properties -Shiny
-Balance -Rough
-Light -Smooth
-Heavy -Soft
-Loud -Flat
-Round -See Through
-Dark -Slow
-Fast
Integration Hints In math discuss how to calibrate a balance. They can discuss if the weight of the ball
affects its bounciness.
Science Notebook Helper Students can record the information from each center in their science notebook.
Assessment Opportunities Have students draw a group of objects and write which property could be tested and how
they would test it.
Investigating Properties Page 18
Lesson 7: Gloop Estimated Time: Six 20-30 minute class sessions or three 60 minute sessions
The class receives a package containing a mysterious substance called gloop*
accompanied by a request for the students’ help. Teams investigate gloop by using their
senses to discover properties of the substance then share the results of their
investigations. Each team plans a use for gloop based on its special properties and
shares its plan in a presentation to the class.
*Recipes for gloop are found in the teacher guide. It needs to be made ahead of time so it
sets properly.
Clarifying Objectives
K.P.2.1 Classify objects by observable physical properties including size, color, shape,
texture, weight and flexibility.
K.P.2.2 Compare the observable properties of different kinds of materials (clay, wood,
cloth, paper, etc.) from which objects are made and how they are used.
Focus Question How do we use properties to describe a mystery object?
Activity Guiding Questions
- Introduce the activity – assemble
students as a group. Introduce
gloop and read the letter from
“Discovery Laboratory” (available
in the teacher guide).
- Students investigate the gloop and
record their observations of its
properties. Encourage them to
manipulate and test the gloop.
- Students share their findings of the
gloop and its properties with the
class. Discuss that they were able
to find out more about the gloop by
investigating it than they did by just
looking at it. Discuss the different
ways that students described
properties.
- Review the properties of gloop and
brainstorm ideas of things gloop
could be used for.
- Students choose their favorite use
for gloop and create an
advertisement for it. Encourage
- Are there any properties of gloop
that you can discover by touching
it?
- What else can you tell about gloop
by looking at it?
- Can you hear gloop when it moves?
- Can you write on gloop? Will it
pick up writing?
- Can you mold gloop into different
shapes like you can with play
dough?
- What did you learn about the
properties of gloop by investigating
or doing things to it?
- Why are you doing that to/or with
gloop? What question are you
trying to answer?
Investigating Properties Page 19
them to come up with a name and
price for their product, as well as, to
list some of its properties on their
advertisement.
- Students use their advertisement to
create a commercial about their
gloop product.
- Assemble students and decide on
what important gloop information
to send back to the scientists.
- Ask students “What questions do
you have now?”
Science Content Words Use these terms when teaching the lesson:
Senses – see, hear, smell, touch
Observation
Properties
Investigate
Advertisement
Integration Hints Read the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck. Compare Gloop to the Oobleck.
To make oobleck, use equal parts cornstarch and water. Use green food coloring to turn it
green.
Science Notebook Helper Students can record their observations of gloop and ideas for its uses in their science
notebooks. Students draw a picture of gloop and use words to describe what properties
they notice about the gloop. Students draw things they do to the gloop and what the
gloop does when they do it.
Assessment Opportunities Decide on a rating scale for the gloop presentations. Students could help decide on the
criteria for rating.