Lesson plan: What is plastic, and where does it belong? (ages 5–7)

Lesson overview

• Title: What is plastic, and where does it belong?
• Age band: 5–7 (England Years 1–2; US Kindergarten–Grade 2; Australia Foundation–Year 2)
• Duration: 45 minutes
• Subject: Science (everyday materials) with a Geography and personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) link
• Made by: No Plastic Today. Funded by: No Plastic Today (no sponsors, no industry funding). Licence: CC BY 4.0 — copy, adapt and share with credit.

Learning objectives

• I can name plastic, paper, metal, glass, wood and fabric by looking and touching.
• I can describe plastic using simple words (bendy, light, waterproof, hard, smooth).
• I can sort things into "use once" and "use again and again".
• I can suggest one thing to use again instead of throwing it away.

Curriculum codes

• England National Curriculum Science Year 1 "Everyday materials": distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made; identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water and rock; describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials. Year 2 "Uses of everyday materials": identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials for particular uses.
• England National Curriculum Geography KS1: use basic geographical vocabulary to refer to key human and physical features (litter in the local area).
• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS): 2-PS1-1 (plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties); 2-PS1-2 (analyse data from tests of materials to determine which have the properties best suited for an intended purpose); K-ESS3-3 (communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air and other living things).
• Australian Curriculum v9: Science Foundation Chemical sciences AC9SFU02 (objects are made of materials that have observable properties) (verify); Year 2 Chemical sciences AC9S2U03 (verify); Sustainability cross-curriculum priority (organising ideas: Systems, World views, Futures).
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP): transdisciplinary theme "Sharing the planet".

Materials

• A "mystery bag" of 12 clean objects: plastic bottle, plastic spoon, yoghurt pot, crisp packet, metal spoon, tin can with a smooth rim, glass jar (adult-handled), wooden spoon, paper bag, cardboard box, cotton sock, wool glove.
• Six labelled hoops or trays: Plastic, Paper and card, Metal, Glass, Wood, Fabric. Add picture labels for non-readers.
• Two large cards: "Use once" and "Use again and again".
• A feely-box or pillowcase.
• Sorting worksheet: six boxes, children draw or stick pictures of what went where.
• A jug of water, a tray and a cloth for the water test.
• One reusable bottle and one lunchbox for the plenary.

Starter (8 minutes)

• Sit in a circle. Pass the feely-box round. Each child touches an object without looking and says one word for how it feels (cold, bendy, crinkly, rough, smooth).
• Reveal each object. Ask: "What is it? What is it made from?" Say the material names together.
• Say: "Today we are material detectives. Our job is to find out what plastic is like, and what happens to it when we have finished with it."

Main activity (25 minutes)

• Part 1, sort by material (10 minutes): in pairs, children place the objects into the six hoops. Circulate and ask "How do you know it is plastic?" Prompt for property words: light, bendy, waterproof, does not rust, does not go soggy.
• Part 2, the water test (7 minutes): teacher demonstration. Drip water on the paper bag, the cotton sock and a plastic bag. Which goes soggy? Which keeps the water out? Establish that plastic is waterproof and very strong for how light it is. That is exactly why people use so much of it.
• Part 3, use once, or again and again? (8 minutes): move every plastic object to the middle. Children decide for each: is it used once and thrown away, or used many times? Place it by the matching card. Talk about the surprises: a yoghurt pot could become a plant pot; a crisp packet cannot be used again.
• Key fact to say aloud, in these words: "Plastic is so good at lasting that it does not rot away like an apple core. If all the plastic rubbish in the world were piled into 100 big heaps, only about 9 heaps would get made into something new (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Plastics Outlook, 2019 data: oecd.org/en/about/news/press-releases/2022/06/global-plastic-waste-set-to-almost-triple-by-2060.html). So the cleverest thing we can do is use things again and again."

Plenary (10 minutes)

• Show the reusable bottle and lunchbox. Ask: "What could each of these replace?" (a bottle of water, a sandwich bag, a crisp packet).
• Each child finishes the sentence: "One thing I could use again and again is …"
• Record the answers on an "Our class ideas" poster and keep it on the wall for the term. Revisit it at the end of the 30-day Swap Challenge if the class takes part.

Assessment

• Observe the sorting: can the child name at least four materials correctly?
• Listen for property words (bendy, waterproof, light) during the water test.
• The completed sentence in the plenary shows whether the child can propose a solution (NGSS K-ESS3-3).

Differentiation

• Support: reduce to three hoops (plastic, paper, metal); use picture labels; pair with a reader.
• Challenge: add "tricky" objects (a plastic-lined paper cup, a drinks carton) and ask "Is it made of more than one material?"; ask the child to explain why a raincoat is not made of paper.
• English as an additional language (EAL): pre-teach the six material words with real objects; use the sentence frame "This is made of ___ because it is ___".

Home link

• Send home the "Where does my plastic go?" story for ages 5–7 (on this site) and a slip that says: "Ask a grown-up: which thing in our kitchen do we use again the most?"

Safety

• Check the glass jar for chips and keep it adult-handled. Use a smooth-rim tin or tape the edge. Wash every object before the lesson. Mop spills from the water test straight away.