You are becoming a property expert! This week you learned that materials can be hard or soft. Their surfaces can be rough or smooth. You made rubbings and tested hardness with your fingernail.
Why do these properties matter? Think about a slide at the park. The slide is smooth so you can zoom down. The steps are rough so your feet do not slip. People choose properties for good reasons!
A soft rug feels nice under bare feet. A hard floor is easy to clean. A rough doormat scrapes mud off shoes. A smooth table lets your pencil write without bumps. Properties are everywhere. Today you will show what you know!
1. Why is a slide smooth?
2. Why are the slide steps rough?
3. What does a rough doormat do?
4. Why might a family want a soft rug AND a hard floor?
Circle the best property for each job.
| Job | Which property is best? |
|---|---|
| A blanket for sleeping | SOFT / HARD |
| A helmet for bike riding | SOFT / HARD |
| A slide you zoom down | ROUGH / SMOOTH |
| Stairs that stop slipping | ROUGH / SMOOTH |
| A teddy bear to hug | SOFT / HARD |
| A wall of a house | SOFT / HARD |
Write T for true or F for false in each circle.
Write each item in the best box: ice cube, kitten fur, gravel, silk scarf, pinecone, glass window.
| Smooth things | Rough things | Soft things |
|---|---|---|
A shoe has smooth parts and rough parts. Which part is rough, and why?
Design one piece of playground equipment. Use at least one hard part, one soft part, and one rough or smooth part. Label each part with its property!
My hard part is ______________________ because:
My soft part is ______________________ because:
Write today's date in your journal. Then finish these sentences:
This week my favorite activity was:
| Skill | How did I do? Circle one |
|---|---|
| I can tell hard from soft. | GREAT / OK / NEED PRACTICE |
| I can tell rough from smooth. | GREAT / OK / NEED PRACTICE |
| I can make a texture rubbing. | GREAT / OK / NEED PRACTICE |
| I can match properties to jobs. | GREAT / OK / NEED PRACTICE |
Play the property game at dinner. One person names an object. Everyone says if it is hard or soft, rough or smooth. Next week we will test which materials bend!