Science · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Materials and Their Uses

Active learning helps students connect abstract ideas about resources to real-world practices they can see and touch. When children physically sort, build, and audit materials, they move from hearing facts to experiencing why reducing waste matters.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• 2-PS1-2

• 15–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Sort the Scraps

Set up stations with various 'waste' items. Students work in groups to decide if an item should be reduced (not used at all), reused (used again for a new purpose), or recycled (processed into something new).

Analyze why a window is made of glass and not wood.

Facilitation Tip

During Station Rotation: Sort the Scraps, circulate and ask students to explain their sorting choices at each station.

What to look for

Provide students with pictures of five common objects (e.g., a metal spoon, a wooden chair, a glass window, a rubber boot, a paper book cover). Ask them to write down the main material each object is made from and one property that makes it suitable for its use.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Upcycle Challenge

Give each group a 'mystery' piece of trash (e.g., an empty milk carton). They must work together to design and build a useful tool, like a bird feeder or a pencil holder, using only that item and tape.

Justify why a spoon is usually made of metal or plastic.

Facilitation Tip

In The Upcycle Challenge, remind groups to justify material choices using properties rather than just appearance.

What to look for

Present students with a scenario: 'Imagine you need to build a boat that can float.' Ask them to list two materials they would consider using and explain why each material's properties would be helpful for building a boat.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 15 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Lunchbox Audit

Students look at their own lunch containers (or a sample lunch). They identify one thing that could be replaced with a reusable option and explain to a partner how that helps the Earth.

Predict what would happen if a raincoat was made from paper.

Facilitation Tip

For The Lunchbox Audit, model how to categorize items as reusable, recyclable, or waste before students begin their own audits.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Why don't we make raincoats out of paper?' Facilitate a class discussion where students share their ideas, focusing on the property of absorbency and how it relates to the function of a raincoat.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by grounding discussions in objects students use daily, then scaling up to systems-level thinking about waste. Avoid presenting recycling as the 'hero solution,' since research shows reducing and reusing save more energy. Use Indigenous perspectives like the Seven Generations concept to frame stewardship as a long-term responsibility rather than a short-term fix.

Students will recognize that everyday objects come from limited resources and that their choices affect the environment. They will explain why some materials are better suited for certain uses based on properties like durability, absorbency, or flexibility.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation: Sort the Scraps, watch for students who immediately place items in the 'recycle' bin without considering reduce or reuse options.

  Pause the activity and ask each group to explain why they placed an item in recycle rather than reusing it first. Guide them to discuss whether the item could serve another purpose before recycling.

• During The Upcycle Challenge, listen for teams that choose materials based only on aesthetics instead of properties like water resistance or strength.

  Hand each team a water spray bottle and ask them to test their material choices. Have them reflect on why certain materials failed and how they might adjust their design.

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Methods used in this brief

• Stations Rotation
• Inquiry Circle
• Think-Pair-Share