Science · Grade 1

Active learning ideas

Testing Material Strength

Active learning works because students need to feel the difference between a stable and unstable base, and see how shapes distribute weight. When they test materials with their own hands, abstract concepts like rigidity and load-bearing become concrete and memorable. This hands-on approach builds both understanding and confidence in engineering principles.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• 2-PS1-2

• 30–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Simulation Game
• 35 min · Small Groups

Simulation Game: The Great Base Challenge

Groups are given blocks and challenged to build the tallest tower possible. They then repeat the task but must make the base twice as wide, comparing which tower is harder to knock over.

Explain why some materials break easily while others do not.

Facilitation Tip

During The Great Base Challenge, circulate and ask guiding questions like 'What happens when you move the weights higher?' to help students notice stability changes.

What to look for

Give each student a small object made of a common material (e.g., a pencil, a paper clip, a rubber band). Ask them to write down if the material is strong, weak, bendable, or rigid, and to briefly explain why based on their experience.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Shape Hunt

Students walk around the school or look at photos of famous structures. They use 'viewfinders' (paper frames) to spot and draw triangles, squares, and arches, then share why they think those shapes were used.

Design a test to compare the strength of paper versus cardboard.

Facilitation Tip

For the Shape Hunt Gallery Walk, prompt students to photograph or sketch at least one natural and one human-made stable shape from their environment.

What to look for

Present students with three different objects (e.g., a straw, a wooden ruler, a piece of fabric). Ask them to hold each object and try to bend it. Then, ask: 'Which object is the most rigid? Which is the most bendable? Why?'

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Pairs

Inquiry Circle: The Paper Bridge

Pairs try to build a bridge between two books using only one sheet of paper. They experiment with folding the paper (corrugation) to see how changing the shape makes the structure more stable and able to hold weight.

Evaluate which material would be best for building a strong bridge.

Facilitation Tip

In The Paper Bridge task, demonstrate how to fold edges upward to create stiffeners before letting students build, modeling the engineering design process.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are building a small house for a toy animal. Which material would you use for the walls, and why? Which material would you use for the roof, and why?' Listen for students to connect material properties to function.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach this topic by having students compare and contrast rather than memorize. Avoid telling them which shapes are strongest; instead, let them test and discuss failures. Research shows that children learn material properties best when they experience both success and collapse in a low-stakes setting. Keep the focus on the relationship between form and function, and avoid overemphasizing weight as a sole indicator of strength.

Successful learning looks like students explaining why a wide base matters, selecting materials not just by weight but by how they connect, and making connections between shapes they test and structures they see in their community. They should also be able to predict which structures will hold more weight before testing.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During The Great Base Challenge, watch for students who assume taller towers are always less stable.

  Have them add a heavy base to a tall tower and test it against a short, top-heavy tower. Let them observe that stability depends on the distribution of mass, not just height.

• During The Paper Bridge, watch for students who select materials based solely on thickness or weight.

  Ask them to test how a single sheet of paper holds weight when folded into different shapes, showing that connection methods matter more than material bulk.

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Methods used in this brief

• Simulation Game
• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle