Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource
Synthetic Materials: How Do Natural Resources Become New Products? — 5E Lesson Plan
Physical Science · 55 minutes
Grade 6
5E lesson flow
01
Wonder
6 min
Teacher Does
Present two manufactured products and ask which material is synthetic.
Students Do
State hypotheses with evidence.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
02
Trace
10 min
Teacher Does
Explain the source–feedstock–chemistry–product chain.
Students Do
Arrange process cards.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
03
Compare
9 min
Teacher Does
Contrast physical shaping with synthesis.
Students Do
Explain which operations create new materials.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
04
Activity
12 min
Teacher Does
Guide interactive evidence sorting.
Students Do
Respond to feedback and revise claims.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
05
Evaluate
10 min
Teacher Does
Guide trade-off claims.
Students Do
Support a fit-for-use choice.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
06
Independent
8 min
Teacher Does
Provide a new product comparison worksheet.
Students Do
Write evidence and a process drawing.
Ask
- Does reshaping always create a new material?
Look For
Clear evidence linking chemical transformation to material and properties.
Student goal
I can trace natural resources through chemical processing to a synthetic material and evaluate product trade-offs.
Learning objectives
- Trace source, chemical process and new synthetic material in an evidence-based diagram.
- Distinguish physical shaping from chemical production of a new material.
- Evaluate a product choice using evidence about benefits, costs and missing information.
Materials
- Resource and process cards
- Print-ready worksheet
- Pencils
- Comparison evidence chart
Before class
- Keep fictional comparison evidence clearly labeled.
- Avoid suggesting hands-on chemical synthesis.
- Differentiate reshaping a product from chemically creating a new material.
Safety & supervision
Review these precautions before students begin the investigation. Follow your school's safety procedures.
- No heating, plastic melting, solvents or hands-on chemical synthesis.
- Use paper evidence cards, not industrial materials.
Prior knowledge
- Materials have measurable properties.
- Chemical and physical changes are distinct.
Vocabulary
- natural resource
- Material obtained from nature that can supply starting substances for products.
- synthetic material
- A material made through human-controlled chemical processing of starting resources.
- chemical process
- A process involving chemical changes that produces substances with different identities or structures.
- feedstock
- Starting substance supplied to a chemical manufacturing process.
- polymer
- A very large molecule built from linked repeating units.
- property
- A feature such as water resistance, durability or flexibility.
- trade-off
- A benefit accompanied by a cost or disadvantage.
- life cycle
- Stages of a material from resources and production through use and end-of-use.
Differentiation
- Use a three-stage arrow template.
- Offer vocabulary word cards.
- Extension: compare claims from two trustworthy sources.
Assessment
- Identify starting resources and chemical processing.
- Explain distinction between shaping and synthesis.
- Support a balanced product choice.
Exit ticket
Why isn't a factory-made wooden ruler automatically a synthetic material?
Extension
Explore credible sources about the production of one synthetic fiber or medicine without conducting chemical work.