Which materials are absorbent?

In this lesson, we will be learning about absorbency. We will test and compare the absorbency of a variety of household materials. You will need a piece of paper and a pencil to complete today's lesson. For the experiment, if you would like to take part, you will need: a sponge or cloth, plastic bag or cup, foil, cardboard or paper, cotton wool or tissue. If you do not have these materials, you can watch me complete the experiment while observing the outcomes.

Which materials are absorbent?

In this lesson, we will be learning about absorbency. We will test and compare the absorbency of a variety of household materials. You will need a piece of paper and a pencil to complete today's lesson. For the experiment, if you would like to take part, you will need: a sponge or cloth, plastic bag or cup, foil, cardboard or paper, cotton wool or tissue. If you do not have these materials, you can watch me complete the experiment while observing the outcomes.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Testing whether materials are absorbent or waterproof

Licence

This content is made available by Oak National Academy Limited and its partners and licensed under Oak’s terms & conditions (Collection 1), except where otherwise stated.

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3 Questions

Q1.
1) Cotton is light, while metal is heavy. Which material do you think will float or sink? Choose 2 answers.
Correct answer: Cotton will float
Cotton will sink
Metal will float
Correct answer: Metal will sink
Q2.
2) Leaves are light, while glass is heavy. Which material do you think will float or sink? Choose 2 answers.
Glass will float
Correct answer: Glass will sink
Correct answer: Leaves will float
Leaves will sink
Q3.
3) Choose 2 words to describe the properties of wool.
Correct answer: Absorbent
Hard
Opaque
Correct answer: Soft
Transparent

3 Questions

Q1.
Absorbent materials do not soak up liquid easily. True or false?
Correct answer: False
True
Q2.
Which of these materials do you think is the most absorbent?
Correct answer: Cloth
Paper
Q3.
Which word describes something that keeps water out?
Absorbent
Shiny
Correct answer: Waterproof

Lesson appears in

UnitScience / Materials

Science