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Could you build a house out of paper?
Material Magic Unit | Lesson 5 of 6

Could you build a house out of paper?

Material Magic Unit | Lesson 5 of 6
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep

DISCUSS:

What other materials could you use to build a house?

DISCUSS:

How could you change the properties of paper to make it better to build with? What would you do?

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material


1 of 9

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic
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metal


2 of 9

a natural material that is often shiny and you cannot see through it
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wood


3 of 9

a natural material that comes from trees
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plastic


4 of 9

a material people make that can be formed into almost any shape
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brick


5 of 9

a block used for building

flexible


6 of 9

can bend easily
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stiff


7 of 9

cannot bend easily
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property


8 of 9

something you can observe about an object or material
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experiment


9 of 9

a test used to discover new information about a question
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Lesson narration:

Grade 2

Material Properties

Materials, Properties, & Engineering

2-PS1-3, K-2-ETS1-3

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students examine how large structures like houses are built from smaller pieces. In the activity, Paper Towers, they design their own structures using an unconventional building material: paper! Students build towers using 3" x 5" index cards and paper clips. First, they build tall towers, then they are challenged to build towers strong enough to support a hardcover book.
Preview activity

Exploration

12 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Grade 2

Material Properties

Materials, Properties, & Engineering

2-PS1-3, K-2-ETS1-3

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