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Lesson plan · Grade 2 · 35 minutes

Three Pigs Lab

I can test materials, describe their properties, and choose the best material for a job.

▶ Open the tool Download the tool
Standard
2-PS1-1 NGSS
2-PS1-2 NGSS
Shape
Explore first
Grouping
Whole class on the carpet, then small groups.
You need
The tool on the big screen. Real samples to pass around: a straw, a stick, a brick or rock, a piece of clear plastic (for glass), wool or a mitten, a metal spoon. A chart with columns for strong, see-through, warm and keeps out rain.
Tool
curioclass.org/tools/three-pigs-lab/
  1. Hook4 min
  2. Explore13 min
  3. Make sense7 min
  4. Apply8 min
  5. Exit check3 min

Before class

  • Open the tool with an empty build spot.
  • Properties are simplified for grade 2: each material gets a 0-3 rating.
  • Walls are tested by Wolf, Peek and Cold night. The roof is tested by Rain.

Hook 4 min

  1. Retell the Three Little Pigs in one minute. "Which house was best?" (Bricks!)
  2. "Is brick the best for everything? What about windows? Let's test like scientists."

Explore 13 min

  1. Build a Straw house. Before pressing Wolf, the class predicts: "Will it stand?" Then test.
  2. Try Sticks, then Bricks. Each result lands in the Lab notebook.
  3. Press Peek on a brick house, then a Glass house. "Which would make a good window?"
  4. Test Wool and Metal on a Cold night and in the Rain. Pass the real samples around while the tests run.

Make sense 7 min

  1. Read the Lab notebook together and fill in the class chart.
  2. "Which material is best at everything?" (None of them.) "Bricks beat the wolf but you can't see through them. Wool is warm but soaks up rain."
  3. "Why do real houses use more than one material?"

Apply 8 min

Small groups design a house on paper: one material for the walls, one for the windows and one for the roof. They label each with the property that makes it a good choice. Then a group builds their design in the tool and tests it.

Exit check 3 min

Ask: "What would make a good raincoat? A good blanket? A good window?" Children answer with a material and a reason: "Glass, because you can see through it."

Support and stretch

  • Support: test only three materials: straw, sticks and bricks.
  • Support: use one property word at a time: strong, see-through, warm.
  • Stretch: "Which material would you use for a roof? Why?"
  • Stretch: find something in the classroom made from two materials and explain each one's job.

Short on time

  • Straw, sticks and bricks against the Wolf (6 min).
  • Peek on bricks and glass (4 min).

How each button works is in the teacher notes. From Curio Class, free under CC BY 4.0: change it, print it, share it.