Material Testing Station

Content Standards

In this lesson, the students are learning how to sort the different objects in groups based on their properties and appearance like hard or soft, transparent or opaque, soluble or not soluble, conductor or insulator, heavy or light and heavy or light.

Performance Standards

Students will be able to:

Identify and test materials based on their properties.
Compare and classify materials according to the test results.
Relate experimental findings to everyday use of materials.

Alignment Standards

Reference: NCERT Class 6 Science

The lesson is aligned with the NCERT Grade 6 Science Book-Chapter 6: Materials Around Us, Section:2 – Material Testing Station

Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

Define and explain different properties of materials (hardness, solubility, transparency,hardness).
Perform simple tests to check these properties.
Classify and group materials based on observed results.
Understand why certain materials are used for specific purposes in daily life.

Prerequisites (Prior Knowledge)

Students should already know:

Examples of common materials (wood, plastic, glass, rubber, iron, etc.).
Familiarize with basic properties of materials.

Introduction

In this session, students will explore how everyday objects are made from different materials and why. They will learn that materials differ in properties like hardness, solubility, transparency and conductivity. By testing these properties through simple activities, students will discover how such differences decide the use of materials in our daily life.

Timeline (40 Minutes)

Title	Approximate Duration	Procedure	Reference Material
Phase 1: Engage	5	Show objects, ask guiding questions	Slides
Phase 2: Explore	10	Hands-on virtual activity on “Material Testing Station”: Students test hardness (scratch), solubility (in water), transparency (torch), etc.	Virtual Lab
Phase 3: Explain	10	The teacher explains concepts: hardness, solubility, transparency, and lustre. Relate to everyday uses.	Slides + Virtual Lab
Phase 4: Evaluate	10	Conduct a MCQ test to check understanding of the key concepts.	Virtual Lab
Phase 5: Extend	5	Ask students to identify materials at home (utensils, furniture, clothes) and classify them by properties.	Slides

Material Testing Station

Introduction

Every day we use many different things—like a glass tumbler, a steel spoon, a plastic bottle, or a wooden chair. Have you thought about why each of these objects is made from a different material? It is because every material has special properties. In this lesson, we will test and explore the properties of materials and learn how these properties decide the use of that material in our daily life.

Theory

Materials around us are made of different substances like wood, plastic, glass, rubber, and metals. Each of them has unique properties. Scientists, engineers, and even common people test these properties to decide how a material can be used.

Some important properties are:

Hardness – Some materials (like iron) are hard, while others (like chalk) are soft.
Solubility – Some substances (like sugar or salt) dissolve in water, while others (like sand or plastic) do not.
Transparency – Some materials allow light to pass through them (glass – transparent), some allow partial light (oiled paper – translucent), and some do not allow light at all (wood – opaque).
Lustre – Some materials have a shiny appearance on their surface. This shine is called lustre. Metals like gold, silver, copper, and aluminium show lustre. That is why they are often used in making jewellery, coins, and decorative items. Materials like wood, rubber, or plastic do not have lustre — they look dull.

By testing these properties at the Material Testing Station, we can classify materials and understand why they are used for certain purposes—for example, glass for windows (transparent), rubber for electric wires (insulator), and iron for tools (hard and strong).

Vocabulary

This is the list of vocabulary terms used throughout the lesson.

Material – The substance from which an object is made.
Property – A feature that helps us describe and test a material.
Hardness – Ability of a material to resist scratching or being pressed.
Solubility – Ability of a substance to dissolve in water.
Transparency – Ability of a material to let light pass through.
Opaque – A material that does not allow light to pass through.
Translucent – A material that allows some light but not a clear image.
Transparent – A material that allows light to pass clearly.

Material Testing Station

Introduction

Welcome to the Material Testing Station Virtual Lab! Here, you will step into a virtual science lab where you can pick up different objects and test their properties like hardness, solubility, transparency, and lustre. Just like real scientists, you will observe how each material behaves and record your results. These experiments will help you understand why glass is used for windows, why metals shine and are used in jewellery, or why rubber is used to cover electric wires. Get ready to explore, test, and discover the amazing world of materials—all in a safe and fun virtual space!

Key Features

The Material Testing Station VR Lab offers an interactive way for students to test material properties like hardness, solubility, transparency and lustre in a safe virtual setup. It includes a digital observation table, built-in quizzes for instant feedback, and realistic simulations that support self-paced learning. Teachers can also track student progress, making the lab both engaging and effective.

MCQs are integrated at the end of each module for engagement.

Step-by-Step Procedure for VR Experience

Step 1: Enter the Virtual Lab

Enter the Material Testing Station environment.
You will see a table with different everyday objects like glass, wood, metal, rubber, plastic, etc.

Step 2: Classify the Object Given

Point at any object on the table and pick it up by clicking on it.

Step 3: Test for the Property

Place it on the testing platform to begin learning about its properties.

Step 4: Repeat the Steps

Repeat the steps to identify which material is suitable to make everyday objects and learn about its properties.

Step 5: Evaluation

After interaction, students proceed to the quiz:
2 MCQs