Have three everyday objects ready to show (or clear pictures): a waterproof coat or bag, a soft cushion or soft toy, and a strong bag or handle. Keep the hook light: one curiosity question only.

Key question: Why is this made of that material and not something else?

Surface ideas quickly. Do not name the investigation yet. Encourage noticing: material choices behind everyday objects at school and home.

Before this step

Put children into small groups (about 3–4). Write the three jobs on the board so every group can see them and choose.

Jobs (write on the board)

• Keep a toy dry: Which material keeps a small toy driest when the toy is covered the same way and a little water is sprinkled on top?
• Cosiest cushion top: Which material feels softest for a cushion top after the same short hand rest?
• Strongest bag handle: Which material holds best as a handle strip without stretching or tearing too much?

Share the jobs across the class

Let groups choose, but steer so the three jobs are represented. A simple lever: once a job has two groups, invite the next groups to pick from the remaining jobs. Aim for at least one group on each job so the later share-out can compare across jobs.

Teaching tips

Help them turn the job into a simple testable question: Which material is best for …?

Do not ask which material will win yet. The materials trays come next, so keep this step as job choice and question only.

Misconception to head off: children may later say a material is "best" because they like its colour. Gently steer them to the job: best means it does the job well.

Give each group a mixed materials tray before they test. Sorting first slows them down so they notice properties, not just grab the first scrap.

On the IWB, keep the pupil prompt job-agnostic (might suit / probably will not). Show only the property pair that matches each group's job when you visit or call that group: for the dry job, water soaks in / water stays on top; for the cushion job, soft or hard (or soft / scratchy); for the handle job, strong when pulled / tears or stretches easily. Do not leave all property pairs on the board for every group at once.

Look-fors: pupils use property words tied to their job (soft, strong, water stays on top, stretchy) rather than only colour or size.

If a group sorts everything into "might work", ask: Which two would you try first, and which would you leave out?

Issue apparatus by job

Only put on each table what that group needs. Dry-job groups get the toy, jug and shallow tray. Cushion groups need only the materials tray. Handle groups get one small weight, scraps for strips, and a chair back or table edge for hanging. This keeps tables clear and safer.

How each job is tried (model one full cycle first)

Worked example (teacher models Keep a toy dry):

• I wonder: which covering keeps the toy driest?
• I predict: foil will keep it dry because water sits on top of foil at home.
• I test: cover the same small toy the same way with cloth, then foil, then plastic. Sprinkle the same few drops of water on top each time. Wait the same short count.
• I observed: the cloth got damp and the toy felt wet; the foil and plastic left the toy dry.
• I think: plastic and foil suited this job better than cloth because the water did not soak through.

After the model, leave only short same-each-time lines for each job on the board (or point groups to their own line). Do not expect every pupil to read all three long protocols at once.

Same each time (point each group to its own line)

• Keep a toy dry: same toy, cover it the same way each time, same few water drops on top, same short wait; look or feel for dampness.
• Cosiest cushion top: same hand rest, same short count; then agree which felt softest or least scratchy (no weights needed).
• Strongest bag handle: make each scrap into a strip of the same length (about a hand span). Loop the strip over a chair back or table edge the same way. An adult hangs the same small weight from the free end, low and clear of toes, for a short count (for example, count to ten). Look for stretch, slip or tear. The stronger handle changes least.

Safety: wipe water spills straight away; hang weights low and away from toes; adult helps with hanging; no tasting materials.

Differentiation: support groups with a spoken stem: We tried… We saw… So we choose… Confident groups may try a fourth material if time allows.

Show these stems on the IWB and leave them up:

• Our question was…
• We tried…
• Our best choice is… because…

Pupils record on the paper Investigation Journal page. One child scribes for the group so the writing load stays light for 7–8-year-olds. Short labels or ticks for materials tried are fine if a full list is hard.

Check that the reason is what they saw or felt ("the toy stayed dry", "it felt softest", "it did not stretch") not preference ("I like blue").