Keep this light: one curiosity question and a quick hands-up. Do not set out the drip trays or name the test materials yet.

Hold up a real raincoat or waterproof jacket if you have one, or point to a coat on a peg. Ask what the coat material feels like compared with a paper bag or tissue. If children say "fabric", gently note that raincoat material is often coated so water cannot soak in the way ordinary cloth does.

STEM eyes: link to Irish weather and why outdoor coats, wellies and school-bag covers are made of certain materials.

Have the material squares and trays ready off to the side for the next steps, not laid out as the investigation yet.

Board version only above: two load-bearing words with one short line each. Do not project the full table.

Treat material as an oral label only. Hold up each of the four dry squares briefly as you name them (soft fabric square, paper, foil, plastic) so the objects and the words link. Say: Material means what something is made of while you show them. Keep trays and water off the tables still.

Misconception to head off: children may say thick things are always waterproof. Thickness is not the rule; some thin plastics keep water out and some thick fabrics let it through. Stick to what they see in the drip test. Also keep raincoat material separate from our soft fabric test square: ordinary cloth is not the same as coated raincoat material.

Ask: why might a window be glass or plastic, not paper?

Before this step

Hold up each dry square in turn so the class can see and gently feel the edges (keep them dry for now).

How to run it (one flow, about 5 minutes)

Do not run four full partner discussions plus four separate tallies plus four slow journal writes. Keep one tight sequence:

1. Look (about 1 minute): show the four dry squares once.
2. Whisper (about 1 minute): one short partner whisper only: Which ones will keep water out? No long reasons yet.
3. Hands-up and mark together (about 3 minutes): for each material in turn, take a quick class hands-up (stay on top / go through), jot a simple tally on the board, and while hands are still up have every pupil make one quick prediction mark on the Investigation Journal page for that square (tick, circle, or dry-face / wet-face). Move on. One mark per material, not sentences.

If time is tight, drop the partner whisper and go straight from looking to hands-up-and-mark. The board tally is the shared class story; the journal marks are each child's own prediction record.

Optional reason stem only if a child offers one unprompted, or for one material at the end: I think the plastic will keep water out because…

What to expect: most children pick plastic and foil as waterproof and paper as not. The soft fabric square is often split; that is useful for the later talk.

Do not drip water yet. Observation recording comes after the drip test; predictions must already be on the page before water appears.

Pacing plan (14 minutes total)

• 0–2 min — live model: one absorbent example only (paper). Use the short I wonder / I predict / I test / I observed / I think cycle below. Stop after paper so groups still have time for all four.
• 2–13 min — group tests (about 2.5 minutes per material): order paper → soft fabric → foil → plastic. For each square: hold, drip the agreed amount, watch a few seconds, say one agreed observation aloud, wipe tray if needed, swap roles, next square. Do not wait for long debate.
• 13–14 min — buffer: spill wipe, quieter groups finish the last square, freeze when time is up even if tidy is unfinished.

If a group is slow after two materials, you drip the last two while they watch and agree the observation. Every group must still have comparable evidence for all four squares before recording.

Modelled cycle (paper only)

I wonder: I wonder what will happen when I drip water on this paper square.

I predict: I think the water will soak in and maybe drip through, because paper soaks up spills.

I test: Hold the paper square flat over the tray with two hands (or rest opposite edges on the tray rim so the middle is free above the base). Use a dropper or spoon to drip about the same small amount each time (agree three drips or one small spoonful). Wait a few seconds.

I observed: The paper went dark and wet. Water came through onto the tray.

I think: So I think paper is not waterproof; it absorbs water and lets it through.

Name foil or plastic as the contrast they will see next at their trays. Do not declare results for materials the groups have not tested yet.

Group work

Groups of about four. One tray and one set of four dry squares per group. Same drip amount each time. Look from the same height; wipe the tray between materials if needed. Roles rotate each material: one holds the square, one drips, two watch and say what they see, then swap so everyone gets a turn across the four squares.

What to expect: paper usually soaks and may drip through; many soft fabric squares darken and let some water through; foil and plastic usually hold beads on top. If a square has a hole or crease, water may sneak through — name that as a clue about joins and damaged coats, not a failed test. Record what actually happened, even if it surprises you.

Safety: wipe floor spills straight away; sleeves rolled; no tasting water from trays.

Key questions while you circulate

• Where is the water now — on top, inside the material, or on the tray?
• Did we drip the same amount on this one as the last?
• Does this material remind you of anything you wear in the rain?

Pupils use the paper Investigation Journal page. Do not describe page layout, columns or boxes; say only what to record.

Focus this step on observations from watching the water. Predictions should already be marked from the predict step; if a child missed a mark, add a quick one from the board tally before they write what they saw, so prediction and observation stay distinct.

Support writers with oral rehearsal first: I observed… Accept drawings of a dry top versus a wet tray, or simple codes (e.g. dry face / wet face). One clear observation mark or short phrase per material is enough for 1st Class.

Circulate and check they record evidence from the drip test, not only their first guess. If a group's foil leaked through a tear, help them note what they saw honestly.

Differentiation: scribes or paired recording for children who need it; challenge early finishers to add one everyday object that matches a waterproof material they tested (spoken or a quick extra sketch on spare paper, not a second journal task).