48
Building materials
Textbook: Part 2, pp. 66–69
GoalKnow building materials (marble, granite, sand, gravel, clay, brick, cement) and where they are used.
New words
marble · marmargranite · granitbrick · g‘ishtcement · sement
Explanation
The materials used to build houses, roads and bridges are called building materials. Most are taken from minerals. Granite is a very hard rock, used for steps, kerbs and statue bases. Marble is a beautiful rock that can be polished; it decorates buildings and metro stations. Sand and gravel are needed to make concrete and to lay roads. Brick is made by pressing clay into moulds and baking it. Cement mixed with sand and water sets hard and strong. Wood is also a building material, but it comes from plants. A building site is dangerous to play on: there are heavy loads and sharp objects.
Worked examples
House wall — brick; steps — granite; building decoration — marble.
Class activity
Look at one building near you (with an adult) and work out its materials: wall, roof, window, floor.
Practice
1
What is brick made from?
Clay, moulded and baked.
2
What kind of rock is granite?
A very hard rock.
3
Why not play on a building site?
Heavy loads and sharp objects are dangerous.