2
Made by people
Workbook 2: Topic 3.1, pp. 29–31
GoalSay that people make new materials from natural ones, such as paper, glass, plastic and brick.
New words
made material · a material that people make from other materialsoil · a thick black liquid that is found deep in the groundsand · tiny grains of rock, found on beaches and in deserts
Explanation
People can change natural materials into new materials. We call these made materials. Paper is made from wood. Workers cut up the wood and turn it into thin sheets. Glass is made from sand. In a factory the sand is heated until it melts. Plastic is made from oil. Bricks are made from clay that is baked hard. Made materials are useful because people can choose how they look and feel.
| Natural material | Made material |
|---|---|
| wood | paper |
| sand | glass |
| oil | plastic |
| clay | brick |
Worked examples
Yuki draws on paper. The paper was made from wood.
Windows and jars can be made of glass. The glass was made from sand.
A house can be built with bricks. Each brick was made from wet clay that was shaped and then baked hard.
Class activity
Make some paper (with an adult): tear scrap paper into small pieces and soak them in a bowl of warm water for an hour. Mash them with a spoon, spread the paste thinly on a flat tray and leave it to dry for a day or two. You have turned old paper into a new sheet. Wash your hands afterwards.
Practice
1
Which natural material do we use to make paper?
Wood (from trees).
2
What is glass made from?
Sand.
3
Is plastic a natural material or a made material?
A made material. People make it from oil.
4
Lola says, “A brick is a natural material, because clay comes from the ground.” Is she right?
Not quite. Clay is natural, but people shape and bake the clay to make a brick, so a brick is a made material.