Grade 4 NST Term 2 Week 7: Strengthening Materials and Paper Pillars

Your Week Ahead

This week your Grade 4 learners get to be engineers for a few lessons, and honestly it is one of the most satisfying weeks in the Term 2 programme. The focus is on how the shape of a material can change how strong it is, using something as simple and cheap as paper. Learners will fold and roll paper into different pillar shapes, circular, triangular, and square, as well as into long thin tubes called struts, and then test which shape holds the most weight. It is hands-on, investigative, and full of those brilliant moments where learners genuinely surprise themselves.

In the CAPS sequence, this topic sits within the Technology strand and builds on earlier work around materials and their properties. Learners have already explored what different materials are made of and how they are used. Now they take the next step by asking a deeper question: can we change how a material behaves by changing its shape? That is the big idea here, and it connects directly to how real-world structures like bridges, buildings, and furniture are designed. Getting learners to see that connection makes the investigation feel meaningful rather than just a fun activity.

Coming into this week, learners should have a basic understanding that different materials have different properties and that some materials are stronger than others. They do not need any prior knowledge of engineering or geometry to access this topic. What they do need is curiosity and a willingness to test their predictions. Make sure you have enough A4 paper, some books or similar objects for stacking as weights, and a bit of tape or sticky tack on hand. You will not need anything fancy.

This Week’s Lesson Plan

This is a 3-lesson week, so the investigation is spread across the days to give learners time to build, test, record, and reflect properly.

Day 1: Introduce the concept of strengthening materials through shape. Learners discuss why thin flat paper is weak and explore how folding or rolling changes its structure. Introduce the four pillar types (circular, triangular, square, and strut tube) and learners construct their paper pillars as a guided activity.

Day 2: Carry out the fair test investigation. Learners place each pillar shape on a flat surface and add weight gradually (using books or similar objects), recording how much each pillar holds before collapsing. Groups compare results and identify which shape performed best.

Day 3: Discuss and consolidate findings as a class. Learners record their conclusions in their workbooks, explaining which pillar shape was strongest and why they think that is. Link the learning to real-life examples of hollow structures and tubes used in buildings, bridges, and everyday objects.

Download Your Lesson Plan

Download the full 3-day lesson plan as a Word document. Includes detailed activities, differentiation notes, and assessment guidance.

Download Lesson Plan (Word)