Term 2, Week 3
27 Apr – 3 May 2026
This week’s topic
Metals and Non-Metals: identifying properties of metals, investigating rust, and researching uses of metals from the home environment
Your Week Ahead
This week your Grade 5 class dives into one of the most tangible and hands-on topics in the Natural Sciences and Technology curriculum: metals and non-metals. Learners will explore what makes metals special, focusing on two key properties that come up again and again in everyday life, namely the ability to conduct electricity and the ability to conduct heat. From there, they connect those properties to the real objects around them, which is exactly the kind of thinking CAPS wants to build at this level.
The investigation into rust is a highlight of the week. It gives learners a chance to observe a real chemical change and ask questions about why it happens and how it can be prevented. This is also a great opportunity to bring in the Technology side of NST, since preventing rust is a genuine engineering and design challenge. By the end of the week, learners should be able to explain why we use metal for a frying pan handle, an electric wire, or a bridge, and connect that reasoning to the specific properties of metals they have studied.
Coming into this week, learners should have a basic understanding of materials and their general properties from earlier grades. They will be familiar with the idea that different materials are chosen for different purposes. This week builds on that foundation by introducing more precise scientific vocabulary and asking learners to think more carefully about the relationship between a material’s properties and its uses. Keep that prior knowledge in mind as you introduce new concepts, because linking the unfamiliar to the familiar always helps things click.
This Week’s Lesson Plan
The three lessons this week move learners from identifying and understanding properties, through a practical investigation, to independent research and application.
Day 1: Introduce metals and non-metals, identify the key properties of metals (heat and electrical conductivity), and match these properties to familiar everyday uses through class discussion and examples.
Day 2: Investigate how rust occurs through a guided practical activity, observe and record findings, and discuss the conditions needed for rusting as well as ways to prevent it.
Day 3: Learners research properties and uses of metals found in the home environment, present their findings, and consolidate understanding of why specific metals are chosen for specific purposes.
Download Your Lesson Plan
Download the full 3-day lesson plan as a Word document. Includes detailed activities, differentiation notes, and assessment guidance.
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This lesson plan was generated by CAPSPlanner for a typical South African classroom (public school, class of 35, basic resources). Want a plan tailored to your school’s context, class size, and available resources?