Metal, Plastic or Wood? Conductors and Insulators

About This Resource

A complete Grade 4 science pack on conductors and insulators: which materials let electricity pass through (metals such as copper and steel) and which do not (plastic, rubber, wood, glass), testing materials in a simple tester circuit, why wires are metal inside and plastic outside, and why a metal spoon gets hot in soup but a wooden one does not. Includes slides with notes, a lesson plan, worksheet, quiz, homework, flashcards, a rubric and answer keys.

Overview

Students find out that some materials let electricity flow through them easily. These are electrical conductors, and most of them are metals. Materials that do not let electricity flow, such as plastic, rubber, wood and glass, are electrical insulators. Students predict and then test everyday objects in a tester circuit, record their results in a table, and use them to explain why wires and plugs are made the way they are. They then see that metals also conduct heat well, while wood, plastic and wool are good heat insulators, and they link this to pans, spoons and warm clothes.

Resource Details

Subject: Science
Topic: Conductors and Insulators
Category: Materials & Matter
File Type: PDF
File Size: 360.6 KB
Published: 08 Nov 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 4 (ages 9–10) 55 minutes Physical science predicting fair testing recording results explaining

Learning Objectives

Explain what electrical conductors and insulators are, and name examples of each.
Test materials in a simple circuit and record whether the bulb lights.
Explain why metals and insulators are used in wires, plugs, pans and clothes.

How to Use This Resource

Start with the slides: show a wire with the plastic cut back and ask why it has two different materials.
Teach the key words with the slides and flashcards, then run the tester-circuit investigation and do worksheet activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 6, then use the quiz and send the homework page home.

Classroom Activity Ideas

Tester circuit: a battery, bulb and three wires with a gap; students place objects in the gap and see if the bulb lights.
Predict and sort: before testing, students sort objects into two hoops labeled conductor and insulator, then check their predictions.
Spoon race: stand a metal, a plastic and a wooden spoon in a cup of warm water and feel which handle gets warm first.

Differentiation

Support: give students a results table with pictures of each object and only two choices to circle. Challenge: students explain why pencil lead (graphite) lights the bulb dimly even though it is not a metal.

Assessment

Use the worksheet and quiz to check that students can classify materials and explain their uses. Use the rubric during the tester investigation and for the homework hunt.

Teacher Tips

Use only low-voltage batteries for testing and remind students never to test anything with mains electricity. Clean coins and foil work best; painted metal may not conduct because the paint is an insulator.

What's Included

10-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (8 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (6 activities)
Quiz / assessment (3 parts)
Homework practice page
Printable flashcards: 8 A5 picture cards (separate PDF)
Assessment rubric (4 levels)
Lesson slides (editable PowerPoint)
Editable Word version of all student pages
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)

Additional Files

Lesson Slides (PPTX)
Editable Student Pages and Lesson Plan (DOCX)
A5 Flashcards (PDF)
Answer Key (PDF)

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