Year 1 Science: See-through and not see-through
Part of the Year 1 Science properties of materials chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
See-through and not see-through
A see-through material lets light through, so you can see what is on the other side. Window glass is see-through, and so is a clear plastic bag. A not see-through material stops you seeing through it. You cannot see through a wooden door or a metal tin.
Key ideas
- See-through means you can see things through it.
- Not see-through means you cannot see things through it.
- Glass can be see-through. Metal is not see-through.
- Test by holding the material over a picture in a book.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test the window, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the window. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star can be seen
- Answer yes or no. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Not see-through means you cannot see things through it.
Method. Test the wooden door, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the wooden door. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star is hidden
- Answer yes or no. You cannot see the star through it, so it is not see-through.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test both things, then find the one that is see-through.
- Look at both things. Test each one in the same way.metal tin or clear plastic bag
- Find the one that is see-through. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.clear plastic bag is see-through
- Write the answer. clear plastic bag
Check. The other one is not see-through, so only clear plastic bag is see-through. ✓
Watch out. Test both things before you choose. Do not choose by the name or the colour.
Watch out
Watch out: a clear plastic bag is see-through, but a black bin bag is not. Test the material you are looking at.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child: “Can you see through it?” Hold each thing up in front of the same picture, so the test is fair. Ask: “What did you see?”
Try it at home (with a grown-up)
Hold a clear plastic bag over a picture in a book. Then hold a piece of card over the same picture. Can you see the picture through each one? Keep the bag and card still while you look.
Exercise 8E See-through and not see-through
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test the window, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the window. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star can be seen
- Answer yes or no. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. Not see-through means you cannot see things through it.
Method. Test the wooden door, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the wooden door. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star is hidden
- Answer yes or no. You cannot see the star through it, so it is not see-through.No
- Write the answer. No
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test the clear plastic bag, then answer Yes or No.
- Test the clear plastic bag. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star can be seen
- Answer yes or no. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.Yes
- Write the answer. Yes
Check. Test it again in the same way, and your answer is the same. ✓
Watch out. Answer from the test, not from what you think it might be.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test the window, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the window. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star can be seen
- Choose the word that fits. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.see-through
- Write the answer. see-through
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Not see-through means you cannot see things through it.
Method. Test the metal tin, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the metal tin. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star is hidden
- Choose the word that fits. You cannot see the star through it, so it is not see-through.not see-through
- Write the answer. not see-through
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test the clear plastic bag, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the clear plastic bag. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star can be seen
- Choose the word that fits. You can see the star through it, so it is see-through.see-through
- Write the answer. see-through
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Key words. Not see-through means you cannot see things through it.
Method. Test the wooden door, then choose the word that fits it.
- Test the wooden door. Try it gently, or look at the picture.the star is hidden
- Choose the word that fits. You cannot see the star through it, so it is not see-through.not see-through
- Write the answer. not see-through
Check. Test it again the same way, and the word stays the same. ✓
Watch out. Test first, then choose the word. Do not guess from the name.
Method. Look at each panel. If you can see the star, the panel is see-through.
- Look at each panel. Ask: can I see the star through it?window: yes; metal tin: no; clear plastic bag: yes; wooden door: no
- Find the panels that hide the star. A panel that hides the star is not see-through.metal tin and wooden door
- Write the answer. the metal tin and the wooden door
Check. Only the window and the clear plastic bag let you see the star. ✓
Watch out. Look for the star in every panel, not only the first one.
Key words. See-through means you can see things through it.
Method. Test each thing for this property, then put it in the right group.
- Look at each thing. Ask: does it have this property?clear plastic bag, window, metal tin, wooden door
- Put each thing in one group. Each thing goes in only one group.See-through: clear plastic bag, window. Not see-through: metal tin, wooden door.
- Write the groups. See-through: clear plastic bag, window. Not see-through: metal tin, wooden door.
Check. Count the things in the groups. There are 4 in all. ✓
Watch out. Test each thing first. Do not sort by colour or size.
Method. Think about what Zainab wants to do.
- Read what Zainab wants. Zainab wants a panel she can look through to see outside.look outside
- Choose the see-through material. A window is see-through, so she can see outside. A wooden door is not.window = see-through
- Write the answer. A window, because it is see-through.
Check. Hold a window up. You can see through it. ✓
Watch out. Choose the material that does the job. Check the property first.
Method. Make a prediction first, then plan a fair test.
- Make a prediction. A prediction is a sensible guess before you test.You will still see the picture through the clear plastic bag.
- Plan the test. Test each thing in the same way, so the test is fair.Hold the clear bag over a picture in a book, then look through it. Do the same with card.
- Write the answer. You will still see the picture through the clear bag. Hold the bag over the picture and look.
Check. Look through the bag and check the picture is still there. ✓
Watch out. Make your guess before you test. Then check what really happens.
Method. Think about what shiny means, and what see-through means.
- Read what Ruby says. Ruby says metal is see-through because it is shiny.Ruby: shiny = see-through
- Test the idea. A shine does not let you see through a material. Metal stops you seeing through it.metal: not see-through
- Write the answer. No. Metal is not see-through, even when it is shiny.
Check. Hold a metal tin in front of a picture. You cannot see it. ✓
Watch out. A material can be shiny and still not see-through.
Method. Think about which thing is different.
- Look at each thing. The window and the clear plastic bag are see-through.window: see-through; bag: see-through
- Find the odd one out. The metal tin is not see-through, so it is different.tin: not see-through
- Write the answer. Metal tin. It is not see-through, but the window and the bag are.
Check. Hold each one up in front of a picture. Only the tin hides the picture. ✓
Watch out. Look for the one that is different, and say why.