Why are metals useful?
Activities Provide pupils with a range of questions about metals and non-metals, eg Are metals good conductors of heat/electricity? Are non-metals non-conductors? Are non-metals all gases? Where do we get metals (iron, zinc, copper, lead, gold, silver) from? What are they used for? Suggest sources of information they could use, eg databases, reference books, practical activities. Ask different groups to explore different questions and to produce a factsheet about a particular element or property. Help pupils use these to make a comparison of non-metals and metals and to explain what makes metals useful. Explain to pupils that there are similarities in the ways in which metals react chemically and that they are going to find out more about these in this unit. Outcomes contrast the conductivity of metals and non-metals identify graphite as a non-metallic conductor produce an information sheet that is correct and well sequenced and contains appropriate information make some generalisation
