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Flexibility as a Property — Reading Comprehension

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Bend or Break is an engaging Grade 5 science reading passage aligned with NGSS standard PS1.A that introduces students to flexibility as an important material property. Through clear explanations and relatable examples, students discover why some materials like rubber bands bend easily while others like dry sticks snap when force is applied. The passage explores how understanding flexibility helps engineers, designers, and everyday people choose appropriate materials for different purposes. Students learn the difference between flexible and brittle materials through real-world applications like phone cases, bridges, and playground equipment. This audio-integrated resource includes a simplified differentiated version for diverse learners, Spanish translations of both passages, comprehension activities, writing prompts, and graphic organizers. The content builds foundational understanding of material properties without requiring advanced prior knowledge, making complex scientific concepts accessible to all fifth-grade learners.

CONTENT PREVIEW

rubber rings, rubber, hand, feel, touch, annular, keep together, office supplies, stretchable, versatile, household, attach, household rubber, elastic, ring, heap, multicoloured, a handful of, versatile, versatile, elastic, elastic, elastic, elastic, elastic — Rubber bands are flexible because they bend when you pull or twist them, but they return to their original shape. Image by congerdesign / Pixabay.

Flexibility is a property of materials that describes whether something bends without breaking or snaps when you apply force to it. When you push, pull, or twist a material, flexibility tells you how it will respond. Understanding flexibility helps us choose the right materials for different jobs and keeps people safe.

Some materials are very flexible, meaning they bend easily and return to their original shape. A rubber band is flexible because you can stretch it, and it bounces back. A bendy straw can curve without breaking. Flexible materials can handle force by changing shape temporarily. Other materials are brittle, which means they break or snap instead of bending. A dry stick is brittle—if you try to bend it, it cracks in half. A piece of chalk snaps easily when you press too hard. Brittle materials cannot change shape much before they break.

The flexibility of a material depends on how its tiny particles are connected. Think of flexible materials like a group of friends holding hands loosely—they can move around each other. Brittle materials are more like friends standing in a tight, stiff line—if someone pushes too hard, the line breaks apart. Scientists call the point where a material breaks its breaking point. Every material has a breaking point, but flexible materials can bend much more before reaching it.

Flexibility matters in everyday life. Engineers choose flexible materials for things that need to bend without breaking, like phone cases, shoe soles, and garden hoses. They choose brittle materials when they need something stiff and hard, like ceramic plates or glass windows. Even bridges use both types—flexible cables that can sway in the wind and strong concrete that holds weight. When you pick up a plastic water bottle, you can squeeze it because plastic is flexible. The glass bottle on the shelf is brittle and would shatter if you squeezed it the same way.

Understanding flexibility helps us use materials wisely and safely. A flexible diving board bends when you jump on it, storing energy and then springing you into the air. A brittle diving board would simply break. A flexible tree branch bends in a storm and survives, while a brittle branch snaps off. By testing materials and learning about their properties, we can predict how they will behave and choose the best one for each job.

Interesting Fact: Scientists have created a new material called graphene that is both incredibly flexible and incredibly strong—it can bend like rubber but is actually 200 times stronger than steel!

What does flexibility describe about materials?

Whether materials bend or breakWhat color materials areHow heavy materials feelHow much materials cost

Which material is an example of flexible?

A dry stickA piece of chalkA rubber bandA glass window

What is the breaking point?

When material changes color permanentlyWhen material finally breaks apartWhen material becomes very coldWhen material gets very heavy

Why do engineers choose flexible materials?

For things needing to bendBecause they are always cheapBecause they look prettyFor things that never move

What happens to brittle materials?

They bend and return to shapeThey stretch like rubber bandsThey break instead of bendingThey never change at all

Why can a plastic bottle be squeezed?

Because plastic is brittle materialBecause plastic is flexible materialBecause plastic has no particlesBecause plastic is made of glass