Need help figuring out where to start preparing to teach Chemical Sciences to your Foundation students? Our Investigating Materials Unit is exactly what you need!

Over the course of this 5-lesson science unit, students will complete a variety of purposeful and engaging tasks that are aligned to the V9 Foundation Science Australian Curriculum and are ideal to complete as a part of your Science Program. The unit is designed to develop students’ proficiency in planning and conducting investigations related to different materials and their observable properties.

By the end of this unit of work, students will recognise and identify the materials used to make objects and tools in their everyday lives. They will learn to observe the properties of different materials by using their senses. Students will learn about traditional ways to combine materials to make objects and tools for different purposes. They use this knowledge to investigate the best material to weave a basket. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the purpose of materials in an investigation to find the strongest material to make slip on shoes. To conclude the unit, students will apply their scientific knowledge to design and make a pair of shoes for a specific purpose.

The unit of work comes in a downloadable zip folder and contains the following resources:

1. Unit Guide: includes a unit overview, lesson plans with associated worksheets, an assessment with assessment rubric and suggested resources.
2. Informative PowerPoint: includes content related to some of the concepts taught in the unit, including traditional ways to combine materials, the purposes of objects and the role materials play in the functionality of objects.
3. Game PowerPoint: a fun interactive game for students to play and practice their knowledge of identifying materials.
4. Displays: includes a banner, posters and word wall cards.