Investigate the properties of materials and their uses with this 8-lesson unit plan for Year 4 Chemical Sciences.

This unit explores the differences between natural and made materials and how properties impact how they are used. Students will investigate properties of elasticity in a guided hands-on experiment before crafting their own to determine which material would be best to create a tent.

The unit culminates with students designing a new reusable product that intends to replace a single-use item that is used today.

The unit plan package downloads as a zip file and contains the following resources:

1. Unit Guide: includes a scope and sequence, unit overview, lesson plans with associated resources, science experiments, assessments, rubrics and suggested resources.
2. PowerPoints: a Properties of Made Materials Teaching PowerPoint, a Natural & Processed Materials Sort PowerPoint and a Sorting Materials for Recycling PowerPoint.
3. Displays: a unit banner, Natural to Processed Materials posters and word wall cards.

There are opportunities for two assessments included in the unit. The first is part of the student-designed experiment where the science inquiry skills will be assessed. The second concludes the unit with a design task and incorporates design technology codes.