Material World resources

Task: Predict, Observe, Explain, (POE) activity observing what happens to air in a balloon when it is heated. Assessment focus: behaviour of gases when heated and cooled.

Task: Plan a fair test to see if adding salt water to water affects how long it takes to freeze. Assessment focus: managing variables.

Task: Create, use and identify ‘rules’ based on observable and/or measurable physical properties of common plastics. Assessment focus: classifying & identifying.

For this practical task students use their knowledge about the properties of gases to explain their observations when they blow up a balloon that is inside a bottle and a balloon that is not inside a bottle.

In this practical task students investigate the effect of temperature on viscosity. Students describe and explain what has happened.

This practical task requires students to sort some common items from hardest to softest. Students then explain a test that they used to help determine this.

Task: Measure 100mL of water into three different pieces of equipment. Weigh the result and calculate the precision of using that piece of equipment. Assessment focus: measuring and evaluating the accuracy of equipment.

For this practical task students complete a table of observations on nine common materials. Students then use their results to group the materials according to similar properties.

This practical task requires students to carry out three tests to find out if each element is a metal or non-metal.

Students state whether each of nine common objects are transparent or opaque.

Students draw a circle around those objects that are hard.

Students outline a test they could do to show if a substance is a metal or not.

Students are given some solids and liquids for this practical task. They plan how they would find out which liquids are solvents for any given solid, carry out the task, and write a conclusion.

Students are given an experimental setup of heating water with a burning peanut and are asked how they could change this in three ways to get a greater temperature increase. Students are also asked to give two important experimental conditions that should remain the same if the experiment was repeated.

For this practical task students are given a variety of objects which they are required to make observations on by using their senses.

This task requires students to determine the best way to dissolve Milo the quickest. Students are given the opportunity to determine this by trial and error, then they are asked to write up their result and a conclusion.

For this practical task students determine the viscosity of different household susbstances such as golden syrup, cooking oil, fruit juice etc. Students complete the experiment and construct a chart showing their results and observations.

This practical task has students investigate the surface area of three objects and whether this influences the rate of evaporation. Students fill in a table, and calculate the water loss and answer questions to show their understanding.

Students answer short questions to demonstrate their understanding that candles need oxygen to burn.

Task: Process and interpret data in a table to identify the best paper to use for a game. Evaluate the reliability of the collected data. Assessment focus: using evidence to answer a question.

In this NEMP task students discuss observations of six unknown common household powders. They design a chart for results, find properties for each, and identify what each powder is. Assessment focus: identifying substances; teamwork.

Task: Look at the arrangement of fibres for four different paper towels, arrange an appropriate sequence of instructions, carry out the instructions and then communicate the data in an appropriate graph that will help answer the question. Different elements of the nature of science are embedded throughout the tasks. Assessment focus: planning and carrying out a fair test, using evidence to answer a question.

Task: Answer questions about recycling aluminium by interpreting a fact file. Assessment focus: Recycling.

In this practical students are first required to identify as many uses of paper they can think of. Then, using samples of different paper types, they identify particular uses for that type of paper and reasons why the paper is used for this purpose.

Task: Describe and compare some physical properties of plastic objects and identify the properties scientists might use for classifying materials. Assessment focus: classifying using physical properties.