Material World resources

Task: Match everyday terms about properties with their meanings. Use their understanding about properties of paper and their uses to justify appropriate questions to investigate. Assessment focus: asking questions about paper properties.

A description of two 'reactions' with household chemicals is outlined. For each students identify if the reaction is chemical or physical and provide an explanation for their answer.

Students interpret a table of data in order to answer four questions on the properties of five different types of paper.

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

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.

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.

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.

Describe methods for speeding up and slowing down melting of an ice cube using one of three provided objects, and explain why the methods would work. Assessment focus: planning an investigation.

For this practical students make observations about dissolving, and plan and carry out an investigation to find out what makes sugar dissolve more quickly.

For this practical task students make a prediction about which lot of ice will melt first. Then students record their observations and explain why one lot of ice melted faster than the other.

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

For this practical task students record their observations as an egg is poached in water.

Students evaluate a fair test about whether salt or sugar solution dissolves faster.

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.

For this practical task students complete a table of observations for the following substances: vinegar, baking soda, and vinegar and baking soda mixed together.

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

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

For this practical task students are assessed on their ability to observe changes that have occurred to 'popping' corn before and after it is heated. Drawings and written observations are required.

This practical task requires students to make observations and draw diagrams about diffusion that occurs when food colouring is added to water.

This practical assessment requires students to design and carry out tests on three properties of four different fabrics in order to find the most suitable fabric for the stated purpose.

Students are given an outline of an investigation on metal corrosion and a graph of some results. Students' ability to interpret the graph and knowledge of fair testing is assessed via short answer questions.

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

Students select the correct written definition of the words element, compound, and mixture.

Students label six diagrams as an element, compound, or mixture.