Materials Teaching Resources
Explore the properties of materials and where they are found with your students this school year! Explore worksheets, hands-on activities, lesson plans and more teacher-created resources for teaching students about materials found in nature and made by humans.
The printable and digital resources in this collection are aligned with the Australian science curriculum, and each one has undergone a careful review by a member of the Teach Starter teacher team.
Is this your first year teaching about materials? Or perhaps you're simply looking for some fresh information and ways to teach this science topic? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a materials definition to share with your students, plus explanations of the differences between matural and man-made materials!
What Are Materials? A Kid-Friendly Definition
Do you need a way to explain what materials are to your students? Here's a helpful definition from our teacher team that you can add to your lessons:
A material is a substance that is used to make an object. For example, a desk can be made from wood. Wood is the material.
Materials can come from nature, but they can also be man-made.
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Materials in the Classroom Worksheets
Observe and identify the materials used to make things in the classroom with a set of printable Materials in the Classroom Worksheets.
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Types of Materials Flashcards
Explore things made of wood, glass, plastic, metal and other materials with our printable Types of Materials Flashcards.
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Changing Materials PowerPoint - Bend, Twist, & Stretch
Explore materials and how they can be changed by bending, twisting, stretching, tearing, and crushing with a Changing Materials PowerPoint.
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What’s It Made Of? Materials PowerPoint (F)
Explore the world and discover the materials we use to make everyday objects with our ‘What’s It Made Of?’ Materials PowerPoint Presentation.
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Properties of Materials PowerPoint
Explore the world of materials and the traits that make them useful with a Properties of Materials PowerPoint presentation.
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Which Material is Best? Worksheet Pack
Explore everyday objects, the materials they’re made from, and the properties that make them useful with our Which Material Is Best? Worksheet Pack.
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Mistaken Materials Worksheets
Explore materials and their positive properties with a set of printable Mistaken Materials Worksheets.
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Properties of Materials - Graphing Worksheets
Explore materials and mathematics with engaging Properties of Materials Graphing Worksheets.
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What If? Choosing Materials Worksheets
Explore everyday objects and identify the best materials to make them with our What If? Choosing Materials Worksheet pack.
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Functional and Structural Properties of Materials Worksheets (4-6)
Explore and identify the properties of materials with a set of Functional and Structural Properties of Materials Worksheets for upper-primary grades.
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Material Mistakes Task Cards
Identify the appropriate materials needed to make everyday objects with a set of differentiated Material Mistakes Task Cards.
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Changing Materials Scavenger Hunt - Year 2
Explore ways materials can be altered with a Bend, Twist, Stretch or Crush? Changing Materials Scavenger Hunt activity.
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Material Properties Worksheets (4-5)
Explore the properties that make materials useful with our printable Material Properties Worksheets for upper years' students.
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Why Do We Use That? Properties of Materials Game
Explore the properties that make different materials useful with an interactive, self-checking Properties of Materials Game.
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Material World Classroom Display (F-2)
Kick off your Materials Unit with a printable ‘Material World’ Classroom display kit.
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Physical Properties of Matter Poster Pack
Discover the physical properties of matter with a set of printable Properties of Matter Posters for the classroom.
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Physical Properties of Metals Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary and and various properties of metals with a printable science crossword puzzle.
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Material Properties Scavenger Hunt Activity Sheets
Observe materials and their properties in the real world with a printable Material Properties Scavenger Hunt Activity pack for school and home.
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What’s It Made Of? Material Sorting Activity
Identify everyday objects made of paper, wood, metal, and more with a hands-on Material Sorting Activity.
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Material World PowerPoint - Processed and Natural Materials
Discover the difference between processed and natural materials with an instructional slide show.
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Pick the Best Property - Materials Game
Identify the properties that are most important in making things with an Interactive Properties of Materials Game for Year 4.
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Recycling Plastic and Glass Worksheet Pack
Explore the role of heat in recycling materials and boost reading comprehension skills with a Recycling Plastic and Glass worksheet pack.
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What’s It Made Of? Comparing Materials Worksheets (F-1)
Observe and compare objects made of different materials with our What’s It Made Of? Comparing Materials Worksheets.
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Recycling With Heat Worksheet
Explore how reversible and irreversible changes lend themself to recycling with a printable Recycling With Heat Worksheet.
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Things That Stretch, Bend and Twist – Sorting Activity
Introduce your students to physical changes in materials with a stretch, bend and twist material sorting activity.
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Properties of Materials Sorting Game
Teach your little learners about the basic properties of materials with an engaging sorting activity.
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Describing Matter – Word Wall
Help your students learn to describe matter using physical properties with an illustrated matter word wall.
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Observing Matter Worksheet Pack
Practise observing the properties of materials used in a range of objects with our Observing Matter Worksheet Pack.
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Mixed Materials Task Cards
Explore the different materials that things are made of and why those materials were used with our printable Mixed Materials Task Cards.
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Material Sorting Worksheets (Year 4)
Explore materials made of metal, fibre, glass, and more with a printable set of Material Sorting Worksheets for Year 4.
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What's It Made Of? Identifying Materials Interactive Game (F-1)
Learn to recognise what things are made of with our ‘What’s It Made Of?’ Identifying Materials Interactive Game.
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Material Properties Worksheet Pack (F-2)
Identify objects made from different materials and note their properties with a printable Properties of Materials Worksheet Pack.