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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Bend, Twist or Stretch? Changing Materials Inquiry Activity
Explore materials, observe physical changes, make predictions, and share scientific observations with a hands-on Changing Materials Science Investigation.
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Describing Matter Properties Worksheet Pack
Observe and describe examples of matter with a Matter Properties Worksheet Pack.
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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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Properties of Matter Graphic Organiser Pack
Use printable graphic organisers to help your students record what they have learned about the different properties of matter.
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Describing Matter - Scavenger Hunt Activities
Host an engaging science scavenger hunt to introduce your early years students to the observable properties of matter.
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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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Natural and Processed Materials PowerPoint
A teaching presentation comparing natural and processed materials and how humans make scientific comparisons.
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Processed Materials Poster
A poster displaying different processed materials and explaining what processed materials are.
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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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Bend, Twist, Stretch Investigation Activity
Explore materials and their properties with a Bend, Twist, Stretch Investigation Worksheet Pack.
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Material Mistakes PowerPoint
Explore the importance of choosing the right materials based on their properties with an interactive Material Mistakes PowerPoint presentation.
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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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What's It Made Of? Matching Materials Game (F-1)
Identify objects made of different materials with our hands-on ‘What’s It Made Of?’ Matching Materials Game.
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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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Combining Materials Worksheets
Explore ways that different materials are used and why they’re chosen with a set of Combining Materials Worksheets.
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Which Material is Best? Task Cards
Identify the materials needed to make things with our printable ‘Which Material is Best?’ task cards.
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Hard or Soft? Describing Matter Activity Sheets (F-1)
Explore the world of matter with Describing Matter Activity Sheets for early years students.
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Types of Physical Change - Science Sort
Sort examples of physical changes with a printable Types of Physical Change Science Sort.
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My Rock Collection - Google Slides E-Book
Introduce your students to the world of rocks and minerals with a digital Rocks book for foundation and year 1 students.
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Describing Matter Interactive Game
Practise describing matter with an engaging science game for early years students.
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Types of Materials - Printable Anchor Charts
Introduce your students to the different types of materials with a pack of printable anchor charts.
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Science Experiment - Keep Me Dry
A science experiment which explores the absorptive properties of materials.
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Science Experiment - Suck It Up!
A science experiment which investigates the absorptive properties of various materials.
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Material World Unit Plan
This Year 4 Chemical Sciences unit investigates natural and processed materials and properties of materials.
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Chemical Sciences: Clever Changes – Unit Plan
This Chemical Sciences unit investigates the physical changes of materials and how properties change when materials stretch, bend, twist, heat or cool.
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Designing For Purpose - STEM Task Part 2
A 60 minute lesson in which students will apply their knowledge of material properties to the design and engineering process.
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Designing for a Purpose - STEM Task Part 1
A 60 minute lesson in which students will recreate the design process and build bird feeders from recyclable materials based on material properties.
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Which Material is Best?
A 60 minute lesson in which students will learn how to identify the function of a product and determine the best material for its production based on material properties.
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Manufacturing Mistakes
A 60 minute lesson in which students will understand that materials have different properties that are important when designers choose materials to make new products, or they run the risk of failed products.
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Structural vs. Functional Properties of Materials
A 60 minute lesson in which students will consider the functional and structural properties of materials, and explain why those properties are necessary.
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Exploring Material Properties
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investigate the properties of materials that make them most useful.
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Using Natural and Processed Materials
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investigate the use of natural and manmade materials by humans throughout history.