Let’s Go On a Reversible vs Irreversible Changes Gallery Walk!

Turn your science lesson into an active, hands‑on exploration with the Reversible vs Irreversible Changes Gallery Walk! Designed for upper years’ learners, this resource gets students moving, observing, and discussing real‑world examples of reversible and irreversible changes in matter.

To use this resource, simply post the ten included signs around the classroom, each showing a different change, such as a pancake cooking, water evaporating, ice melting, or wood burning, and have students rotate through each station to determine the type of change and explain their thinking. 

Walk & Talk – Identifying Reversible and Irreversible Changes Activity

As students visit each station, they’ll:

• examine a visual example of a physical or chemical change
• decide whether the change is reversible or irreversible
• record their answer on the student response sheet
• explain why the change fits that category

This activity encourages critical thinking, scientific reasoning, and vocabulary development. Students learn to discriminate between changes that can be undone (melting, freezing, and dissolving) and those that can’t (cooking, burning, and rusting).

The gallery walk format keeps students engaged, promotes collaboration, and supports learners who benefit from movement and visual examples.

Download This Physical & Chemical Changes Activity Pack

Your printable pack includes:

• 10 reversible/irreversible change posters for classroom display
• student recording sheets for the gallery walk

This resource is available in both PDF and editable Google Slides format.  To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button and choose your preferred file type.

This resource was created by Hannah Scott, a teacher and Teach Starter collaborator.

More Resources for Exploring Changes in Matter

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Download our Reversible and Irreversible Changes Worksheet Pack to help your students learn about temporary and permanent changes in matter.

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Identify examples of reversible and irreversible changes caused by heat with a pair of Changing States of Matter Worksheets.