Magical Matter Moments

🤓 Overview

Unit Title: Chemical Wonders Unleashed
Lesson Number: 1 of 9
Lesson Title: Introduction to Matter
Year Level: Year 1
Curriculum Area: Australian Curriculum – Science
Strand: Science Understanding
Sub-strand: Chemical Sciences
Code: ACSSU018
Descriptor: Objects are made of materials that have observable properties.
Duration: 45 minutes
Class Size: 25 students

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🎯 Learning Intentions

By the end of this lesson, students will:

• Understand that everything around them is made of matter.
• Identify the three main states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas.
• Begin to classify materials according to their observable properties.

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✔️ Success Criteria

Students will be successful when they can:

• Accurately name everyday items as solid, liquid, or gas.
• Describe at least one property of each type of matter.
• Participate in class discussions and simple investigations.

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🛠️ Materials & Resources

Teacher	Students
Whiteboard and markers	Science journals (or exercise books)
Speaker (for sound stimulus)	Coloured pencils or crayons
Balloons (some filled with water, some with air)	Safety scissors (supervised use)
Ice cubes & zip-lock bags	Plastic cups with water
Mystery Matter Box (more below)	Printed Matter Sort Chart

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🚀 Hook / Warm-Up (10 mins): “What’s It Made Of?”

Activity Name: Mystery Matter Box

Prepare a covered box with a hand-sized hole where students can reach in and feel different objects (e.g. wooden spoon, sponge, metal spoon, small water-filled balloon, feather, sandpaper, sealed packet of rice). One at a time, students will describe what they feel and make predictions: "Is it soft or hard? Wet or dry? Is it a liquid or a solid?"

💡 Teacher Prompt:
"What do all of these different objects have in common?"
Guide students to discover: They're all made of matter!

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🧠 Explicit Teaching (10 mins)

Mini-Lesson Title: "The Three States of Matter"

Use large visuals and real-world examples:

State of Matter	Key Properties	Everyday Examples
Solid	Holds shape, firm	Chair, pencil, toy
Liquid	Flows, takes shape of container	Milk, juice, paint
Gas	Invisible, fills space	Air, steam

Use balloon demonstrations:

• Balloon with air = gas
• Balloon with water = liquid
• Ice cube in a zip-lock = solid

Teacher Demo: Pass the balloons around (carefully!) so students can feel the different states of matter.

Visual Aid: Draw a simple cartoon diagram of everyday items in each state on the board.

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👫 Guided Activity (15 mins): “Matter Sort Relay”

Instructions:

1. Break students into 5 groups (5 per table).
2. Each group receives a collection of small item cards or objects — some solids (spoon, eraser, block), some liquids (sealed water, glue in a cup), and some gases (images representing steam, balloon, fizzy bubbles).
3. Students sort items into solid/liquid/gas on their Matter Sort Chart.

📝 Extension Challenge: For each item, name one describing word (e.g., smooth, wet, round).

🚨 Remind students: Liquids can spill! Be careful and respect materials.

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✍️ Independent Task (5 mins)

Activity: “Draw Your Matter World”
Students draw three items from their real life that are solids, liquids, or gases (e.g. Mum’s perfume, the bath water, the dog’s bone).

In their Science Journal, under the heading ‘Matter Around Me’, they write:

1. A solid I use is...
2. A liquid I see is...
3. A gas I can’t see but know is there is...

Encourage inventive thinking—this is their chance to be scientists!

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🤔 Wrap-Up / Reflection (5 mins)

Gather on the carpet with a plush “Thinking Scientist” puppet or mascot.

Teacher asks:

• “What surprised you today?”
• “Can you name one type of matter you touched or saw?”
• “If air is a gas, and we can’t see it, how do we know it’s there?”

🥳 Use balloon deflating as a demonstration of how we can hear and feel gas exiting!

Students place a sticker in their Science Journal to show they completed Matter Day 1.

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🏠 Homework / Home Connection

Optional Take-Home Activity:
Create an "At-Home Matter Map". With help from family, students list items from around the house and sort them into solids, liquids, or gases. Bring it in for sharing next lesson.

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🧑‍🏫 Teacher Notes

• This lesson is conversation-rich and focuses on wonder and discovery, using real-world materials and sensory play to meet Year 1 interest levels.
• For EAL/D or support students: Provide picture boards/flashcards with labelled objects.
• Use inclusive language and validate all forms of student participation.

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📌 Assessment Opportunities

• Anecdotal notes from group discussions.
• Observations during the Matter Sort Relay.
• Science Journal entries: check for naming, sorting, and descriptions.
• Responses during class discussion.

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📚 Curriculum Links

Australian Curriculum – Year 1 Science:

• ACSSU018: Objects are made of materials that have observable properties.
• Supports Science Inquiry Skills (ACSIS024, ACSIS025): Respond to questions, make predictions, and sort based on properties.

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💡 Next Lesson Sneak Peek

Lesson 2: "Solids Under the Spotlight"
Focusing on solids: bending, breaking, and building!

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Welcome to the wondrous world of Chemical Sciences! ✨