Properties and Changes
in Materials

Curriculum Outcomes

• Knowledge
• Skills
• STSE

Subtopics

	Properties of Materials
	Physical Changes
	Seperation of Mixtures
	Chemical Changes
	Sources/Masses of Materials in Objects

Introduction

Materials around us have properties that are important to their use. By studying materials used in various applications, students become aware of properties such as strength, flexibility, and buoyancy, and they learn the significance of these properties to particular uses. Students learn that the form a material takes, including its shape and structure, can be modified as required. They also learn that material substances themselves can be changed, and that some changes involve the production of new materials through reactions.

Focus and Context

In this unit, the concepts of physical and chemical changes are delineated further. This will lead to Mixtures and Solutions in Grade 7, Fluids in Grade 8, and Atoms and Elements in Grade 9.

The focus in this unit should be on inquiry and investigation. Students should be encouraged to explore a wide range of physical and chemical changes, to investigate how to separate mixtures, and to look closely at the objects around them to see what they are made of. One possible context that this unit could have is that of household chemistry. Many physical and chemal changes occur as we eat, bake, clean, and repair or renovate the house. Students should relate what they are doing in this unit to household events, and inquire as to what types of changes may be occurring, or where the materials from a certain object originated.

Curriculum Links

Students are introduced to materials and their properties in the primary science program. There are two units in Grade 1 that addresses outcomes related to materials: Properties of Objects and Materials, and Materials and our senses. In Grade 2, a unit on Liquids and Solids involves getting students to explore buoyancy, as well as introducing physicial and chemical changes. In Grade 3, students use their knowledge from earlier units to build structrures.