CURRICULUM RESOURCES
Foundation | Chemical sciences | What's it made of? | NEW – fully aligned to the Australian Curriculum
All around us are things made from interesting materials. Who would once have imagined things like CDs, self-adhesive notes or floppy silicone ovenware? Materials that we now take for granted are the products of imagination and exploratory science. What new materials will be part of the world of the future and how might existing materials be used in new ways? What might materials allow us to make and do?
The What's it made of? unit is an ideal way to link science with literacy in the classroom. Through investigations, students develop skills of observing, describing, comparing and communicating. The unit provides opportunities for students to explore, through hands-on activities, what things are made of in the school environment and the properties of the materials used to make them.
Unit at a glance (PDF)
Equipment lists (PDF)
Alignment with the Australian Curriculum: Science (PDF)
Alignment with the Australian Curriculum: English and Maths (PDF)
Indigenous curriculum links (PDF)
Indigenous Perspectives framework (PDF)
Indigenous Perspectives Teaching and learning guide
Factual and narrative texts
Useful websites
Factual texts:
Is it...? Hard or Soft
Parker, Vic (Little Nippers Series, Harcourt Education, 2004, 24 pp.)
ISBN 0 431 17402 4
Is it...? Rough or Smooth
Parker, Vic (Little Nippers Series, Harcourt Education, 2004, 24pp.)
ISBN 0 431 17400 8
Is it...? Shiny or Dull
Parker, Vic (Little Nippers Series, Harcourt Education, 2004, 24 pp.)
ISBN 0 431 17401 6
Is it...? Slippery or Sticky
Parker, Vic (Little Nippers Series, Harcourt Education, 2004, 24 pp.)
ISBN 0 431 17403 2
Material Detectives: Glass – Let's Look at Marbles
Royston, Angela (Read and Learn Series, Harcourt Education, 2006, 24pp.)
ISBN 1 844 43427 3
Material Detectives: Rock – Let's Look at Pebbles
Royston, Angela (Read and Learn Series, Harcourt Education, 2006, 24pp.)
ISBN 1 844 43634 9
Glass: Exploring the science of everyday materials
Edwards, Nicola and Harris, Jane (Science Explorers Series, A & C Black Publishers, 1999, 25pp.)
ISBN 0 7136 6193 3
Metal: Exploring the science of everyday materials
Edwards, Nicola and Harris, Jane (Science Explorers Series, A & C Black Publishers, 1999, 25pp.)
ISBN 0 7136 6327 8
Paper: Exploring the science of everyday materials
Edwards, Nicola and Harris, Jane (Science Explorers Series, A & C Black Publishers, 1999, 25pp.)
ISBN 0 7136 6196 8
Plastic: Exploring the science of everyday materials
Edwards, Nicola and Harris, Jane (Science Explorers Series, A & C Black Publishers, 1999, 25pp.)
ISBN 0 7136 6194 1
BBC Schools – sorting stuff
A flash game about sorting materials for ages 5-6.