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.
- Plus Plan
Uses of Materials Sorting Activity
Explore the materials objects are made of with a fun sorting activity for students.
- Plus Plan
Describing Properties of Materials Beanbag Toss Game
Learn about the properties of materials and how to describe them with an exciting beanbag toss game.
- Plus Plan
Things That Stretch, Bend and Twist – Sorting Activity
Introduce your students to physical changes in materials with a stretch, bend and twist material sorting activity.
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials Word Wall Vocabulary
Forty-eight 'properties of materials' vocabulary cards.
- Plus Plan
Observable Properties of Matter Cut and Paste Worksheets
Practise sorting objects based on observable properties with a pair of printable cut and paste worksheets.
- Plus Plan
Material World PowerPoint - Processed and Natural Materials
Discover the difference between processed and natural materials with an instructional slide show.
- Plus Plan
Material World Resource Pack
Learn about natural and manmade materials with a printable resource pack.
- Plus Plan
Types of Materials - Printable Anchor Charts
Introduce your students to the different types of materials with a pack of printable anchor charts.
- Plus Plan
Types of Physical Change - Science Sort
Sort examples of physical changes with a printable Types of Physical Change Science Sort.
- Plus Plan
Physical Properties of Metals Crossword Puzzle
Review vocabulary and and various properties of metals with a printable science crossword puzzle.
- Plus Plan
Natural and Processed Materials PowerPoint
A teaching presentation comparing natural and processed materials and how humans make scientific comparisons.
- Plus Plan
What If? Materials Template
A set of 6 templates to use when investigating the properties of materials.
- Plus Plan
Observing Properties of Matter Task Cards - Year 5
Practise observational skills and discover the characteristics of matter with a set of printable Year 5 Properties of Matter Task cards.
- Plus Plan
Man-Made vs Natural Materials Worksheet
Identify man-made and natural materials in the classroom with a gallery walk organiser.
- Plus Plan
Processed Materials Poster
A poster displaying different processed materials and explaining what processed materials are.
- Plus Plan
Natural Materials Poster
A poster displaying different natural materials and explaining what natural materials are.
- Plus Plan
Materials Poster
A poster showing the definition and an example of materials.
- Free Plan
Object Material Investigation Worksheet
A worksheet for investigating the materials certain objects are made from.
- Plus Plan
Living in the Material World - Examining Natural and Processed Materials
A 60 minute lesson in which students will examine and understand the differences between natural and processed materials and their uses.
- Plus Plan
And Further On - Research Into the Environmental Impact of Certain Materials
A 60 minute lesson in which students will be introduced to a research task for them to undertake about a material of their choosing.
- Plus Plan
Marvellous Materials
A 60-minute lesson in which students recap their prior knowledge of materials and their physical features.
- Plus Plan
Natural and Processed Materials Video – Solid Wood vs Laminate
Explore natural and processed materials with this science experiment video perfect for your Year 4 science unit!
- Plus Plan
Cooling Materials Down Video
Explore how cooling affects different materials using this science demonstration video perfect for your early years Chemical Sciences unit!
- Plus Plan
Adding Heat to Materials Video
Explore how different materials are affected by heat energy using this science demonstration video perfect for your early years Chemical Sciences unit!
- Plus Plan
Fake Plastic Trees - A Demonstration Comparing Properties of Natural and Processed Materials
A 60 minute lesson in which students will compare the properties of natural and processed materials through a demonstration.
- Plus Plan
Plastic and Concrete - How Do People Use Processed Materials?
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investigate the ways humans produce and use processed materials.
- Plus Plan
Natural Science - How Do People Use Natural Materials?
A 60 minute lesson in which students will investigate the use of natural materials by humans throughout history.
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials Video – Objects That Stretch
Explore materials that can be stretched with your students using this science demonstration video perfect for your early years Chemical Sciences unit!
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials Video - Objects That Twist
Explore materials that can twist with your students using this science demonstration video perfect for your early years Chemical Sciences unit!
- Plus Plan
Properties of Materials Video - Bendy Objects
Explore bendy objects with your students using this science demonstration video perfect for your early years Chemical Sciences unit!