Matter Unit Overview

Science4Us allows K-2 students to explore matter at many levels, increasing their understanding of the matter around them, and providing a scientific vocabulary they can build upon when they study matter in the future.

Matter is all around us, and K-2 students are familiar with it. Although they may not use the word “matter” to describe something, students are used to the solid feel of a plastic bucket in their hands or the soft texture of the t-shirt on their back. They know to eat ice cream quickly before it melts. They understand that a fire will burn away logs in the fireplace or the wax in a candle.

In this unit, students learn new vocabulary to describe what they see as they watch matter transform into mixtures or make physical or chemical changes. Games and animated characters make this complex learning fun. In the classroom, students complete hands-on activities to experiment with matter. Finally, students record what they have learned in their digital notebook.

Lesson Modules

Materials and Mixtures

Everything around us is made up of something, often a collection of different things. This module guides students as they begin to identify the different materials everyday objects are made of specifically wood, plastic, metal and cloth–and how mixtures can be made by combining different objects and materials.

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Observing Matter

In the Observing Matter module, students begin to learn the words to describe matter correctly and accurately, learning important skills for communicating scientific information.

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States of Matter

Kindergarten through second grade students have experience with matter in its three states: solid, liquid and gas. In the States of Matter module, students further explore the unique properties used to characterize each phase, and learn that anything on earth that has mass and takes up space is matter.

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Changes in Matter

The Changes in Matter module further explores the concepts from previous modules, and looks at how matter may be modified or changed. Through an instructional video, games, and activities, students explore three types of changes that occur in matter: physical change, in which only the shape of the matter changes; physical phase change, in which matter changes to a different form (solid, liquid, or gas); and chemical change, in which matter is changed in a way that cannot be undone (fruits ripening or foods cooking).

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Correlations to K-2 Standards Free K-2 Science Resources Sign up for free!