Materials & Mixing

What students will do

Students rotate through six guided investigations: comparing five mystery liquids in test tubes using sight, movement and sound to identify water; exploring kinetic sand and cotton sensory sand side by side; mixing baking soda, vinegar and detergent to observe a chemical reaction; transforming sodium polyacrylate into instant snow; using red cabbage water as a colour-change indicator with acidic and basic solutions; and separating iron filings from sand using magnets. Each activity is framed with a prediction before students investigate and then share their observations.

Learning outcomes

• Use the senses to observe and describe the properties of a range of liquids and identify which one is water
• Compare the properties of two different kinds of sand and describe how their properties differ
• Combine everyday materials and observe the changes that result, including colour change, gas production and new textures
• Investigate how a powder can absorb water and expand, and describe the resulting material as a physical change
• Use a natural indicator to observe colour change when mixed with different solutions
• Investigate how a mixture of iron filings and sand can be separated using a magnet

Curriculum links

• VC2S2U04·Core

  Objects are made of materials that have observable properties able to be described using the senses. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2S2U05·Core

  Materials can be combined, and mixtures can have properties that are different from their original materials. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2S2I03·Core

  Guided investigations, including making observations using the senses and informal measurement, can be used to explore and answer questions. View on VCAA ↗

• VC2S4U10·Enrichment

  Contact forces and non-contact forces, including friction, gravity, magnetism and static electricity, can be exerted between objects and affect their motion. View on VCAA ↗