Natural Disasters

This term, our concept focus is natural hazards and disasters. Students will explore Aotearoa New Zealand’s natural landscape and learn about the different types of natural hazards.

How to make Slime

WALT (We Are Learning To): Investigate how different ingredients combine to create slime and describe the changes we can observe when a chemical reaction happens.

I can describe what I see, feel, and smell when the ingredients mix, and record these observations clearly.
I can describe what I see, feel, and smell when the ingredients mix, and record these observations clearly.

Slime Investigation – Summary Sentence Starters

In this experiment, I noticed that when we mixed the ingredients…
The biggest change I observed was…
I think this happened because…
The slime showed a physical or chemical change when…
One piece of evidence that shows a reaction happened is…
If I changed the amount of one ingredient next time, I think the slime would…
This investigation helped me learn that materials can…
I also made connections to how different cultures in Aotearoa work with materials when…

Slime Investigation – Model Summary

In this experiment, I noticed that when we mixed the ingredients the glue and water changed from a runny liquid into a stretchy, squishy slime.
The biggest change I observed was how quickly the mixture thickened once the borax was added.
I think this happened because the borax made the glue molecules link together, which caused a chemical change and created a new substance.
The slime showed a physical or chemical change when it became thicker, changed texture and stopped behaving like a normal liquid.
One piece of evidence that shows a reaction happened is the way the mixture suddenly formed clumps and could be picked up instead of pouring like liquid.
If I changed the amount of one ingredient next time, I think the slime would become firmer with more borax, or softer and harder to pick up if I added too much water.
This investigation helped me learn that materials can change in different ways and sometimes form something completely new after a reaction.
I also made connections to how different cultures in Aotearoa work with materials when I thought about Māori and Pasifika ways of using natural resources, like harakeke and coconut, and how they change texture when prepared for weaving or making rope.

Slime Hypothesis

WALT: Investigate how slime is made and write hypotheses about the chemical changes that happen during the process.

Success Criteria

I can describe what I think will happen when the ingredients mix.
I can identify the signs of a chemical reaction.
I can explain what might happen if I change the amount of one ingredient.
I can write a clear hypothesis using science vocabulary.

Slime is made up of

Glue
Activator
Shaving cream

Hypothesis Sentence Starters

I think a chemical reaction will happen when…
One sign of a chemical reaction I expect to see is…
If I add too much ___, I think the slime will…
The glue will react with the activator by…
I think the shaving foam will make the slime…

Week 6: Chemical Change

Chemical Changes: Crash Course Kids

Baking soda and vinegar

WALT (We Are Learning To):

Explain how a chemical reaction happens when baking soda and vinegar mix and describe the new substance that is formed.

Success Criteria:

✓ I can write a hypothesis about what I think will happen during the reaction.
✓ I can describe the observable changes when the two substances mix.
✓ I can explain why this is a chemical reaction, not a physical change.
✓ I can identify the new substance made in the reaction.

“What does new substance mean?”

“What signs show that a chemical reaction is happening?”

Hypothisis

Chemical Reaction: Baking Soda and Vinegar

Sentence starters:

“I predict that when baking soda and vinegar mix…”
“I think a chemical reaction will happen because…”
“I think this reaction will create…”
“I think I will see signs of a chemical reaction such as…”

Summary

Sentence starters:

“A chemical reaction happened when…”
“The baking soda and vinegar changed into…”
“The bubbles show that…”
“The substances changed permanently because…”
“One sign of the chemical reaction was…”
“This reaction produced a new substance called…”

Expected student example:

“A chemical reaction happened when the baking soda and vinegar mixed. I saw fizzing and bubbles, which showed that carbon dioxide gas was being made. The liquid also changed, which shows a new substance formed. This means the change cannot be undone easily.”

Tuesday: Heat and Chemical Reactions

WALT:

We are learning how heat can start or speed up chemical changes.

Success Criteria:

✅ I can describe how heat causes materials to change.

✅ I can identify clues that heat caused a chemical reaction.

✅ I can explain my thinking using scientific vocabulary.

Hot and Cold Chemistry

Heat & the Particle Theory

Warm up?

What might the word chemical mean?”

Can we change something back after it burns or cooks?

Chemical Change

Lesson 1: What is a Chemical Change?

WALT: We are learning to explain what happens when a chemical change takes place.

Success Criteria:

✅ I can describe what a chemical change is.

✅ I can identify signs that a chemical change has happened.

✅ I can make predictions and use evidence to explain my thinking.

Definition: A chemical change is when two or more things mix or react and make something new that cannot easily change back.

10 Everyday Chemical Changes

Baking soda and vinegar reacting – they combine and make a new gas called carbon dioxide, which causes fizzing and bubbles.
Cooking an egg – heat changes the proteins inside the egg and turns them into a solid. This new form cannot go back to raw egg.
Rusting metal – iron reacts with oxygen and water in the air to form rust, which is a new substance.
Burning a candle – the wax reacts with oxygen to make new substances like carbon dioxide, water vapour, heat and light.
Bread rising with yeast – yeast eats sugar and produces carbon dioxide gas, which makes the bread puff up.
Milk turning sour – tiny bacteria cause a chemical reaction that changes the milk into something new with a different smell and taste.
Toasting bread – heat causes a reaction on the surface of the bread, making it brown and crunchy.
Glow sticks glowing – when you bend a glow stick, two liquids mix and react to make light.
Silver tarnishing – silver reacts with chemicals in the air and turns black, creating a new substance called silver sulphide.
Wood burning in a fire – wood reacts with oxygen and turns into ash, smoke and gases. This cannot change back to wood.

Chemical Changes: Crash Course Kids

Chemical changes: Khan Academy

Chemical and Physical Changes – Quiz Edition

“I think this is / is not a chemical change because…”

Signs of a chemical change

Gas or Bubbles:

Fizzing, popping, or bubbling as a gas is made.

Colour Change:

The material changes colour in a way that can’t be reversed.

Temperature Change:

The mixture gets hot or cold without heating or cooling from outside

New smell or Odour:

A new or stronger smell appears.

Light:

A glow, flash occurs

sound:

A solid forms from liquids: Two clear liquids make a cloudy solid

Irreversible change:

You can’t get the starting materials back

Week 5: Explaination films

Shot 1: Title Screen

Includes a title and the whole is in the group

Example: Magic Milk Experiment: Exploring Surface Tension

Shot 2: Equipment List

List on screen:

A shallow dish
Full-cream milk
Food colouring
Dish soap

Add a picture of all of the items to the film.

Shot 3: Setting Up the Experiment

Visuals / Shot:

Close-up of milk being poured into the dish until it just covers the bottom.

The student adds drops of food colouring spaced around the milk.

Voice-over example:

“First, pour milk into your dish so it covers the bottom. Then, carefully add a few drops of food colouring. Try to space them out so they don’t touch.”

Shot 4: What Is Surface Tension?

Visuals / Shot:

Use a slide to explain what surface tension is.

Example:

Voice-over:

“The surface of milk is held together by something called surface tension. The milk molecules pull tightly together, just like a thin stretchy skin on top.”

Shot 5: Adding Soap – The Reaction

Visuals / Shot:

Video of the student dropping soap into the middle of the milk.

Colours explode outward in swirling patterns.

Voice-over example:

“Now dip your cotton bud into the dish soap and touch it to the milk. The soap breaks the surface tension and spreads quickly. The food colouring moves away from the soap, showing how the molecules are pushing and pulling.”

Shot 6: The Science Behind the Magic

Visuals / Shot:

Diagram showing milk molecules (fat and water) and soap molecules linking to them.
Arrows showing soap molecules attaching to fat and spreading out.

Voice-over:
“The soap molecules grab onto the fat molecules in the milk. When that happens, they break the surface tension and spread out. This movement makes the colours swirl and mix — it’s like watching chemistry in motion!”

Shot 7: What We Learned

Visuals / Shot:

Quick clips replaying the experiment in fast motion.
Text on screen:
- Surface tension holds milk together
- Soap breaks the surface tension
- Colours move because of molecule movement

Voice-over:
“So, the magic milk experiment helps us see what happens when surface tension changes. Soap breaks the milk’s surface, and the colours move as the molecules spread and mix.”

Week 4: Density

Explanation Film Example

🎬 Film Title:

Why Does the Lava Lamp Bubble?
(An Explanation of Density and Chemical Reactions)

Part 1 – Introduction: What Are We Investigating?

Text:
We wanted to find out what happens when we mix oil, vinegar, food colouring and a Berocca tablet.
We noticed bubbles moving up and down, just like a lava lamp!
Voice-over Prompt:
“In this video, we’ll explain why the bubbles move the way they do.”
Visuals:
Show the materials lined up and students setting up the experiment.

Part 2 – Oil and Vinegar Don’t Mix

Text:
Oil and vinegar don’t mix because they have different densities.
Density means how heavy something is for its size.
Oil is less dense, so it floats on top.
Vinegar is more dense, so it sinks to the bottom.
Visuals:
Labelled diagram showing oil layer on top and vinegar layer underneath.
Voice-over Prompt:
“Oil floats because it’s lighter for its size.”

Part 3 – Adding Food Colouring

Text:
Food colouring mixes with the vinegar, not the oil.
This shows that vinegar and water-based liquids are alike.
Visuals:
Coloured drops sinking into vinegar layer.
Voice-over Prompt:
“The colour helps us see how the dense liquid stays at the bottom.”

Part 4 – The Berocca Reaction Begins

Text:
When we drop in the Berocca tablet, it starts to dissolve in the vinegar.
A chemical reaction happens between the tablet and the acid in the vinegar.
This makes bubbles of carbon dioxide gas.
Visuals:
Close-up of bubbles forming at the bottom.
Voice-over Prompt:
“The reaction creates tiny gas bubbles that start to move.”

Part 5 – Bubbles Rise and Pop

Text:
The gas bubbles are less dense than the liquids, so they rise through the oil.
They carry small amounts of vinegar and food colouring to the top.
When the bubbles pop, the vinegar drops back down because it’s more dense.
Visuals:
Slow-motion clip of bubbles travelling upward and popping.
Voice-over Prompt:
“This is how the up-and-down motion of our lava lamp happens!”

Part 6 – What We Learned

Text:
We learned that:

Oil and vinegar have different densities
The Berocca and vinegar react to make gas
Gas is less dense and rises
The cycle continues as bubbles pop and the liquid sinks again
Visuals:
Time-lapse of the whole experiment, with key words like density, reaction, gas, float, sink.
Voice-over Prompt:
“Density and gas make the magic happen in our homemade lava lamp!”

Forces

WALT: To investigate why oil and water do not mix and how gas moves through them.

Success Criteria

I can describe what happens when oil and water are mixed.
I can explain that water is denser than oil.
I can use science words like density, liquid, and immiscible.

Density Part 1:

WALT: We are learning to write a hypothesis — a smart guess about what might happen in a science experiment.

Questions:

What do you predict will happen when you add more sugar to one cup of water compared to another
How do you think the coloured sugar-water layers will arrange themselves when poured carefully into the same container?
What might happen if you pour the layers too quickly or stir them together?
How does the amount of dissolved sugar affect whether the liquid sinks or floats when mixed with others?

Density Part 2:

WALT:

We are learning to write a hypothesis — a smart guess about what might happen in a science experiment.

Questions:

What do you predict will happen when you pour vinegar into the oil?

Word Definition

Density: How heavy something is for its size.

e.g. Rock sinking vs. leaf floating

Liquid: A substance that flows and takes the shape of its container.

e.g.Water in a cup

Immiscible; Liquids that do not mix together.

e.g.Oil and water layers

Gas: Air-like substance that spreads and fills space.

e.g.Bubbles in fizzy drink

Week 2: Forces

Forces

WALT: We are learning to explore different types of forces and how they act on objects.

Success Criteria:

I can name examples of forces (push, pull, gravity, friction, surface tension).
I can describe how a force changes how something moves.
I can share an example from my own life or culture where forces are seen (e.g., paddling a waka, kites flying, bubbles rising).

Wednesday 15th October 2025

Magic Milk Procedure Writing

WALT: We are learning to write a clear and detailed procedure that explains how to carry out a science experiment.

Purpose: Scientists use procedure writing to record their steps so others can repeat the experiment and test their results. Today we’ll write our own procedure for the Magic Milk experiment.

Success Criteria:

✅ Write the title of my experiment

✅ List all materials and equipment needed
✅ Use clear numbered steps in the correct order
✅ Start each step with an action verb (e.g. pour, add, dip)
✅ Use scientific words like surface tension and detergent
✅ Write in the present tense (e.g. “Add” not “Added”)

Week 1: States of Matter

Magic Milk

WALT:

We are learning to observe and explain what happens when soap changes the surface tension of milk.

Step 1: Watch the video

Think, Pair, Share: What do we think is going to happen.

Do the Experiment

Pour milk into a shallow dish.
Add a few drops of food colouring.
Gently touch the surface with a cotton bud dipped in dish soap

Reflect and Discuss

What did you notice when the soap touched the milk?
How did the colours move?
Why do you think that happened?

What did you notice when the soap touched the milk?

Think about what you could see straight away.

Sentence Starters:

When the soap touched the milk, I noticed that…

The colours started to…

The milk and food colouring seemed to…

Science Vocabulary to use:

move, swirl, spread, react, push, pull, motion, particles, surface tension

🌳 Solid – A solid has a fixed shape and volume. The particles are tightly packed and can only vibrate in place.

💧 Liquid – A liquid has a fixed volume but takes the shape of its container. The particles are close together but can move past each other.

🌬 Gas – A gas has no fixed shape or volume. The particles are far apart and move quickly in all directions.

States of Matter Posters

WALT

We are learning to describe the three states of matter and give examples of each.

Success Criteria

✅ I can define what a solid, liquid, and gas are.
✅ I can give at least three examples of each state of matter.
✅ I can work with my group to create a clear and creative poster.

Oobleck Part 1:

WALT:

We are learning to write a hypothesis — a smart guess about what might happen in a science experiment.

Questions:

What do you think Oobleck does when you squeeze or hit it?

What do you think Oobleck does when you leave it alone?

Kitchen Chemistry

Oobleck Part 2

WALT: We are learning to explore how materials can behave as both solids and liquids.

SC:

Identify whether oobleck behaves like a solid or a liquid at different times.
Use scientific vocabulary (solid, liquid, behaviour) with growing confidence.

How to Make Oobleck

Oobleck

Oobleck explanation writing

Structure Suggested for your Explanation

Introduction / What it is

– Define oobleck, mention it is cornflour + water

– Introduce non-Newtonian fluid

How it behaves (observations / examples)

– What happens when you squeeze, hit, or let it drip

– Include the table or similar examples

Why it behaves that way (scientific explanation)

– Explain what happens inside (particles, jamming, sliding)

– Use vocabulary (solid, liquid, viscosity, non-Newtonian)

Conclusion / Summary

– Reiterate that oobleck is both “like a liquid and like a solid”

oobleck fact sheet

WALT:
We are learning to write an introduction that clearly explains what oobleck is and why it is interesting.

Success Criteria:
✅ I can hook the reader with an interesting opening sentence.
✅ I can describe what oobleck is made of and how it behaves like both a solid and a liquid.
✅ I can use at least one science word (like non-Newtonian fluid, solid, liquid, or viscosity) correctly in my writing.

Explanation oobleck plann

Page updated

Report abuse