Matter, Materials and Reactions

(Year 1 Term 1)

National Curriculum Coverage

  • distinguish between an object and the material from which it is made

  • identify and name a variety of everyday materials, including wood, plastic, glass, metal, water, and rock

  • describe the simple physical properties of a variety of everyday materials

  • compare and group together a variety of everyday materials on the basis of their simple physical properties

  • identify and compare the suitability of a variety of everyday materials, including wood, metal, plastic, glass, brick, rock, paper and cardboard for particular uses

  • find out how the shapes of solid objects made from some materials can be changed by squashing, bending, twisting and stretching

  • compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases

  • observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C)

  • identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature

  • compare and group together everyday materials on the basis of their properties, including their hardness, solubility, transparency, conductivity (electrical and thermal), and response to magnets

  • know that some materials will dissolve in liquid to form a solution, and describe how to recover a substance from a solution

  • use knowledge of solids, liquids and gases to decide how mixtures might be separated, including through filtering, sieving and evaporating

  • give reasons, based on evidence from comparative and fair tests, for the particular uses of everyday materials, including metals, wood and plastic

  • demonstrate that dissolving, mixing and changes of state are reversible changes

  • explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible, including changes associated with burning and the action of acid on bicarbonate of soda


KS2 Teacher Assessment Framework Outcomes

  • Group and identify materials in different ways according to their properties

  • Justify the use of different everyday materials for different uses, based on their properties

  • Describe the characteristics of different states of matter and group materials on this basis

  • Describe how materials change state at different temperatures, using this to explain everyday phenomena, including the water cycle

  • Identify and describe what happens when dissolving occurs in everyday situations

  • Describe how to separate mixtures and solutions into their components

  • Identify, with reasons, whether changes in materials are reversible or not

Path A Key Questions:


Q: What are [some common objects] made from?

Q: Describe a squash, bend, twist and stretch.

Q: Describe the properties of common materials.

Q: What are solids and liquids?

Q: What is a mixture?

Path B Key Questions:


Q: What is all matter made from?

Q: Why are the properties of material important?

Q: How do solids, liquids and gases behave?

Q: What happens when materials change state?

Q: Can mixtures and solutions be separated?

Knowledge Guides

Science Matter, Materials and Reactions Knowledge Guide.pptx

Working Scientifically:

Matter Materials and Reactions Investigation.pdf