AC9S2U03: Recognise that materials can be changed physically without changing their material composition and explore the effect of different actions on materials including bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces

A material can change shape or size without becoming a different material. Bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces are physical changes.

Learning sequence: Identify material → Apply action → Observe change → Decide what stayed the same

Success looks like

• Identify material
• Describe bending
• Describe twisting and stretching
• Describe breaking
• Explain what stays the same

Change shape while keeping the same material

Compare the effects of different actions

The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.

• Content description: recognise that materials can be changed physically without changing their material composition and explore the effect of different actions on materials including bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces
• E1: exploring how materials can be physically changed to suit a particular purpose, such as twisting strands of cotton or wool together to make the thread stronger, or folding paper to make it fly
• E2: manipulating materials such as paper or fabric, and determining ways they can be physically changed by scrunching, twisting or bending, or broken into smaller pieces by cutting, tearing or crushing
• E3: crushing a stick of chalk into a powder, comparing the properties of the stick and the powder, and discussing whether it is still the same material
• E4: exploring how First Nations Australians make physical changes to natural materials to produce objects such as bowls, baskets and various fibre crafts (teaching context)
• E5: creating an ‘odd one out’ game by providing samples of the same material that has been physically changed in different ways, and one sample of a different material, and challenging other students to identify the odd one out

Use a reliable, community-approved source and identify the specific Nation, People or community where the source does. Avoid presenting diverse First Nations knowledges and practices as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before inviting community participation or reproducing cultural material.

Key idea: A material can change shape or size without becoming a different material. Bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces are physical changes.

Remember

• Identify material
• Describe bending
• Describe twisting and stretching
• Describe breaking
• Explain what stays the same

Quick questions

• Is folded paper still paper?
• What can stretching change?
• Give an example of breaking into smaller pieces.
• What must be checked before changing a material?

If an answer is uncertain, return to the model and explain what each part represents before calculating or drawing a conclusion.

Read the topic guide and use the teacher slide for instruction. Students can then use the worksheet for written work, open Practice for supported feedback, or take the Test when they are ready.

• Shape change means new material — A bent paper strip is still paper.
• Action and effect mixed — Name the action first, then describe the result.
• Unsafe breaking or stretching — Only use teacher-approved materials and procedures.

This table gives closest-topic mapping for search and planning. The Australian Curriculum code is exact; overseas entries are broad equivalents because each jurisdiction structures outcomes differently.

Curriculum equivalents for That materials can be changed physically without changing their material...

Mapped skill: recognise that materials can be changed physically without changing their material composition and explore the effect of different actions on materials including bending, twisting, stretching and breaking into smaller pieces

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.

• Australian Curriculum Version 9.0
• Victorian Curriculum F-10
• NSW Curriculum
• Common Core State Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• England National Curriculum
• New Zealand Curriculum
• NCERT textbooks

• AC9S2U01: Recognise Earth is a planet in the solar system and identify patterns in the changing position of the sun, moon, planets and stars in the sky
• AC9S2U02: Explore different actions to make sounds and how to make a variety of sounds, and recognise that sound energy causes objects to vibrate
• AC9S2H01: Describe how people use science in their daily lives, including using patterns to make scientific predictions
• AC9S2I01: Pose questions to explore observed simple patterns and relationships and make predictions based on experiences
• AC9S2I02: Suggest and follow safe procedures to investigate questions and test predictions
• AC9S2I03: Make and record observations, including informal measurements, using digital tools as appropriate
• AC9S2I04: Sort and order data and information and represent patterns, including with provided tables and visual or physical models
• AC9S2I05: Compare observations with predictions and others’ observations, consider if investigations are fair and identify further questions with guidance