Solids, Liquids & Gases

CONCEPTUAL

Science›Matter & Materials|Ages 8—9|ID: mt_YQkUdIHO8L

Compare and group materials as solids, liquids, or gases based on their observable properties and behaviour

Mastery Evidence

Define solids (fixed shape, hard to compress), liquids (flow, take shape of container), gases (spread out, fill space)
Sort at least eight everyday materials into solid, liquid, or gas categories
Explain tricky cases like sand (solid particles) or steam (gas, not visible water droplets)

Assessment Prompt

“Can [child] explain the difference between a solid like ice, a liquid like water, and a gas like steam, and sort everyday things into these three groups?”

Curriculum Standards1 alignment

Y4.Sci.SM.1The national curriculum in England

Grouping solids, liquids and gases

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

Science · Key Stage 2

Prerequisites5

States of Matter Vocabulary
hardAges 5—7
Drawing Particle Diagrams
hardAges 7—11
Heating & Cooling Changes
hardAges 7—9
Grouping Materials
hardAges 5—6
Changing Shapes of Solids
softAges 6—7

Show full prerequisite tree

States of Matter Vocabulary hard
Comparing and grouping materials as solids, liquids, or gases requires the naming vocabulary for the three states
Drawing Particle Diagrams hard
Comparing and grouping solids, liquids, and gases by properties is greatly aided by the particle diagram representation
Heating & Cooling Changes hard
Must classify states of matter before understanding changes between states
- States of Matter Vocabulary hard
  Describing and measuring changes of state requires solid/liquid/gas vocabulary and the term 'change of state'
- Drawing Particle Diagrams hard
  Observing and describing change of state requires reading particle diagrams showing how arrangement changes on heating or cooling
Grouping Materials hard
Must group materials by properties before classifying into three states of matter
- Describing Material Properties hard
  Must describe properties before using them to group materials
  - States of Matter Vocabulary soft
    Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
  - Naming Everyday Materials hard
    Must name materials before describing their properties
    - Objects vs Materials hard
      Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials
Changing Shapes of Solids soft
Changing shapes of solids provides context for understanding solid properties
- Describing Material Properties hard
  Must know material properties before investigating how shapes change
  - States of Matter Vocabulary soft
    Describing physical properties of materials uses solid/liquid/gas vocabulary introduced in the states of matter LANGUAGE node
  - Naming Everyday Materials hard
    Must name materials before describing their properties
    - Objects vs Materials hard
      Must distinguish objects from materials before naming specific materials

Unlocks4

Separating Mixtures
hardAges 9—10
The Particle Model
hardAges 11—12
Advanced Material Properties
softAges 9—11
Matter Is Made of Particles
hardAges 10—11