Properties of materials
Compare and group different kinds of rocks based on their appearance and simple physical properties such as hardness, texture, and colour
Lesson
Set out your lesson
Group rocks by observable properties without guessing a rock type.
Before teaching
Ask the learner to explain one prerequisite idea before starting. If uncertain, revisit it; graph order is not learner readiness.
Check readiness rather than assuming source graph order establishes attainment.
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Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Group rocks by observable properties without guessing a rock type.
Group rocks by observable properties without guessing a rock type.
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Learning resources
Extra practice links — they do not replace Gakuva’s teaching approach.
PhET Interactive Simulations · Practice link — not the full lesson
States of Matter: Basics
Before you open · source notes
States of Matter: Basics supports hands-on exploration for Properties of materials. Not every lab worksheet.
Free interactive page, no sign-in required for the tested path.
Before you openAsk the learner what they changed in the sim or page and what they observed.
Opening this link does not save learning or assess mastery.
Source, access and review notes
Public PhET Interactive Simulations page. An anonymous GET on 2026-11-12 returned HTTP 200 with no login or payment prompt for this URL. Opening the link does not save practice or assess mastery. An adult should preview and guide the learner.
PhET Interactive Simulations. “States of Matter: Basics.” External page; Gakuva does not copy, host, embed, or redistribute materials.
Unknown — link only
Check understanding
- Describe at least three observable properties of rocks: hardness, texture, colour, grain size
- Sort a collection of rocks into groups based on chosen properties
- Compare two rocks and describe how their properties differ
“Can your child examine a collection of rocks and sort them by whether they're hard or crumbly, rough or smooth, and light or dark?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Conceptual
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Earth's Systems
- Age range
- Ages 7–10
Standards