How can you tell they’ve got it: Grouping Materials?

If they’ve got it, you’ll see things like: Sort a set of materials into groups based on a chosen property (e.g. transparent vs opaque); Compare two materials and state which properties they share and which differ; Explain the reasoning behind a grouping decision using property vocabulary. Or just try it together: Can your child sort a pile of objects into groups based on their properties, like all the waterproof ones together or all the transparent ones?

Science Matter & Materials Ages 5–6

Grouping Materials

Your child can sort objects into groups by what they are like. They might put all the see-through ones together, or all the waterproof ones, and explain why.

In curriculum terms

Compare and group everyday materials based on their simple physical properties

Ages are typical, not deadlines — follow your child’s pace. How to help at home →

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Sort a set of materials into groups based on a chosen property (e.g. transparent vs opaque)
Compare two materials and state which properties they share and which differ
Explain the reasoning behind a grouping decision using property vocabulary

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Try this together

Can your child sort a pile of objects into groups based on their properties, like all the waterproof ones together or all the transparent ones?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Describing Material Propertiesages 5–6Must describe properties before using them to group materials

Grouping Materialsthis skill · ages 5–6

Unlocks

Choosing the Right Materialages 6–8Must group materials by properties before evaluating suitability for purposes

Classifying Materialsages 7–8Must be able to group materials before conducting investigation to classify by properties

Solids, Liquids & Gasesages 8–9Must group materials by properties before classifying into three states of matter

Properties of materialsages 7–8Grouping materials by properties supports grouping rocks by properties

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Where this fits in the official school curriculum — our best automated guess, not yet checked by a person.

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 2 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S2U03medium confidenceYear 2 · Science understanding

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

AC9TDE2K02low confidenceYear 1–2 · Knowledge and understanding

explore how technologies including materials affect movement in products

AC9SFU02low confidenceFoundation · Science understanding

describe how objects move and how factors including their size, shape or material influence their movement

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

STE-SCI-01low confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Early Stage 1

ST1-SCI-01low confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Stage 1

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S2U05medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

VC2S2U04medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

VC2S2U01low confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Understanding strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Describing Material Propertiesages 5–6 Naming Everyday Materialsages 5–6 Objects vs Materialsages 5–6 States of Matter Vocabularyages 5–7

All Matter & Materials skills →