Learning Map
SciencePolar Regionsusually ages 7–9

Ice & States of Matter

Understand ice in different forms and states of matter — sea ice forms when ocean water freezes (it's salty and relatively thin), glacial ice forms from compacted snow over centuries (fresh water, very thick), and icebergs break off from glaciers and float in the sea; know that water exists as solid (ice), liquid (water), and gas (water vapour), and that salt lowers the freezing point of water

How to tell they’ve got it

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

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Try this together

Can your child explain the difference between sea ice and glacier ice, and describe how water changes between solid, liquid, and gas — maybe by doing a simple freezing experiment with salt and fresh water?

Where this sits on the map

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

Builds on
Ice & Snowages 5–7Basic ice and snow knowledge is prerequisite to understanding states of matter and ice types
Ice & States of Matterthis skill · ages 7–9
Unlocks
Glaciers & Ice Sheetsages 9–11Must understand ice types (sea ice vs glacial ice) before learning about glacier formation in depth
Polar Oceans and World Climateages 9–11Must understand ice and sea ice before learning about albedo and ocean currents
Why Polar Seasons Are Extremeages 7–9Understanding ice types enriches the connection between seasons and sea ice cycles

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 2 ACARA · 1 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S4U02low confidenceYear 4 · Science understanding

identify sources of water and describe key processes in the water cycle, including movement of water through the sky, landscape and ocean; precipitation; evaporation; and condensation

AC9S3U04low confidenceYear 3 · Science understanding

investigate the observable properties of solids and liquids and how adding or removing heat energy leads to a change of state

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S6U03low confidenceScience · Levels 5 and 6 · 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

All Polar Regions skills →