N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
Matter and Physical Properties
All objects and substances in the universe are made of matter. Because all matter
takes up space (has volume) and contains a certain amount of material (has mass),
all matter can be detected and measured. All matter has physical properties and
chemical properties. Physical properties can be observed or measured without
changing the composition or identity of the matter. At this level the study of
physical properties should become more systematic and quantitative. Students
should observe, estimate, and measure the mass of a variety of objects. The use of
balances (triple beam) will help aid this understanding. Chemical properties
describe matter based on its ability to change into a new kind of matter with
different properties. Physical properties are introduced and reinforced in grades
K-5; however, chemical properties are not introduced until grade 6.
In this unit, 4th grade students observe and record changes in the states of
matter caused by the addition or reduction of heat. In earlier grades, students
have experimented with changes caused by heat such as evaporation and melting.
As students investigate the effect of heat on the states of matter, they should
extend their knowledge of the processes involved in changing matter from one
state to another. Through experimentation, students should be guided to
understand that heating and cooling cause changes in the properties of materials
and that many kinds of changes occur faster under hotter conditions.
Process
Evaporation
Condensation
Freezing
Melting
State Change
Liquid to Gas
Gas to Liquid
Liquid to Solid
Solid to Liquid
In previous grades students identified matter as solids, liquids, and gases and
studied properties of matter including temperature, size, color, mass, and
hardness; therefore, it is appropriate to reinforce these concepts throughout this
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
unit of study. Density, buoyancy, and conduction are introduced for the first time
in this 4th grade unit.
The chart that follows outlines some of the properties of matter and explains what
students should understand about these properties. Details about the properties
introduced at this grade level follow the chart.
Physical
Properties
What It Means
(how a substance reflects light)
Physical properties can be observed using the
senses to identify and describe matter.
Temperature
The amount of heat in matter
(measured in degrees Celsius and
Fahrenheit)
A change in temperature is a measure of the loss
or gain of heat in matter. Scientists generally
measure temperature in degrees Celsius.
Mass
Mass is a measure of the amount of
matter in a solid, liquid, or gas.
(measured in grams)
All solids, liquids, and gases have mass because
they are all made of matter rather than energy.
In 4th grade, the mass of an object should be
measured using a triple beam balance.
State of Matter
Matter exists as a solid, liquid, or
gas
Changes in the state of matter are caused by the
addition or reduction of heat.
Appearance
Magnetism
Hardness
Conduction
Color, size, shape, texture, luster
What Students Should Understand
Ability to attract iron
Ability of a substance to resist being
scratched
Ability of a substance to conduct
heat, sound, or electricity
Without touching them, a magnet pulls on all
things made of iron and either pushes or pulls on
other magnets.
A harder substance will scratch a softer
substance.
Heat, sound, and electricity travel better through
some substances than they do through others.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
Density
The amount of matter in a given
volume - mass/unit volume (g/ml)
When two substances have the same volume, the
one with greater mass has greater density. For
example, a cup of feathers and a cup of marbles
have the same volume, but because the cup of
marbles has greater mass it has a greater
density.
Buoyancy
Tendency to float or rise in a fluid
(liquid or gas)
Buoyancy applies to both liquids and gases and is
determined in part by density and fluid
displacement.
Symmetry
One half of an object is a mirror
image of the other half.
The symmetry of an object does not change when
an object is translated, rotated, or reflected.
Mass is a measure (in grams) of the amount of matter in a solid, liquid, or gas.
Students need many experiences with finding mass. It is not obvious to
elementary students that the mass of a whole is equal to the sum of the mass of
its parts. Because of this, students need hands on experiences to discover this
concept. By finding the mass of piles of small things and then finding the mass of
each individual small thing and adding up those masses, students will see that the
sum totals the whole, and gain understanding of this concept.
Density is a measure that compares how tightly packed the particles are in a
sample to other samples of the same volume. Using the appropriate tools, students
should have experience comparing and weighing different materials of the same
volume to discover that when two substances have the same volume, the one with
greater mass has greater density. Density is also useful for predicting whether one
substance will float or sink in another. For example when some liquids are mixed (oil
and water) they will form a column with the more dense liquid at the bottom
(water) and the less dense liquid on the top (oil).
Buoyancy is the tendency of objects to float or rise in a fluid (liquid or gas).
Buoyant force is the upward force on an object when it is immersed in a fluid. In
the case of water, this buoyant force is equal to the weight of the water the
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
object displaces. As long as the buoyant force (weight of the water displaced)
exerted on an object is more than the weight of the object, the object will float.
In the same manner, if the buoyant force is less than the weight of an object, the
object will sink. Students can experience this force by attempting to submerge a
small inflatable toy in a tub of water; the toy seems to push back. An object can
be made to float by increasing its buoyant force. Students can experiment to learn
that, for example, a clay ball will sink in water, but can be made to float by
changing its shape to one that displaces more water. Adding things such as salt to a
liquid can also increase buoyant force. Adding air to objects is another way to make
objects float. Hands on experiences in a laboratory setting will help students
understand this concept.
Symmetry can be considered a property of matter in this unit. Symmetry is a
pattern in some natural objects that stays the same when it undergoes changes
such as rotation, translation, or reflection. Students can observe this constancy by
looking at a number of patterns that they have shifted (translated), turned
(rotated), flipped (reflected), or seen from different directions. For example a
ping-pong ball looks the same no matter how you look at it. This concept is
applicable across several disciplines and can be examined using basic shapes in
geometry as well as objects from nature. Students should have experience rotating
objects (like a spinning top or CD), translating objects (like an ice skater or a
billiard ball moving in a straight line, and reflecting objects (like with a mirror or
other smooth surface) to see that certain characteristics remain constant even
though the object has gone through a change in position.
Translation-shift
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
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Translations-shift
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Rotation-turn
Reflection-flips
Students should also investigate using reflections to verify symmetry. If an
object has a line of symmetry, placing a mirror on the line will produce a reflection
that looks like the complete object. If a complete object is not produced, the
object does not have symmetry along that line.
This line is a line of symmetry. If you place the mirror along this
line, the reflection will show a half that makes a complete butterfly.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
5
N o r t h E a st I n d ep en d e nt S c h o o l D i st ric t - 4 t h G ra d e S ci en c e
Matter and Physical Properties
2005
Unit 3 Clarifying Statements
Rev. May 2007
This line is not a line of symmetry. If you place a mirror on this line
the reflection would not produce a complete butterfly.
Conduction in this unit is emphasized as a property of matter rather than
understanding heat and electricity as forms of energy. Students should draw
conclusions through laboratory investigations that some matter is better able to
conduct heat and electricity than others. For example, metals are better able to
conduct heat than wood or plastic. For conduction of heat or electricity to occur
the particles in matter must be touching. Convection and radiation are two other
ways that heat can be transferred and are discussed in the next unit in the
context of systems. Matter that does not conduct heat or electricity well can be
considered an insulator. Some materials are better insulators than others.
Students also should test various materials to generalize that the same kind of
materials that conduct heat also conduct electricity and those materials that do
not conduct heat well also do not conduct electricity well.
Students can revisit the concept of conduction and apply it to electricity in
creating a simple circuit. A circuit is a path through which electricity can flow. For
electricity to flow, the circuit must be complete. Using a wire, battery, and small
light bulb (such as a flashlight bulb) students should experiment to determine what
constitutes a complete circuit.
Clarifying statements are intended to deepen teachers’ understanding of science concepts and serve as a guide for
instructional design. They are not intended to serve as student instructional materials.
This publication is the property of North East Independent School District. Duplication in whole or in part, outside of NEISD, is
prohibited without express written permission from NEISD.
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