Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective teaching.
Artefact 1
 Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the content they teach accessible and relevant.
 Create opportunities for students to explore ideas and emerging understandings and to develop skills.
 Use a range of teaching approaches which foster independent and cooperative learning, cater for different learning needs and respond
flexibly to the dynamics of the classroom.
Throughout this science unit (created in EDST201) students have access to an enormous range of resources and opportunities to explore their
ideas and emerging understandings. The content is relevant to students lives (matter) and is accessible within the classroom and on excursion.
The range of teaching approaches, inclusive of independent and cooperative learning, inquiry and constructivist based, cater for a diverse
classroom.
Year Level: 4
Topic: Matter
Understanding and classifying matter, determining states of matter and
Teaching strategy(ies):
Date: 29/04/12
Inquiry based and the 5E’s
recognizing chemical and physical changes in state.
Aim of the lesson
Specific activities lesson session 1
session 1

Constructivist principle(s) most consistent with
each activity and justification

Students are given time to simply explore in the ruin garden
The main constructivist principal that is being
and wetland area at the Royal Botanical Gardens.
explored is “interacting with objects and materials in
They will be collecting samples / writing / drawing
the students’ real world”. (Koch, p 13) Students will
them (The royal
/collating images of what they see, what captures their
be in an open environment, dealing with objects they
botanical gardens),
attention and why it has done so.
are consistently surrounded by.
Students will
recognise matter in
the space around
they will come to


The children will be asked to complete a “think, pair, share”
define this in their
where they work collaboratively on what they drew and then
Students will be working in groups, and as a whole
own terms.
discuss commonalities and differences of those objects /
class. They will learn through social interaction,
Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective teaching.
Artefact 1
 Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the content they teach accessible and relevant.
 Create opportunities for students to explore ideas and emerging understandings and to develop skills.
 Use a range of teaching approaches which foster independent and cooperative learning, cater for different learning needs and respond
flexibly to the dynamics of the classroom.
images / words, these can then be presented in the groups
making meaning from their peers ideas and thoughts.
 Students will work
collaboratively to
and then transformed into a large class classification and
This is consistent with the constructivist ideal of
further define the
brainstorm.
“engaging in concrete experiences along with their
Students are asked to investigate what the commonality
peers,” (Koch, p 13)
term matter.


Students will reflect
between every item in the brainstorm is– this will bring them The Constructivist principle of knowing that learning
on this definition
to a discussion on ‘matter’ – that they are all ‘things’.
occurs and is influenced by social interactions is
Students will be asked to record and define what they
applied through collaborative group work. Students
their own
believe matter is, this is discussed as a whole and then a
are encouraged to express, evaluate and reconstruct
knowledge.
class definition will be scribed.
their ideas with others.
and expand upon


Students are given more time to search the grounds of the
garden in search of ‘matter,’ this is used as a reflection, to
The Constructivist principles of metacognition and
modify, expand and revisit their original thoughts, under the
prior knowledge or previous experiences are echoed
new definition of matter.
when students are given the ability to reflect on what
they experience. Students reflect on their initial
understanding to create a new sense of matter.
Aim of the lesson
session 2
Specific activities lesson session 2
Constructivist principle(s) most consistent with
each activity and justification
Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective teaching.
Artefact 1
 Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the content they teach accessible and relevant.
 Create opportunities for students to explore ideas and emerging understandings and to develop skills.
 Use a range of teaching approaches which foster independent and cooperative learning, cater for different learning needs and respond
flexibly to the dynamics of the classroom.


Students will respond to a set of flash cards, attempting to
The Constructivist principle relating to prior
successfully
classify them based on their prior knowledge and
knowledge or previous experiences is conducted
investigate the
identification of the card’s characteristics.
when children are requested to apply their
Students will
understanding of matter, learnt in the previous lesson,
properties of the
prescribed materials

Through questioning, students will reflect on how they
to gain a more
classified the items or materials, expressing their thinking
profound
processes and justifications behind the activity.


Students work collaboratively to identify objects they are
the lesson. Through brainstorming, to then applying
They classify
given by attempting to describe their physical properties,
this information into an experimental context, to
materials based
characteristics or use. Students develop an awareness of the
evaluate and further one’s knowledge and then
upon their
general characteristics of each form of matter, identify the
explaining and in conclusion, defining and reflecting
characteristics into
relationships found between them and how to refer to them
on their learning. This process dictates that learning
solids, liquids and
in terms of specific scientific names.
must occur so that the learner can connect past
knowledge with what they are experiencing yet this
gases.

The Constructivist principle of knowing that learning
is a process is expressed by the sequential nature of
understanding of the
term ‘matter’.
to the flashcards.

Students recognize
that elements in
Students will return to the flashcards to re assemble them,
learning does not occur solely in this lesson.
using their new found understandings of the states of matter
and their relationships. They will be encouraged to develop
Linked with the previous sentences, the
Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective teaching.
Artefact 1
 Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the content they teach accessible and relevant.
 Create opportunities for students to explore ideas and emerging understandings and to develop skills.
 Use a range of teaching approaches which foster independent and cooperative learning, cater for different learning needs and respond
flexibly to the dynamics of the classroom.
matter can transform
an awareness of and identify the types of changes of state
Constructivist principle of understanding that
into another state.

that can occur and how these have occurred.
knowledge is constructed is the ongoing thread
throughout the lesson. This is achieved by planning
They will be able to

By working collaboratively and posing investigation
hands on opportunities with open-ended questioning.
states of matter and
questions, students work through engaging, exploring,
A process of allowing children to reflect on their
associated changes
explaining, elaborating, evaluating and reflecting on a range
previous knowledge, experience an activity that they
in real-life contexts.
of concrete materials. It is hoped they will gain
build an inquiry to and then further questioning, is
understanding of matter and create connections of changes
used to unravel key understandings found in the
of state, relevant to real-life situations.
activity.
Reflecting on the activities, students will recognise and
The Constructivist principle of knowing that learning
define matter and understand the classification process for
occurs and is influenced by social interactions is
these items. Students also acknowledge changes of state and
applied through collaborative group work. Students
reversible and non reversible transformations.
are encouraged to express, evaluate and reconstruct
identify different

their ideas with others in each activity.
The Constructivist principle of metacognition is
reflected when students are given the ability to
reflect on what they experience through constant
Teachers use a range of teaching practices and resources to engage students in effective teaching.
Artefact 1
 Model curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and are aware of strategies to make the content they teach accessible and relevant.
 Create opportunities for students to explore ideas and emerging understandings and to develop skills.
 Use a range of teaching approaches which foster independent and cooperative learning, cater for different learning needs and respond
flexibly to the dynamics of the classroom.
questioning. Students reflect on their initial
understandings to construct further understanding
that is applied throughout the inquiry process.
This contribution to collaborative discussion
requires students to revisit and consolidate their
learning.