Year 4 · Autumn 1.2 · Step 2

Earth & Space

Think differently: tricky materials

Pouring solids, slow liquids and materials that are hard to place — testing our definitions.

Arrival Starter I do We do Independent Exit ticket
🌱 Seedling · Working towards 🌿 Sapling · Expected 🌳 Oak · Greater depth

⏱ Whole lesson ≈ 44 min · pick a tier in the bar, or leave on "All"

Arrival 4 min

Recap of last lesson: the three states.

Recap: solid, liquid, gas

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

A solid keeps its ____.

🌿 Sapling
Expected
  1. How does a liquid behave?
  2. How does a gas behave?
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Is sand a solid or a liquid? It pours… what do you think?

Bridge into todaySome materials are tricky. Sand pours, honey flows slowly, toothpaste squeezes. Today we think differently about them.
Starter 5 min

Introduce pouring solids and slow liquids.

Tricky materials

Sand pours, but it is a solid — it is made of many tiny solid grains. Honey and treacle are liquids that flow slowly. Some materials, like toothpaste, are hard to sort at all.

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Sand is made of tiny ____.

🌿 Sapling
Expected

Why can sand pour even though it is a solid?

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

What makes toothpaste hard to sort as a solid or a liquid?

I do · 1 6 min

Teacher models. Watch, then explain why sand fooled us.

Pouring solids and slow liquids

▶ Can't see it? Watch "States of Matter for Kids — Solids, Liquids and Gases" on YouTube

Swap the clip: change the ID after /embed/ (now 24Yromifcss).

Say thisA liquid is one connected material that flows. Sand pours, but each grain is a tiny solid keeping its own shape. Honey and oil are liquids — they just flow more slowly than water.
🏖️
Sandpouring solid
🍯
Honeyslow liquid
🪥
Toothpastetricky!
We do · 1 6 min

Sort tricky materials together — some may sit between groups.

Where does it go?

🏖️ sand   🍯 honey   🪥 toothpaste   🧴 shaving foam   🫗 oil   🪨 rock

Talk it through
Test: is it ONE flowing material (liquid), or MANY tiny solids (a pouring solid)?
Some, like toothpaste and foam, are genuinely hard to place — and that's fine.
I do · 2 4 min

Play the animation. Bust: anything that pours is a liquid.

Sand looks like a liquid…

sand: a pouring SOLID many tiny grains water: a LIQUID spreads into a puddle

Sand pours like a liquid, but it lands as a pile of separate solid grains — water spreads into one puddle.

Model the ideaPouring does not make something a liquid. Zoom in on sand and you see thousands of tiny solid pieces. Zoom in on water and it is one connected liquid.

Watch for: "if it pours, it's a liquid" and "only liquids can be poured".

We do · 2 5 min

Decide together, giving a reason each time.

Solid, liquid or tricky?

Reason it out
"Sand — pours, but grains are solid."   "Honey — one slow liquid."   "Toothpaste — holds a shape AND squeezes."
Say your reason using "one flowing material" or "many tiny solids".
Independent 10 min

On your own. Sort each material, then write at your tier.

Tricky materials sorter

🧱 Acts like a solid

💧 Acts like a liquid

🤔 Hard to sort

Tap a card to sort it…

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Sort the cards. Then finish: Sand is made of tiny ____.

🌿 Sapling
Expected

Sort them, then explain why sand is a solid even though it pours.

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Sort them, then explain why toothpaste is difficult to sort.

Exit ticket 4 min

Answer at your tier, then hand it in.

Show what you know

🌱 Seedling
Working towards
  • Is sand a solid or a liquid?
  • Name a slow liquid.
🌿 Sapling
Expected
  • Why can a solid like sand be poured?
  • Name a material that is hard to sort.
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Explain how you can tell a pouring solid from a liquid.

TA Focus · Tricky materials
The key test: is it ONE flowing material (liquid) or MANY tiny solids (a pouring solid)? Sand pours but is a solid. Honey/oil are slow liquids. Toothpaste and foam are genuinely tricky — accept 'in between' with a reason. Bust 'anything that pours is a liquid'.
Cold Call · Question bank
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