Science · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Describing Materials by Sound and Smell

Active learning helps students connect abstract properties like sound and smell to tangible experiences. When students manipulate materials directly, they build memory hooks for scientific concepts that lectures or worksheets cannot provide.

• ACARA Content Descriptions
• AC9S1U03

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 45 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Bridge Challenge

Small groups are given different materials (cardboard, tissue paper, foil) to span a gap between two blocks. They add small weights (like coins) one by one to see which material is the strongest and record the results.

Explain why some materials feel soft and others feel hard.

Facilitation Tip

During the Bridge Challenge, circulate with a decibel meter app to help students quantify the sound differences between materials.

What to look for

Provide students with two different materials (e.g., a wooden block and a metal spoon). Ask them to tap each material and write down one word to describe the sound it makes. Then, ask them to describe the smell of each material, if any.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 30 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Bend or Snap?

Set up stations with items like a wooden craft stick, a pipe cleaner, a plastic ruler, and a straw. Students rotate through, trying to bend each item gently and recording if it is 'flexible' or 'rigid' on a tally sheet.

Compare the sounds produced by tapping different materials.

Facilitation Tip

In Bend or Snap, remind students to record both the amount of bend and the sound it makes before the material snaps.

What to look for

Hold up a familiar object made of a specific material, like a plastic toy. Ask students: 'What sound does this make if I tap it? What does it smell like? How do these observations help us know what it is made of?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Think-Pair-Share
• 20 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Paper House

Read a story like 'The Three Little Pigs' and ask students to discuss in pairs why certain materials failed. They then propose a 'new' material for a house that would be both strong and flexible, sharing their idea with the class.

Predict which material would be best for making a quiet toy.

Facilitation Tip

During The Paper House session, listen for students to move from vague descriptions like 'it sounds funny' to specific terms like 'crinkly' or 'high-pitched'.

What to look for

Present students with a tray of small, safe items that have distinct smells (e.g., a cotton ball, a piece of fruit, a small piece of paper). Ask students to close their eyes, smell each item, and then point to the item that matches a given description, such as 'the item that smells sweet'.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers often pair sound and smell tests with strength tests to create a full sensory profile of each material. Avoid letting students rush through testing; insist on careful observation and multiple trials. Research suggests that linking sensory data to function (e.g., 'This plastic is bendy and makes a squeak, so it might be good for a toy') deepens understanding.

Students will confidently describe materials using precise language for sound and smell. They will also explain why some materials behave in unexpected ways when tested for strength or flexibility.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Bridge Challenge, watch for students who assume thicker materials are always stronger without testing.

  Use the Bridge Challenge to redirect students by asking them to test both a thin piece of cardboard and a thick piece of paper, comparing how much weight each holds before bending.

• During Bend or Snap, watch for students who believe flexible materials cannot hold much weight.

  Use the rubber band and steel spring in Bend or Snap to show students how these materials can stretch significantly before breaking, then test their strength by attaching small weights.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation
• Think-Pair-Share