Hero | Texas Hub Module

Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub

Free scope and sequences, TEKS breakdowns, phenomenon ideas, and engagement activities for the 2024 Texas science standards.

I'm Chris Kesler, a former award-winning Texas middle school science teacher. This is the site I wish I'd had in the classroom. One hub with TEKS breakdowns, scope and sequences, phenomenon starters, engagement ideas, and resources, all aligned to the standards you actually teach.

Get Free Pacing Guide

🚀 Jump to Your Grade

Pick your grade level and go straight to your TEKS standards, aligned resources, and teaching tools.

All standards updated for the 2024 TEKS revision

TEKS Details | Texas Hub Module

4th Grade TEKS Standards

Click any standard to see what it means, how to teach it, where students get stuck, and aligned resources.

TEKS S.4.6A • Matter & Properties

Classify Matter by Physical Properties

The Standard

"Classify and describe matter using observable physical properties, including temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density (the ability to sink or float in water), and physical state (solid, liquid, gas);"

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

The Key Verb

"Classify and describe". Fourth graders aren't memorizing definitions for this one. They're picking up real objects, testing one property at a time, and putting the objects into groups based on what they observed. The standard's "including" list spells out exactly which properties get tested: temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density (the ability to sink or float in water), and physical state (solid, liquid, gas). Each property has a tool. A thermometer for temperature. A balance for mass. A magnet for magnetism. A tub of water for sink-or-float. Their own eyes for solid, liquid, or gas. Kids should be able to look at any object on their desk and tell you how it would behave on each one of those tests.

4.6A is the standard where 4th graders finally start seeing the world the way scientists see it. Everything around them is matter. The pencil, the water in the cup, the air they're breathing, the magnet stuck to the file cabinet. Each one of those things has properties you can see, feel, or test, and those properties are how we tell one kind of matter apart from another. The job for the kids is simple: stop guessing, start testing.

The TEKS hands you the property list. Temperature is how hot or cold something is, measured with a thermometer. Mass is how much stuff is in the object, measured on a balance. Magnetism is whether a magnet sticks to it. Relative density is whether it sinks or floats when you drop it in water. Physical state is whether it's a solid, liquid, or gas right now. That's the whole list, and that's exactly what kids should be testing.

By the end of the unit, students should be able to grab any everyday object, predict how it'll do on each test, and then sort a group of objects into categories based on what they actually observed. Two objects might both be solid, but one floats and the other sinks. Both might feel cold, but only one is magnetic. Classifying matter means using the test results, not the look of the object, to decide what group it belongs in.

💬 From Chris's Classroom

The biggest mistake to avoid with classifying matter is talking too much. If I were planning this lesson for 4th grade, I'd ditch the slideshow with definitions and the vocabulary list. Kids can repeat those words back at you but can't actually do anything with them. Switch to stations instead. Set up a temperature station, a mass station, a magnet station, a sink-or-float station, and a "name the state" station. Give each kid a clipboard with five mystery objects listed across the top and the five properties down the side. They go station to station, run the test, and fill in the box. By the time they get back to their seats, they've got a chart full of real data and they can classify those objects six different ways without you saying a word. With 4th graders especially, the testing has to come before the talking.

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

These are some of the most common misconceptions. Knowing what to look for can help you get ahead of them.

"Anything shiny and metal-looking is magnetic"

✓

Only certain metals are magnetic. A paperclip and a steel washer will jump to the magnet. A penny, an aluminum soda can, and a gold ring will not. Kids assume "metal = magnet" because the shiny silver objects in their world all look the same. Lay out a tray of metal-looking stuff and let them test every piece. Watching the magnet ignore the soda can is the moment the misconception breaks.

"Heavy things sink and light things float"

✓

It's not about how heavy something feels in your hand. It's about how the object compares to water. A huge log floats. A tiny steel paperclip sinks. The log floats because wood is less dense than water. The paperclip sinks because steel is more dense than water. That's relative density, and water is what we compare it to.

"Mass and size are the same thing"

✓

A big object isn't always the one with more mass. A balloon is huge but barely tips a balance. A small steel marble is tiny but heavy. Mass is how much stuff is packed inside, not how big the object looks. The only way to know is to put it on the balance and read the number.

"Air isn't matter because you can't see it"

✓

Air is matter. It has mass, it takes up space, and it has a temperature. You just can't see it because it's a gas. Blow up a balloon and you can feel the air pushing back. Hold a thermometer in the room and it reads a temperature. Just because something is invisible doesn't mean it isn't there.

📓 Teaching Resources for 4.6A

These resources are aligned to this standard.

FREE

Classify Matter by Physical Properties — I Can Poster Pack

Print-ready classroom poster pack for TEKS 4.6A. Includes the verbatim Texas standard plus student-language "I Can" statements broken into daily learning goals. Landscape letter, ready to print and post on your wall.

📍 Best for: Daily learning-goal board • Print and post

Complete 5E Lesson

Describing Physical Properties Complete Science Lesson

The full unit for 4.6A: differentiated station labs, editable presentations, interactive notebooks (English + Spanish), student-choice projects, and assessments covering temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density, and physical state. Built on the 5E model.

⏱ Best for: Full unit coverage • Multiple class periods

Station Lab

Describing Physical Properties Station Lab

9-station hands-on lab where 4th graders rotate through testing real objects for the five physical properties from the TEKS. Input stations (Explore It!, Watch It!, Read It!, Research It!) and output stations (Organize It!, Illustrate It!, Write It!, Assess It!). Print and digital. English and Spanish.

🔬 Best for: Core instruction • 1-2 class periods

Student Choice Projects

Describing Physical Properties Student Choice Projects

Choice board with nine project options plus a "design your own" pathway. Students show what they know about physical properties through writing, building, illustrating, presenting, or digital formats.

🎓 Best for: Project-based assessment • 2-3 class periods

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 4.6A

Use these real-world phenomena to anchor your lesson. Show students the phenomenon first, let them wonder, then build toward Classify Matter by Physical Properties as the explanation.

🔎

Phenomenon 1

The Sneaky Soda Can

Drop an unopened can of regular soda into a deep bin of water. It sinks straight to the bottom. Drop an unopened can of diet soda into the same bin. It floats. Same shape can, same amount of liquid inside, same metal on the outside. The kids will swear something is rigged. The only difference is the sugar in the regular soda makes that liquid heavier than the artificial sweetener in the diet soda.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"Why would two cans that look exactly the same act so differently in water? What property are we actually testing here?"

🔎

Phenomenon 2

The Magnet That Picks Favorites

Lay out a tray of objects: a paperclip, a penny, an aluminum foil ball, a steel washer, a quarter, a plastic spoon, and a gold-colored bracelet. Run a strong magnet slowly over the tray. Some things leap up. Others just sit there. The penny doesn't move. The bracelet doesn't move. The aluminum ball doesn't move. The paperclip and the washer come up immediately.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"Every object on this tray looks like it could be metal. Why did the magnet only pull up some of them? What does that tell you about how to test a property instead of guessing?"

🔎

Phenomenon 3

The Vanishing Ice Cube

Drop one ice cube into a clear plastic cup. Set it on a desk where everyone can see it. Walk around and teach for ten minutes. Come back and the cube is gone. There's water in the bottom of the cup. The kids saw a solid at the start of class and a liquid at the end. The same matter, just in a different state. Same molecules, same mass, same everything except how they're holding together.

💬 Discussion Prompt

"What changed about the ice when it became water? What stayed exactly the same? Could it change again into a third state if we let the water sit out?"

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 4.6A

Five-Property Mystery Object Stations

Set up five property stations around the room: temperature (thermometer in different cups), mass (a balance), magnetism (a strong magnet), relative density (a tub of water), and physical state (a tray of solid, liquid, and gas examples). Each group carries five mystery objects to every station and fills out a five-by-five grid. At the end, they sort their five objects into groups based on the data on their grid.

Materials: Thermometers, balance, magnet, tub of water, mystery objects (paperclip, plastic spoon, penny, sugar cube, sponge, ice cube, wood block), recording grids

Sink-or-Float Prediction Tournament

Bring in a giant tub of water and 15 random objects (orange, candle, key, crayon, grape, paperclip, cork, etc.). Before any testing, every kid writes a prediction for each object: sink or float. Then test them one at a time as a class, with kids cheering when their prediction is right. Tally up how many each kid got. The winner gets a sticker. The losers learn that you can't tell density just by looking.

Materials: Deep tub of water, 15 mixed test objects, prediction sheets

State of Matter Stations on the Wall

Tape three large posters to the wall: SOLID, LIQUID, GAS. Hand each kid a stack of object picture cards (ice cube, water, steam, rock, milk, balloon, juice, sand, etc.). They take turns walking up and sticking their card under the right poster, explaining why. Tricky cases like steam, jello, and toothpaste lead to the best class discussions.

Materials: Three poster boards, picture cards of solids/liquids/gases, sticky tack

Property Sorting Showdown

Give each table group a bag of 10 small objects. They have to sort the bag four different ways, one for each property: by temperature (warm vs. cool to touch), by magnetic vs. not magnetic, by sink vs. float, and by physical state. The same 10 objects get sorted into different groups every round, which drives home that an object can have lots of properties at once.

Materials: Bags of 10 mixed small objects per group, magnet, tub of water, recording sheet

Pacing Guides | Texas Hub Module

Free Planning Tools

Year-at-a-Glance Pacing Guides

Practical, week-by-week scope and sequences for grades 4-8. These tell you what to teach and when to teach it. Updated for the 2024 TEKS.

4^th

Grade Science

PDF

Download Free

5^th

Grade Science

PDF

Download Free

6^th

Grade Science

PDF

Download Free

7^th

Grade Science

PDF

Download Free

8^th

Grade Science

PDF

Download Free

Free download. No email required. Updated for the 2024 TEKS with linked activities for every unit.

Trusted Across Texas | Texas Hub Module

Texas Teacher Community

Trusted Across Texas

From the Rio Grande Valley to the Panhandle, Texas science teachers are using Kesler Science to save time and engage students.

Texas Schools and Districts
Love Kesler Science

What Teachers Are Saying

Sandra G.

via email

"Complete, concise, time saving treasure chest of ready-made lessons that fit my standards. Cuts my prep time, increases student engagement, and makes it easier to have a student-led classroom."

Stacy D.

via email

"It is easy to access, updated frequently, well-supported when I have questions, and everything I need is provided. No surprises."

Debra A.

via email

"Kesler has helped me differentiate instruction for students, move toward more inquiry-based labs, and kept me from losing my mind!"

Admin Section | Texas Hub Module

For Administrators

Give Your Science Teachers Everything They Need

School and district licenses give your teachers access to every resource they need, including station labs, inquiry labs, anchoring phenomena, presentations, escape rooms, and much more. One purchase covers the grade levels you need.

✓ PO-friendly. We accept purchase orders
✓ Volume discounts for 10+ teachers
✓ Free PD session for departments of 5+
✓ Aligned to the 2024 TEKS standards

Request a Quote Schedule a Demo

See It in Action

Book a walkthrough and we'll show you how Kesler Science fits your campus.

Book Demo Call

No pressure, no hard sell

Rosemarie C.

via email

"My assistant principal stopped in my room and immediately noticed how the students were engrossed in their centers and how they moved seamlessly from center to center. Also the built-in modifications really impressed!"

Cassandra G.

via email

"It provides differentiated instruction for all types of learners, allowing them to become more engaged."

Margaret I.

via email

"I love it all!! I have become a facilitator in my class and I love the excitement it brings to my class. The kids love all that we do with the Kesler products."

Texas Science Teacher Resource Hub

🚀 Jump to Your Grade

4th Grade TEKS Standards

Classify Matter by Physical Properties

💡 What This Standard Actually Means

⚠️ Misconceptions Your Students May Have

📓 Teaching Resources for 4.6A

🌎 Phenomenon Ideas for 4.6A

The Sneaky Soda Can

The Magnet That Picks Favorites

The Vanishing Ice Cube

💡 Free Engagement Ideas for 4.6A

Five-Property Mystery Object Stations

Sink-or-Float Prediction Tournament

State of Matter Stations on the Wall

Property Sorting Showdown

Year-at-a-Glance Pacing Guides

Trusted Across Texas

Texas Schools and DistrictsLove Kesler Science

What Teachers Are Saying

Give Your Science Teachers Everything They Need

See It in Action

Texas Schools and Districts
Love Kesler Science