Reversible and irreversible changes

Produced by FunKids Radio and the RSC, this short snippet uses Kareena and her superhero friend K-Mistry to introduce children to reversible and irreversible changes in your kitchen.

This podcasts can be used as a ’hook’ when introducing the topic to your students, or at the end of a lesson to stimulate discussion about what they have learnt.

If you teach primary science, see the headings below to find out how to use this resource:

Skill development

Children will develop their working scientifically skills by:

• Selecting and planning the most appropriate ways to answer science questions, including:
  • Grouping and classifying things.
• Using appropriate scientific language and ideas to explain, evaluate and communicate their methods and findings.
• Asking their own questions about scientific phenomena.

Learning outcomes

Children will:

• Observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled.
• Explain that some changes result in the formation of new materials, and that this kind of change is not usually reversible.

Concepts supported

Children will learn:

• What is meant by terms ‘reversible’ and ‘irreversible changes’, and be able to identify examples of both.
• Why some changes are irreversible.
• That heat is not always required for a substance to change state.
• The differences between a change in state and the formation of a new substance, in simple terms.

Suggested activity use

This resource would be useful to be used in conjunction with K-Mistry fast facts 2 (https://edu.rsc.org/2325.article

Practical considerations

Some of the language used in the resource, e.g. substances being named as ‘colloids’ is above the standard required for primary school children.

Please take into account any health and safety considerations, particularly any allergies that people may have.