Sorting at the Recycling Center

Sorting at the Recycling Center Worksheet: Sorting matter by its properties (Grade 4 Science)

Students look at four stations that recycle materials (a magnet, a water tank, an air blower, and a glass plant) and circle the property each one uses or changes: magnetism, relative density, mass, or physical state. Then they use a small table to sort a steel can, bottle caps, and bottle pieces. The page teaches the idea first, so no prior lesson is needed, and every answer is on the page.

What's Inside

• A teach box on magnetism, relative density, mass, physical state, and temperature, with a worked example
• Part A: four recycling station pictures; circle the property each one uses
• Part B: a short table and three circle questions
• A raccoon guide with a hint that matches the answer key
• An answer key with answers marked in red, plus a short teacher note with what to watch for

How Teachers Use It

Read the teach box and the worked example together, then let students try Part A and Part B. It takes 8 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. The focus skill is classifying and describing matter using observable properties. Standards: TEKS 4.6A: classify and describe matter using observable properties, including temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density, and physical state.

Why It Works

A real recycling center shows why properties of matter matter. Questions are short, mostly circle answers, and the reasoning is on the teacher key.