These are the buttons for going to teacher resources.
Above right is the search button. You can get to this 'toolkit' screen from the search, too. Most useful when students have a specific word in mind.
This is the main textbook. It opens in a new tab or window. To close the book, close the tab or window. On a mobile you can swipe to turn pages and also pull corners. On the top right there is a button for searching within the book. You can also zoom in on a page and drag the page to where you want it. Some books have videos embedded.

If there is an 'explorer' book opposite with a similar title it is also a textbook, but with a 2 year reading level lower than the main book.
These creative topics books cover specific topics and reinforce the main book. Use them as further reading, or when more detail is needed for project work.

The books are colour banded using a system of reading ability levels as is standard across British schools. If there are coloured dots, they tell of reading level and also guide you as to how hard the subject matter is: the more dots the harder it is.
This is the interactive topic. It covers the same ground as the book, but with less text and it focuses on read-outs. Suited to whiteboards as well as individual use. Each text passage can be read out and stopped by mouseover or tap. There is a question with interactive answer. Especially helps those with reading challenges.
This is the video gallery. It contains all of the videos in the i-topic and more. You can use this if you wish to manage videos rather than have them as part of the i-topic.
This is an interactive audio-visual experience. It contains a wide variety of topics to help students approach a topic in a less formal way. They select items and hear them read out. Copyright restrictions apply: the material cannot be used in other websites.
These are additional resources, such as topic books.
  • Statutory programme of study.

• The books below cover the ground needed for each statutory requirement.

• If you need guidance on how to teach the topic, take the academy course by clicking the 'Lessons' icon. (Also suited to parent use.)

• Remember you can enhance this by using our safe search. For example, search bear, lion, beaver.
• Also remember each book has its own search, top right immediately above the page.
• For teacher guides and more visit the academy links.

Year 4 has the following 5 themes. This page is about States of matter.

1. Groups of living things

2. Teeth, digestion and food chains

3. States of matter (this page; scroll down)

4. Sound

5. Electricity

3. States of matter

• (a) compare and group materials together, according to whether they are solids, liquids or gases


Notes and guidance (non-statutory)
Pupils should explore a variety of everyday materials and develop simple descriptions of the states of matter (solids hold their shape; liquids form a pool not a pile; gases escape from an unsealed container). Pupils should observe water as a solid, a liquid and a gas and should note the changes to water when it is heated or cooled.

CV note: this topic is about REVERSIBLE changes. Note: out textbooks cover more ground than is required for reversible changes. You can extend your study to irreversible changes (burning and baking) or omit those sections. We have marked them up to give you the choice.


Notes and guidance (non-statutory)
Note: Teachers should avoid using materials where heating is associated with chemical change, for example, through baking or burning.
Pupils might work scientifically by: grouping and classifying a variety of different materials; exploring the effect of temperature on substances such as chocolate, butter, cream (for example, to make food such as chocolate crispy cakes and ice-cream for a party). They could research the temperature at which materials change state, for example, when iron melts or when oxygen condenses into a liquid. They might observe and record evaporation over a period of time, for example, a puddle in the playground or washing on a line, and investigate the effect of temperature on washing drying or snowmen melting.

Text books and academy to use:


Specially written book for this topic

Entire book.

Entire book


Additional reading books to use:



• (b) observe that some materials change state when they are heated or cooled, and measure or research the temperature at which this happens in degrees Celsius (°C)


Text books and academy to use:


Specially written book for this topic.

Whole book.


Additional reading books to use:




• (c) identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature.
Text books and academy to use:


Specially written book for this topic.

Specially written book for this topic.

Whole book.


Additional reading books to use:

Go to section 4: Sound