Teaching science to students with significant cognitive disabilities shouldn't mean choosing between meaningful science content and accessible instruction.

The Essential Science States of Matter Unit makes science accessible through explicit instruction, hands-on exploration, differentiated activities, and ongoing assessment.

Designed for self-contained special education classrooms and students working toward alternate academic standards, this unit provides everything you need to introduce matter and its properties while supporting a wide range of learning and communication needs.

What Will Students Learn?

Students explore matter through four learning levels that build from foundational observations toward more complex scientific understanding.

• Foundation: Observe matter and identify its properties using the senses and simple investigations.

• Recognition: Identify and distinguish different states of matter.

• Application: Apply understanding of matter and its observable properties through examples and activities.

• Investigation: Explore how matter can change through hands-on observations and investigations.

Each learning level includes an instructional lesson with accessible vocabulary, meaningful activities, and opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know.

What's Included?

This comprehensive science unit includes:

• Scripted Lesson Plans: Step-by-step guidance for introducing, exploring, practicing, and assessing each science concept.

• Adapted Concept Books: Accessible informational texts that introduce essential science vocabulary and concepts.

• Visual Anchor Charts: Clear visual references to reinforce learning throughout the unit.

• Hands-On Science Activities: Opportunities to observe, explore, and investigate scientific concepts.

• Five Levels of Differentiated Worksheets: Errorless, matching, cut-and-paste, selecting or multiple choice, and independent response activities.

• Supported Practice Centers: File folder activities, hands-on practice, task cards, and video or book connections.

• Paraprofessional Support: Guidance for supporting student participation and reinforcing learning.

• Lesson Data Sheets: Tools for recording student responses, accuracy, and prompting.

• Unit Assessment and Rubric: Multiple ways to evaluate student understanding and monitor progress.

Built for Diverse Learners

Not every student demonstrates science understanding in the same way.

Essential Science provides four learning levels so students can engage with meaningful science concepts without requiring every learner to complete identical tasks.

The five worksheet levels provide additional response support within instruction, allowing teachers to differentiate based on student needs.

Students can participate using speech, AAC, pointing, eye gaze, gestures, picture selection, or other established communication methods.

The goal is to make science accessible without reducing instruction to simply matching pictures or memorizing vocabulary.

A Predictable Instructional Routine

Each lesson follows a consistent structure:

INTRODUCE: Build background knowledge with vocabulary, concept books, and anchor charts.

EXPLORE: Engage students in hands-on observations and science investigations.

PRACTICE: Reinforce understanding with differentiated activities.

REINFORCE: Extend learning through supported practice centers.

ASSESS: Monitor understanding, accuracy, and independence using lesson data sheets and unit assessments.

This predictable structure helps teachers plan instruction, organize paraprofessional support, and provide repeated opportunities for students to engage with science concepts.

Flexible Pacing for Real Classrooms

Essential Science is designed around approximately one lesson per week, with 40–60 minutes of core instruction that can be divided into shorter sessions.

Supported practice centers can be incorporated throughout the week for repeated exposure, skill development, and generalization.

Use the entire lesson sequence or select the instructional entry points that best align with your students' current learning needs.

Standards-Aligned Science Instruction

This unit supports instruction aligned with the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Essential Elements, including science concepts related to matter, observable properties, and changes in matter.

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It is designed for teachers who need accessible, systematic science instruction for students with significant cognitive disabilities.

Spend Less Time Adapting and More Time Teaching

You shouldn't have to create every science lesson, visual, adapted activity, and assessment from scratch.

With Essential Science, the instructional framework and differentiated resources are already in place so you can focus on teaching, observing student progress, and helping every learner participate in meaningful science.

Explore the Essential Science curriculum and bring accessible, hands-on science instruction to your classroom!