What does a student learn in StateWashington,GradeGrade 5,SubjectScience?

Students measure and test materials to see what they're made of and how they behave. They explore what happens when two substances are mixed together or when something gets hotter or colder.

Matter is made of tiny particles invisible to the naked eye. Students build a model, such as a drawing or diagram, to show how those particles make up everyday objects like water, air, or a block of wood.

Students weigh substances before and after heating, cooling, or mixing them, then graph the results to show that the total weight stays the same no matter what change happens.

Students sort and identify everyday materials by observing and measuring their properties, things like color, texture, hardness, and how well they conduct heat or electricity.

Students mix two or more materials together and observe whether a new substance forms. A vinegar-and-baking-soda reaction or a dissolved-salt experiment can show whether mixing caused a real change or just a physical blend.

Plants don't make food from thin air. Students investigate where plants actually get the matter they need to grow, using evidence to explain why soil, water, and air each play a part.

Plants don't grow mainly from soil. Students learn that plants pull carbon dioxide from the air and water from the ground to build new leaves, stems, and roots, then back that claim with evidence.

Students trace how sunlight becomes food energy in plants, then follows a path through the animals that eat them. They use diagrams or models to show how that energy keeps living things growing, moving, and staying alive.

Food gives animals the energy to move, grow, and heal. Students trace that energy back to the sun, showing how sunlight powers nearly every living thing through the food chain.

Students track how matter, like water, carbon, and nutrients, moves through an ecosystem by cycling between living things and non-living parts such as soil, air, and water. They use data and models to show where that matter comes from and where it goes.

Plants, animals, decomposers, and the soil pass matter in a cycle. Students draw or diagram how that cycle works, showing where matter goes when something grows, eats, dies, and breaks down.

Students use data and models to explain why the sun rises and sets, why the moon seems to change shape, and why stars appear in different spots across the sky. These patterns all trace back to how Earth, the moon, and the sun move relative to each other.

Students use distance to explain why the sun looks so much brighter than other stars. The sun isn't the biggest or brightest star in the universe; it just sits far closer to Earth than any other star does.

Students graph shadow lengths, day-and-night cycles, and which stars appear in each season to find the pattern behind all three: Earth spinning and orbiting the Sun.

Students investigate why everything on Earth's surface gets pulled toward the ground. They use data and models to explain how Earth's mass creates that pull and why objects feel heavier or lighter depending on their size.

Gravity always pulls things toward the ground, never sideways or up. Students collect evidence, such as watching objects fall, to argue that Earth's pull works in one direction.

Students learn how Earth's air, water, land, and living things affect each other. They build models and use real evidence to explain what happens when these parts interact, like how rain shapes land or how plants change soil.

Students build a drawing or diagram showing how land, water, air, and living things affect each other. For example, they might show how rain soaks into soil and helps plants grow, or how a river shapes the land around it.

Students sort Earth's water by type and location, then graph the amounts. The work shows just how little fresh water exists compared to the vast amount of salt water in the oceans.

Students research real examples of communities cleaning up rivers, planting trees, or reducing pollution, then explain how those actions improved the local or global environment.

Students research how real communities use science to protect local resources like clean water, soil, or air. They pull that information together to explain what those communities are doing and why it matters.

Students pick a real problem, design a solution, and test it. They track what worked and what didn't, then use that data to make the design better, staying within limits like cost or materials.

Students research a real local environmental problem, then design and present a solution by pulling together what they find about nature, people, and money. They work alongside community members, which may include local tribes.

Students pick a real environmental problem nearby, then research it using multiple sources to explain how it ties to jobs, people's health, and the land. They consider what different community members, including tribal voices, think should be done.

Students pick a real spot on school grounds, such as a parking lot or garden, and collect data to figure out whether it helps or harms the local environment. Then they share what they found.

Students pick a real environmental problem in their community, research ways to fix it, take action, and present what they found. The project shows what students understand about protecting the environment and why it matters for the people who live there.