5th grade students that are studying matter will be focusing in this lesson on the smallest unit of matter - the atom.
Students will use small marshmallows to construct a model of an atom.

 This science and math lesson uses coated candy and water to create a rainbow on a plate. It takes a popular internet activity and modifies it for the classroom. It's extended by having students hypothesize if other temperatures of water will work and if different colors of the candies run faster than others. It also meets the math SOLs because students can calculate the cost of the experiment and/or create graphs of the results of the experiments.  You could extend this activity into art or English writing by having students draw their rainbows or write about what they saw happening on the plate as a report writing. You could have them take it a step further and do a creative writing about what they think is at the other end of the rainbow. 

Primary Strand
SCI.5.7.c Explain the role of energy in changing the phase of matter of a substance.

Integrated Strand
Reading 5.5a Summarize events in the plot in a fiction text
Reading 5.5m Use reading strategy of visualizing when reading fiction and nonfiction

In this lesson, students will read the mentor text What's the Matter With the Three Little Pigs? Students will summarize at stopping points throughout the book. Students will also find three examples from the book and how the matter changed.

After the completion of this module students will understand that sound travels in compression waves and must have a medium to travel. Sound also travels in liquids and gases. Students will also understand that sound waves are created by vibrations and capable of transmitting energy.This module was developed by Sarah Donnelly as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

This module focuses on SOL 5.7c, energy’s effects on phases of matter. The target population is a fifth grade inclusive classroom. After this learning experience, students should understand that as its temperature increases, many kinds of matter change from a solid to a liquid to a gas. As its temperature decreases, that matter changes from a gas to a liquid to a solid. This module was developed by Karin Kaerwer, Stephanie Hooks, Sarah Donnelly as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

As technology has evolved over time so has the understanding of the structure of the atom. This module focuses on how the model of the atom has changed over time using The Atomic Theory Timeline including the historical contributions of the scientists involved. This module was developed by Tracey Nipper as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

Students will explain that matter consists of atoms held together by electromagnetic forces and exists as different substances which can be utilized based on their properties. Students will be able to describe the behavior of atoms during a chemical change. Students will be able to distinguish covalent and ionic bonds.This module was developed by Patricia Kramolisch as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

After experiencing this module, students should understand that friction is a force that opposes motion (SOL 5.3e). This lesson was written with an inclusive fifth grade classroom in mind, but can be adapted for a smaller pull-out group if necessary. This module was developed by Karin Kaerweras part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsered by the Virginia Department of Education.

As 5th grade students are learning about matter in science, these comprehension “mix-ups” are a great way to monitor students’ understanding of the content along with checking reading comprehension.

Everyone loves rock candy, especially fifth graders. Have students engage in a sequenced investigation to discover how adding heat to a sugar and water mixture creates a solution. Students will be amazed as the solution cools and forms edible crystals.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of the Teacher Edition and student Science Logbook.

Throughout the module, students study the anchor phenomenon, birds building nests, and develop an answer to the Essential Question: Why do different kinds of birds use certain materials to build their nests? As students learn about each new concept, they revisit and refine a model that represents how to describe different materials and how birds use those materials to build their nests. At the end of the module, students use their knowledge of how matter can be described, classified, and used to explain the anchor phenomenon, and they apply these concepts to a new context in an End-of-Module Assessment. Through these experiences, students learn that understanding the properties of matter and the ways matter can change helps people use materials for specific purposes.

With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

After reading about physical properties of matter, I wanted students to have a chance to experience what the different vocabulary words meant and gain some common experiences so that we would be able to reference these experiences in later classes. My students were also struggling with the new vocabulary words as well as the idea that melting temperature was a physical property. These six stations are designed for students to rotate through independently in small groups. The teacher will be at the gallium melting demonstration station throughout the activity while also monitoring students' progress around the room. At each station students will create a Frayer Model for the vocabulary term that includes the term, definition, a drawing, a synonym, an example, and a sentence that uses the term.

5th grade students that are learning about the phases of matter in science will read a Science A-Z book and complete an activity to show their understanding of the different phases.

The student will compare sound traveling through a solid and sound traveling through the air. After the completion of this module students will understand that sound travels fastest through solids, slower in liquids and slowest through gas. This module was developed by Sarah Donnelly as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

This lesson connects the invention of the x-ray by Tesla to the artwork of Austrailian Aboriginals.

The goal of this module is that 5th graders will not simply memorize the definition of matter and know what makes up matter, but they will understand this conceptually and deeply. They will explore how matter takes up space and has mass, that the amount of mass doesn't change when matter undergoes phase change, and that matter can be subdivided into particles too small to see.This module was developed by Karin Kaerwer as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

This can be an introductory lesson for a 5th grade Science unit on matter. Students will read (or listen to) the mentor text, Ice Boy, by David Ezra Stein. Throughout the book, students will stop at designated points to visualize what is going on in the book based on the author's words.