Subscribe

5th grade · Science · Unit 3 of 12

Measuring Matter

Mass, volume, density and particles

What your child practices

Measuring mass (grams, kilograms) and volume (milliliters, liters), comparing density, why gases compress and solids do not, and how the particle model explains it.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 5.2 · measuring and identifying materials by their properties

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Mass is the amount of matter in something. Volume is the space it takes up.
  2. Density compares mass to volume. A lead cube is denser than a wood cube of the same size.
  3. Gas particles are far apart, so a gas can be squeezed. Liquids and solids hardly squeeze.

Example: Two same-size blocks: steel and foam. Which has greater density? They have the same volume. The steel block has much more mass packed into it. Answer: the steel block

Measuring Matter in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 3 of 12 in 5th grade Science, after Matter & Particles and before Solutions & Mixtures.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alabama State Department of Education (ALSDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Why can air be compressed more than water?

    • Gas particles are far apart, so they can be pushed closer together
    • Water has no particles
    • Air particles do not move
    • Water particles are bigger

  2. Question 2

    Volume is…

    • the amount of matter in something
    • how heavy something feels
    • the amount of space something takes up
    • how hot something is

  3. Question 3

    In a liquid, the particles…

    💧
    • slide past each other and have small spaces between them
    • do not move
    • stay locked in place
    • are very far apart

  4. Question 4

    SI units for the volume of a liquid include…

    • milliliters and liters
    • grams and kilograms
    • degrees Celsius
    • meters and centimeters

  5. Question 5

    A 100 mL sample of liquid A has a mass of 90 g. A 100 mL sample of liquid B has a mass of 120 g. Which is denser?

    • it cannot be known
    • they are the same
    • liquid B
    • liquid A

  6. Question 6

    Why are the attractive forces between particles strongest in solids?

    • The particles are closest together
    • The particles move fastest
    • Solids have no particles
    • The particles are farthest apart

More 5th grade