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5th grade · Science · Unit 1 of 12

Solid, Liquid, Gas

Mass, volume and particles

What your child practices

Matter as anything with mass and volume, how particles are arranged in solids, liquids and gases, and why materials are chosen for their properties.

Alabama Course of Study content standard: 5.1 · matter is made of particles too small to see

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.
  2. A solid keeps its shape and volume. A liquid takes the shape of its container but keeps its volume.
  3. A gas spreads out to fill its whole container.
  4. We choose materials for their properties, like steel for strong bridges.

Example: Juice is poured from a tall glass into a wide bowl. What stays the same? A liquid changes shape to fit its container. It keeps the same volume. Answer: its volume

Solid, Liquid, Gas in Alabama

In the Alabama Course of Study, this is unit 1 of 12 in 5th grade Science, before Matter & Particles.

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 is steel used to build bridges?

    • It is a strong, hard solid
    • It is a lightweight gas
    • It is a runny liquid

  2. Question 2

    Which of these is NOT matter?

    • A beam of light
    • Air in a balloon
    • A puff of smoke
    • A drop of juice

  3. Question 3

    In which state are particles packed closely and only vibrate in place?

    • Liquid
    • Solid
    • Gas

  4. Question 4

    Which is a gas at room temperature?

    • The helium in a party balloon
    • Milk
    • A wooden spoon

  5. Question 5

    A plastic bottle holds 500 mL of water. The cap is on. If you squeeze the sides, what happens to the volume of the water?

    • It stays about 500 mL
    • It drops to about 250 mL
    • It doubles

  6. Question 6

    Hydraulic lifts use liquids to push heavy loads. Which property of liquids helps?

    • They are easy to compress
    • They keep a fixed shape
    • They are very hard to squeeze into a smaller volume

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