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5th grade · Science · Unit 5 of 9

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.

Alaska content standards learning standard: 5-PS1-2; 5-PS1-3 · measuring mass and volume 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 Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 5 of 9 in 5th grade Science, after Physical or Chemical? and before Weather and the Water Cycle.

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: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

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

    In a solid, the particles are…

    🧊
    • separated and sliding past each other
    • close together and vibrate in place
    • stopped completely
    • far apart and moving in all directions

  2. Question 2

    Which unit is used to measure the mass of an apple?

    • milliliters (mL)
    • liters (L)
    • grams (g)
    • meters (m)

  3. Question 3

    Which tool is best for measuring the volume of 80 mL of juice?

    • a balance
    • a thermometer
    • a meter stick
    • a graduated cylinder

  4. Question 4

    In a gas, the particles…

    💨
    • do not have any space between them
    • vibrate in place
    • are far apart and move in all directions
    • are packed tightly together

  5. Question 5

    A student wants to find out which of two liquids is denser. What should be the same for both?

    • the color of each liquid
    • the room's air
    • the volume of each liquid
    • the name on the bottle

  6. Question 6

    Why are the attractive forces between particles strongest in solids?

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

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