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5th grade · Science · Unit 2 of 9

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.

Alaska content standards learning standard: 5-PS1-1 · matter 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 Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 2 of 9 in 5th grade Science, after Solutions & Mixtures and before Changes of State.

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

    Which state of matter has a definite shape and a definite volume?

    • Liquid
    • Solid
    • Gas

  2. Question 2

    Which is a gas at room temperature?

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

  3. Question 3

    Matter is anything that…

    • is alive
    • has mass and takes up space
    • can be seen

  4. Question 4

    Why is steel used to build bridges?

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

  5. Question 5

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

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

  6. Question 6

    Sand can be poured like a liquid. Why is each grain still a solid?

    • Each grain keeps its own shape and volume
    • Sand grains are made of liquid
    • Sand has no mass

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