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5th grade · Science · Unit 3 of 10

Changes of State

Melting, freezing and more

What your child practices

Melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation at home and outdoors, and how matter absorbs or releases thermal energy when it changes state.

Arizona Academic Standards learning standard: 5.P1U1.1 · how particles explain solids, liquids and gases

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Melting and evaporating happen when matter absorbs thermal energy.
  2. Freezing and condensing happen when matter loses thermal energy.
  3. Evaporation: liquid to gas. Condensation: gas to liquid.
  4. These are physical changes. They happen to many materials, not just water.

Example: A cold window fogs up in a warm kitchen. What happened to the water vapor? The vapor touched the cold glass. It lost thermal energy and turned into liquid drops. Answer: it condensed

Changes of State in Arizona

In the Arizona Academic Standards, this is unit 3 of 10 in 5th grade Science, after Solid, Liquid, Gas and before Physical or Chemical?.

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: Arizona Department of Education

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

    At what temperature does pure water freeze at sea level?

    • 0 °C
    • 10 °C
    • 100 °C

  2. Question 2

    A cold window pane fogs up on the inside of a warm kitchen. What happened to the water vapor in the air?

    • It melted
    • It gained thermal energy and evaporated
    • It lost thermal energy and condensed

  3. Question 3

    Put these in order from LEAST thermal energy to MOST.

    • 💧Liquid water
    • ♨️Water vapor (gas)
    • 🧊Ice (solid water)

  4. Question 4

    Which change of state takes thermal energy away from matter?

    • Melting
    • Evaporation
    • Condensation

  5. Question 5

    Which of these is a physical change of state that is NOT water?

    • Wax melting near a candle flame
    • A match burning
    • Bread being toasted

  6. Question 6

    A puddle slowly disappears on a warm, sunny day. Where did the water go?

    • It froze into the ground
    • It turned into a solid
    • It evaporated into the air as water vapor

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