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5th grade · Science · Unit 4 of 9

Physical or Chemical?

Changes that make new things

What your child practices

Telling a physical change from a chemical change, spotting the signs of a new substance, and how making and throwing away everyday products affects the environment.

Maine Learning Results learning standard: 5-PS1-4 · mixing substances that react and make new substances

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. A physical change alters size, shape or state, but no new substance is made.
  2. Melting, crushing, cutting and dissolving are physical changes.
  3. A chemical change makes a new substance, like rusting or burning.
  4. Signs of a chemical change: gas bubbles, a new smell, color change or light and heat.

Example: Wood burns and turns to ash and smoke. Physical or chemical change? Ash and smoke are new substances. New substances mean a chemical change. Answer: chemical change

Physical or Chemical? in Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, this is unit 4 of 9 in 5th grade Science, after Changes of State and before Measuring Matter.

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: Maine 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

    Which is a chemical change?

    • Cutting bread
    • Baking bread dough
    • Freezing bread

  2. Question 2

    Cutting paper into small pieces is a…

    • chemical change
    • physical change
    • change that makes a new substance

  3. Question 3

    Which of these is NOT a good sign of a chemical change?

    • A new color appears
    • Something gets bigger
    • A new smell appears
    • Heat or light is given off

  4. Question 4

    Sugar is stirred into tea and seems to disappear. This is a…

    • change of state to a gas
    • chemical change
    • physical change

  5. Question 5

    Ice is melted, then the water is boiled. Which statement is correct?

    • Both are physical changes
    • Both are chemical changes
    • Melting is chemical and boiling is physical

  6. Question 6

    Wax melts near a candle flame, while the wick burns. Why is only the burning a chemical change?

    • Melting makes new gases
    • Burning does not change the wick
    • Burning makes new substances; melting does not

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