Subscribe

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.

Maine Learning Results 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 Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, 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: 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

    Volume is…

    • how heavy something feels
    • how hot something is
    • the amount of space something takes up
    • the amount of matter in something

  2. Question 2

    In a solid, the particles are…

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

  3. Question 3

    Oil floats on water. What does this tell you about the density of oil?

    • Oil is a solid
    • Oil is less dense than water
    • Oil has no mass
    • Oil is more dense than water

  4. Question 4

    SI units for the volume of a liquid include…

    • grams and kilograms
    • meters and centimeters
    • degrees Celsius
    • milliliters and liters

  5. Question 5

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

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

  6. Question 6

    A 100 mL sample of liquid A has a mass of 90 g. A 100 mL sample of liquid B has a mass of 120 g. Which is denser?

    • liquid B
    • it cannot be known
    • liquid A
    • they are the same

More 5th grade