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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.

Maine Learning Results 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 Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, 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: 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

    Matter is anything that…

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

  2. Question 2

    Why can you pour water but not a rock?

    • Water particles are far apart
    • Water particles can slide past one another
    • Water has no mass

  3. Question 3

    Why is steel used to build bridges?

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

  4. Question 4

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

    • Gas
    • Liquid
    • Solid

  5. Question 5

    Juice is poured from a tall glass into a wide bowl. What happens to its volume?

    • It stays the same
    • It gets bigger
    • It gets smaller

  6. Question 6

    A gas can be squeezed into a smaller space, but a solid cannot. Why?

    • Solid particles do not move at all
    • There is a lot of empty space between gas particles
    • Gas particles are bigger than solid particles

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