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5th grade · Science · Unit 4 of 12

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.

New York State Learning Standards 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 New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 4 of 12 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: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

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

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

  2. Question 2

    Which is a chemical change?

    • Freezing bread
    • Baking bread dough
    • Cutting bread

  3. Question 3

    Baking soda and vinegar are mixed and fizz. What does this show?

    • A chemical change made a new gas
    • Only a physical change happened
    • Nothing happened

  4. Question 4

    Iron turns reddish-brown rust. This is a…

    • change of state
    • chemical change
    • physical change

  5. Question 5

    A factory burns fuel to make a product. What is one possible effect of this process on the environment?

    • It can release gases that pollute the air
    • It always cleans the air
    • It uses no energy at all

  6. Question 6

    Why is making new aluminum cans from recycled cans better for the environment than from new aluminum?

    • It uses more water and energy
    • It makes the cans heavier
    • It uses much less energy and avoids mining

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