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5th grade · Science · Unit 2 of 15

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 5.6(A); 5.6(D) · comparing matter by mass, volume and density, and matter made of particles

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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 2 of 15 in 5th grade Science, after Solutions & Mixtures and before Solid, Liquid, Gas.

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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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 tool is best for measuring the volume of 80 mL of juice?

    • a meter stick
    • a balance
    • a graduated cylinder
    • a thermometer

  2. Question 2

    All matter is made up of…

    • tiny particles that are always moving
    • smooth, solid blocks
    • empty space only
    • particles that never move

  3. Question 3

    SI units for the volume of a liquid include…

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

  4. Question 4

    Which of these can be squeezed into a smaller space the easiest?

    • air in a bike pump
    • water in a bottle
    • a wooden block
    • a rock

  5. Question 5

    Why are the attractive forces between particles strongest in solids?

    • Solids have no particles
    • The particles are closest together
    • The particles are farthest apart
    • The particles move fastest

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

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