5th grade Science practice sheet
Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards · from Gradelings · Name: ______________________
Question 1
Kenji has a dry mix of iron filings, sand and salt. Put his separation steps in order.
- ☕Pour it through a filter to catch the sand
- 🧲Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron
- ☀️Let the water evaporate to leave the salt
- 🥄Add water and stir until the salt dissolves
Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron → Add water and stir until the salt dissolves → Pour it through a filter to catch the sand → Let the water evaporate to leave the salt
Hint: Use the magnet while the mix is still dry. Then dissolve the salt, filter out the sand, and evaporate the water to get the salt back.
Question 2
Which of these is NOT matter?
- Air in a balloon
- A drop of juice
- A beam of light
- A puff of smoke
A beam of light
Hint: Matter has mass and volume. Light is a form of energy.
Question 3
Butter softens and melts in a hot frying pan. What is happening to its particles?
- They are destroyed
- They stop moving
- They gain energy and move more freely
They gain energy and move more freely
Hint: More thermal energy lets particles slide past each other.
Question 4
A student crushes a can. This is a…
- chemical change
- change of state
- physical change
physical change
Hint: The shape changed, but it is still the same metal.
Question 5
Oil floats on water. What does this tell you about the density of oil?
- Oil has no mass
- Oil is more dense than water
- Oil is a solid
- Oil is less dense than water
Oil is less dense than water
Hint: A less dense liquid floats on a denser liquid.
Question 6
Put the food chain in order. Start with the one that makes its own food.
- 🐸frog
- 🦗grasshopper
- 🐍snake
- 🌿grass
grass → grasshopper → frog → snake
Hint: Energy starts with the sun. Plants use sunlight to make food. Then each animal eats the one before it.
Question 7
What do plants mainly take from the soil?
- Water and small amounts of nutrients
- Most of their mass
- Sugar
- Sunlight
Water and small amounts of nutrients
Hint: Soil gives water and minerals.
Question 8
Which sense detects light?
- smell
- touch
- sight
sight
Hint: Eyes detect light.
Question 9
Which has the most energy of motion?
- A ball resting
- A truck parked
- A truck going fast
- A bike parked
A truck going fast
Hint: Moving and heavy.
Question 10
In summer, the noon sun is higher, so noon shadows are…
- shorter
- longer
- the same
- gone at night only
shorter
Hint: High sun, short shadow.
Answer key
- 1. Run a magnet through the dry mix to pull out the iron → Add water and stir until the salt dissolves → Pour it through a filter to catch the sand → Let the water evaporate to leave the salt (Solutions & Mixtures)
- 2. A beam of light (Solid, Liquid, Gas)
- 3. They gain energy and move more freely (Changes of State)
- 4. physical change (Physical or Chemical?)
- 5. Oil is less dense than water (Measuring Matter)
- 6. grass → grasshopper → frog → snake (Ecosystems & Food Chains)
- 7. Water and small amounts of nutrients (Energy from the Sun)
- 8. sight (Energy on the Move)
- 9. A truck going fast (Energy, Speed & Collisions)
- 10. shorter (Sun, Stars & Shadows)
Want more than 10 questions?
In Gradelings the questions change every time and adjust to your child, with hints and kind feedback. See all science units.