Appendix On Implementing District Standards
The following Virginia 5th grade science standards are aligned with this unit.
5.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by
b) planning and carrying out investigations
- plan and conduct investigations to produce data
- identify independent variable, dependent variables, and constants
- determine data that should be collected to answer a testable question
c) interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating data
- organize and represent data in tables and graphs
- read, interpret, and analyze data represented in table and graphs
- use data to evaluate and refine design solutions
d) constructing and critiquing conclusions and explanations
- use evidence (measurements, observations, patterns) to construct or support explanations and to make decisions
- make, support, and evaluate a claim or argument with evidence, data, and/or a model
- describe how scientific ideas apply to design solutions
- generate and compare multiple solutions to problems based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints
f) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- read and comprehend reading-level-appropriate texts and/or other reliable media
- communicate scientific information, design ideas, and/or solutions with others
Matter 5.7 The student will investigate and understand that matter has properties and interactions. Key ideas include
a) matter is composed of atoms;
b) substances can be mixed together without changes in their physical properties; and
From the Virginia Department of Education 5th grade Instructional Guide:
“Matter can be combined in different ways. Sometimes when two or more substances are combined, they do not lose their identifying characteristics. These substances are called mixtures. Mixtures (e.g., soil, sidewalk chalk, sugar water, saltwater, air, trail mix, a mud puddle) can be solids, liquids, or gases (5.7 b). Solutions are a special type of mixture in which one substance is uniformly dissolved in another. Many common solutions (e.g., lemonade, soda) are made by dissolving a substance in water. Air is an example of a gaseous solution and steel is an example of a solid solution (5.7 b). Students are not responsible for the terms solubility, solute, and solvent. Matter is conserved when it is combined (5.7 b).”[39]
Vertical Progression: Students are introduced to solutions in Grade 3 as materials interact with water (3.3). In Grade 6, students further develop their understanding of atoms, as they learn about subatomic particles, compounds, and chemical change (6.5)[40]
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