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Explore how each subject becomes a coherent sequence of knowledge, reasoning, practice, and transfer—not a disconnected checklist.

Grade 5 Science

18 curriculum outcomes with explicit teaching progressions

Select a record to inspect its progression

Matter · 5-PS1-1

Model matter as particles too small to see

Independently develop a model to describe that all matter is made of particles too small to be seen, using evidence such as expanding a basketball with air, compressing air in a syringe, dissolving sugar in water, or evaporating salt water, without explaining the atomic-scale mechanism of evaporation and condensation or defining the unseen particles themselves. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe a phenomenon such as inflating a balloon or compressing air in a syringe and identify evidence that something with substance is present even though it cannot be seen.
  2. 2I can using a phenomenon such as dissolving sugar in water or evaporating salt water, develop a model showing that the matter is made of particles too small to see that are still present after the change.
  3. 3I can apply a model of matter as particles too small to see to explain an unfamiliar phenomenon, such as why an inflated balloon holds its shape.
Matter · 5-PS1-2

Measure and graph evidence that weight of matter is conserved

Independently measure and graph the weight of substances before and after they undergo phase changes, dissolving, or mixing that forms new substances, to provide evidence that the total weight of matter is conserved regardless of the type of change, even in transitions where matter seems to vanish (mass and weight are not distinguished at this grade level). across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can measure the combined weight of substances before and after a phase change, dissolving event, or mixing, using a closed or covered container so no matter escapes unmeasured.
  2. 2I can graph weight measurements from heating, cooling, dissolving, and mixing changes to look for a consistent pattern across all of them.
  3. 3I can use the pattern of conserved weight to explain why matter that seems to disappear, such as dissolved sugar or evaporated water, has not actually vanished.
Matter · 5-PS1-3

Identify materials from measured properties

Independently make observations and measurements of properties such as color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility to identify an unknown material, such as distinguishing baking soda from other powders or identifying metals, minerals, and liquids, without using density or distinguishing mass and weight. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can measure or observe properties such as hardness, conductivity, magnetic response, and solubility for a set of known reference materials.
  2. 2I can measure or observe the same set of properties for an unknown material, such as a mystery powder or metal, using consistent procedures.
  3. 3I can compare an unknown material's measured properties to the known references and identify the material, justifying the identification with more than one property.
Matter · 5-PS1-4

Investigate whether mixing substances forms new substances

Independently plan and conduct an investigation, using a fair test with controlled variables, to determine whether mixing two or more substances results in a new substance with different properties than the original substances, rather than simply forming a combined mixture of the original substances. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can observe and record the properties of two or more substances before they are combined.
  2. 2I can mix the substances under fair-test conditions and observe or measure the properties of the resulting material.
  3. 3I can compare the properties of the mixture to the properties of the original substances and use that evidence to decide whether a new substance formed.
Forces · 5-PS2-1

Argue that Earth's gravity pulls objects toward its center

Independently support an argument, using evidence, data, or a model, that the gravitational force exerted by earth pulls objects near its surface downward, toward the center of the spherical earth, understanding that "down" is a local direction rather than a single fixed direction in space, without using a mathematical representation of the force. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can collect evidence, such as data or observations, that many different unsupported objects consistently move toward earth when released.
  2. 2I can use a model, such as a globe with arrows pointing inward at several locations, to explain why "down" always points toward the center of the spherical earth.
  3. 3I can construct and support an argument, citing evidence and a model, that earth's gravity pulls objects toward its center, addressing why objects on any point of the globe do not fall off.
Energy · 5-PS3-1

Model food energy tracing back to the sun

Independently use a model, such as a diagram or flow chart, to describe that the energy in animals' food, which animals use for body repair, growth, motion, and maintaining body warmth, was originally energy from the sun that plants captured and stored as they formed plant matter from air and water. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can use a flow chart or diagram to trace a familiar animal's food back, directly or through other animals, to plants.
  2. 2I can model how plants capture energy from the sun and use it, along with air and water, to form plant matter.
  3. 3I can build a model tracing energy from the sun, through plants, to an animal's use of that energy for growth, repair, motion, or maintaining body warmth.
Organisms · 5-LS1-1

Argue that plant growth material comes chiefly from air and water

Independently support an argument, using evidence, data, or a model, that plants obtain the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water rather than primarily from the soil, and that this matter is transported into, out of, and within the plant. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can examine evidence, such as an investigation where a growing plant's mass increases dramatically while the soil's mass changes very little, that challenges the idea that plant matter comes chiefly from soil.
  2. 2I can identify air and water as the materials a plant takes in and uses chiefly to build new growth.
  3. 3I can construct and support an argument, citing evidence, that plants obtain growth material chiefly from air and water, directly addressing the counterclaim that it comes mainly from soil.
Ecosystems · 5-LS2-1

Model matter cycling among plants, animals, decomposers, and environment

Independently develop a model that describes how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers, and the physical environment, showing that plants change matter that is not food, such as air, water, and decomposed materials in soil, into matter that is food, and that decomposers break down dead organisms and recycle materials back to the soil, without molecular-level explanations. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can build a model showing how a plant takes in air, water, and materials from the soil and changes them into plant matter that serves as food.
  2. 2I can extend the model to show matter passing from plants to the animals that eat them, and from those animals to the animals that eat them.
  3. 3I can add decomposers to the model, showing how they break down dead plants and animals and return matter to the soil and air, completing the cycle.
Space Systems · 5-ESS1-1

Argue that the sun's brightness is due to its distance from Earth

Independently support an argument, using evidence, data, or a model, that the sun appears much larger and brighter than other stars only because it is much closer to earth, and that stars vary greatly in their distance from earth, limited to relative distances rather than actual sizes or other factors such as stellar mass, age, or stage. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can use a demonstration, such as comparing identical light sources at different distances, to observe that a closer light source appears bigger and brighter than an identical farther one.
  2. 2I can gather evidence or data showing that stars are located at greatly varying distances from earth.
  3. 3I can construct and support an argument, citing evidence and a model, that the sun's greater apparent brightness compared to other stars is explained by its much closer distance to earth rather than its actual size.
Space Systems · 5-ESS1-2

Graph daily and seasonal sky patterns

Independently represent data in graphical displays, such as bar graphs or pictographs, to reveal patterns in the daily changes in length and direction of shadows, the cycle of day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky, connecting these patterns to the position and motion of earth with respect to the sun and to stars visible only in particular months, without explaining the causes of the seasons themselves. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can collect and graph shadow length and direction data taken at several times across a single day to reveal the daily pattern in how shadows change.
  2. 2I can graph or represent data related to the day-night cycle, such as timing of sunrise and sunset, as evidence connected to earth's rotation.
  3. 3I can graph data collected across different months showing which stars or constellations are visible at night, to reveal that different stars appear in different seasons.
Earth Systems · 5-ESS2-1

Model interactions between two of Earth's systems

Independently develop a model, using a specific real-world example such as the ocean's influence on climate or a mountain range's influence on wind and clouds, to describe how two of earth's four major systems, the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, interact with each other, limited to the interaction of two systems at a time. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can sort real-world examples, such as soil, ocean water, air, and forests, into the geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere.
  2. 2I can describe, in words, a specific real-world example of two earth systems interacting, such as how the ocean shapes coastal landforms or how mountains affect clouds.
  3. 3I can develop a model that depicts the chosen example, showing the components of each system involved and how they affect each other.
Earth Systems · 5-ESS2-2

Graph the distribution of salt water and fresh water

Independently describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water found in earth's major reservoirs, oceans, glaciers and polar ice caps, groundwater, lakes, and rivers, to provide evidence that nearly all of earth's water is salt water in the ocean and that most fresh water is found in glaciers or underground rather than in lakes and rivers, limited to these reservoirs and not the atmosphere. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can gather data on the amount of water held in each of earth's major reservoirs: the ocean, glaciers and polar ice caps, groundwater, lakes, and rivers.
  2. 2I can graph the gathered data to show the relative amounts of salt water and fresh water among earth's reservoirs.
  3. 3I can use the graphed data as evidence to describe how earth's water is distributed, including how much fresh water is actually held in easily accessible reservoirs like lakes and rivers.
Earth Human Systems · 5-ESS3-1

Combine information on community actions protecting Earth's resources

Independently obtain information from multiple reliable sources and combine it to describe specific ways that individual communities use science ideas to protect earth's resources and environment, in response to the effects that human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had on land, vegetation, streams, ocean, air, and other resources. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can identify a specific effect that agriculture, industry, or everyday life has had on a specific earth resource, such as water, land, or air.
  2. 2I can obtain information from multiple reliable sources describing a specific action a community takes to protect the identified resource.
  3. 3I can combine information from multiple sources to explain how the community's action uses science ideas to protect the resource, and communicate that explanation.
Engineering Design · 3-5-ETS1-1

Define a design problem with criteria and constraints

Independently define a simple design problem that reflects a specific need or want, stating criteria that specify the desired features a solution must have to be considered successful, and constraints on the materials, time, or cost available for solving it. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can identify a specific need or want from a real or given scenario and state it as a design problem.
  2. 2I can specify the criteria, the measurable features a solution must have, for the design problem to be considered successfully solved.
  3. 3I can specify the constraints on materials, time, or cost that will limit what solutions are possible for the design problem.
Engineering Design · 3-5-ETS1-2

Generate and compare possible design solutions

Independently after researching the design problem, generate multiple possible solutions and compare them based on how well each is likely to meet the problem's criteria and constraints, incorporating feedback from communicating the proposed solutions with peers. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can research the design problem, gathering relevant information about how similar problems have been solved before generating solutions.
  2. 2I can generate more than one distinct possible solution to the design problem.
  3. 3I can compare the generated solutions against the problem's criteria and constraints, using peer communication and feedback, to judge which is likely to perform best.
Engineering Design · 3-5-ETS1-3

Plan fair tests to find design failure points

Independently plan and carry out a fair test of a model or prototype, controlling variables and considering the number of trials, to identify failure points or difficulties that indicate which aspects of the design need to be improved. across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can plan a fair test for a model or prototype, identifying which variable to test and which variables must be held constant.
  2. 2I can carry out the fair test, running multiple trials and collecting data on the model or prototype's performance.
  3. 3I can analyze the test data to identify failure points or difficulties, and use them to identify specific aspects of the design that should be improved.
Computer Science · EEP-CS.5

Decompose problems and compare solutions

Independently decompose a problem into manageable parts and compare algorithms for correctness and efficiency across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can explicitly teach and model how to break a complex goal into smaller solvable parts using a concrete computing example.
  2. 2I can apply how to express and trace two algorithms for the same problem using a traced example or representation.
  3. 3I can independently compare correctness, clarity, and number of operations using test cases in a new computing context and explain the evidence that the solution works.
Ai Literacy · EEP-AI.5

Collaborate with AI transparently

Independently use ai for brainstorming, explanation, and feedback while documenting its contribution and retaining authorship across representations and contexts.

Component progression

  1. 1I can explicitly teach and model how to choose a bounded role for ai that supports rather than replaces learning with an age-appropriate ai-use scenario.
  2. 2I can apply how to evaluate suggestions and decide what to accept, reject, or revise by comparing responsible and irresponsible choices.
  3. 3I can independently disclose meaningful ai assistance and defend the final work independently in a new learning context while preserving the learner's own thinking and responsibility.
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