5-PS1-1 lessons
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
The Next Generation Science Standards code 5-PS1-1 asks students to: “Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Earth and Sky at Home Grades K–5 · partly supports this standard
- How do crystals grow? 40 min to set up, then 5 min a day for 5 to 7 days
Children watch the grown-up make strong salt, Epsom salt and sugar solutions, set out dishes and a string, then check them every day for a week. They finish able to explain that crystals form when dissolved particles line up as the water leaves.
- How does a cloud form? 40 min
Children watch the grown-up set up two jars of hot water with ice on top, add a wisp of smoke to one, and compare the clouds. They finish able to explain that clouds form when moist air cools and water collects on tiny specks.
Kitchen Chemistry for Families Grades K–5 · partly supports this standard
- Why do the blobs in a lava lamp go up and down? 45 min
Kids layer oil and water in a glass, add food colouring and a piece of fizzy tablet, and watch coloured blobs rise and sink. Then they explain it with floating, sinking and gas bubbles, and test whether warm water changes the show.
- What makes a volcano erupt? 45 min
Kids test baking soda and vinegar to find out where the fizz comes from, build the classic kitchen volcano, then open bottles of sparkling water to see what really drives an eruption: gas trapped under pressure. They finish able to explain how the model is like a real volcano, and how it isn't.
Winter Science at Home Grades K–5 · partly supports this standard
- Can you make frost in a can? 40 min
Children crush ice, pack it into two cans, add salt to one, and watch water and then frost appear on the outside. They finish able to explain that the water and frost came out of the air, not through the can.
Solids, Liquids and Gases Grade 5
- Where does a puddle go? 50–60 min
Teams race wet paper towels in still air, in wind, in a warm spot and under a cup to find out what makes water disappear faster. They catch the 'missing' water on the inside of the cup and explain evaporation with particles.
- Why does ice float? 50–60 min
Students compare water before and after freezing: same weight, but more space. They float a block of ice, measure how much sticks out, and use particles to explain why lakes freeze from the top down and fish survive the winter.
Living with Water: Salt, Rice and the Mekong Grades 4–5
- How do salt farmers turn the sea into salt? 60 min, plus a 10-minute check the next day
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams paint salt water on dark paper to find the salt hiding in sea water, then set out wide and narrow dishes in sun and shade to see what makes water leave fastest. They use the evidence to advise a salt farm in Khánh Hòa.
- How do rice terraces stop a mountain washing away? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams make model hillsides from soil in trays: a bare slope, a terraced slope and a slope with plant cover. They pour the same storm of rain on each, measure the muddy water that runs off, and use the evidence to advise a mountain village in northern Vietnam.
- How can a house stay dry when the Mekong floods? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams design and build a model house on stilts or on a floating base, then test it as the teacher raises the water in a tub and makes waves. They use their results to advise a village in the Mekong Delta.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code 5-PS1-1 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for Grade 5
All standards we teach · Curriculum alignment by state and province
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