Mississippi Science P.5.5B.1
The Standard
- P.5.5B
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of mixtures and solutions.
Obtain and evaluate scientific information to describe what happens to the properties of substances in mixtures and solutions (solvent and solute).
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Organization of Matter and Chemical Interactions
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students use observation notes and short science texts to compare mixtures and solutions. They identify the solvent and solute in a solution, then describe what they can observe after the substances are combined.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain why sand settles in water but salt dissolves. They can name water as the solvent and salt as the solute. They can use evidence from evaporation to show that the salt did not disappear.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think dissolved salt has vanished or turned into water. They may call sand a solute just because it was added to water. They may also think every mixture looks the same throughout.
How to Assess It
- Show a cup of saltwater and a photo of salt crystals left after saltwater evaporates. Ask students to label the solvent and solute, then use the photo to decide whether the salt vanished.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Stir salt into one clear cup of water and sand into another, then have students record what they see after five minutes.
Give pairs two claims, 'Salt disappears' and 'Salt remains in water,' plus a photo of evaporated saltwater; ask which claim the photo supports.
Deal cards showing saltwater, sugar water, and sandy water; students label the solvent and solute, or mark 'no solution.'
Read a sports drink label that lists water and sugar, then identify the solvent and solute and explain why the drink looks uniform.
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Printable P.5.5B.1 Worksheet
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Investigate how different variables (e.g., temperature change, stirring, particle size, or surface area) affect the rate at which a solute will dissolve.
- P.7.5C.3
Collect, organize, and interpret data from investigations to identify and analyze the relationships between the physical and chemical properties of elements, at...
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