NGSS 5-PS1-4
The Standard
Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
Next Generation Science Standards
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students mix materials safely and observe their properties before and after mixing. They decide whether the evidence shows that new substances formed and explain their reasoning.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student records the properties of each material before mixing and the changes seen afterward. The student uses several observations to support a claim and can distinguish dissolving from forming new substances.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think any mixing, color change, or dissolving creates a new substance. They may also treat bubbles caused by stirring as proof. One observation alone may not support a sound conclusion.
How to Assess It
- Exit ticket: Salt disappears in water and returns after evaporation. Vinegar and baking soda cool and release gas. Which mixture has stronger evidence of new substances, and why?
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
In clear cups, students compare salt plus water with baking soda plus vinegar, recording gas, temperature, color, and solids before and after.
Ask students to write: Does every visible change mean a new substance formed? Support your answer with two investigation observations.
Play Evidence Sort with cards showing bubbling, melting, dissolving, color change, and temperature change, then have students defend each placement.
Drop an antacid tablet into water, then connect the gas produced to how the medicine behaves after it is swallowed.
Free download
Printable 5-PS1-4 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to 5-PS1-4, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.
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Where This Standard Sits
See the whole path on the Physical Science progression map.
What This Unlocks
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Related Standards
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