South Dakota Science 5-PS1-2

Science5th GradePhysical Science

The Standard

Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total mass of matter is conserved. (SEP: 5; DCI: PS1.A, PS1.B; CCC: Scale/Prop.)

South Dakota Science Standards (2024) · Matter and Its Interactions

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students measure mass before and after heating, cooling, or mixing substances, keeping all the material in the measurement. They graph the results and use them to explain whether the total mass changed.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can weigh a sealed jar of ice before and after it melts, then graph both masses with labeled axes. They can explain why the mass stays the same even when salt dissolves and can no longer be seen.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think melted ice weighs less or that dissolved salt no longer adds mass. Some see a lower mass after water evaporates from an open container and miss that the vapor escaped.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A sealed jar weighs 42 g before and after ice melts; another weighs 55 g before and after salt dissolves. Graph both pairs with labeled axes, then explain what the data show about mass.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Weigh a lidded clear jar holding ice, let it melt without opening the jar, then weigh it again and graph both measurements.
Ask, "If salt disappears when stirred into water, where did its mass go?" Have pairs write an answer using before-and-after masses.
Give pairs cards with before-and-after masses for sealed mixtures; have them graph each pair and flag any reading that needs rechecking.
Show a bag of frozen peas labeled 500 g, and ask whether its contents still weigh 500 g after thawing without opening the bag.

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