Texas TEKS 5.6

5.6 is a TEKS knowledge and skills statement. These are the student expectations under it.

• 5.6.A

  compare and contrast matter based on measurable, testable, or observable physical properties, including mass, magnetism, relative density (sinking and floating ...

• 5.6.B

  demonstrate and explain that some mixtures maintain physical properties of their substances such as iron filings and sand or sand and water

• 5.6.C

  compare the properties of substances before and after they are combined into a solution and demonstrate that matter is conserved in solutions

• 5.6.D

  illustrate how matter is made up of particles that are too small to be seen such as air in a balloon.

01

What Students Need to Do

Students compare and classify materials using measured or observed properties, including mass, state, volume, magnetism, density, solubility, and conductivity. They explain what happens in mixtures and solutions, track total mass, and use particle models to represent matter they cannot see.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

Given unfamiliar samples, students choose suitable tests and use results to identify or sort each sample. They distinguish mixtures from solutions, show that total mass remains constant, and draw accurate particle models for solids, liquids, and gases.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may assume all metals are magnetic, heavy objects always sink, or clear liquids are water. They may think dissolved material disappears or that mixing substances changes total mass. They may also draw gas as empty space instead of widely spaced particles.

04

How to Assess It

Give a four-part exit ticket: choose tests for steel, wax, and sugar; explain how to separate iron and sand; find the mass of 20 grams of water mixed with 5 grams of salt; draw air particles inside a balloon.

1. 01

   Pairs test foil, wood, plastic, and steel for mass, magnetism, floating, solubility, and electrical conductivity, then sort them by evidence.

2. 02

   Ask students to write: Why can you separate iron filings from sand, but not dissolved salt from water with a magnet?

3. 03

   Play Property Detective: students draw material cards and give measurable clues until teammates identify the material and name a confirming test.

4. 04

   Compare a metal spoon, wooden handle, and foam cup, then explain why each material is chosen for cooking or keeping drinks cold.

• 3.6

  The 3rd Grade version of this standard.

• 4.6

  The 4th Grade version of this standard.

• 2.6

  Matter and its properties. The student knows that matter has physical properties that determine how it is described, classified, and used. The student is expect...

• 6.6

  Matter and energy. The student knows that matter is made of atoms, can be classified according to its properties, and can undergo changes. The student is expect...