5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Name ____________________________________ Teacher ____________________
Chemical and Physical Change Workbook
Physical Change
What is mass? Mass is the measurement of how much matter is in a substance. We say we
weigh something to find its mass. Mass is different from weight because weight can change
depending on where you take the measurement. If you are standing on the Moon your weight
will be different from what it is here on Earth. But you will still have the same mass because
you still have all the same matter. The gravity of the Moon is less than that of Earth, so you
aren’t pulled against the scale quite so hard. The first experiments you do will help you
understand how matter looks, acts, and functions. Today, we’ll be measuring mass in grams.
1. Using the Lego blocks on your table, build a simple structure.
Predict what you think the mass will be and write it here:
Weigh your structure and record the mass here:
______________
______________
What will happen to the mass if we break apart the Lego structure? ______________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Break the structure down into chunks of blocks. Weigh the chunks
one by one. Record their masses here:
______________
______________
______________
Now add the masses together:
______________
3. What did you find out? __________________________________________________
The change you created is called a PHYSICAL change. You took an object and broke it up,
much like breaking apart a rock or tearing a piece of paper. The material stayed the same. It
just looked different. The mass was the same whether we weighed the whole thing or
weighed the pieces. These are properties of matter. Matter can be broken apart and put
together in many different ways. But no matter how we change it, it will always have the
same mass. Another physical change is a change in state of matter.
4. Place an ice cube in a plastic bag and seal it.
Weigh it. Record the mass here:
______________
5. Melt the ice cube and weigh again. What do you think the result will be?____________
Why? ________________________________________________________________
We’ll return to this later.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Matter weighs the same regardless of what state it is in. When it is a solid the molecules are
packed quite close together, when it is a liquid the molecules can move around a bit, and
when it is a gas, the molecules are not close together at all. They can move around easily.
These three states of matter – solid, liquid, and gas – have certain properties. Properties are
the way something looks and acts; its characteristics. See OER resource book pp. 12-19.
6. Observe a solid, a liquid and a gas. List the characteristics of each state of matter.
Solid ________________________________________________________________
Liquid _______________________________________________________________
Gas _________________________________________________________________
What do you think causes the changes from one state of matter to the other? _______
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Now weigh the baggie full of water and record its mass here:
Look back at your prediction. Were you right? ____________
_______________
8. What do you think would happen if we let the water evaporate into a gas? If we could
collect the gas, what would it weigh and why?_________________________________
What causes the change in states of matter? _________________________________
How does this relate to matter and chemical/physical change? ___________________
_____________________________________________________________________
A change in state of matter isn’t the only physical change. Physical changes in matter can be
anything that changes the appearance of a substance without creating a new substance.
Another way to cause a physical change is to mix substances together.
9. Observe two kinds of seeds. How are they the same?__________________________
How are they different? __________________________________________________
Now mix the seeds together. Do the seeds change? ___________ Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
Mixing two substances together is a physical change. Nothing about the beans changes, yet
the mixture looks different than the two individual sets of beans. We can easily reverse this
physical change. Divide the beans back into their original groups. Some physical changes
aren’t that easy to see or to reverse. In fact, some changes are not reversible. Try this:
10. Measure 50 g. of water and weigh it. Record the mass here:
____________
Measure 10 g. of salt onto a paper towel and record its mass here: ____________
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Add the masses together and record that mass here:
____________
Now pour the water into a beaker or cup. Add the salt and stir. Can you predict what
the mass will be? ____________________________________________________
Weigh the mixture and record the results here:
Were you right? _______________________________
_____________
You created a solution. You probably can’t see the salt any more. But if you took a taste you
would find it. The salt and the water did not change what they were. The salt dissolved in the
water. It broke into small pieces that can’t be seen with our eyes.
11. Is there a way to reverse this physical change? _______________________________
Why or why not? __________________________________________________________
12. Try another physical change. Cut or tear a piece of paper into small pieces. Does this
change what the paper is made out of? _______________ How do you know? ______
_____________________________________________________________________
Can this physical change be reversed? _____________________________________
13. Think of a physical change you could create using the objects in your desk. Write a
description of what you would do here ______________________________________.
Work in teams to complete some of these physical changes. Decide which ones might
be reversible and how they could be reversed. If you can’t think of anything on your
own, you can use the list below.
Physical change
Mix salt and iron filings
Can it be reversed?
How?
Cut up a carrot
Mix water and dirt
Smash a candy
Try your own idea for a
physical change here.
Record the materials
you used and answer
the questions.
Write your definition of a physical change.________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Compare it to information in the OER resource book.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Chemical Change or Chemical Reaction
Another kind of change is called a CHEMICAL reaction. In a chemical reaction the materials
we put together change to make a new substance or substances. In chemical reactions the
materials we mix together are called REACTANTS.
1. Wear safety goggles for these experiments.
Weigh 20 g. of milk. Record the weight. Now pour it into a container. ____________
Weigh 20 g. of vinegar. Record the weight. Add it to the milk.
____________
Stir. What do you see happening? ________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Weigh the resulting substances.
_____________
What was the result? Did it fit your ideas about what should have happened?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Many chemical changes cause an unexpected result. For example, we may see a change in
state of matter that isn’t caused by heating or cooling. That’s what you saw in the milk and
vinegar experiment. The two liquid reactants created a new solid as well as a new liquid. We
saw little pieces of solid material floating in a liquid that was no longer looked like milk. This is
because the molecules of the vinegar and the molecules of the milk didn’t just mix together.
They actually came apart and reformed into new molecules that made these new substances.
That’s why chemical reactions are so interesting. We get something unexpected.
2. Weigh and pour 20 g. of vinegar into a bottle.
Weigh and carefully pour 10 g. of baking soda into the bottle.
_______________
_______________
What unexpected event did you see? _______________________________________
Now weigh the resulting substances.
_______________
What seems wrong about the weight? ______________________________________
Can you hypothesize what might have happened? ____________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Remember, the mass of the reactants must equal the mass of the finished mixture. The
molecules may break apart and form new molecules but the final product must have the same
mass. So what happened? Let’s do some more testing to find out.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
When a chemical reaction produces a gas it can be difficult to measure the mass of the gas.
It is released into the air and can’t be gathered in again. Here is an experiment to help.
3. Place the 10 g. of baking soda in a balloon. Weigh it.
_______________
Place 20 g. of vinegar in a bottle. Weigh it.
_______________
Attach the balloon to the neck of the bottle. Be careful not to spill any of the baking
soda into the bottle. Weigh the whole thing and record the mass. _______________
As you know, the final mass should equal the mass of each reactant. Now shake the
baking soda from the balloon into the bottle. Hold the balloon on the bottle.
What happened? _______________________________________________________
What do you think the mass of the container will be now? ______________________
Weigh it and record the mass here:
_______________
Explain your results._____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Chemical reactions can cause an unexpected change in state of matter such as the gas you
saw in the vinegar and baking soda experiment. A solid and a liquid created a gas. What are
some other unexpected results you might see? Let’s try some more reactions and find out.
14. Measure 25 g. of calcium chloride into a cup. Use a thermometer to measure the
temperature and record it here:
__________
Measure 15 g. of milk into a second cup. Record its temperature here:
__________
Pour the milk into the calcium chloride and stir. Feel the bottom of the cup.
Find the temperature of the substance with a thermometer. Record it here: _________
What happened to the temperature? ________________________________________
Did you expect this to happen? ____________Why? ___________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
15. Mix 10 g. of citric acid in 25 g. of water.
Measure the temperature of the solution and record it here:
Add 10 g. of baking soda. Measure the temperature of the solution now:
__________
__________
How was this result unexpected? __________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
These chemical reactions cause an unexpected change in energy. The calcium chloride and
water created unexpected heat when they reacted to each other. The citric acid and the
baking soda reacted to remove heat, making the temperature go down. In both cases there
was no outside heat source and no refrigerator or freezer to cause the cold. Both reactions
were unexpected.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
16. Measure 25 g. of vinegar into a beaker or cup. What color do you see? ___________
Now measure 10 g. of cabbage juice indicator into a cup. What color is it? _________
Mix the two substances together. What happens? _____________________________
Using what you have learned about color, could you explain where this color came
from? ___________ Why? _______________________________________________
Next measure 25 g. of water into a beaker or cup. Add 5 g. of baking soda and mix.
What color do you see?
__________
Measure 10 g. of cabbage juice indicator into a cup. What color is it?
__________
Can you predict what color the substance will be when we combine these? _________
Why or why not? _______________________________________________________
Now pour the indicator into the baking soda solution. What happened? ____________
_____________________________________________________________________
This is another example of an unexpected result. It is an unexpected change in color.
Normally, when you mix red and yellow, you’ll get orange. And when you mix blue and
yellow, you know it will make green. But when we mix two reactants the resulting color is not
the same as mixing paint or colors of light. It can be totally unexpected. Read more
information about chemical reactions. Be sure you understand what they are and why they
happen. Learn more in the OER resource book pp. 38-44.
Now that you know something about chemical reactions try the following two activities:
17. Carefully bend the glow stick and then shake it. What happens? _________________
________________________________________________________________________
What evidence do you see that could cause you to think this is a chemical reaction? _____
________________________________________________________________________
18. Repeat the experiment using vinegar and baking soda (# 3 above) but instead of using
10 g. of baking soda and 20 g. of vinegar, vary the amounts. For instance, you might
try 5 g. of baking soda and 25 g. of vinegar. Fill in the chart to show what happened in
your experiment. The original experiment is used as an example.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
What was mixed
10 g. baking soda
20 g. vinegar
What happened
The balloon filled with gas.
It was about_____ inches
around.
Why I think it happened
Vinegar and baking soda
reacted with each other to
form an unexpected gas.
_____ g. baking soda
_____ g. vinegar
Remember, when one of the reactants changes, the results you get may be different. Would
you get the same results if you mixed a whole box of baking soda with a drop of vinegar?
Why or why not? ___________________________________________________________
One of the most difficult chemical reactions to understand is burning. Burning can happen
when we see a flame or it can happen when our bodies convert food into energy. In this
demonstration, see if you can keep track of the different molecules during the reaction.
What did the candle weigh when the experiment began?
__________
What did it weigh when the experiment was complete?
__________
What do you think happened to cause this? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Name another example of burning you have seen and what you think happened to all the
substances as the material burned. The candle is used as an example.
Substance that burned
candle
What happened to all the materials?
Some of the material turned into ash, some melted
and then hardened back into wax, some went into
the air as smoke and water vapor.
19. Write your definition of a chemical reaction. __________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Compare it to the information on chemical reactions in the OER resource book.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Physical Change Versus Chemical Reaction
Matter cannot be created or destroyed. It can change state (from solid to liquid to gas and back
again), it can be torn or broken, or it can chemically change into another substance. It never
disappears. Sometimes it seems to disappear, but if we are good observers we can usually figure out
where the rest of the matter went.
Physical changes are changes in state of matter, appearance, or size. In a physical change the matter
does not change from one type to another. It may not be easy to see, but you can taste the sugar and
lemons in lemonade. Many physical changes can be REVERSED, or changed back. Some cannot be
reversed. It’s easy to reverse mixing marbles with pebbles. It’s impossible to reverse a broken vase.
Chemical changes can cause UNEXPECTED results. If you heat water on the stove you would expect
the water to get warmer. That is an EXPECTED result. If you mix two chemicals and the mixture
becomes warm that is an UNEXPECTED result. Three main unexpected results are:
 an unexpected change in energy
 an unexpected change in color
 an unexpected change in state of matter
Try each of the following. Tell whether the result is expected or unexpected and why.
Mix
Result
Expected or Physical or chemical
Unexpected change?
3 g salt & 20 g water
3 g calcium chloride &
10 g water
20 g hydrogen peroxide
& 5 g yeast
20 g vinegar & 10 g
lemon juice
10 g soapy water & 5 g
indicator
2” steel wool & 20 g
vinegar
1 packing peanut & 2 g
acetone (wait for
teacher directions)
20 g water & 1 ice cube
20 g water, 20 g glue, 5
g borax, 20 g water
again (wait for teacher
directions)
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Suggested Exit Ticket Questions
Day 1: A popsicle weighs 85 grams. It is left sitting in a bowl on the counter and melts.
What will the mass be of the liquid created by the melted popsicle? How do you know?
Day 1: Why are some physical changes not reversible?
Day 2: Describe two ways you might be able to weigh all the parts of a chemical reaction
where a gas is produced.
Day 2: Is burning something a physical or chemical change? How do you know?
Day 2: What are two unexpected changes you might see in a chemical reaction? Why
were they unexpected?
Day 3: How are chemical and physical changes the same? How are they different?
Day 3: You are mixing a solid and a liquid. The solution causes the temperature of the
substance to go up 10 degrees. Explain what might happen if you increase the amount of
the solid and why you believe that.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Fifth Grade Matter Test
Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________
1. Solid, liquid, and gas are the three ________________________________________.
2. Matter can neither be _______________________ nor ________________________.
3. Logs burning is an example of a __________________________________________.
4. When an object is broken into smaller parts, what happens to the mass of the object?
____________________________________________________________________
5. When a solid substance disappears into a liquid substance, we say that the solid
substance has ________________________________________________________.
6. Cutting up an apple is an example of a _____________________________________.
7. When baking soda is mixed with vinegar an unexpected ______________________ is
produced. It is a _______________________________.
8. When two liquids, vinegar and milk are mixed an unexpected solid is produced. This is
an example of a _________________________________.
9. Some physical changes are reversible, some are not. If a chocolate bar is melted, can
the change be reversed? ______________________________________.
10. When red cabbage juice is mixed with lemon juice it turns bright pink. This is an
example of a _________________________________________________________.
11. When you mix a solid into a liquid, the solid can seem to disappear. What happens to
the solid? _____________________________________________________________
12. Jason mixed two clear liquids. The result was a substance that was dark blue. Jason
then changed the amount of the first liquid. This could cause ____________________.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Name ____________________________________Teacher__________________________
You may use your Chemical and Physical Change worksheet to help you answer the following
questions. Write in complete sentences. Be sure to use the science vocabulary words we
learned.
1. When we burn a piece of paper the resulting ash does not weigh as much as the paper
did. Why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Marcos mixed a clear liquid with a blue liquid. He observed that they created a yellow
liquid with tiny white particles floating in it. Explain what happened when Marcos mixed
these two substances and what was created.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
3. Elise measured 10 grams of a powder in a test tube. She added 10 grams of a liquid.
She observed a bubbling reaction in the test tube. When she weighed the resulting
product she found it had a mass of 16 grams. This surprised her. Why was she
surprised, and what do you think caused this result?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
4. Luis and Rosa noticed a metal shovel sitting in a garden near their house last fall. In
the spring the shovel was still there. However, now the shovel wasn’t all gray as it had
been in the fall. It now had several spots of an orange powdery substance on the
metal. What may have caused this change?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Key
Name ________________________________________ Date _____________________
1. Solid, liquid, and gas are the three ___states of matter________________________.
2. Matter can neither be __created___________ nor __destroyed_____________.
3. Logs burning is an example of a _____chemical change______________________.
4. When an object is broken into smaller parts, what happens to the mass of the object?
The mass will be the same as before it was broken.
5. When a solid substance disappears into a liquid substance, we say that the solid
substance has ___dissolved____________________________________________.
6. Cutting up an apple is an example of a ___physical change___________________.
7. When baking soda is mixed with vinegar an unexpected __gas_______________ is
produced. It is a __chemical change_____________.
8. When two liquids, vinegar and milk are mixed an unexpected solid is produced. This is
an example of a ___chemical change_______________.
9. Some physical changes are reversible, some are not. If a chocolate bar is melted, can
the change be reversed? If so, how? _Yes. The chocolate can be cooled to form a
solid again_.
10. When red cabbage juice is mixed with lemon juice it turns bright pink. This is an
example of a ____chemical change______________________________.
11. When you mix a solid into a liquid, the solid can seem to disappear. What happens to
the solid? ___It breaks into small pieces that mix with the liquid.________________
12. Jason mixed two clear liquids. The result was a substance that was dark blue. Jason
then changed the amount of the first liquid. This could cause _a change in his result_.
5th Grade Standard 1 SLCSD
Name ____________________________________Teacher__________________________
You may use your Chemical and Physical Change worksheet to help you answer the following
questions. Write in complete sentences. Be sure to use the science vocabulary words we
learned.
5. When we burn a piece of paper the resulting ash does not weigh as much as the paper
did. Why?
Burning paper is a chemical reaction. One of the products is smoke (or gas). It
escapes and can’t therefore can’t be weighed.________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
6. Marcos mixed a clear liquid with a blue liquid. He observed that they created a yellow
liquid with tiny white particles floating in it. Explain what happened when Marcos mixed
these two substances and what was created.
Mixing the two liquids created a chemical reaction. The yellow color and solid particles
are an unexpected result.________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
7. Elise measured 10 grams of a powder in a test tube. She added 10 grams of a liquid.
She observed a bubbling reaction in the test tube. When she weighed the resulting
product she found it weighed 16 grams. This surprised her. Why was she surprised,
and what do you think caused this result?
Elise thought the result would weigh the same as the two substances. Some gas must
have been produced and it escaped, causing the product to weigh less than the two
substances she mixed.________________________________________________
8. Luis and Rosa noticed a metal shovel sitting in a garden near their house last fall. In
the spring the shovel was still there. However, now the shovel wasn’t all gray as it had
been in the fall. It now had several spots of an orange powdery substance on the
metal. What may have caused this change?
The metal in the shovel mixed with oxygen in the air to form rust. This is a chemical
reaction.____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________