CCSS Unit of Study
Grade/Course:
Unit Title:
Fifth Grade
Physical Science – Changes in Matter
Length of Study: 15 Day Unit
Big Ideas and Essential Questions:
Content Area(s): ELA/Science/Math/Technology
21st Century Themes and Skills:
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What strategies will I use to read and comprehend complex
text and self-ensure mastery of content?
What digital applications will I use to maximize my learning
and increase written and oral communication?
What are physical and chemical changes and how does
matter change state?
What are chemical reactions and how do I know a reaction
has occurred?
How are chemical properties used?
How can I write and solve an equation to identify the total
mass of a product?
Mastery of Core Subjects
Environmental Awareness
Global Awareness
ICT (Information/Communication/Technology) Literacy
Creativity and Innovation
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
Communication and Collaboration
Career Link:
 Chemist  Physician Astronaut  College Professor or K-12 Science Teacher  Engineer
 Computer Science 
End of Unit Assessments
Performance Task – Individual (Informative/Explanatory
Performance Task – Group (Science Investigation and
Essay)
Review)
Students will write an expository essay using Google Docs that
outlines the key ideas of the unit. Students will research the
assigned website and respond to the content-specific prompt.
Essays will post on Edmodo and include:
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Communication and development of topic and main idea
Choice of evidence, including concrete details
Transitional phrases to effectively link ideas
Use of precise language and domain-specific vocabulary
Effective conclusion
Student teams will conduct an experiment to demonstrate
physical and chemical changes in a substance. Assigned partner
teams will film and evaluate the scientific process used by the
group and identify the point in which a reaction occurs. Teams
will be graded on:
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(See performance task directions and rubric)
Visual representation of investigation process
Communication of key ideas and essential questions
Explanation of how data was used to confirm results
Team collaboration, leadership, and shared responsibility
Understanding the of impact physical and chemical changes
on the natural world.
Use of technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate
and communicate information
(See performance task directions and rubric)
CCSS – What will students learn?
Reading Informational Text
Key Ideas and Details:
1. Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
2. Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are supported by key details; summarize the text.
3. Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more ideas, or concepts in a scientific text.
Craft and Structure
4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to grade 5 subject area.
5. Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in two or more texts.
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
7. Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or
to solve a problem efficiently.
9. Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity:
10. By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at
the high end of the grades 4–5 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Reading Foundational Skills
Phonics and Word Recognition:
3. Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Fluency
4. Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension.
Language
Conventions of Standard English:
1. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.
2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.
Knowledge of Language:
3. Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening.
Vocabulary Acquisition and Use:
4. Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple meaning words and phrases based on grade 5 reading and content,
choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
6. Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that
signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition).
Speaking and Listening
Comprehension and Collaboration:
1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade
5 topics and texts, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
2. Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively,
and orally.
Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas:
5. Include multi-media components and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main
ideas or themes.
Writing
Text Types and Purposes:
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Production and Distribution of Writing:
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
6. With some guidance from adults, use technology, including the internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and
collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient skills to type a minimum of two pages in a single sitting.
Mathematics - Operations and Algebraic Thinking
Write and Interpret Numerical Expressions
2. Write simple expressions that record calculations with numbers, and interpret numerical expressions without evaluating them.
Next Generation Science Standards:
Matter and its Interactions
5–PS1-1 Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
5–PS1-2 Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when
heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.
5–PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
5–PS1-4 Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
Formative Assessments
Mini Tasks:
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Vocabulary Preview Guide
Graphic Organizer – Physical properties of matter
Science Investigation # 1 – Mini Lab
Section Quiz – Unit Foundational Skills
Notebook Chart – How does matter change state?
Notebook Chart – Identifying and describing chemical reactions.
Team Chart and Quick-Write – Changing states of matter in our natural world
Graphic Organizer – Compare and contrast chemical and physical changes.
Summary – Chemical reactions
Section Quiz – Physical and chemical changes
Science Investigation # 2 – Mini Lab
Group and Individual Performance Tasks
Instructional Resources:
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California Science – Unit A ( Pearson, Scott Foresman)
Haiku Lesson Plans and Image Links
Interactive Science Journals
Science Lab Kits
Science Video -Changing States of Matter; Chemical Reactions
iPad device with ShowMe, iMovie, Keynote, Aurasma, and Edmodo apps.
See Grade Level Online Haiku Lesson Plans for Daily Instructional Overview