Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) 5th Grade Science Activities

§112.16. Science, Grade 5, Adopted 2017 – The provisions of §§112.11-112.16 of this subchapter shall be implemented by school districts beginning with the 2018-2019 school year.

(b). Knowledge and skills.

(1). Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student conducts classroom and outdoor investigations following home and school safety procedures and environmentally appropriate and ethical practices. The student is expected to:

(A). demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment as outlined in Texas Education Agency-approved safety standards during classroom and outdoor investigations using safety equipment, including safety goggles or chemical splash goggles, as appropriate, and gloves, as appropriate

(2). Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses scientific practices during laboratory and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to:

(B). ask well defined questions, formulate testable hypotheses, and select and use appropriate equipment and technology

(C). collect and record information using detailed observations and accurate measuring

(D). analyze and interpret information to construct reasonable explanations from direct (observable). and indirect (inferred). evidence

(F). communicate valid conclusions in both written and verbal forms

(G). construct appropriate simple graphs, tables, maps, and charts using technology, including computers, to organize, examine, and evaluate information

(3). Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses critical thinking and scientific problem solving to make informed decisions. The student is expected to:

(A). analyze, evaluate, and critique scientific explanations by using evidence, logical reasoning, and experimental and observational testing

(B). draw or develop a model that represents how something that cannot be seen such as the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and formation of sedimentary rock works or looks

(4). Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student knows how to use a variety of tools and methods to conduct science inquiry. The student is expected to:

(A). collect, record, and analyze information using tools, including calculators, microscopes, cameras, computers, hand lenses, metric rulers, Celsius thermometers, prisms, mirrors, balances, spring scales, graduated cylinders, beakers, hot plates, meter sticks, magnets, collecting nets, and notebooks; timing devices; and materials to support observations of habitats or organisms such as terrariums and aquariums

(5). Matter and energy. The student knows that matter has measurable physical properties and those properties determine how matter is classified, changed, and used. The student is expected to:

(A). classify matter based on measurable, testable, and observable physical properties, including mass, magnetism, physical state (solid, liquid, and gas)., relative density (sinking and floating using water as a reference point)., solubility in water, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal energy or electric energy

(B). demonstrate that some mixtures maintain physical properties of their ingredients such as iron filings and sand and sand and water

(C). identify changes that can occur in the physical properties of the ingredients of solutions such as dissolving salt in water or adding lemon juice to water

(6). Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that energy occurs in many forms and can be observed in cycles, patterns, and systems. The student is expected to:

(B). demonstrate that the flow of electricity in closed circuits can produce light, heat, or sound

(C). demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object and is reflected or travels through one medium to another and is refracted

(D). design a simple experimental investigation that tests the effect of force on an object

(7). Earth and space. The student knows Earth's surface is constantly changing and consists of useful resources. The student is expected to:

(A). explore the processes that led to the formation of sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels

(B). recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are the result of changes to Earth's surface by wind, water, or ice

(8). Earth and space. The student knows that there are recognizable patterns in the natural world and among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system. The student is expected to:

(A). differentiate between weather and climate

(B). explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle

(C). demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours causing the day/night cycle and the apparent movement of the Sun across the sky

(D). identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth, and Moon

(9). Organisms and environments. The student knows that there are relationships, systems, and cycles within environments. The student is expected to:

(A). observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by interacting with the living and nonliving components

(B). describe the flow of energy within a food web, including the roles of the Sun, producers, consumers, and decomposers

(10). Organisms and environments. The student knows that organisms have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:

(A). compare the structures and functions of different species that help them live and survive in a specific environment such as hooves on prairie animals or webbed feet in aquatic animals

(B). differentiate between inherited traits of plants and animals such as spines on a cactus or shape of a beak and learned behaviors such as an animal learning tricks or a child riding a bicycle