Grade5

Student Inquiry Lesson Sheets
Grade 5

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Contents
Unit 1 How Scientists Work
Lesson 2 How Do Scientists Learn About the Natural World? .......................................19-22
Lesson 4 How Do You Perform a Controlled Experiment? .............................................39-40
Lesson 6 How Can Scientists Learn from Observations? .................................................55-56
Unit 2 The Engineering Process
Lesson 2 How Can You Design a Solution to a Problem? .................................................79-80
Lesson 4 How Can You Use Engineering to Solve a Problem? ...................................…..95-96
Unit 3 Cells to Body Systems
Lesson 2 How Can We Observe Cells? .........................................................................123-124
Lesson 6 How Does the Body Stay Cool? .....................................................................167-168
Unit 4 Living Things Grow and Reproduce
Lesson 2 What Is a Dichotomous Key? ......................................................................... 189-190
Lesson 4 What Factors Affect Germination Rate? .........................................................207-208
Unit 5 Ecosystems
Lesson 2 What Makes Up a Land Ecosystem? .............................................................261-262
Lesson 4 How Does Drought Affect Plants? ...............................................................283-284
Unit 6 Energy and Ecosystems
Lesson 3 What Role Do Decomposers Play? .............................................................321-322
Unit 7 Natural Resources
Lesson 3 How Can We Conserve Resources? ...........................................................357-358
Unit 8 Changes to earth’s Surface
Lesson 2 How Does Water Change Earth’s Surface? ..........................……………...385-386
Lesson 4 How Do Plates Move? ................................................................................ 405-406
Unit 9 The Rock Cycle
Lesson 2 What Are Properties of Minerals? ...............................................................425-426
Lesson 4 How Can You Model Changes in Rock?......................................................445-446
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Unit 10 Fossils
Lesson 3 How Can Scientists Use Fossils? .................................................................483-484
Unit 11 Earth’s Oceans
Lesson 3 How Can We Model Ocean Water? .............................................................517-518
Unit 12 The Solar System and the Niverse
Lesson 2 How Do We Observe Object s in the Solar System? ..................................559-560
Unit 13 Matter
Lesson 2 How Does Water Change?...........................................................................595-596
Lesson 5 What Affects the Speed of Dissolving? .....................................................627-628
Unit 14 Light and Sound
Lesson 2 How Does Sound Travel Through Solids, Liquids, and Gases? ..............…665-666
Lesson 5 What Happens When Light Is Reflected? .................................................691-692
Unit 15 Forces and Motion
Lesson 2 How Do Forces Affect Motion? ..................................................................719-720
Lesson 3 What Are Balanced and Unbalanced Forces? ..............................................721-722


How Do Scientists Learn
About the Natural World?
Scientists learn about the natural
world by making observations and
performing investigations. In this
activity, you’ll compare predictions
made with—and without—using
scientiﬁc evidence.

Use the origami predictor to forecast, or
predict, the weather for the next week.
Then find the forecast made by a
scientist. Record both forecasts.

Materials
origami weather predictor sheet
scissors
pencil
weather forecast from a newspaper

Inquiry Flipchart page 3

For one week, compare
the actual weather to
both forecasts.

Tear out the origami weather predictor
sheet from your student book. Think about
the weather where you live. Write eight
different weather predictions. One
prediction might be sunny, windy, and hot.

2

A Word for the Wise
Evidence is information, such as
observations, that scientists collect and use
to draw conclusions and make predictions.

Follow the directions to make the
origami weather predictor.

Name

Essential Question

How Do Scientists
Learn About the
Natural World?
Set a Purpose

Think About the Procedure

What will you learn from this investigation?

How did you choose what predictions to
write on your origami predictor?

Record Your Data
In the table below, record your results.


Date

Origami Prediction

Weather Service
Prediction

Actual Weather

19

Draw Conclusions
Of the two kinds of weather predictions,
which one was more likely to be correct?
Explain.

4. The line graph shows average October
air temperatures in Houston, TX. Can
you predict the air temperature in
Houston next October? If so, how?

Average Temperature in
Houston in October

Analyze and Extend
1. What results do you think you would
get if you continued your investigation
for a whole month?

Average High Temperature (°F)

90°
86°
82°
78°
74°
70°
0
1

2. How do you think the weather service
makes its predictions?

6

11
16
21
Day of Month

26

31

5. What else would you like to find out
about how scientists make predictions?
Write each idea as a question.

20


3. Why is it important that scientists
make good weather predictions?

2

Directions
1. Carefully tear this page out of your book.
2. Cut out the square below. You will use it to make your
origami weather predictor.
3. On each set of lines, write a weather prediction.

S

t
io
n

2

5

W
ea
th
er

1
8

6
7

t

s
ca
re
Fo


y
nn
u

4

c

Pr
e
di

3

4. Follow the instructions on the back of this page to fold and
use your origami weather predictor.

21

Directions (continued)
5. Fold the blue dots into the blue circle. Turn the paper over,
and fold the green dots into the green circle.
6. Fold the paper in half so that the yellow dots touch each
other. Make a crease, and unfold the paper. Fold it in half
again so that the pink dots touch each other.

22


7. Put your fingers under the colorful squares. With your
group, make a plan to use this tool to predict the weather.

4

How Do You Perform a
Controlled Experiment?
A controlled experiment
takes thought, care, and
time. Let’s see if you have
what it takes!

Find two more types
of surfaces to test.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2.

Materials
small ball
meterstick
various floor surfaces

For each surface,
find the average
of the five trials.


Place a meterstick
against a wall so that the
0-cm mark touches the
floor. Record what the
floor is made from.

Drop the ball from the
100-cm mark. Record the
height the ball bounces.
Do this five times.

A Word for the Wise
A controlled experiment is one in
which the procedure is repeated,
changing only one condition each time.

Name

Essential Question

How Do You Perform a
Controlled Experiment?
Set a Purpose


What will you learn from this experiment?

What is the tested variable in this
experiment?

Each time you try the same test, it is called
a trial. Why is it important to do repeated
trials of this experiment?

Record Your Data
In the table below, record your results.


Surface
Material

Trial 1

Trial 2

Height Ball Bounced
Trial 3
Trial 4

Trial 5

Average

39

Draw Conclusions
What can you conclude based on your
experiment?

3. Tennis is played on three types of
surfaces: grass, packed clay, and hard
courts. Hard courts are often made
from asphalt, the black road surface
material, with paint on top. Predict
how these surfaces would affect ball
bounces. Then do some research. Find
out the pros and cons of each type.

Analyze and Extend
1. Think about the materials the ball
bounced on. What was it about them
that affected the height of the
bounce?

about how balls bounce?

40


2. What other floor materials could you
test? Predict the results.

How Can Scientists Learn
from Observations?
Sometimes you can’t do an
experiment. But you can still answer
questions by investigating. In this
activity, you’ll learn about soils by
simply making observations.

Place 100 mL of soil in a coffee filter.
Find and record its mass. Place the filter
in a mesh sieve above a small container.
Fill a graduated cylinder with 100 mL of
water. Slowly pour water onto the soil.
When the soil can no longer hold water,
record the amount you poured.

Materials
soil sample
white paper
measuring spoons
hand lens
measuring cup
coffee filter

pan balance
mesh sieve
small container
graduated cylinder
paper bag


On a sheet of white paper,
place a teaspoon of soil. Use
the hand lens to observe it.
Record your observations.
Place 200 mL of soil in a
paper bag, and record the
mass of the bag. Place the bag
in a dry place for a week. Then
find the bag’s mass again.

6

Compile your data in a
class data table. In a small
group, discuss ways to classify
the soil samples.

Name

Essential Question

How Can Scientists
Learn from
Observations?
Set a Purpose

What planning must I do before this
investigation?

What tools are used in this investigation.
What measurements, if any, are taken
with them?

Record Your Data
In the space below, record your results.
Soil Sample:


My Observations:

Amount of water held by
100 mL of soil:
Mass Before Drying:
Mass After Drying:
55

Compare your data with the data from
other groups. What can you conclude?

Analyze and Extend
1. Why is it important that soils be able
to hold some water?

2. Why would a farmer want to know
about the soil on his or her farm?

56

3. How was this investigation different
from a controlled experiment?

4. Why was it important to know the
mass of the soil before it was dried for
one week?

about different types of soils?


Draw Conclusions

How Can You Design a
Solution to a Problem?
Suppose you wanted to build a raft to
carry a heavy load. What would you
do? In this activity, you will design
and test a model of a raft.

Float your raft on water.
Test it to see how much
cargo it can hold. Carefully
add pennies one at a time
to your raft until it sinks.

Materials
balance
modeling clay
plastic container with water in it
10 or more pennies
paper towels

Measure 60 grams of
modeling clay. Shape
the clay into a raft. Test
your raft in water. If
your raft doesn’t float,
reshape it until it does.

In your notebook, sketch a
diagram of your raft
loaded with pennies.


Record how may pennies you
added before your raft sank.

Find a way to carry more
pennies. Try a different
design for your raft or
place the pennies in a
different way. Test your
new design and record
your observations.

2

A Word for the Wise
MODEL: a model is used to
represent something real that is
too big, too small, or too complex
to study directly

Name
Essential Question

How Can You Design a
Solution to a Problem?
Set a Purpose


What is the purpose of this investigation?

What variables can affect the results of
this investigation?

State Your Hypothesis


Sketch a raft with pennies on it to show
what you think will be the best design.
Write a brief description of your raft’s
key features.

Record Your Data
In the space below, make a table in which
you record your results. Be sure to include
information about each raft design and the
number of pennies and their placement.

79

Draw Conclusions
Why did some of your model rafts work
better than others?

2. Mary and Sarah built identical raft
models. Mary’s raft sank after adding
only 6 pennies. Sarah’s raft held
12 pennies before it sank. Suggest a
possible reason for the difference.

Analyze and Extend
1. Sketch a raft design you think would
NOT float. Explain why.

3. Scientists often build and test models
to solve problems. What are the
advantages of solving problems in
that way?

80


4. Think of other questions you would
like to ask about designing solutions
to a problem.

How Can You Use Engineering
to Solve a Problem?
Engineers solve a problem
using the design process.
In this activity, you’ll use
that same process to design
and build a prototype that
solves the problem of a
hard-to-open jar.

Materials
2 wood slats, with holes
2 pieces sandpaper
plastic tubing
rubber belt
masking tape
glue
wing nut
and bolt

small jar with lid
medium jar with lid
large jar with lid
scissors

Look carefully at the materials
provided. Think about how they
could be used to make a jar opener.

With a partner, brainstorm
ideas. Sketch each of your
ideas, and make notes as to
how you think each design
might work. List the
pros and cons of
each design.

Choose the design you think will
work best. Record a detailed plan
for making your prototype. Be
sure to keep notes and make
drawings of your design.

Build your prototype jar opener.
Be sure to make a detailed
drawing of your final prototype.
Label the materials you used, and
explain how you put it together.


Identify the criteria
you will use to test
your prototype. Test
your prototype. Record
how well it worked.

4

Make improvements
to your design if
needed.Test your
jar opener again.

11

Name
Essential Question

How Can You Use
Engineering to
Solve a Problem?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data

What problem are you trying to solve?

Draw a detailed plan for your jar opener.
Label the materials. Describe how it will
work. Then build and test your prototype.

How would a jar opener be useful?

What is a prototype?


Describe two ideas for your prototype.

95

Draw Conclusions
What criteria did you use to test your
prototype?

2. Summarize how you designed and
tested your jar opener.

Describe how you tested your prototype.
Record any data you collected.
3. Describe another jar opener design
that is possible using the materials
provided.

Analyze and Extend
1. Did your prototype need
improvements? Describe them.

96


4. Think of other designs you might
make if you had different materials.
How would that design work?

How Can We Observe Cells?
Plant and animal cells have
different parts. Do the
cells look different under a
microscope? In this activity,
you will observe plant and
animal cells to ﬁnd out.

Materials
apron
dropper
red food coloring
microscope slide
onion slice
tweezers
cover slip

paper towel
microscope
colored pencils
prepared slide
of animal cells

Put on your apron. Use the dropper
to place one drop of food coloring
on the center of a slide.

Break the onion slice, and use the
tweezers to pull off a piece of
onion skin. Put the onion skin in
the drop of food coloring.

Gently lower the cover slip at
an angle so that it spreads the
food coloring. CAUTION: Be
careful when handling the
glass slides. Remove any
excess food coloring with a
paper towel.


Observe the onion skin
cells under a microscope.
Use colored pencils to
make a drawing of what
you see.

2

Observe the prepared
slide of animal cells. Use
the colored pencils to
draw what you see.

Wash your hands when
you are finished.
14

Name
Essential Question

How Can We
Observe Cells?
Set a Purpose

What is this directing structure called?

What will you be looking for in this activity?

Record Your Observations
Drawing of Plant Cell

What is the purpose of using food coloring
to look at the plant cell?

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company HMH Credits

When scientists observe, they use their
senses to learn about objects and events. In
the center of most cells are structures that
direct how the cells function. Look for these
structures. Based on what you observe,
how many directing structures does each
cell have?

Drawing of Animal Cell

123

Draw Conclusions
What similarities do you observe between
the two cells?

What differences do you observe between
the two cells?

2. Do you think other parts of the onion
would look the same as the skin?

3. You observe a piece of tissue under the
microscope. Each cell of the tissue has
a cell wall, a cell membrane, a nucleus,
and organelles including chloroplasts
and vacuoles. What type of organism
did this tissue come from? How do
you know?

Why do you think a plant cell has a thicker
outer covering than an animal cell?

4. What other questions would you like
to ask about cells?

Analyze and Extend

124

5. Name two ways you could find the
answer to your questions.

1. Suppose that you found a mystery
organism. How could you tell if it was a
plant or an animal?

How Does the Body Stay Cool?
When you are hot, you sweat. This allows
your body to cool off. In this activity, you
will explore what happens as three towels
cool. Think about how this relates to your
body’s cooling system.

Materials
3 paper towels
3 thermometers
3 paper plates
marker
graduated cylinder
water
rubbing alcohol
fan

Make sure the water is at room
temperature. Measure 50 mL of
water. Pour the water on the
paper towel on the plate
labeled Water.


Obtain 50 mL of rubbing
alcohol from your
teacher. Pour it on the
paper towel on the plate
labeled Alcohol.

Label the plates Dry, Water,
and Alcohol. Record the
starting temperature of
each thermometer.

6

Place all three plates in
front of the fan. Record
the temperature on each
thermometer every
minute for five minutes.
Wrap a paper towel
around the bottom
of each thermometer.
Place each thermometer
on a plate.

CAUTION: Be sure to protect
your eyes from splashing liquids.
Keep alcohol away from flames.
18

Name

Essential Question

How Does the Body
Stay Cool?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data


Record your observations in a data table.

Write your hypothesis, or testable
statement.


Which sample is the control? What is its
purpose?

Draw Conclusions
How did your results compare with your
hypothesis?

167

Analyze and Extend
1. What was the difference between the
starting temperature and the ending
temperature for each of your
experimental groups? Show your work
in the space below.

2. Make a bar graph in the space below to
display your data.

4. A swamp cooler is a type of air
conditioner that blows air over a wet
surface. Use your data to explain
whether you think this would be an
effective way to cool a building.

5. Why is it important that your body be
able to cool itself?

like to ask about evaporation and
cooling.

168


3. How does this activity relate to the role
of sweating?

What Is a Dichotomous Key?
Beans have different characteristics. In
this activity, you will classify a group
of beans and make a dichotomous key.
Your classmates will use your key to
identify the bean groups.

Materials
6 beans in a bag

Get a bag of beans from
your teacher.

Draw a dichotomous key that
includes the names of all six beans.
If you do not know their names,
you can number the beans or
identify them in some other way.
Fill out your dichotomous key with
yes or no questions that will enable
you to classify all six beans.


Pour out the beans onto your
desk. Observe the beans. What
differences do you notice?
Make a list of characteristics
that you observe about
the beans.

2

Give your dichotomous key to a classmate.
Give the classmate a few beans from your
bag. Ask your classmate to identify the
beans he or she has by using your key.
20

Name
Essential Question

What Is a Dichotomous Key?
Set a Purpose



Why are the beans you are given different
from one another?

Record Your Data


In the space provided, make your dichotomous key using the bean
characteristics you identified.

189

Draw Conclusions
Scientists classify and organize living
things based on how they are similar or
different from one another. Why is it
important for scientists to use the same
characteristics to classify living things?

2. Compare charts with a classmate.
Was one chart easier to use than the
other chart?

3. How might grouping and classifying
things, rather than just describing
them, make it easier for others to
identify the things?
Scientists must be very specific when
describing living things. Why might
scientists want to avoid using terms such
as small, big, heavy, and light when
classifying living things?
4. How was the dichotomous key you
made to classify beans different from
dichotomous keys scientists use to
classify organisms?

Analyze and Extend

190

to ask about how scientists use
dichotomous keys?


1. Which characteristics did you use
to classify the beans? Which
characteristics did your
classmates use?

What Factors Affect
Germination Rate?
Every type of plant grows best
in certain conditions. In this
experiment, you will ﬁnd out
which conditions are best for the
growth of bean seeds.

To test how light affects germination rate,
place one cup under a shoe box. Label this
cup A. Place another cup in a lit area, such
as a windowsill. Label this cup B. Every day,
add about 60 mL of water to both cups.

Materials
5 plastic cups
potting soil
plastic gloves
graduated cylinder

CAUTION: Wear plastic gloves
when handling potting soil.
Place 8 cm of potting soil
in each of the five
plastic cups.

shoe box
bean seeds
water
ruler

To test how water affects germination
rate, place the three remaining cups in a
lit area, such as a windowsill. Label the
cups C, D, and E. Do not add water to cup
C. Every day, add about 40 mL of water
to cup D and 80 mL of water to cup E.


Place three or four bean seeds
on top of the soil in each cup.
Then sprinkle 3 cm of soil on top
of the seeds in each cup.

4

Observe the cups daily.
Record any changes you see.

23

Name

Essential Question

What Factors Affect
Germination Rate?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data

Why is it important to know the factors
that affect germination?

In the space below, make a table to record
your observations.



Which two factors are you testing in this
activity?

207

Draw Conclusions

2. How could you test this factor?

Which plants grew the most? Which
plants grew the least?

to ask about germination rates?
How does light affect seed germination?

How does water affect seed germination?

4. Choose one question you wrote and
investigate it. Write a summary of your
investigation.

Analyze and Extend

208


1. What other factor do you think might
affect germination?

What Makes Up a
Land Ecosystem?
If you were asked to list the living
things around you, what would you
list? You would probably list shrubs
and trees, cats and dogs, birds, and
maybe garden snakes. But what
about those things living beneath
your feet? Would you also list them?

Materials
meter stick
4 stakes
string
gloves
magnifying glass or box
collecting jars
field guides

Go out into the schoolyard,
a nearby park, or a nature
preserve. Select a study site
where there is a variety of
plants and soil coverings.

In your study site, measure a 1 meter
by 1 meter square area. Use the stakes
and string to mark this sample area.

Count and identify the producers and
consumers you observe within your
sample area. Record your observations.


Caution! Make sure to
wear gloves when doing
this step. Carefully turn
over any rocks, leaves,
or twigs in your sample
area.

2

Use the collecting jars,
a magnifying glass or
box, and field guides to
observe, identify, and
classify any organism
that you may find.
27

Name
Essential Question

What Makes Up a
Land Ecosystem?
Set a Purpose
What do you think you will learn in
this activity?

Why did you measure and mark your
sample area?

Record Your Data


Why do you think your sample site should
have a variety of plants and soil coverings?

In the space below, make a table to record
the different living things found in your
sample site and their role in the ecosystem.

261

Draw Conclusions
How did you determine the role that each
living thing played?

3. Which role in the ecosystem had the
greatest variety of living things?

4. In the space below, draw a picture of
your sample area. Make sure to include
an example of a producer and a
consumer that you found living in it.
Compare your results with the results
of other groups. Explain any differences
or similarities.

Analyze and Extend
1. What kind of living things did you find
in your sample area?
like to ask about how living things
interact in the ecosystem.

262


2. Which role in the ecosystem had the
greatest amount of living things?

How Does Drought Affect Plants?
Materials

A drought happens when a place
gets much less rainfall than normal.
What happens to plants when their
environment changes and they do
not get the usual amount of water?

5 plastic cups
black marker
125 seeds
potting soil
water
measuring cup

Fill each cup with moist
potting soil. Plant 25
seeds in each cup.

Label the cups
A through E.

B

Water the cups according to the
following schedule:

Make a hypothesis about
how the seeds in the
different cups will grow.

Make a hypothesis about
how the seeds in the
different cups will grow.


4

A

Place the cups on a sunny
cups for two weeks.

30

Name

Essential Question

How Does Drought
Affect Plants?
Set a Purpose
What will you better understand about
plants after doing this experiment?

What part of the experiment did you
change?

Record Your Data
statement.

Record your observations in the table
below.

Plant Observations
Cup A
Cup B



Cup C

What parts of your experiment stay the
same for each test group?

Cup D
Cup E

283

Draw Conclusions
Was your hypothesis supported? Why or
why not?

3. Suppose you are studying pea plants.
You find that half of the individual pea
plants are able to survive in mild
drought conditions. Why might this
data be imporant?

What conclusions can you draw from this
investigation?
4. How would you set up an experiment
to test the following hypothesis: The
amount of fertilizer does not affect
how quickly plants grow. Draw and
label a picture that shows your setup.

Analyze and Extend
1. What natural conditions did Cup A and
Cup E represent?

284


2. Did the plants in the cups that got the
most water do the best? What can you
infer based on your results?

like to ask about how environmental
conditions affect plants.

What Role Do
Decomposers Play?
Decomposers break down dead
plant and animal material.
Mold—a type of fungus—is
one kind of decomposer. In this
activity, you will get to watch
how mold changes bread.

Use the spray bottle to gently
mist the bread slice on plate A.
Observe and record any changes.

Materials
2 bread slices
2 paper plates
hand lens
spray bottle containing water
2 resealable plastic bags
2 paper bags

Set the bread slices on
paper plates labeled A
and B. Study their
appearance using a
hand lens. Record your
observations.

Put the moist bread inside a
resealable bag and label it A. Put the
dry bread inside the other resealable
bag and label it B. Place each
resealable bag into a paper bag.


Use the hand lens to observe the bread
slices every day for about ten days.
Record any changes you see.
CAUTION! Do not
open the plastic bags.
Mold can be harmful.

3

Dispose of the
bread as your
teacher directs.

34

Name
Essential Question

What Role Do
Decomposers Play?
Set a Purpose
How do you think decomposers change
materials?

Why do we spray one of the bread slices
with water and not the other?

Record Your Data
Write a statement summarizing how you
think mold changes the food it grows on.

In the space below, make a table in which
you record your observations.


What are different observations you can
make about the appearance of the bread?

321

Draw Conclusions
In the space below, draw a picture of the
appearance of breads A and B during the
last day of your investigation.

3. Did spraying the bread with water
have any effect on how fast the mold
grew? Explain.

4. What do you think would happen to
the bread if you continued to let the
mold grow on it?

Did your observations indicate that mold
is a decomposer? Explain.

5. Use your observations to describe
the role of decomposers in
the environment.

6. Think of other questions you would like
to ask about decomposers.

Analyze and Extend

2. Where do you think mold gets its
nutrients from?

322


1. How did the mold change the bread?

How Can We
Conserve Resources?
Did you know that
your notebook paper
could be made from
recycled materials?
Recycling helps
conserve trees and
other natural resources.
You can make recycled
paper, too!

For every 240 mL of water, add
16 mL of starch. Mix the mixture
until a watery pulp forms.

Dip the window screen into the mixture
to coat one side with a layer of pulp.
Carefully remove the screen. Hold the
screen over the tub as the water drains.

Materials
safety goggles
lab apron
scrap paper
plastic tub
water
metric measuring cup
laundry starch
egg beater
pre-cut window
screen
newspaper
dowel

Place the screen
between several sheets
of newspaper. Roll the
dowel over the top of
the newspaper until all
water is squeezed out.

Inquiry Flipchart p. 38

3

CAUTION: Put on safety goggles and
an apron. Tear the scrap paper into
2-cm strips. Put the strips into the
tub and add water. Keep track of the
amount of water you add.
Let the pulp dry completely.
Then carefully peel it from
the screen.
38

Name
Essential Question

How Can We
Conserve Resources?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data


In the space below, describe the physical
characteristics of the paper you made.



Why do you think starch is added to the
pulp mixture?

Why is it important to squeeze out the
extra water?

357

Draw Conclusions
Some of the paper you use now has been
recycled from old paper. Draw conclusions
about why people might choose to make
paper from waste material instead of
directly from trees.

Analyze and Extend

3. How does recycling paper help the
environment and living things?

4. What are some other ways scrap paper
could be recycled?

1. Just as scientists do, you made a model
to see how something might work on a
larger scale. Using what you learned,
suggest ways recycled paper might be
made in a large factory.
5. How would you change your paper if
you were to make it again?

358


2. How does the paper you made compare
to the paper you use in school?

How Does Water Change
Earth’s Surface?
Some rock, such as limestone, erodes more
easily than other rock that surrounds it.
This leaves hollow spaces in the harder
rock. In this activity, you will model
how water forms caves.


Materials
plastic tray
9 sugar cubes
modeling clay
water
book (about 4 cm thick)

Arrange nine sugar cubes
into a square on the tray.

2

Press the clay into a flat slab. Place it
on top of the sugar cubes and press
firmly so the clay sticks to the tray on
two opposite sides of the cubes.
Leave the other two sides of the
sugar exposed so you can see it.

Place the book under one
end of the tray to form a
slope. Slowly pour water
against the uphill side of
the sugar, taking care not
to overflow the downhill
end of the tray.

Look inside the clay to see
the effect of the water.

41

Name
Essential Question

How Does Water
Change Earth’s
Surface?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data

What will you learn from this activity?

Use the table below to record your
observations. Draw or describe your
model’s appearance before and after
you pour the water.
Top
view

1. What do the materials in the activity
represent?


2. Why do you position the tray to produce
a slope?

Front
view

Side
view

Before
water

After
water

385

What happened to the sugar under
the clay?

Describe how your model demonstrates a
process that shapes landforms.

Analyze and Extend
1. What would you expect to happen in
places with steeper slopes where water
moves downhill faster?

2. What would you expect to happen in
places where it rains daily compared to
places that receive very little rain?

386

3. What is the role of the clay in this
model? What does it represent?

4. What additional factors could affect
the rate of cave formation?

5. Explain how you could test the effect
of one of the factors you listed in
question 4.

6. What other questions do you have
about how water weathers rock?


Draw Conclusions

How Do Plates Move?
Earth’s plates are sections of the crust
that move. But it is the mantle beneath
the crust that is actually moving, and
the plates move with it. You can build
a model to represent Earth’s layers and
demonstrate plate movement.

Materials
shoebox
scissors
paper
modeling clay

Cut two 8 cm by 25 cm strips of paper. Run
each strip through the slit in the box. Leave
about 10 cm sticking out through the slit. Fold
the strips back on opposite sides of the slit.


Use the clay to make models of
North America and South
America. Press your models
onto the left strip of paper.
Make models of Europe, Asia,
and Africa, and press them
onto the right strip.

4

Slowly push the strips up
through the slit. Observe what
happens to the clay models.

Turn the shoebox upside down, and
cut a 1 cm by 10 cm slit across the
bottom. Then at the center of one
of the box’s long sides, cut out a
hole large enough for your hand.

43

Name
Essential Question

How Do Plates Move?
Set a Purpose
What will you model during this activity?

Draw your model from two angles and
label the parts in each.

What do the materials in this activity
represent?

Record Your Data


Describe what happens as you push
the strips of paper up through the slit
in the box.

405

Draw Conclusions
What does the rising paper in the
model represent?

Infer what happens to the continental
crust as plates move apart.

Analyze and Extend
1. Plates can move toward or slide past
each other. Use your model to
demonstrate these other plate
movements. Draw and describe what
happens to the continents.

2. By observing and using models,
scientists infer how the continents
move. Based on your model, what can
you infer about the positions of these
four continents millions of years ago?

What do you predict will happen to
these four continents over the next
five million years?

3. If the clay represents the crust and
the paper strips represent the mantle,
how might this explain how the
continents move?

406


to ask about plate movement?

What Are Properties
of Minerals?
If minerals look the same to you,
then it’s time to take a closer look!
In this activity, you will classify
some minerals by their properties.

CAUTION: Handle the nail carefully. It’s sharp!
Test the hardness of each mineral. Try to
scratch each one with your fingernail, the steel
nail, the penny, and the other mineral samples.
Record your observations. (Note: A fingernail
has a hardness of 2, a penny has a hardness of
3, and a steel nail has a hardness of 5.)

Materials
mineral samples
streak plate
steel nail
penny


Observe each mineral
sample. Write a word
that best describes
each sample’s luster.

Use each mineral to
draw a line across the
streak plate. Record
the color of the streak.

2

Classify each mineral
sample based on luster,
streak, and hardness.

45

Name

Essential Question

What Are Properties
of Minerals?
Set a Purpose


Why is it important to know how to classify
things?

Name three mineral properties you will be
using in this activity.

Record Your Data
In the table below, record your observations. Beneath the table, describe how you would
classify the minerals into groups using one of the properties in the table.


Mineral Sample

Luster

Streak

Hardness

425

Draw Conclusions

Analyze and Extend

Which mineral that you tested is the
hardest? Which is the softest? Explain how
you know.

1. What are some other ways minerals
can be classified?

Did you classify your minerals in the same
way as other students? Why or why not?

426

to ask about the properties of
minerals?


How did you classify the mineral samples?

2. Based on your observations, which
property or properties do you think
are most helpful in identifying a
mineral? Explain.

How Can You Model
Changes in Rock?
Rocks change form in
an ongoing cycle. In this
activity, you’ll model how
rock changes from one type
to another.

Use the third color of clay to
make a layer like the first.
Place it over the pellets.

Identify and record the
type of rock you have
just modeled. Explain
your observations.

Materials
3 colors of modeling clay
metric ruler
sheet of wax paper
5–10 plastic foam packing pellets
dowel
2 books wrapped in plastic wrap

Flatten clay of one color into a layer
measuring 12 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm. Place
the layer on a sheet of wax paper.

Using clay of a different color,
make 5 to 10 clay pellets, each
about 2 cm in diameter. Place the
clay pellets and the plastic foam
pellets on top of the first layer.

Use the dowel as a rolling pin to
apply pressure to the top of your
rock model. Next, use the books at
the sides of the model to press the
rock into a new shape.

4

Identify the new type of
rock you’ve modeled.
Explain your observations.

48

Name
Essential Question

How Can You Model
Changes in Rock?
Set a Purpose



Draw the side view of what you made in
Steps 1–4. Identify the type of rock you
modeled and describe your observations.

How is a model useful to a student?


Why is it important to think about what
each step in this procedure models in
real life?

445

Draw the type of rock you modeled in
Step 5. Identify the type of rock you
modeled and describe your observations.

Analyze and Extend
1. How might using models help
scientists understand the ways
rocks form?

2. Explain how you could represent
weathering and erosion as part of
your model.

3. How does your model represent the
rock cycle?

Draw Conclusions
What force are you modeling when you
use the books?
about how rock forms?

446


In order for your model to show how
metamorphic rock changes into igneous
rock, what could you do?

How Can Scientists
Use Fossils?
Paleontologists use fossils to help
determine the ages of the rock layers
they are studying. In this activity,
you’ll use symbols to represent fossils
and determine the correct age order
of a set of model rock layers.

Each card represents a layer of rock.
Each symbol represents a type of
fossil that is found in that layer. You
will use the relative ages of the
“fossils” to put the “rock layers” in
order from oldest to youngest.

Look for another card that has
one of these oldest fossils. Put
this card on the table above
the first card. It represents the
second-oldest rock layer.

Materials
8 index cards

Spread out the cards on the table in
front of you.
The oldest fossils are the and the .
Put the card representing the rock layer
with the oldest fossils at the bottom.

black marker

Draw one of these 8 sets of symbols
on each of your 8 index cards.


Order the rest of the cards in
the same way, until you have
a line of 8 cards that
represent rock layers in order
from oldest to youngest.

3

Record the fossils in your
layers from oldest at the
bottom to youngest at
the top.
52

Name
Essential Question

How Can Scientists
Use Fossils?
Set a Purpose

How would the results change if only one
fossil symbol was drawn on each card?

Record Your Data
Write your hypothesis or
testable statement.

Record your results in the space below.
Sequence of Rock Layers
Fossil Symbols
(Oldest to Youngest)
Youngest


Why is it important to examine the fossil
symbols carefully?
Oldest

483

Draw Conclusions

Analyze and Extend

Use your card stack to identify the fossils
from oldest to youngest. Record your
sequence here.

1. Scientists use time-space relationships
to compare rock layers around the
world. What can you tell about the age
of the fossil using this information?
Fossil
Fossil

Oldest to Youngest

is 25 to 50 million years old.
is 75 to 110 million years old.

Fossil Symbols

Youngest
2. What has most likely occurred if a
fossil that appeared in an older rock
layer does not appear in a younger
rock layer?

3. Suppose fossil # appeared in each rock
layer. Would fossil # make a good index
fossil? Explain.
Oldest
Is the fossil $ older or younger than the
fossil ?

484


about how scientists use fossils?

How Can You Model
Ocean Water?
In this activity, you
will model how salinity
affects the movement of
ocean water.

3

Repeat Step 1, only this
time, place the saltwater
bottle on top of the
freshwater bottle. Remove
the card and observe.

Materials
table salt
measuring spoons
two 1-L plastic bottles
water
food coloring
plastic tub
index card
lab apron

Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in one
bottle half full of water and add a few
drops of food coloring. Then, fill both
bottles all the way to the top with
water. Work in the plastic tub to catch
spilled water. Press an index card over
the opening of the bottle with the
clear water. Carefully invert it.

Place the upside-down bottle of fresh
water on top of the salt water so the
rims line up. Hold the bottles in place
while someone else removes the index
card. Observe for several moments.

Repeat Step 1 again, and this
time, hold both bottles together
horizontally. Remove the card
and observe.

Modify the experiment and
repeat it. Use warm fresh water
and very cold colored salt water
the next time around.

56

Name
Essential Question

How Can We Model
Ocean Water?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data


Use the chart below to record your
observations. Describe what you see during
each observation.

What are the conditions that you will
control and try to make the same for
each trial?

Starting
position of
the bottles

Behavior of
the water

Trial 1
Why is it important to repeat the procedure
with the bottles in different positions?

Trial 2
Trial 3


Trial 4
Trial 5
Trial 6
517

Draw Conclusions

Analyze and Extend

Which trial produced the fastest results?
Draw what you observed.

1. How does this activity relate to
currents in the ocean?

2. Overall, how does colder, saltier water
behave in the ocean?

3. How does the behavior of colder,
saltier water affect warmer, less
salty water?

Which is more dense: salt water or fresh
water? How do you know?

How did changing the temperature of
the water affect the outcome of the last
three trials?

518


to ask about ocean water?

How Do We
Observe Objects in
the Solar System?
In this activity, you will investigate ways
scientists observe and record data about
objects in the solar system. You will
model different kinds of observations.

Have one member of your group
walk to the poster and record
observations. After a moment,
have another student gather
those observations and
return them to the group.


Materials
poster of solar system objects
binoculars

Use binoculars to observe
the same object. Record
your observations.
Observe your assigned object
from far away. Make as many
observations as possible.
Record your observations in
your Science Notebook.

As a group, review the
observations and write
new questions about
the object. Send the
questions to the student
standing by the object.
Review the answers.

2

A Word for the Wise
A space probe is a crewless space
vehicle used to explore objects in
space and send data back to Earth.

Name

Essential Question

How Do We Observe
Objects in the
Solar System?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data

What do you think you will learn from this
investigation?

In the space below, record the observations
you made using all three methods.



Why do you think you will observe the
object in different ways?

Why is it important that you work together
as a team in this investigation?

559

Draw Conclusions
Think about how scientists view objects in
space. What did observing the object from
far away represent?

What did using binoculars represent?

What did viewing the object up close
represent?

2. How did your observations made
using binoculars differ from the
observations made when a student
walked to the poster? Give an example.

3. How do space probes help scientists
learn about objects in space?

4. Think about objects in the solar
system. How do scientists use time and
space relationships to observe them?

Analyze and Extend

560

like to ask about how scientists study
objects in space. Write your questions.


1. How did your observations from far
away differ from those made using
binoculars? Give an example.

How Does
Water Change?
What happens to ice as it melts? What
properties change? What properties
stay the same? In this activity, you
will measure and observe properties as
ice changes to water.

Dry the outside of the bag with
a paper towel. Use a balance to
measure the mass of the bag
and ice. Record the mass.

Gr. 2 -15

Materials
plastic cup
balance
resealable plastic bag
crushed ice
paper towels

Gr. 2 -15

Place the bag on a
paper towel and allow
the ice to melt. While
you are waiting, explain
why the ice melts and
predict what will
happen to the mass of
the ice when it melts.


Gr. 2 -15

Fill a plastic cup
with crushed ice.
Pour the ice into a
resealable plastic
bag. Seal the bag
tightly.

Gr. 2 -15

When the ice is
completely melted, dry
the outside of the bag
thoroughly with a paper
towel.

2

Gr. 2 -15

Measure and record the mass of
the bag and water. Compare the
mass of the water to the ice.
64

Name
Essential Question

How Does
Water Change?
Set a Purpose


What can you learn from this experiment?

In the space below, draw a table to record
the masses that you measured.

Why do you dry the bag in step 2?

Where did the moisture on the outside of
the bag come from?

Make a Prediction


Write your prediction from step 3.

595

Draw Conclusions
Was your prediction correct? Explain.

3. What do you predict would happen to
the mass if you put the bag from step 5
in the freezer and then found the mass
after the water changed back to ice?

4. Suppose you poured the water from
step 5 into a container and measured
its volume. If you froze the water,
would its volume change or stay the
same? Explain.

Analyze and Extend
1. Why was the mass of the bag not
important in this activity?

596


2. What properties of water changed
during this activity? What properties
did not change?

to ask about how water changes
during a physical change? What
experiments could you do to answer
the questions?

What Affects the
Speed of Dissolving?
Do all substances dissolve
quickly? In this activity,
you will explore how to
speed up the rate at which a
solid dissolves in water.

Materials
safety goggles
lab apron
cold tap water
3 clear containers
measuring spoon

table salt
stopwatch
2 spoons
coarse salt
warm water

For Steps 2–4, you will use a
stopwatch to measure how
long it takes for the salt in
each container to completely
dissolve. Stop timing if the salt
has not dissolved after two
minutes. Empty and rinse the
containers between steps.

CAUTION: Wear goggles and an apron.
Measure out equal amounts of tap water
into three containers. Add a spoonful of
table salt to each container. Do not stir
one container. Stir one at a moderate
rate, and the other at a fast rate.


Measure out equal amounts of tap water
into two containers. Add a spoonful of
coarse salt to one container and a
spoonful of table salt to the other. Stir
both at the same rate.

5

Pour some cold water into a container.
Pour an equal amount of warm water
into another container. Add a spoonful
of table salt to both containers. Stir both
at the same rate.
67

Name

Essential Question

What Affects the Speed
of Dissolving?
Set a Purpose

statement.


Why do you need to rinse the containers
between steps?

Would it affect the conclusions for this
activity if two different groups stirred at
different rates?

Record Your Data
Record your results in the data table below.
Time It Takes to Dissolve
Treatment
Time (sec)
No Stirring
Stirring Slowly
Stirring Quickly
Coarse Salt
Table Salt
Cold Water
Warm Water
627

Draw Conclusions
Make a bar graph to display the data in
which you tested how stirring affects the
rate of dissolving.

2. Minerals dissolve in river water. Would
you expect minerals to dissolve faster
in a fast-moving river or one that
moves slowly? Why?

3. A water softener is a device that uses
salts to remove certain substances
from water. Most home water
softeners use salt pellets or rock salt,
both of which are chunks of salt. Why
wouldn’t you want to use table salt in
a softener?

What conclusion can you draw?

like to ask about the rate of dissolving
a solid in water.

Analyze and Extend

628


1. You’re adding sugar to a glass of iced
tea. How might you speed up how
quickly the sugar dissolves?

How Does Sound Travel Through
Solids, Liquids, and Gases?
Sound can’t travel through space, but it can
travel through matter. In this activity, you
and a classmate will explore how sound
vibrations change as they travel through
different types of matter.

Have your partner place the
drum on a desktop. Press an
ear gently on the desktop.
Cover your other ear with
your hand. Listen as your
partner taps the drum.

Materials
cylindrical container
round balloon
scissors
rubber band

unsharpened pencil
cardboard tube
plastic cup
water

Press an ear against
the wall. Cover your
other ear with your
hand. Have your
partner tap the drum
while holding it on the
wall. Listen, and record
your observations.

Work with a partner to
construct a drum. Cut the
bottom off a round balloon.
Tightly stretch the balloon
over the opening of your
container. Secure the balloon
with a rubber band. Have
your partner tap the drum
you have made with the
pencil. Listen, and record
your observations.

Hold one end of a cardboard
tube to an ear. Cover your
other ear with your hand.
Have your partner hold the
drum against the open end
of the tube and tap the
drum. Listen, and record
your observations.


2

Press the side of a cup to an
ear. Cover your other ear with
your hand. Have your partner
hold the drum to the other
side of the cup and tap the
drum. Listen, and record your
observations.

Fill the cup with water, and repeat Step 5.
70

Name
Essential Question

How Does Sound Travel
Through Solids, Liquids,
and Gases?
Set a Purpose

What variable will you change in each trial?

What about sound will you understand
better after completing this experiment?

What stays the same in all of the trials?

Why will you start by listening to the
sound without pressing your ear against
any surface?

Record Your Data


Record your observations in the table below.
How do sound waves travel to your ear?
Step 1 From the drum through air (gas)
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4
Step 5
Step 6

Describe each sound.

665

Draw Conclusions

Analyze and Extend

Why did you place a hand over your free
ear in Steps 2–5?

1. Based on your observations, what
statement can you make about how
gases, liquids, and solids can change
the way we hear a sound?

Did the sound change from Step 1 to
Step 2? Explain.
2. Why might the results you got differ
from those of other groups?

Were your descriptions of the sounds in
Step 1 and Step 4 different? Why?
3. Most of the sounds you hear travel
through air, which is a gas. If you could,
how would you change the procedure
to better hear sounds transmitted
through solids and liquids?

Why do you think the sounds produced in
Steps 5 and 6 were different?

666


to ask about how sound travels in
different types of matter?

What Happens When
Light Is Reflected?
In this activity,
you will explore
how a mirror
reﬂects light.

Materials
piece of corrugated cardboard, 10 cm x 10 cm
3 pushpins of different colors
modeling clay
small mirror
metric ruler
protractor
labels

Position yourself so your eyes are
level with the pins. Align yourself so
that your view of Pin 1 lines up
exactly with the reflection of Pin 2.
Push Pin 3 into the cardboard at the
edge of the mirror, right in front of
the reflection of Pin 2. Pin 1, Pin 3,
and the reflection of Pin 2 should
appear to be in a straight line,
in that order.

Draw lines on the cardboard to
connect Pin 3 with Pin 1 and
Pin 2. These lines show how the
light from the reflection of Pin
2 traveled to your eye.


Lay the cardboard flat. Use clay to
stand the mirror vertically at one
end of the cardboard. Make tiny
labels for the pushpins. Call them
Pins 1, 2, and 3. Push Pins 1 and 2
into the cardboard, about 5 cm
from the front of the mirror.

5

Draw a line along the front of
the mirror. Remove the mirror
from the cardboard. Using the
protractor, measure the angle
between the pushpin lines
and the mirror line. Record
your results.
74

Name
Essential Question

What Happens When
Light Is Reflected?
Set a Purpose
What do you expect to understand about
light after you complete this investigation?

How is the mirror different from all of the
other materials in the experiment?

What is the same about the positions of the
first two pushpins?
Write a statement that tells what you plan
to investigate.

Record Your Data
In the space below, record your
measurements of the two angles
described in Step 4.



Why do you think it is important to tape
the mirror so that it stands up straight?

691

Draw Conclusions
Compare the two angles you measured in
Step 4. What do they have in common?

What do the lines you drew show about
the path of light?

2. Suppose you know the angle at which
light hits a mirror. Predict the angle at
which the light will reflect.

3. Look closely at the word reflection. One
of the meanings of the Latin prefix reis “again.” How does this meaning
relate to the reflection you observed
in the investigation?

Analyze and Extend
1. How would a mirror be less useful to
people if it did not reflect light in a
straight line?

692


to explore about how light travels
when it strikes different surfaces?

How Do Forces
Affect Motion?

Repeat Step 3 using the
3-cm and 5-cm marks.

What can you do to make
a toy truck move faster or
travel farther?


Materials
ruler
safety goggles
giant rubber band toy truck
meterstick
chair
metal bolts
tape

CAUTION: Wear goggles. Cut a
rubber band in half, and tie the
ends around the legs of a chair.

Place a piece of tape on the floor.
Mark lines that are 1 cm, 3 cm, and
5 cm behind the rubber band.

2

Place a toy truck against the
rubber band. Pull the truck back to the
1-cm mark, and release it. Measure the
distance the truck travels, and record
the data. Repeat this step two
more times.

Place four bolts in the toy
truck. Launch the truck from
the 3-cm mark, and record the
distance it travels. Repeat this
step two more times.
Add four more
bolts to the truck.
Repeat Step 5.

77

Name

Essential Question

How Do Forces
Affect Motion?
Set a Purpose

Why do you add bolts to the truck?



Record Your Data

statement.

In the table below, record the data you
gathered.

How Forces Affect Motion
Part I:

Distance rubber band was stretched
1 cm

3 cm

5 cm

Distance
traveled (cm)
Part II:

Empty
truck


Why do you use a rubber band to start the
toy truck rather than your hand?

Rubber band stretched to 3 cm
Truck
with
4 bolts

Truck with
8 bolts

Distance
traveled (cm)
Trial 1
Distance
traveled (cm)
Trial 2
Distance
traveled (cm)
Trial 3

719

Draw Conclusions

Analyze and Extend

Each time you changed a variable and
launched the truck, you ran three trials.
Calculate the average distance traveled
by the truck in each experimental setting.

1. Interpret your data. How is an object’s
mass related to its change in motion
when acted on by a force?

Experimental
settings
Rubber band at 1 cm
Rubber band at 3 cm
Rubber band at 5 cm

Average distance
traveled (cm)
2. How does the size of the force applied
to an object affect its motion?

Truck with 0 bolts
Truck with 4 bolts
Truck with 8 bolts
Draw two bar graphs to display your data.

3. Why is it important to repeat an
experiment several times or to have
several people perform the same
experiment?

720


4. Write another question you could ask
about using forces and motion. What
experiment could you do to answer
your question?

What Are Balanced
and Unbalanced Forces?
Think about an object that
is not moving. What do you
need to do to make it move?
Does the mass of the object
make a difference?

Materials
spring scale
3 wood blocks
with hooks
sandpaper
waxed paper
vegetable oil

Use the spring scale to lift a
block. Observe and record the
force needed to overcome the
force of gravity.

Place one block on its side on a
piece of sandpaper. Attach the
spring scale, and pull it gently.
Record the scale reading just as
the block begins to move. Repeat
this measurement two more times.

Repeat Step 1 with two
blocks and then again
with three blocks.

3

Repeat Step 3 with the block on
other surfaces, such as waxed
paper and waxed paper that has
been coated with vegetable oil.
78

Name

Essential Question

What Are Balanced and
Unbalanced Forces?
Set a Purpose

Record Your Data


Record your measurements in this table.

Forces Investigation
Action
Force (N)
What forces are acting on the blocks when
they are sitting on the table?

Lift one block
Lift two blocks
Lift three blocks
Pull block on
sandpaper
Pull block on
waxed paper
Pull block on
oiled paper

Why will you pull the block across several
different surfaces?

Draw Conclusions


What is required to start an object moving?

721

Analyze and Extend
1. The block below is being pulled to
the right. Draw arrows to show the
forces acting on the object. Label
each arrow.

2. At what point during this activity
were the forces on the block
balanced? Draw the block, and
show the forces as arrows.

4. What forces acted on the block as you
tried to pull it horizontally? Were the
forces balanced or unbalanced?

5. Why did the blocks require a different
force to begin moving on the three
different surfaces?

to ask about balanced and unbalanced
forces? What investigations could you
do to answer the questions?

722


3. How is an object’s mass related to the
upward force needed to overcome the
pull of gravity?

Grade5

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