What does a student learn in StateMaryland,GradeGrade 5,SubjectScience?

Students figure out which questions can actually be tested with an experiment and which problems can be solved by designing or building something. They learn to tell the difference between a scientific question and one that science can't answer.

Students draw diagrams or build simple models to show how something in nature works or how a design solves a problem. The model helps explain what students can't easily see or test directly.

Students design a test, collect data, and use what they find to check whether their idea holds up. This is the core of doing science, not just reading about it.

Students look at data from experiments or observations and figure out what it means. They spot patterns, like which plant grew tallest or which material stayed warmest, and use those patterns to draw conclusions.

Students use numbers, measurements, and basic calculations to explain what they observed or found in a science investigation. Math becomes a tool for making sense of data, not just a separate subject.

Students take what they observed or measured and use it to explain why something happened. The explanation has to be backed by evidence, not just a guess.

Students look at two or more explanations or solutions, then use data or test results to argue which one holds up better. The goal is to pick the stronger answer based on evidence, not opinion.

Students read science articles, study diagrams, and decide which sources are trustworthy. Then they share what they found, in writing or out loud, clearly enough that someone else could understand it.

Students explore what matter is made of and how tiny particles interact to explain everyday physical events, like why ice melts or salt dissolves in water.

Students test what happens when they push, pull, or collide with objects, learning why things speed up, slow down, or stay put. The patterns they find match the same rules physicists use to describe motion.

Students investigate how energy changes form and moves from one object to another. They learn that energy is not created or destroyed, just shifted around.

Students study how waves, like sound and light, carry energy from one place to another. They also look at how waves are used to send information, like a radio signal or a phone call.

Students look at how living things are built, from the tiny cells that make up skin or leaves all the way up to whole body systems like digestion or circulation.

Students trace how food, water, and nutrients move through an ecosystem, and how living things depend on each other to survive. This covers food webs, decomposers, and the roles different organisms play in keeping a community balanced.

Students look at how traits like eye color or height get passed from parents to offspring, and why children look similar to but not exactly like their parents.

Students look at how living things are both alike and different, then explore why those differences exist and how they help species survive over time.

Students study where Earth sits in the solar system and how the sun, moon, and planets move in predictable patterns. They also look at evidence that tells the story of how Earth itself has changed over billions of years.

Students study how Earth's land, water, air, and living things connect and affect each other. They look at what happens when one part changes, like how rain shapes rock or how plants change soil.

Students look at how things like farming, building, and burning fuel change land, water, and air. They also study how earthquakes, floods, and wildfires affect where and how people live.

Students identify a real problem, come up with possible fixes, then test and improve their designs until one works well. It's the same process engineers use to build bridges, apps, or anything else meant to solve a problem.

Engineers borrow ideas from nature, culture, and everyday problems. Students explore how new tools and inventions change the way people live, work, and solve the next problem.