Science Standards
5th Grade Science Standards (NGSS*)
All 16 5th grade performance expectations of the Next Generation Science Standards, each explained in plain English. The official wording of each one is a click away.
16 standards
Structure and Properties of Matter
4 standards5-PS1-1
Develop a model showing that all matter is built from tiny particles we cannot see, like air filling a basketball or sugar vanishing in water.
Official wording
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
5-PS1-2
Measure and graph weights to show that when substances are heated, cooled or mixed, the total weight of matter stays the same.
Official wording
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
Observe and measure properties like hardness, color, magnetism and how well something dissolves or conducts to identify materials such as metals and powders.
Official wording
Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
5-PS1-4
Run an investigation to find out whether mixing two or more substances makes a new substance, like baking soda and vinegar making a gas.
Official wording
Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems
3 standards5-PS3-1
Use models like flow charts to show that the energy in food animals eat, which they use to grow, move and stay warm, first came from the sun.
Official wording
Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.
5-LS1-1
Support an argument that plants build their bodies mainly out of air and water rather than out of the soil they grow in.
Official wording
Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
5-LS2-1
Make a model showing how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment, like fallen leaves breaking down into soil.
Official wording
Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Earth's Systems
3 standards5-ESS2-1
Develop a model with an example of how land, water, air and living things interact, like mountains forcing winds upward to form clouds.
Official wording
Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.
5-ESS2-2
Describe and graph how much salt water and fresh water sits in oceans, lakes, rivers, glaciers, ice caps and groundwater to show how water is spread on Earth.
Official wording
Describe and graph the amounts of salt water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.
5-ESS3-1
Gather and combine information about how communities use science to protect the land, water and air around them, like cleaning up rivers.
Official wording
Obtain and combine information about ways individual communities use science ideas to protect the Earth’s resources and environment.
Space Systems: Stars and the Solar System
3 standards5-PS2-1
Support an argument that gravity pulls objects down toward the center of Earth, so a dropped ball falls straight down anywhere on the planet.
Official wording
Support an argument that the gravitational force exerted by Earth on objects is directed down.
5-ESS1-1
Support an argument that the sun looks brighter than other stars because it is much closer to Earth than they are.
Official wording
Support an argument that differences in the apparent brightness of the sun compared to other stars is due to their relative distances from the Earth.
5-ESS1-2
Graph data to show daily patterns in shadow length and direction, day and night, and the stars that appear only in certain seasons.
Official wording
Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.
Engineering Design
3 standards3-5-ETS1-1
Define a simple design problem for a need or want, listing what success looks like and the limits on materials, time or cost.
Official wording
Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
3-5-ETS1-2
Brainstorm several solutions to a problem and compare which ones best meet the goals and limits set for it, like cost and materials.
Official wording
Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
3-5-ETS1-3
Plan and run fair tests that control variables and look for weak spots to find which parts of a model or prototype can be improved.
Official wording
Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
The official document
Official wording from NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. The plain-English lines and everything else on this page are EMStudio’s own explanations, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.
*NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.