2015-2016 Fifth Grade Topics and Essential Questions Clark
5.5A Classifying Matter- The student is expected to classify matter based on physical properties, including mass,
magnetism, physical state (solid, liquid, and gas), relative density (sinking and floating), solubility in water, and the ability
to conduct or insulate thermal energy or electric energy.
Essential Question: How is matter classified?
5.5B Properties of Water - The student is expected to identify the boiling and freezing/melting points of water on the
Celsius scale.
Essential Question: What changes affect the properties of water?
5.5C/D - Mixtures and Solutions- The student is expected to demonstrate that some mixtures maintain physical properties
of their ingredients such as iron filings and sand; AND 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.
Essential Question: Are all mixtures the same?
5.6A Uses of Energy - The student is expected to explore the uses of energy, including mechanical, light, thermal,
electrical, and sound energy.
Essential Question: What is energy?
5.6B - Circuits and Electricity - The student is expected to demonstrate that the flow of electricity in circuits requires a
complete path through which an electric current can pass and can produce light, heat, and sound.
Essential Questions: How does electrical energy travel? How is electrical energy transformed?
5.6C- Light - The student is expected to demonstrate that light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object or travels
through one medium to another and demonstrate that light can be reflected such as the use of mirrors or other shiny
surfaces and refracted such as the appearance of an object when observed through water.
Essential Question: How does light energy travel?
5.6D - Experimenting with Forces - The student is expected to design an experiment that tests the effect of force on an
object.
Essential Question: Are the effects of a force on an object measurable?
5.7D - What Happened Before -The student is expected to identify fossils as evidence of past living organisms and the
nature of the environments at the time using models.
Essential Question: How can we identify changes in the environment from fossils and sedimentary rock evidence?
5.7A - Formation of Fossil Fuels - The student is expected to explore the processes that led to the formation of
sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels.
Essential Question: What conclusions can scientists make about an area if they find fossil fuels there?
5.7B - Changes to Land - The student is expected to recognize how landforms such as deltas, canyons, and sand dunes are
the result of changes to Earth’s surface by wind, water, and ice.
Essential Question: What are the natural processes that cause the surface of the earth to change?
5.7C - Alternative Energy - The student is expected to identify alternative energy resources such as wind, solar,
hydroelectric, geothermal, and biofuels.
Essential Question: What are the ways that human use natural processes to create electricity?
2015-2016 Fifth Grade Topics and Essential Questions Clark
5.8A Weather and Climate- The student is expected to differentiate between weather and climate.
Essential Questions- What is the difference between weather and climate?
5.8B The Sun and Water Cycle- The student is expected to explain how the Sun and the ocean interact in the water cycle.
Essential Questions- How does solar energy affect the processes of the water cycle?
5.8C Earth's Rotation - The student is expected to 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.
Essential Questions- Explain why we experience day and night to on the Earth?
5.8D Earth, Sun, and Moon- The student is expected to identify and compare the physical characteristics of the Sun, Earth,
and Moon.
Essential Questions- What can be observed because of the Earth’s relationship with the Moon and Sun?
5.9A Interdependency- The student is expected to observe the way organisms live and survive in their ecosystem by
interacting with the living and nonliving elements.
Essential Questions- What relationships does biotic and abiotic factors have in the environment?
5.9B Food Webs- The student is expected to describe how the flow of energy derived from the Sun, used by producers to
create their own food, is transferred through a food chain and food web to consumers and decomposers.
Essential Questions- How does the energy flow from one organism to the next in a food chain or web?
5.9C Environmental Changes- The student is expected to predict the effects of changes in ecosystems caused by living
organisms, including humans, such as the overpopulation of grazers or the building of highways.
Essential Questions- What impact does changes in abiotic or biotic factors in environment have on organisms?
5.9D Carbon Dioxide and Oxygen Cycle- The student is expected to identify the significance of the carbon dioxide-oxygen
cycle to the survival of plants and animals.
Essential Questions- What is the significance of the carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle to the survival of organisms?
5.10A Adaptations- The student is expected to compare the structures and functions of different species that help them
live and survive such as hooves on prairie animals or webbed feet in aquatic animals.
Essential Questions- How does the adapted structure and functions of an organism help in survive in it’s
environment?
5.10B Traits- The student is expected to 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.
Essential Questions- What is the difference between an inherited trait and a learned behavior?
5.10C Metamorphosis- The student is expected to describe the differences between complete and incomplete
metamorphosis of insects.
Essential Questions- What is metamorphosis?