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

Students practice turning curiosity into a testable question or a real problem an engineer could actually solve. This is the starting point for every science investigation and design challenge in fifth grade.

Students build or draw models, like diagrams or physical mock-ups, to show how something in nature works or how a design could solve a problem.

Students plan and run their own experiments to gather real data and test whether their ideas hold up.

Students look at collected data, like measurements or observations, to spot patterns and figure out what the results actually mean.

Students use numbers, measurements, and simple calculations to back up a scientific idea. Instead of just describing what they observed, they show it with data.

Students build written explanations for science observations using evidence from experiments or data. The explanation has to connect back to a real scientific idea, not just a guess.

Students look at two or more explanations or solutions, then use data and observations to argue which one holds up better. The focus is on the evidence, not just the opinion.

Students read science sources, decide which information is trustworthy, and explain what they learned in writing or discussion. The focus is on finding good information and sharing it clearly.

Students investigate what matter is made of at the smallest scale, atoms and molecules, and use that knowledge to explain everyday physical events like melting, dissolving, or mixing.

Students study why objects speed up, slow down, or stay still by exploring how pushes and pulls work together. They learn Newton's basic rules of motion and see how energy stays constant even when it changes form.

Students explore how energy shows up as light, heat, sound, or motion, then trace how it moves from one object to another. They learn that energy doesn't disappear when it seems to vanish; it just changes form.

Students study how waves, like sound and light, move energy from place to place. They explore how those same waves carry information, such as the signals behind a radio broadcast or a phone call.

Students examine how living things are built, from the tiny cells that make up every part of a body to the larger systems those parts form together.

Students trace how energy from the sun and matter like water and nutrients move through an ecosystem, and study how plants, animals, and other living things depend on and affect each other.

Students compare traits in parents and offspring to see which features get passed down and which ones vary. Think eye color, plant height, or fur pattern across a family of animals.

Students look at how all living things share basic traits while still being wildly different from one another, then explore why those differences build up over generations.

Students explore where Earth sits in the solar system, how the planets move in predictable patterns, and 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 real examples of those connections, like how rain shapes soil or how plants change the air.

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

Students identify a real problem, sketch or build possible fixes, then test each one and improve the design based on what they learn.

Engineers build things that change how people live, and the way people live shapes what engineers build next. Students explore how tools, inventions, and everyday needs push each other forward.