5th Grade Science TEKS

(5.1)  Scientific and Engineering Practices (Investigations)

The student asks questions, identifies problems, and plans and safely conducts classroom, laboratory, and field investigations to answer questions, explain phenomena, or design solutions using appropriate tools and models. The student is expected to:

(A) ask questions and define problems based on observations or information from text, phenomena, models, or investigations;

(B) use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive and simple experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems;

(C) demonstrate safe practices and the use of safety equipment during classroom and field investigations as outlined in Texas Education Agency-approved safety standards;

(D) use tools, including calculators, microscopes, hand lenses, metric rulers, Celsius thermometers, prisms, concave and convex lenses, laser pointers, mirrors, digital scales, balances, spring scales, graduated cylinders, beakers, hot plates, meter sticks, magnets, collecting nets, notebooks, timing devices, materials for building circuits, materials to support observations of habitats or organisms such as terrariums and aquariums, and materials to support digital data collection such as computers, tablets, and cameras to observe, measure, test, and analyze information;

(E) collect observations and measurements as evidence;

(F) construct appropriate graphic organizers used to collect data, including tables, bar graphs, line graphs, tree maps, concept maps, Venn diagrams, flow charts or sequence maps, and input- output tables that show cause and effect; 

(G) develop and use models to represent phenomena, objects, and processes or design a prototype for a solution to a problem.

(5.3) Scientific and Engineering Practices (Explanations)

The student develops evidence-based explanations and communicates findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions. The student is expected to:

(A) develop explanations and propose solutions supported by data and models;

(B) communicate explanations and solutions individually and collaboratively in a variety of settings and formats;

(C) listen actively to others' explanations to identify relevant evidence and engage respectfully in scientific discussion.

(5.5) Recurring Themes and Concepts

The student understands that recurring themes and concepts provide a framework for making connections across disciplines. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and use patterns to explain scientific phenomena or to design solutions;

(B) identify and investigate cause-and-effect relationships to explain scientific phenomena or analyze problems;

(C) use scale, proportion, and quantity to describe, compare, or model different systems;

(D) examine and model the parts of a system and their interdependence in the function of the system;

(E) investigate how energy flows and matter cycles through systems and how matter is conserved;

(F) explain the relationship between the structure and function of objects, organisms, and systems; 

(G) explain how factors or conditions impact stability and change in objects, organisms, and systems.

(5.7) Force, Motion, and Energy (Equal / Unequal Forces, Experimental Investigation)

The student knows the nature of forces and the patterns of their interactions. The student is expected to:

(A) investigate and explain how equal and unequal forces acting on an object cause patterns of motion and transfer of energy; 

(B) design a simple experimental investigation that tests the effect of force on an object in a system such as a car on a ramp or a balloon rocket on a string.

(5.9) Earth and Space (Rotation, Shadows)

The student recognizes patterns among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and their effects. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate that Earth rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours and explain how that causes the day/night cycle and the appearance of the Sun moving across the sky, resulting in changes in shadow positions and shapes.

(5.11) Earth and Space.  (Natural Resources, Conservation)

The student understands how natural resources are important and can be managed. The student is expected to: 

(A) design and explain solutions such as conservation, recycling, or proper disposal to minimize environmental impact of the use of natural resources.

(5.13) Organisms and Environments  (Structure / Functions, Traits)

The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures and behaviors that help them survive within their environments. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the structures and functions of different species to identify how organisms survive in the same environment; 

(B) explain how instinctual behavioral traits such as turtle hatchlings returning to the sea and learned behavioral traits such as orcas hunting in packs increase chances of survival.