How energy moves through and changes matter, from heat and light to energy in living systems.
5.6 Matter and energy: measurable physical properties of matter and how they are used to identify, sort, change, and put matter to use
5.6A Compare and contrast matter by physical properties that can be measured, tested, or observed, including physical state (solid, liquid, gas), solubility in water, volume, magnetism, mass, relative density (sinking and floating with water as the reference), and capacity to insulate or conduct thermal and electrical energy
5.6B Show and explain that certain mixtures retain the physical properties of their substances, for example iron filings with sand or sand with water
5.6C Compare substances' properties before and after dissolving into a solution, and show that solutions conserve matter
5.6D Illustrate that matter consists of particles too tiny to see, for example the air inside a balloon
Force, Motion, and Energy
How forces change motion, and how energy is transferred, transformed and conserved.
5.7 Force, motion, and energy: how forces work and the patterns they follow when they interact
5.7A Investigate and explain how balanced and unbalanced forces on an object produce patterns of motion and energy transfer
5.7B Design a simple experimental investigation testing how force affects an object in a system, for example a ramp with a car, or a string-guided balloon rocket
5.8 Force, motion, and energy: energy is all around and shows up in cycles, patterns, and systems
5.8A Investigate and describe how energy is transformed in systems, for example in a flashlight battery where chemical energy becomes electrical energy and then light energy
5.8B Show that complete circuits can transform electrical energy into thermal energy, sound, light, or motion, and name the requirements for a working electrical circuit
5.8C Show and explain how light travels straight and may bounce off (reflect), bend (refract), or be absorbed
Earth and Space
Earth's materials and processes, weather and climate, and the sun, moon and other objects in space.
5.9 Earth and space: patterns in the Sun-Earth-Moon system and what they cause, shown by demonstrating that Earth spins on its axis about once a day (24 hours) and explaining how this produces day and night, the Sun seeming to cross the sky, and shifting shadow positions and shapes
5.9A Show that Earth spins on its axis roughly once per day (24 hours), and explain that this produces day and night, the Sun's apparent motion across the sky, and shifting shadow positions and shapes
5.10 Earth and space: patterns and processes on Earth that can be recognized
5.10A Explain the interaction of the Sun and the ocean in the water cycle and its effect on weather
5.10B Build models and describe how sedimentary rocks and fossil fuels formed
5.10C Model and identify how wind, water, or ice reshaping Earth's surface creates landforms, including sand dunes, canyons, and deltas
5.11 Earth and space: why natural resources matter and how people can manage them, shown by designing and explaining ways like conserving, recycling, or disposing of resources properly to limit environmental harm
5.11A Design and explain solutions, for example conservation, recycling, or proper disposal, that reduce the environmental impact of using natural resources
Organisms and Environments
How living things meet their needs, interact with each other and their surroundings, and change over time.
5.12 Organisms and environments: patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships found within environments
5.12A Observe and describe how many kinds of living things survive through interaction with the living and nonliving factors of a healthy ecosystem
5.12B Predict how changes in an ecosystem affect matter cycling and energy flow in a food web
5.12C Describe what a healthy ecosystem is, and how human activities can benefit or harm one
5.13 Organisms and environments: living things go through similar life processes and possess structures and behaviors that aid survival in their surroundings
5.13A Analyze how different species' structures and functions let organisms in one shared environment survive
5.13B Explain how learned behavioral traits, for example orcas hunting in packs, and instinctive behavioral traits, for example turtle hatchlings heading for the sea, improve survival chances
Recurring Themes and Concepts
Big ideas, like patterns, cause and effect, systems and models, that connect every area of science.
5.5 Recurring themes and concepts: using big ideas that cut across science disciplines to make connections between them
5.5A Recognize and apply patterns in explaining scientific phenomena or designing solutions
5.5B Recognize and examine cause-and-effect relationships to account for scientific phenomena or to study problems
5.5C Apply scale, proportion, and quantity when describing, comparing, or modeling different systems
5.5D Examine and model a system's parts and how they depend on each other for the system to work
5.5E Investigate energy flow, matter cycling through systems, and conservation of matter
5.5F Explain how the structure of objects, organisms, and systems relates to their function
5.5G Explain how factors or conditions affect change and stability in objects, organisms, and systems
Scientific and Engineering Practices
The ways students do science at every level: asking questions, investigating safely, using evidence and communicating explanations.
5.1 Scientific and engineering practices: asking questions, identifying problems, and safely planning and carrying out classroom, lab, and field investigations with suitable tools and models in order to answer questions, account for phenomena, or design solutions
5.1A Ask questions and define problems that come from observations, readings, phenomena, models, or investigations
5.1B Plan and carry out descriptive and simple experimental investigations using scientific practices, and design solutions to problems using engineering practices
5.1C Follow safe procedures and use safety equipment in classroom and field investigations, following the safety standards approved by the Texas Education Agency
5.1D Observe, measure, test, and analyze data using microscopes, hand lenses, prisms, mirrors, laser pointers, and concave and convex lenses; metric rulers and meter sticks; Celsius thermometers; balances, spring scales, and digital scales; beakers and graduated cylinders; hot plates; magnets; collecting nets; calculators; timing devices; notebooks; materials for building circuits; materials for observing habitats or organisms; and materials for collecting digital data
5.1E Gather observations and measurements to serve as evidence
5.1F Create graphic organizers suited to the data being gathered, including input-output tables showing cause and effect, flow charts or sequence maps, Venn diagrams, concept maps, tree maps, line graphs, bar graphs, and tables
5.1G Develop and use models standing in for phenomena, objects, and processes, or construct a prototype of a solution to a problem
5.2 Scientific and engineering practices: interpreting and analyzing data to find meaning, patterns, and relationships, building evidence-based arguments or judging designs
5.2A Identify the benefits and drawbacks of models, for example in terms of size, scale, properties, and materials
5.2B Analyze data by finding significant features, patterns, and error sources
5.2C Use mathematical computations to compare relationships and patterns
5.2D Evaluate experimental designs and engineering designs
5.3 Scientific and engineering practices: building evidence-based explanations and sharing findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions
5.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions backed by data and models
5.3B Share explanations and solutions alone and with others, in many settings and formats
5.3C Listen carefully to the explanations of others to spot relevant evidence, and take part respectfully in scientific discussion
5.4 Scientific and engineering practices: recognizing what scientists have contributed and why scientific research and innovation matter to society
5.4A Explain how scientific discoveries and inventive solutions to problems affect science and society
5.4B Explore and research resources, for example private companies, online platforms, mentors working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, libraries, museums, and professional organizations, to learn about careers in those fields
How many 5th Grade TEKS Science Standards are there?
There are 42 5th Grade TEKS Science Standards on this page, in 6 strands: Matter and Energy, Force, Motion, and Energy, Earth and Space, Organisms and Environments, Recurring Themes and Concepts, and Scientific and Engineering Practices.
How do I write an assessment for a 5th Grade TEKS Science standard?
Pick a standard on this page and choose Make a quiz or Make an exit ticket. AssessmentWiz opens the generator with the standard's code and text filled in, so every question targets that standard.
What does a code like 5.6A mean?
TEKS science codes read grade, knowledge and skills statement, student expectation. In 5.6A, the first number is the grade (K for kindergarten), the next number is the knowledge and skills statement, and the letter is the student expectation under it.