grade5

Student Inquiry Lesson Sheets

Grade 5

Copyright © by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

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Contents

Unit 1 How Scientists Work Lesson 2 How Do Scientists Learn About the Natural World? .......................................19-22

Lesson 4 How Do You Perform a Controlled Experiment? .............................................39-40

Lesson 6 How Can Scientists Learn from Observations? .................................................55-56

Unit 2 The Engineering Process Lesson 2 How Can You Design a Solution to a Problem? .................................................79-80

Lesson 4 How Can You Use Engineering to Solve a Problem? ...................................…..95-96

Unit 3 Cells to Body Systems Lesson 2 How Can We Observe Cells? .........................................................................123-124

Lesson 6 How Does the Body Stay Cool? .....................................................................167-168

Unit 4 Living Things Grow and Reproduce Lesson 2 What Is a Dichotomous Key? ......................................................................... 189-190

Lesson 4 What Factors Affect Germination Rate? .........................................................207-208

Unit 5 EcosystemsLesson 2 What Makes Up a Land Ecosystem? .............................................................261-262

Lesson 4 How Does Drought Affect Plants? ...............................................................283-284

Unit 6 Energy and Ecosystems Lesson 3 What Role Do Decomposers Play? .............................................................321-322

Unit 7 Natural Resources Lesson 3 How Can We Conserve Resources? ...........................................................357-358

Unit 8 Changes to earth’s Surface Lesson 2 How Does Water Change Earth’s Surface? ..........................……………...385-386

Lesson 4 How Do Plates Move? ................................................................................ 405-406

Unit 9 The Rock Cycle Lesson 2 What Are Properties of Minerals? ...............................................................425-426

Lesson 4 How Can You Model Changes in Rock?........................... ...........................445-446

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Unit 10 Fossils Lesson 3 How Can Scientists Use Fossils? .................................................................483-484

Unit 11 Earth’s Oceans Lesson 3 How Can We Model Ocean Water? .............................................................517-518

Unit 12 The Solar System and the Niverse Lesson 2 How Do We Observe Object s in the Solar System? ..................................559-560

Unit 13 Matter Lesson 2 How Does Water Change?...........................................................................595-596

Lesson 5 What Affects the Speed of Dissolving? .....................................................627-628

Unit 14 Light and Sound Lesson 2 How Does Sound Travel Through Solids, Liquids, and Gases? ..............…665-666

Lesson 5 What Happens When Light Is Reflected? .................................................691-692

Unit 15 Forces and Motion Lesson 2 How Do Forces Affect Motion? ..................................................................719-720

Lesson 3 What Are Balanced and Unbalanced Forces? ..............................................721-722

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Tear out the origami weather predictor sheet from your student book. Think about the weather where you live. Write eight different weather predictions. One prediction might be sunny, windy, and hot.

How Do Scientists Learn About the Natural World?

Materialsorigami weather predictor sheetscissorspencilweather forecast from a newspaper

Scientists learn about the natural world by making observations and performing investigations. In this activity, you’ll compare predictions made with—and without—using scientifi c evidence.

Follow the directions to make the origami weather predictor.

Use the origami predictor to forecast, or predict, the weather for the next week. Then find the forecast made by a scientist. Record both forecasts.

For one week, compare the actual weather to both forecasts.

A Word for the WiseEvidence is information, such as observations, that scientists collect and use to draw conclusions and make predictions.

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Set a PurposeWhat will you learn from this investigation?

Think About the ProcedureHow did you choose what predictions to write on your origami predictor?

Date Origami Prediction Weather Service Prediction

Actual Weather

Record Your DataIn the table below, record your results.

How Do Scientists Learn About the Natural World?

Essential Question

Name

19

2Inquiry Flipchart page 3

90°

Day of Month1 6 11 16 21 26 31

70°

74°

78°

82°

86°

0

Aver

age

Hig

h Te

mpe

ratu

re (°

F)

Average Temperature inHouston in October

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Draw ConclusionsOf the two kinds of weather predictions, which one was more likely to be correct? Explain.

Analyze and Extend1. What results do you think you would

get if you continued your investigation for a whole month?

2. How do you think the weather service makes its predictions?

3. Why is it important that scientists make good weather predictions?

4. The line graph shows average October air temperatures in Houston, TX. Can you predict the air temperature in Houston next October? If so, how?

5. What else would you like to find out about how scientists make predictions? Write each idea as a question.

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Directions1. Carefully tear this page out of your book.

2. Cut out the square below. You will use it to make your origami weather predictor.

3. On each set of lines, write a weather prediction.

4. Follow the instructions on the back of this page to fold and use your origami weather predictor.

2

Prediction

Forecast Weather

Sunn

y3 48 7

1

5

6

21

2

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Directions (continued)5. Fold the blue dots into the blue circle. Turn the paper over,

and fold the green dots into the green circle.

6. Fold the paper in half so that the yellow dots touch each other. Make a crease, and unfold the paper. Fold it in half again so that the pink dots touch each other.

7. Put your fingers under the colorful squares. With your group, make a plan to use this tool to predict the weather.

22

Place a meterstick against a wall so that the 0-cm mark touches the floor. Record what the floor is made from.

How Do You Perform a Controlled Experiment?

Materialssmall ballmeterstickvarious floor surfaces

A controlled experiment takes thought, care, and time. Let’s see if you have what it takes!

Drop the ball from the 100-cm mark. Record the height the ball bounces. Do this five times.

For each surface, find the average of the five trials.

A Word for the WiseA controlled experiment is one in which the procedure is repeated, changing only one condition each time.

Find two more types of surfaces to test. Repeat Steps 1 and 2.

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Set a PurposeWhat will you learn from this experiment?

Record Your DataIn the table below, record your results.

Think About the ProcedureWhat is the tested variable in this experiment?

Each time you try the same test, it is called a trial. Why is it important to do repeated trials of this experiment?

Surface Material

Height Ball BouncedTrial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Trial 4 Trial 5 Average

How Do You Perform a Controlled Experiment?

Essential Question

Name

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Draw ConclusionsWhat can you conclude based on your experiment?

Analyze and Extend1. Think about the materials the ball

bounced on. What was it about them that affected the height of the bounce?

2. What other floor materials could you test? Predict the results.

3. Tennis is played on three types of surfaces: grass, packed clay, and hard courts. Hard courts are often made from asphalt, the black road surface material, with paint on top. Predict how these surfaces would affect ball bounces. Then do some research. Find out the pros and cons of each type.

4. What else would you like to find out about how balls bounce?

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Materialssoil samplewhite papermeasuring spoonshand lensmeasuring cupcoffee filter

pan balancemesh sievesmall containergraduated cylinderpaper bag

Sometimes you can’t do an experiment. But you can still answer questions by investigating. In this activity, you’ll learn about soils by simply making observations.

On a sheet of white paper, place a teaspoon of soil. Use the hand lens to observe it. Record your observations.

How Can Scientists Learn from Observations?

Place 100 mL of soil in a coffee filter. Find and record its mass. Place the filter in a mesh sieve above a small container. Fill a graduated cylinder with 100 mL of water. Slowly pour water onto the soil.

When the soil can no longer hold water, record the amount you poured.

Place 200 mL of soil in a paper bag, and record the

mass of the bag. Place the bag in a dry place for a week. Then

find the bag’s mass again.

Compile your data in a class data table. In a small

group, discuss ways to classify the soil samples.

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Think About the ProcedureWhat planning must I do before this investigation?

What tools are used in this investigation. What measurements, if any, are taken with them?

Record Your DataIn the space below, record your results.

Soil Sample:

My Observations:

Amount of water held by 100 mL of soil:

Mass Before Drying:

Mass After Drying:

How Can Scientists Learn from

Observations?

Essential Question

Name

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Draw ConclusionsCompare your data with the data from other groups. What can you conclude?

Analyze and Extend1. Why is it important that soils be able

to hold some water?

2. Why would a farmer want to know about the soil on his or her farm?

3. How was this investigation different from a controlled experiment?

4. Why was it important to know the mass of the soil before it was dried for one week?

5. What else would you like to find out about different types of soils?

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Measure 60 grams of modeling clay. Shape the clay into a raft. Test your raft in water. If your raft doesn’t float, reshape it until it does.

How Can You Design a Solution to a Problem?

Materialsbalance

modeling clay

plastic container with water in it

10 or more pennies

paper towels

Suppose you wanted to build a raft to carry a heavy load. What would you do? In this activity, you will design and test a model of a raft.

Float your raft on water. Test it to see how much cargo it can hold. Carefully add pennies one at a time to your raft until it sinks.

In your notebook, sketch a diagram of your raft loaded with pennies.

Record how may pennies you added before your raft sank.

Find a way to carry more pennies. Try a different design for your raft or place the pennies in a different way. Test your new design and record your observations.

A Word for the WiseMODEL: a model is used to represent something real that is too big, too small, or too complex to study directly

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Set a PurposeWhat is the purpose of this investigation?

State Your HypothesisSketch a raft with pennies on it to show what you think will be the best design. Write a brief description of your raft’s key features.

Think About the ProcedureWhat variables can affect the results of this investigation?

Record Your DataIn the space below, make a table in which you record your results. Be sure to include information about each raft design and the number of pennies and their placement.

How Can You Design a Solution to a Problem?

Essential Question

Name

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Draw ConclusionsWhy did some of your model rafts work better than others?

Analyze and Extend1. Sketch a raft design you think would

NOT float. Explain why.

2. Mary and Sarah built identical raft models. Mary’s raft sank after adding only 6 pennies. Sarah’s raft held 12 pennies before it sank. Suggest a possible reason for the difference.

3. Scientists often build and test models to solve problems. What are the advantages of solving problems in that way?

4. Think of other questions you would like to ask about designing solutions to a problem.

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How Can You Use Engineering to Solve a Problem? Engineers solve a problem using the design process. In this activity, you’ll use that same process to design and build a prototype that solves the problem of a hard-to-open jar.

Materials2 wood slats, with holes 2 pieces sandpaperplastic tubingrubber beltmasking tape glue

wing nut and bolt

small jar with lidmedium jar with lidlarge jar with lidscissors

Look carefully at the materials provided. Think about how they could be used to make a jar opener.

Choose the design you think will work best. Record a detailed plan for making your prototype. Be sure to keep notes and make drawings of your design. Build your prototype jar opener.

Be sure to make a detailed drawing of your final prototype. Label the materials you used, and explain how you put it together.

With a partner, brainstorm ideas. Sketch each of your ideas, and make notes as to how you think each design might work. List the pros and cons of each design.

Make improvements to your design if needed.Test your jar opener again.

Identify the criteria you will use to test your prototype. Test your prototype. Record how well it worked.

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Essential Question

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Record Your Data Draw a detailed plan for your jar opener. Label the materials. Describe how it will work. Then build and test your prototype.

Set a Purpose What problem are you trying to solve?

How would a jar opener be useful?

Think About the Procedure What is a prototype?

Describe two ideas for your prototype.

How Can You Use Engineering to

Solve a Problem?

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Draw Conclusions What criteria did you use to test your prototype?

Describe how you tested your prototype. Record any data you collected.

Analyze and Extend1. Did your prototype need

improvements? Describe them.

2. Summarize how you designed and tested your jar opener.

3. Describe another jar opener design that is possible using the materials provided.

4. Think of other designs you might make if you had different materials. How would that design work?

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Put on your apron. Use the dropper to place one drop of food coloring on the center of a slide.

Observe the onion skin cells under a microscope. Use colored pencils to make a drawing of what you see.

Observe the prepared slide of animal cells. Use the colored pencils to draw what you see.

Wash your hands when you are finished.

How Can We Observe Cells?Materialsaprondropperred food coloringmicroscope slideonion slicetweezerscover slip

paper towelmicroscopecolored pencilsprepared slide of animal cells

Plant and animal cells have diff erent parts. Do the cells look diff erent under a microscope? In this activity, you will observe plant and animal cells to fi nd out.

Break the onion slice, and use the tweezers to pull off a piece of onion skin. Put the onion skin in the drop of food coloring.

Gently lower the cover slip at an angle so that it spreads the food coloring. CAUTION: Be careful when handling the glass slides. Remove any excess food coloring with a paper towel.

14

Essential Question

Name

Set a PurposeWhat will you be looking for in this activity?

What is the purpose of using food coloring to look at the plant cell?

Think About the ProcedureWhen scientists observe, they use their senses to learn about objects and events. In the center of most cells are structures that direct how the cells function. Look for these structures. Based on what you observe, how many directing structures does each cell have?

What is this directing structure called?

Record Your ObservationsDrawing of Plant Cell

Drawing of Animal Cell

How Can We Observe Cells?

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Inquiry Flipchart page 14 2

Draw ConclusionsWhat similarities do you observe between the two cells?

What differences do you observe between the two cells?

Why do you think a plant cell has a thicker outer covering than an animal cell?

Analyze and Extend1. Suppose that you found a mystery

organism. How could you tell if it was a plant or an animal?

2. Do you think other parts of the onion would look the same as the skin?

3. You observe a piece of tissue under the microscope. Each cell of the tissue has a cell wall, a cell membrane, a nucleus, and organelles including chloroplasts and vacuoles. What type of organism did this tissue come from? How do you know?

4. What other questions would you like to ask about cells?

5. Name two ways you could find the answer to your questions.

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Wrap a paper towel around the bottom of each thermometer. Place each thermometer on a plate.

How Does the Body Stay Cool?Materials3 paper towels3 thermometers3 paper platesmarkergraduated cylinderwaterrubbing alcoholfan

When you are hot, you sweat. This allows your body to cool off . In this activity, you will explore what happens as three towels cool. Think about how this relates to your body’s cooling system.

Make sure the water is at room temperature. Measure 50 mL of water. Pour the water on the paper towel on the plate labeled Water.

Obtain 50 mL of rubbing alcohol from your teacher. Pour it on the paper towel on the plate labeled Alcohol.

Place all three plates in front of the fan. Record the temperature on each thermometer every minute for five minutes.

Label the plates Dry, Water, and Alcohol. Record the starting temperature of each thermometer.

CAUTION: Be sure to protect your eyes from splashing liquids. Keep alcohol away from flames.

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How Does the Body Stay Cool?

Name


State Your HypothesisWrite your hypothesis, or testable statement.

Think About the ProcedureWhich sample is the control? What is its purpose?

Record Your DataRecord your observations in a data table.

Draw ConclusionsHow did your results compare with your hypothesis?

Essential Question

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Analyze and Extend1. What was the difference between the

starting temperature and the ending temperature for each of your experimental groups? Show your work in the space below.

2. Make a bar graph in the space below to display your data.

3. How does this activity relate to the role of sweating?

4. A swamp cooler is a type of air conditioner that blows air over a wet surface. Use your data to explain whether you think this would be an effective way to cool a building.

5. Why is it important that your body be able to cool itself?

6. Think of other questions you would like to ask about evaporation and cooling.

168

Get a bag of beans from your teacher.

Pour out the beans onto your desk. Observe the beans. What differences do you notice?

Make a list of characteristics that you observe about the beans.

Materials6 beans in a bag

Beans have diff erent characteristics. In this activity, you will classify a group of beans and make a dichotomous key. Your classmates will use your key to identify the bean groups.

What Is a Dichotomous Key?Draw a dichotomous key that includes the names of all six beans. If you do not know their names, you can number the beans or identify them in some other way.

Fill out your dichotomous key with yes or no questions that will enable you to classify all six beans.

Give your dichotomous key to a classmate. Give the classmate a few beans from your bag. Ask your classmate to identify the beans he or she has by using your key.

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Essential Question

Name

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Think About the ProcedureWhy are the beans you are given different from one another?

Record Your DataIn the space provided, make your dichotomous key using the bean characteristics you identified.

What Is a Dichotomous Key?

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Draw ConclusionsScientists classify and organize living things based on how they are similar or different from one another. Why is it important for scientists to use the same characteristics to classify living things?

Scientists must be very specific when describing living things. Why might scientists want to avoid using terms such as small, big, heavy, and light when classifying living things?

Analyze and Extend1. Which characteristics did you use

to classify the beans? Which characteristics did your classmates use?

2. Compare charts with a classmate. Was one chart easier to use than the other chart?

3. How might grouping and classifying things, rather than just describing them, make it easier for others to identify the things?

4. How was the dichotomous key you made to classify beans different from dichotomous keys scientists use to classify organisms?

5. What other questions would you like to ask about how scientists use dichotomous keys?

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CAUTION: Wear plastic gloves when handling potting soil.Place 8 cm of potting soil in each of the five plastic cups.

What Factors Affect Germination Rate?

Materials

5 plastic cups shoe boxpotting soil bean seedsplastic gloves watergraduated cylinder ruler

Every type of plant grows best in certain conditions. In this experiment, you will fi nd out which conditions are best for the growth of bean seeds.

Place three or four bean seeds on top of the soil in each cup. Then sprinkle 3 cm of soil on top of the seeds in each cup.

To test how light affects germination rate, place one cup under a shoe box. Label this cup A. Place another cup in a lit area, such as a windowsill. Label this cup B. Every day, add about 60 mL of water to both cups.

To test how water affects germination rate, place the three remaining cups in a lit area, such as a windowsill. Label the cups C, D, and E. Do not add water to cup C. Every day, add about 40 mL of water to cup D and 80 mL of water to cup E.

Observe the cups daily. Record any changes you see.

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Set a PurposeWhy is it important to know the factors that affect germination?

Think About the ProcedureWhich two factors are you testing in this activity?

Record Your DataIn the space below, make a table to record your observations.

What Factors Affect Germination Rate?

Essential Question

Name

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Draw ConclusionsWhich plants grew the most? Which plants grew the least?

How does light affect seed germination?

How does water affect seed germination?

Analyze and Extend1. What other factor do you think might

affect germination?

2. How could you test this factor?

3. What other questions would you like to ask about germination rates?

4. Choose one question you wrote and investigate it. Write a summary of your investigation.

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Go out into the schoolyard, a nearby park, or a nature preserve. Select a study site where there is a variety of plants and soil coverings.

What Makes Up a Land Ecosystem?

Materialsmeter stick4 stakesstringglovesmagnifying glass or boxcollecting jarsfield guides

If you were asked to list the living things around you, what would you list? You would probably list shrubs and trees, cats and dogs, birds, and maybe garden snakes. But what about those things living beneath your feet? Would you also list them?

In your study site, measure a 1 meter by 1 meter square area. Use the stakes and string to mark this sample area.

Caution! Make sure to wear gloves when doing this step. Carefully turn over any rocks, leaves, or twigs in your sample area.

Use the collecting jars, a magnifying glass or box, and field guides to observe, identify, and classify any organism that you may find.

Count and identify the producers and consumers you observe within your sample area. Record your observations.

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Inquiry Flipchart page 27

Set a PurposeWhat do you think you will learn in this activity?

Think About the ProcedureWhy do you think your sample site should have a variety of plants and soil coverings?

Why did you measure and mark your sample area?

Record Your DataIn the space below, make a table to record the different living things found in your sample site and their role in the ecosystem.

What Makes Up a Land Ecosystem?

Essential Question

Name

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Draw ConclusionsHow did you determine the role that each living thing played?

Compare your results with the results of other groups. Explain any differences or similarities.

Analyze and Extend1. What kind of living things did you find

in your sample area?

2. Which role in the ecosystem had the greatest amount of living things?

3. Which role in the ecosystem had the greatest variety of living things?

4. In the space below, draw a picture of your sample area. Make sure to include an example of a producer and a consumer that you found living in it.

5. Think of other questions you would like to ask about how living things interact in the ecosystem.

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AB

Make a hypothesis about how the seeds in the different cups will grow.

Label the cups A through E.

How Does Drought Affect Plants?Materials5 plastic cupsblack marker125 seedspotting soilwater measuring cup

A drought happens when a place gets much less rainfall than normal. What happens to plants when their environment changes and they do not get the usual amount of water?

Fill each cup with moist potting soil. Plant 25 seeds in each cup.

Water the cups according to the following schedule:

Make a hypothesis about how the seeds in the different cups will grow.

Place the cups on a sunny

cups for two weeks.

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Set a PurposeWhat will you better understand about plants after doing this experiment?


Think About the ProcedureWhat parts of your experiment stay the same for each test group?

What part of the experiment did you change?

Record Your DataRecord your observations in the table below.

How Does Drought Affect Plants?

Essential Question

Name

Plant ObservationsCup A

Cup B

Cup C

Cup D

Cup E

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Draw ConclusionsWas your hypothesis supported? Why or why not?

What conclusions can you draw from this investigation?

Analyze and Extend1. What natural conditions did Cup A and

Cup E represent?

2. Did the plants in the cups that got the most water do the best? What can you infer based on your results?

3. Suppose you are studying pea plants. You find that half of the individual pea plants are able to survive in mild drought conditions. Why might this data be imporant?

4. How would you set up an experiment to test the following hypothesis: The amount of fertilizer does not affect how quickly plants grow. Draw and label a picture that shows your setup.

5. Think of other questions you would like to ask about how environmental conditions affect plants.

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Set the bread slices on paper plates labeled A and B. Study their appearance using a hand lens. Record your observations.

What Role Do Decomposers Play?

Materials2 bread slices

2 paper plates

hand lens

spray bottle containing water

2 resealable plastic bags

2 paper bags

Decomposers break down dead plant and animal material. Mold—a type of fungus—is one kind of decomposer. In this activity, you will get to watch how mold changes bread.

Use the spray bottle to gently mist the bread slice on plate A. Observe and record any changes.

Put the moist bread inside a resealable bag and label it A. Put the dry bread inside the other resealable bag and label it B. Place each resealable bag into a paper bag.

Dispose of the bread as your teacher directs.

Use the hand lens to observe the bread slices every day for about ten days. Record any changes you see.

CAUTION! Do not open the plastic bags. Mold can be harmful.

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Set a PurposeHow do you think decomposers change materials?

Write a statement summarizing how you think mold changes the food it grows on.

Think About the ProcedureWhat are different observations you can make about the appearance of the bread?

Why do we spray one of the bread slices with water and not the other?

Record Your DataIn the space below, make a table in which you record your observations.

What Role Do Decomposers Play?

Essential Question

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Draw ConclusionsIn the space below, draw a picture of the appearance of breads A and B during the last day of your investigation.

Did your observations indicate that mold is a decomposer? Explain.

Analyze and Extend1. How did the mold change the bread?

2. Where do you think mold gets its nutrients from?

3. Did spraying the bread with water have any effect on how fast the mold grew? Explain.

4. What do you think would happen to the bread if you continued to let the mold grow on it?

5. Use your observations to describe the role of decomposers in the environment.

6. Think of other questions you would like to ask about decomposers.

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CAUTION: Put on safety goggles and an apron. Tear the scrap paper into 2-cm strips. Put the strips into the tub and add water. Keep track of the amount of water you add.

For every 240 mL of water, add 16 mL of starch. Mix the mixture until a watery pulp forms.

Dip the window screen into the mixture to coat one side with a layer of pulp. Carefully remove the screen. Hold the screen over the tub as the water drains.

Place the screen between several sheets of newspaper. Roll the dowel over the top of the newspaper until all water is squeezed out.

Materialssafety goggleslab apronscrap paper plastic tub watermetric measuring cuplaundry starch egg beaterpre-cut window

screen newspaper dowel

Did you know that your notebook paper could be made from recycled materials? Recycling helps conserve trees and other natural resources. You can make recycled paper, too!

How Can We Conserve Resources?

Let the pulp dry completely. Then carefully peel it from the screen.

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Name

Essential Question


Think About the ProcedureWhy do you think starch is added to the pulp mixture?

Why is it important to squeeze out the extra water?

Record Your DataIn the space below, describe the physical characteristics of the paper you made.

How Can We Conserve Resources?

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3Inquiry Flipchart p. 38

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Draw ConclusionsSome of the paper you use now has been recycled from old paper. Draw conclusions about why people might choose to make paper from waste material instead of directly from trees.

Analyze and Extend1. Just as scientists do, you made a model

to see how something might work on a larger scale. Using what you learned, suggest ways recycled paper might be made in a large factory.

2. How does the paper you made compare to the paper you use in school?

3. How does recycling paper help the environment and living things?

4. What are some other ways scrap paper could be recycled?

5. How would you change your paper if you were to make it again?

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Arrange nine sugar cubes into a square on the tray.

Look inside the clay to see the effect of the water. Record your observations.

Press the clay into a flat slab. Place it on top of the sugar cubes and press firmly so the clay sticks to the tray on two opposite sides of the cubes. Leave the other two sides of the sugar exposed so you can see it.

Materialsplastic tray9 sugar cubesmodeling claywaterbook (about 4 cm thick)

Some rock, such as limestone, erodes more easily than other rock that surrounds it. This leaves hollow spaces in the harder rock. In this activity, you will model how water forms caves.

How Does Water Change Earth’s Surface?

Place the book under one end of the tray to form a slope. Slowly pour water against the uphill side of the sugar, taking care not to overflow the downhill end of the tray.

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Name

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Set a PurposeWhat will you learn from this activity?

Think About the Procedure1. What do the materials in the activity

represent?

2. Why do you position the tray to produce a slope?

Record Your DataUse the table below to record your observations. Draw or describe your model’s appearance before and after you pour the water.

How Does Water Change Earth’s

Surface?

Top view

Front view

Side view

Before water

After water

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Draw ConclusionsWhat happened to the sugar under the clay?

Describe how your model demonstrates a process that shapes landforms.

Analyze and Extend1. What would you expect to happen in

places with steeper slopes where water moves downhill faster?

2. What would you expect to happen in places where it rains daily compared to places that receive very little rain?

3. What is the role of the clay in this model? What does it represent?

4. What additional factors could affect the rate of cave formation?

5. Explain how you could test the effect of one of the factors you listed in question 4.

6. What other questions do you have about how water weathers rock?

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Turn the shoebox upside down, and cut a 1 cm by 10 cm slit across the bottom. Then at the center of one of the box’s long sides, cut out a hole large enough for your hand.

Cut two 8 cm by 25 cm strips of paper. Run each strip through the slit in the box. Leave about 10 cm sticking out through the slit. Fold the strips back on opposite sides of the slit.

Slowly push the strips up through the slit. Observe what happens to the clay models. Record your observations.

Materialsshoeboxscissorspapermodeling clay

Earth’s plates are sections of the crust that move. But it is the mantle beneath the crust that is actually moving, and the plates move with it. You can build a model to represent Earth’s layers and demonstrate plate movement.

How Do Plates Move?

Use the clay to make models of North America and South America. Press your models onto the left strip of paper. Make models of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and press them onto the right strip.

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Name

Set a PurposeWhat will you model during this activity?

Think About the ProcedureWhat do the materials in this activity represent?

Record Your DataDescribe what happens as you push the strips of paper up through the slit in the box.

Draw your model from two angles and label the parts in each.

How Do Plates Move?

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Draw Conclusions

What does the rising paper in the model represent?

Infer what happens to the continental crust as plates move apart.

Analyze and Extend1. Plates can move toward or slide past

each other. Use your model to demonstrate these other plate movements. Draw and describe what happens to the continents.

2. By observing and using models, scientists infer how the continents move. Based on your model, what can you infer about the positions of these four continents millions of years ago?

What do you predict will happen to these four continents over the next five million years?

3. If the clay represents the crust and the paper strips represent the mantle, how might this explain how the continents move?

4. What other questions would you like to ask about plate movement?

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What Are Properties of Minerals?

Materialsmineral samplesstreak platesteel nailpenny

If minerals look the same to you, then it’s time to take a closer look! In this activity, you will classify some minerals by their properties.

Use each mineral to draw a line across the streak plate. Record the color of the streak.

CAUTION: Handle the nail carefully. It’s sharp!

Observe each mineral sample. Write a word that best describes each sample’s luster.

Classify each mineral sample based on luster, streak, and hardness.

Test the hardness of each mineral. Try to scratch each one with your fingernail, the steel nail, the penny, and the other mineral samples. Record your observations. (Note: A fingernail has a hardness of 2, a penny has a hardness of 3, and a steel nail has a hardness of 5.)

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What Are Properties of Minerals?

Name

Set a PurposeWhy is it important to know how to classify things?

Think About the ProcedureName three mineral properties you will be using in this activity.

Record Your DataIn the table below, record your observations. Beneath the table, describe how you would classify the minerals into groups using one of the properties in the table.

Mineral Sample Luster Streak Hardness

Essential Question

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Draw ConclusionsWhich mineral that you tested is the hardest? Which is the softest? Explain how you know.

How did you classify the mineral samples?

Did you classify your minerals in the same way as other students? Why or why not?

Analyze and Extend1. What are some other ways minerals

can be classified?

2. Based on your observations, which property or properties do you think are most helpful in identifying a mineral? Explain.

3. What other questions would you like to ask about the properties of minerals?

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How Can You Model Changes in Rock?

Rocks change form in an ongoing cycle. In this activity, you’ll model how rock changes from one type to another.

Materials3 colors of modeling claymetric rulersheet of wax paper5–10 plastic foam packing pelletsdowel2 books wrapped in plastic wrap

Using clay of a different color, make 5 to 10 clay pellets, each about 2 cm in diameter. Place the clay pellets and the plastic foam pellets on top of the first layer.

Use the third color of clay to make a layer like the first. Place it over the pellets.

Use the dowel as a rolling pin to apply pressure to the top of your rock model. Next, use the books at the sides of the model to press the rock into a new shape.

Identify the new type of rock you’ve modeled. Explain your observations.

Identify and record the type of rock you have just modeled. Explain your observations.

Flatten clay of one color into a layer measuring 12 cm x 12 cm x 2 cm. Place the layer on a sheet of wax paper.

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Think About the ProcedureHow is a model useful to a student?

Why is it important to think about what each step in this procedure models in real life?

How Can You Model Changes in Rock?

Record Your ObservationsDraw the side view of what you made in Steps 1–4. Identify the type of rock you modeled and describe your observations.

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Draw the type of rock you modeled in Step 5. Identify the type of rock you modeled and describe your observations.

Draw ConclusionsWhat force are you modeling when you use the books?

In order for your model to show how metamorphic rock changes into igneous rock, what could you do?

Analyze and Extend1. How might using models help

scientists understand the ways rocks form?

2. Explain how you could represent weathering and erosion as part of your model.

3. How does your model represent the rock cycle?

4. What other questions do you have about how rock forms?

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Paleontologists use fossils to help determine the ages of the rock layers they are studying. In this activity, you’ll use symbols to represent fossils and determine the correct age order of a set of model rock layers.

How Can Scientists Use Fossils?

Materials8 index cards black marker

Order the rest of the cards in the same way, until you have a line of 8 cards that represent rock layers in order from oldest to youngest.

Record the fossils in your layers from oldest at the bottom to youngest at the top.

Spread out the cards on the table in front of you.

Look for another card that has one of these oldest fossils. Put this card on the table above the first card. It represents the second-oldest rock layer.

The oldest fossils are the and the . Put the card representing the rock layer with the oldest fossils at the bottom.

Each card represents a layer of rock. Each symbol represents a type of fossil that is found in that layer. You will use the relative ages of the “fossils” to put the “rock layers” in order from oldest to youngest.

Draw one of these 8 sets of symbols on each of your 8 index cards.

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How would the results change if only one fossil symbol was drawn on each card?

Record Your DataRecord your results in the space below.

Sequence of Rock Layers (Oldest to Youngest)

Fossil Symbols

Youngest

Oldest


State Your HypothesisWrite your hypothesis or testable statement.

Think About the ProcedureWhy is it important to examine the fossil symbols carefully?

How Can Scientists Use Fossils?

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Draw ConclusionsUse your card stack to identify the fossils from oldest to youngest. Record your sequence here.

Oldest to Youngest Fossil Symbols

Youngest

Oldest

Is the fossil $ older or younger than the fossil ?

Analyze and Extend1. Scientists use time-space relationships

to compare rock layers around the world. What can you tell about the age of the fossil using this information?

Fossil is 25 to 50 million years old. Fossil is 75 to 110 million years old.

2. What has most likely occurred if a fossil that appeared in an older rock layer does not appear in a younger rock layer?

3. Suppose fossil # appeared in each rock layer. Would fossil # make a good index fossil? Explain.

4. What other questions do you have about how scientists use fossils?

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Dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in one bottle half full of water and add a few drops of food coloring. Then, fill both bottles all the way to the top with water. Work in the plastic tub to catch spilled water. Press an index card over the opening of the bottle with the clear water. Carefully invert it.

Place the upside-down bottle of fresh water on top of the salt water so the rims line up. Hold the bottles in place while someone else removes the index card. Observe for several moments.

Modify the experiment and repeat it. Use warm fresh water and very cold colored salt water the next time around.

Materialstable saltmeasuring spoonstwo 1-L plastic bottleswaterfood coloringplastic tubindex cardlab apron

In this activity, you will model how salinity aff ects the movement of ocean water.

How Can You Model Ocean Water?

Repeat Step 1, only this time, place the saltwater bottle on top of the freshwater bottle. Remove the card and observe.

Repeat Step 1 again, and this time, hold both bottles together horizontally. Remove the card and observe.

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Think About the ProcedureWhat are the conditions that you will control and try to make the same for each trial?

Why is it important to repeat the procedure with the bottles in different positions?

Record Your DataUse the chart below to record your observations. Describe what you see during each observation.

Starting position of the bottles

Behavior of the water

Trial 1

Trial 2

Trial 3

Trial 4

Trial 5

Trial 6

How Can We Model Ocean Water?

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Draw ConclusionsWhich trial produced the fastest results? Draw what you observed.

Which is more dense: salt water or fresh water? How do you know?

How did changing the temperature of the water affect the outcome of the last three trials?

Analyze and Extend1. How does this activity relate to

currents in the ocean?

2. Overall, how does colder, saltier water behave in the ocean?

3. How does the behavior of colder, saltier water affect warmer, less salty water?

4. What other questions would you like to ask about ocean water?

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How Do We Observe Objects in the Solar System?

Use binoculars to observe the same object. Record your observations.

Materialsposter of solar system objectsbinoculars

In this activity, you will investigate ways scientists observe and record data about objects in the solar system. You will model diff erent kinds of observations.

Have one member of your group walk to the poster and record observations. After a moment, have another student gather those observations and return them to the group.

As a group, review the observations and write new questions about the object. Send the questions to the student standing by the object. Review the answers.

Observe your assigned object from far away. Make as many observations as possible. Record your observations in your Science Notebook.

A Word for the WiseA space probe is a crewless space vehicle used to explore objects in space and send data back to Earth.

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How Do We Observe Objects in the Solar System?

Name

Set a PurposeWhat do you think you will learn from this investigation?

Think About the ProcedureWhy do you think you will observe the object in different ways?

Why is it important that you work together as a team in this investigation?

Record Your DataIn the space below, record the observations you made using all three methods.

Essential Question

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Draw Conclusions

Think about how scientists view objects in space. What did observing the object from far away represent?

What did using binoculars represent?

What did viewing the object up close represent?

Analyze and Extend1. How did your observations from far

away differ from those made using binoculars? Give an example.

2. How did your observations made using binoculars differ from the observations made when a student walked to the poster? Give an example.

3. How do space probes help scientists learn about objects in space?

4. Think about objects in the solar system. How do scientists use time and space relationships to observe them?

5. Think of other questions you would like to ask about how scientists study objects in space. Write your questions.

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Fill a plastic cupwith crushed ice. Pour the ice into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag tightly.

How Does Water Change?

Materialsplastic cup

balance

resealable plastic bag

crushed ice

paper towels

What happens to ice as it melts? What properties change? What properties stay the same? In this activity, you will measure and observe properties as ice changes to water.

Dry the outside of the bag with a paper towel. Use a balance to measure the mass of the bag and ice. Record the mass.

Place the bag on a paper towel and allow the ice to melt. While you are waiting, explain why the ice melts and predict what will happen to the mass of the ice when it melts.

When the ice is completely melted, dry the outside of the bag thoroughly with a paper towel.

Measure and record the mass of the bag and water. Compare the mass of the water to the ice.

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Set a Purpose What can you learn from this experiment?

Think About the ProcedureWhy do you dry the bag in step 2?

Where did the moisture on the outside of the bag come from?

Make a PredictionWrite your prediction from step 3.

Record Your ObservationsIn the space below, draw a table to record the masses that you measured.

How Does Water Change?

Essential Question

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Draw ConclusionsWas your prediction correct? Explain.

Analyze and Extend1. Why was the mass of the bag not

important in this activity?

2. What properties of water changed during this activity? What properties did not change?

3. What do you predict would happen to the mass if you put the bag from step 5 in the freezer and then found the mass after the water changed back to ice?

4. Suppose you poured the water from step 5 into a container and measured its volume. If you froze the water, would its volume change or stay the same? Explain.

5. What other questions would you like to ask about how water changes during a physical change? What experiments could you do to answer the questions?

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For Steps 2–4, you will use a stopwatch to measure how long it takes for the salt in each container to completely dissolve. Stop timing if the salt has not dissolved after two minutes. Empty and rinse the containers between steps.

What Affects the Speed of Dissolving?

Materialssafety goggles table saltlab apron stopwatchcold tap water 2 spoons3 clear containers coarse saltmeasuring spoon warm water

Do all substances dissolve quickly? In this activity, you will explore how to speed up the rate at which a solid dissolves in water.

CAUTION: Wear goggles and an apron. Measure out equal amounts of tap water into three containers. Add a spoonful of table salt to each container. Do not stir one container. Stir one at a moderate rate, and the other at a fast rate.

Measure out equal amounts of tap water into two containers. Add a spoonful of coarse salt to one container and a spoonful of table salt to the other. Stir both at the same rate.

Pour some cold water into a container. Pour an equal amount of warm water into another container. Add a spoonful of table salt to both containers. Stir both at the same rate.

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Think About the ProcedureWhy do you need to rinse the containers between steps?

Would it affect the conclusions for this activity if two different groups stirred at different rates?

Record Your DataRecord your results in the data table below.

What Affects the Speed of Dissolving?

Essential Question

Name

Time It Takes to DissolveTreatment Time (sec)

No StirringStirring SlowlyStirring Quickly

Coarse SaltTable Salt

Cold WaterWarm Water

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Draw ConclusionsMake a bar graph to display the data in which you tested how stirring affects the rate of dissolving.

What conclusion can you draw?

Analyze and Extend1. You’re adding sugar to a glass of iced

tea. How might you speed up how quickly the sugar dissolves?

2. Minerals dissolve in river water. Would you expect minerals to dissolve faster in a fast-moving river or one that moves slowly? Why?

3. A water softener is a device that uses salts to remove certain substances from water. Most home water softeners use salt pellets or rock salt, both of which are chunks of salt. Why wouldn’t you want to use table salt in a softener?

4. Think of other questions you would like to ask about the rate of dissolving a solid in water.

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Work with a partner to construct a drum. Cut the bottom off a round balloon. Tightly stretch the balloon over the opening of your container. Secure the balloon with a rubber band. Have your partner tap the drum you have made with the pencil. Listen, and record your observations.

Have your partner place the drum on a desktop. Press an ear gently on the desktop. Cover your other ear with your hand. Listen as your partner taps the drum. Record your observations.

Materialscylindrical containerround balloonscissorsrubber band

unsharpened pencilcardboard tubeplastic cupwater

Sound can’t travel through space, but it can travel through matter. In this activity, you and a classmate will explore how sound vibrations change as they travel through diff erent types of matter.

How Does Sound Travel Through Solids, Liquids, and Gases?

Fill the cup with water, and repeat Step 5.

Press an ear against the wall. Cover your other ear with your hand. Have your partner tap the drum while holding it on the wall. Listen, and record your observations.

Press the side of a cup to an ear. Cover your other ear with your hand. Have your partner hold the drum to the other side of the cup and tap the drum. Listen, and record your observations.

Hold one end of a cardboard tube to an ear. Cover your other ear with your hand. Have your partner hold the drum against the open end of the tube and tap the drum. Listen, and record your observations.

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Set a PurposeWhat about sound will you understand better after completing this experiment?

Think About the ProcedureWhat stays the same in all of the trials?

Record Your DataRecord your observations in the table below.

How do sound waves travel to your ear? Describe each sound.Step 1 From the drum through air (gas)Step 2 Step 3Step 4 Step 5Step 6

What variable will you change in each trial?

Why will you start by listening to the sound without pressing your ear against any surface?

How Does Sound Travel Through Solids, Liquids,

and Gases?

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Draw ConclusionsWhy did you place a hand over your free ear in Steps 2–5?

Did the sound change from Step 1 to Step 2? Explain.

Were your descriptions of the sounds in Step 1 and Step 4 different? Why?

Why do you think the sounds produced in Steps 5 and 6 were different?

Analyze and Extend1. Based on your observations, what

statement can you make about how gases, liquids, and solids can change the way we hear a sound?

2. Why might the results you got differ from those of other groups?

3. Most of the sounds you hear travel through air, which is a gas. If you could, how would you change the procedure to better hear sounds transmitted through solids and liquids?

4. What other questions would you like to ask about how sound travels in different types of matter?

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What Happens When Light Is Reflected?

In this activity, you will explore how a mirror refl ects light.

Materialspiece of corrugated cardboard, 10 cm x 10 cm3 pushpins of different colorsmodeling claysmall mirrormetric rulerprotractorlabels

Lay the cardboard flat. Use clay to stand the mirror vertically at one end of the cardboard. Make tiny labels for the pushpins. Call them Pins 1, 2, and 3. Push Pins 1 and 2 into the cardboard, about 5 cm from the front of the mirror.

Draw a line along the front of the mirror. Remove the mirror from the cardboard. Using the protractor, measure the angle between the pushpin lines and the mirror line. Record your results.

Position yourself so your eyes are level with the pins. Align yourself so that your view of Pin 1 lines up exactly with the reflection of Pin 2. Push Pin 3 into the cardboard at the edge of the mirror, right in front of the reflection of Pin 2. Pin 1, Pin 3, and the reflection of Pin 2 should appear to be in a straight line, in that order.

Draw lines on the cardboard to connect Pin 3 with Pin 1 and Pin 2. These lines show how the light from the reflection of Pin 2 traveled to your eye.

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How is the mirror different from all of the other materials in the experiment?

What is the same about the positions of the first two pushpins?

Record Your DataIn the space below, record your measurements of the two angles described in Step 4.

Set a PurposeWhat do you expect to understand about light after you complete this investigation?

Write a statement that tells what you plan to investigate.

Think About the ProcedureWhy do you think it is important to tape the mirror so that it stands up straight?

What Happens When Light Is Reflected?

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Draw ConclusionsCompare the two angles you measured in Step 4. What do they have in common?

What do the lines you drew show about the path of light?

Analyze and Extend1. How would a mirror be less useful to

people if it did not reflect light in a straight line?

2. Suppose you know the angle at which light hits a mirror. Predict the angle at which the light will reflect.

3. Look closely at the word reflection. One of the meanings of the Latin prefix re- is “again.” How does this meaning relate to the reflection you observed in the investigation?

4. What other questions would you like to explore about how light travels when it strikes different surfaces?

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CAUTION: Wear goggles. Cut a rubber band in half, and tie the ends around the legs of a chair.

How Do Forces Affect Motion?

Materialssafety gogglesgiant rubber band chair tape

ruler toy truckmeterstick metal bolts

What can you do to make a toy truck move faster or travel farther?

Place a piece of tape on the floor. Mark lines that are 1 cm, 3 cm, and

5 cm behind the rubber band.

Repeat Step 3 using the 3-cm and 5-cm marks.

Add four more bolts to the truck.

Repeat Step 5.

Place four bolts in the toy truck. Launch the truck from

the 3-cm mark, and record the distance it travels. Repeat this

step two more times.

Place a toy truck against the rubber band. Pull the truck back to the 1-cm mark, and release it. Measure the distance the truck travels, and record

the data. Repeat this step two more times.

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Set a Purpose What will you learn from this experiment?


Think About the ProcedureWhy do you use a rubber band to start the toy truck rather than your hand?

Why do you add bolts to the truck?

Record Your DataIn the table below, record the data you gathered.

How Do Forces Affect Motion?

Essential Question

Name

How Forces Affect MotionPart I: Distance rubber band was stretched

1 cm 3 cm 5 cm

Distance traveled (cm)

Part II: Rubber band stretched to 3 cm

Empty truck

Truck with 4 bolts

Truck with 8 bolts

Distance traveled (cm) Trial 1



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Draw Conclusions Each time you changed a variable and launched the truck, you ran three trials. Calculate the average distance traveled by the truck in each experimental setting.

Draw two bar graphs to display your data.

Analyze and Extend1. Interpret your data. How is an object’s

mass related to its change in motion when acted on by a force?

2. How does the size of the force applied to an object affect its motion?

3. Why is it important to repeat an experiment several times or to have several people perform the same experiment?

4. Write another question you could ask about using forces and motion. What experiment could you do to answer your question?

Experimental settings

Average distance traveled (cm)

Rubber band at 1 cm Rubber band at 3 cm Rubber band at 5 cm Truck with 0 bolts Truck with 4 bolts Truck with 8 bolts

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Use the spring scale to lift a block. Observe and record the force needed to overcome the force of gravity.

What Are Balanced and Unbalanced Forces?

Materialsspring scale 3 wood blocks with hooks sandpaper waxed papervegetable oil

Think about an object that is not moving. What do you need to do to make it move? Does the mass of the object make a diff erence?

Repeat Step 1 with two blocks and then again with three blocks.

Place one block on its side on a piece of sandpaper. Attach the spring scale, and pull it gently. Record the scale reading just as the block begins to move. Repeat this measurement two more times.

Repeat Step 3 with the block on other surfaces, such as waxed paper and waxed paper that has been coated with vegetable oil.

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What Are Balanced and Unbalanced Forces?

Set a Purpose What will you learn from this investigation?

Think About the ProcedureWhat forces are acting on the blocks when they are sitting on the table?

Why will you pull the block across several different surfaces?

Record Your DataRecord your measurements in this table.

Draw ConclusionsWhat is required to start an object moving?

Essential Question

Name

Forces InvestigationAction Force (N)

Lift one block Lift two blocks Lift three blocks Pull block on sandpaper

Pull block on waxed paper

Pull block on oiled paper

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Analyze and Extend1. The block below is being pulled to

the right. Draw arrows to show the forces acting on the object. Label each arrow.

2. At what point during this activity were the forces on the block balanced? Draw the block, and show the forces as arrows.

3. How is an object’s mass related to the upward force needed to overcome the pull of gravity?

4. What forces acted on the block as you tried to pull it horizontally? Were the forces balanced or unbalanced?

5. Why did the blocks require a different force to begin moving on the three different surfaces?

6. What other questions would you like to ask about balanced and unbalanced forces? What investigations could you do to answer the questions?

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grade5

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