Grade 5

Life Systems – Human Organ Systems

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify the cell as the basic unit of life;
• describe the basic structure and function of the major organs in the respiratory,
  circulatory, digestive, excretory, and nervous systems; Exploratorium-
  Bodyworks, Bean Bag Theatre-Human Machines
• describe, using models and simulations, ways in which the skeletal, muscular, and
  nervous systems work together to produce movement (e.g., make a model of the
  structure of the bones and muscles in an arm, using cardboard rolls and elastic
  bands);
• identify the skin as an organ and explain its purpose;
• explain what happens to excess nutrients not immediately used by the body;
• describe the components of the body’s system of defence against infections (e.g.,
  tears, skin, white blood cells).

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• formulate questions about and identify the needs of humans, and explore possible
  answers to these questions and ways of meeting these needs (e.g., in studying the
  nervous system, investigate response times by having someone catch a ruler
  between the thumb and index finger after it is dropped by another person;
  investigate ways in which orthopaedic devices, such as back rests, have improved
  the quality of life);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables
  that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for
  assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology
  terminology, in describing their investigations, explorations, and observations
  (e.g., use terms such as teeth, esophagus, stomach, and gastric juices in describing
  the digestive system);
• compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results,
  using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a
  computer (e.g., record both qualitative and quantitative data from observations of
  the nutritional value of foods; produce a graph of the heartbeat rate of someone
  climbing a specific number of stairs in a given length of time);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes
  and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes
  and descriptions, drawings, and charts (e.g., create a comparison chart, grouping
  foods by major nutrients and by their categories in Canada’s Food Guide to
  Healthy Eating).

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• describe the types of nutrients in foods (e.g., carbohydrates, fats, proteins,
  vitamins, minerals) and their function in maintaining a healthy body (e.g.,
  supporting growth);
• identify a balanced diet as one containing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals,
  vitamins, fibre, and water, and design a diet that contains all of these;
• identify food sources from which people in various societies obtain nutrients (e.g.,
  rice, potatoes, and grains furnish carbohydrates);
• interpret nutritional information to make healthy food choices (e.g., sort
  commercial cereals into different categories, such as high fat, low fat, high salt,
  low sugar, and decide which are best);
• demonstrate awareness that some disorders can be affected by diet (e.g., diabetes,
  heart disease);
• identify types of industries involved in the processing and preserving of foods;
• describe the relationship between eating habits, weight, height, and metabolism;
• describe ways in which various kinds of organisms (e.g., bacteria, fungi) are used
  to recycle human waste;
• explain the importance of daily physical activity;
• explain how the health of human beings is affected by environmental factors (e.g.,
  smoking, smog, and pollen affect the respiratory system);
• explain the benefits and disadvantages of using some technological innovations
  (e.g., headsets designed to protect ears from excessive noise are helpful, but
  headphones used to listen to music can cause hearing impairment);
• describe some types of medical technology (e.g., exercise machines, hearing aids,
  prosthetics).
   

Matter & Materials – Properties and Changes in Matter  

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify and describe some changes to materials that are reversible and some that
  are not (e.g., freezing and melting are reversible; burning is not);
• describe changes they observe in the properties of materials when the materials
  interact with each other (e.g., when paints are mixed; when water is combined
  with gelatine);
• describe examples of interactions between materials that result in the production
  of a gas (e.g., antacid tablets in water, baking soda in vinegar);
• identify the three different states of matter – solid, liquid, and gas – and give
  examples of each state (e.g., solid: sugar, rock; liquid: water, oil, gasoline; gas:
  water vapour, air, oxygen);
• identify the characteristic properties of each of the three states of matter and
  group materials on the basis of these properties (e.g., solids have definite volume
  and hold their shape; liquids have definite volume but take the shape of their
  container; gases have no definite volume and take the volume and shape of their
  container);
• recognize, on the basis of their observations, that melting and evaporation require
  heat;
• use a thermometer to measure the temperature of a material;
• identify melting, freezing, condensation, and evaporation as changes of state that
  can be reversed;
• describe, using their observations, non-reversible changes that occur when some
  materials are heated (e.g., when paper is burnt; when an egg is cooked);
• investigate and describe the changes in the relative volume, shape, and
  temperature of materials when pressure is applied to them (e.g., the effects of
  using a hammer on clay or of sitting on a beach ball with the stopper removed).

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• design and make a device or product that minimizes heat loss (e.g., a coffee mug,
  a Thermos flask, an insulated lunch bag);
• conduct a fair test to determine the effectiveness of a variety of commercial
  products designed for the same purpose (e.g., compare the adhesive qualities of
  different types of glue);
• formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to the
  properties and changes in state of familiar materials, and explore possible answers
  and solutions (e.g., estimate and then measure the length of time certain foods
  take to melt when heated; design a test to compare the insulating effects of
  different thicknesses of foam polystyrene);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables
  that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for
  assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology
  terminology, in describing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms
  such as texture, hardness, strength, buoyancy, solubility, and flexibility to describe
  properties of materials);
• compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results,
  using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a
  computer (e.g., record the reactions of different materials when vinegar is dropped
  on them, and use a data table to present their findings);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes
  and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes
  and descriptions, drawings, and charts (e.g., make accurate and detailed drawings
  of sugar crystals, as seen both with the unaided eye and through a magnifying
  glass or microscope).

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify the source of the materials found in a product (e.g., plastic is made from
  petroleum) and describe the steps required to modify the natural materials to make
  the product;
• describe how physical and chemical processes change materials found at home
  and materials used in industry (e.g., cooking, the manufacturing of plastics);
• describe physical changes and chemical reactions that can take place in household
  products and explain how these reactions affect the use of the products (e.g., the
  role of baking soda in cooking; the role of heat in cooking an egg);
• measure, in different materials, observable changes that result from such
  processes as rusting, dissolving, and bleaching, and identify products that are
  affected by these processes (e.g., metals, powdered foods, fabrics);
• describe chemical changes that can be caused in a substance, and explain how
  the changes affect the use and function of the substance (e.g., changes caused by
  exposing newspaper or construction paper to light, exposing an apple section to
  air);
• compare the mass of a substance in its liquid and solid states (e.g., compare the
  mass of ice cubes or chocolate squares with the mass of the liquid that results
  when they are melted);
• relate the mass of a whole object to the sum of the masses of its parts (e.g.,
  measure the mass of a given amount of salt, the mass of a given amount of water,
  and the mass of the container for the water, and compare the sum of those masses
  with the mass of the container and the mixture of salt and water; measure the
  separate masses of the ingredients for a salad and the salad bowl, and compare the
  sum of those masses with the mass of the bowl and the salad).
   

Energy & Control – Conservation of Energy

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• distinguish between a renewable and a non-renewable source of energy;
• investigate ways energy can be stored for later use (e.g., mechanical energy is
  stored in an elastic band or steel spring; chemical energy is stored in a battery);
• describe how energy is stored and transferred in a given device or system (e.g., in
  an automobile, chemical energy stored in the gasoline is transformed into
  mechanical energy upon combustion, enabling the vehicle to move and releasing
  thermal energy as heat); Exploratorium-Solar Car
• recognize that energy cannot be created or destroyed but can only be changed
  from one form into another (e.g., chemical energy in a battery becomes electrical
  energy);
• operate a mechanical device or system that uses a sensory or time-based input
  (e.g., a timer for lights) and describe how energy is transferred to a specified
  output.

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to protection
  of the natural environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g.,
  investigate how local recycling efforts help conserve energy and natural
  resources);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables
  that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for
  assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology
  terminology, in describing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms
  such as heat, light, sound, electrical, mechanical, magnetic, chemical when
  describing forms of energy);
• compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results,
  using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a
  computer (e.g., list the names of some devices used in the home that change
  energy from one form into another, and record in a table the types of energy
  transformations for each device);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes
  and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes
  and descriptions, drawings, and charts (e.g., use a word processor and graphics
  program to create a booklet about the design, construction, and effectiveness of a
  product that meets a specific need; debate the environmental implications of using
  various sources of energy);
• design devices that can transform one form of energy into another (e.g., an
  electric bell transforms electrical energy into sound energy). Exploratorium-
  Electricity

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• list various sources of energy and identify them as renewable (e.g., sun, wind,
  tides, wood) or non-renewable (e.g., coal, natural gas, oil);
• describe the advantages and disadvantages of using renewable energy sources as
  opposed to non-renewable sources;
• identify the forms of energy (e.g., mechanical, electrical) used in the home,
  school, and community and identify the energy source for each (e.g., wood, coal,
  moving water);
• describe how we use different natural resources as sources of energy and evaluate
  the effect of their use on natural and human-made environments (e.g., in using
  fossil fuels such as natural gas for heating our homes we deplete natural resources
  but improve our quality of life);
• explain ways in which technological innovations affect our use of natural
  resources and increase or decrease our ability to conserve energy (e.g., home
  insulation allows us to conserve heat and reduce consumption of energy from
  non- renewable sources);
• identify factors that determine how effectively and economically a device can
  transform one form of energy into another (e.g., discuss the advantages and
  disadvantages of using solar panels for heating); Exploratorium-Solar Car
• explain how humans rely on energy transfers from a variety of products and
  systems to survive (e.g., chemical energy from food becomes muscular energy in
  humans);
• identify ways humans use energy, evaluate the economic and environmental costs
  of each, and describe ways to avoid wasting energy (e.g., lowering the thermostat
  during the night);
• identify design features that improve the energy efficiency of buildings, devices,
  and systems (e.g., double glazing).
   

Structures & Mechanisms – Forces Acting on Structures and Mechanisms

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify and measure forces acting on a structure (e.g., mass, air pressure), and
  describe the effects of their application; Exploratorium-Weights, Pulleys, Levers,
  Bernouilli Blower, Human Gyro
• identify the parts of a structure that are under tension and those that are under
  compression when subjected to a load (e.g., the wires in a suspension bridge are
  under tension; a ladder bearing a mass is under compression);
• compare the force needed to lift a load manually with the force required to lift
  the load with a simple machine (e.g., lever, pulley system, gear system);  
  Exploratorium-Weights, Pulleys, Levers
• describe, using their observations, the advantages and disadvantages of using
  different types of mechanical systems (e.g., a single-pulley system has no
  mechanical advantage; a pulley system with two or more pulleys has a mechanical
  advantage);
• describe the turning force (torque) of different combinations of gears (e.g., the
  turning force of a higher gear and of a lower gear);
• identify the force required by different pulley systems (systems with one or more
  pulleys) to move a load, and compare the systems in qualitative terms.
  Exploratorium-Weights, Pulleys, Levers

Developing Skills in Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to structures
  and mechanisms in the outdoor environment, and explore possible answers and
  solutions (e.g., construct a bridge that must support a given load across a given
  distance; determine which surface of a cantilever bridge or beam is under tension
  and which is under compression);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables
  that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for
  assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology
   terminology, in describing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms
  such as component, subsystem, and device when describing systems);
• compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results,
  using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a
  computer (e.g., make a chart to record data on the raising of a load with different
  pulley systems);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes
  and to specific audiences, using media works, written notes and descriptions,
  drawings, charts, and oral presentations (e.g., give a presentation on the process of
  designing and making a specific structure);
• design and make a frame structure that can support a load (e.g., a bridge);
• make a mechanical system that performs a specific function (e.g., lifting a heavy
  load; retrieving an object from a position that cannot be reached by hand);
• cut, join, and rearrange pliable and rigid materials to make an object (e.g., cut
  wood at a 45º angle to make a mitre joint; make a mould for a face mask);
• describe safety measures to be taken to ensure their own safety and that of others
  (e.g., they need to check that fixed pulleys in pulley systems are secure before
  testing them).

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• identify specific considerations in the actual manufacture of a product that they
  have designed and made (e.g., production time; cost and availability of materials);
• identify problems that arose in the designing and making of a product, and
  indicate how these could have been avoided or how they were solved;
• describe the consequences of having limited time and materials when making a
  product;
• identify modifications intended to improve the performance, aesthetic appeal, and
  impact on the environment of a product they designed;
• identify the aesthetic qualities of a product they made (e.g., form, colour, pattern,
  type of surface), and explain the usefulness of the product to others;
• assess the effect of modifying a component of a system (e.g., a personal computer
  system that has a keyboard, floppy disk drive, CD-ROM, hard drive, central
  processing unit, and monitor);
• assess the effect of modifying a subsystem that interacts with other subsystems
  within a system to perform a specific function (e.g., changing a pulley system to a
  lever system);
• describe how different mechanisms (e.g., ratchet and pawl, cam and cam
  follower) are designed for a specific purpose or function;
• recognize the advantages and disadvantages of using various mechanisms (e.g.,
  levers, wheels and axles, pulleys, gears) with respect to the amount of energy they
  require to move or lift a given load; Exploratorium-Weights, Pulleys, Levers
• describe the change in energy transfer that occurs when the number and the size
  of gears in a gear system are modified.
   

Earth & Space Systems – Weather

Understanding Basic Concepts

By the end of Grade 5, students will:

• explain the difference between weather and climate and the factors that influence
  both of these systems (e.g., temperature, moisture, wind, air pressure, the sun);
• recognize large-scale and local weather systems (e.g., fronts, air masses, storms);
• predict local weather patterns using data from their own observations of weather
  and from weather reports;
• explain the formation of clouds and the effects of different cloud formations on
  weather and climate (e.g., create a model of a cloud in a jar and relate it to the
  water cycle; describe the relationship between the formation of cumulonimbus
  clouds and thunderstorms);
• describe the water cycle in terms of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation;
• identify patterns in air movement (e.g., low pressure and high pressure);
• describe the ways in which energy from the sun affects weather conditions (e.g.,
  evaporation of water results in condensation, which in turn results in
  precipitation);
• identify the effects of air pressure (e.g., low pressure air masses are associated
  with mild temperature and create conditions that cause storms or clouds; high
  pressure air masses are cooler and are often associated with clear weather
  conditions);
• compare outdoor air movement with indoor air movement (e.g., as hot air rises,
  cold air takes its place; the warmest rooms in a house are usually the upstairs
  bedrooms).

Developing Skills of Inquiry, Design, and Communication

By the end of Grade 5, the student will:

• design, construct, and test a variety of weather instruments (e.g., weather vane,
  anemometer, rain gauge, wind sock, hygrometer);
• formulate questions about and identify needs and problems related to objects and
  events in the environment, and explore possible answers and solutions (e.g., test a
  variety of fabrics for their waterproofing or insulating properties);
• plan investigations for some of these answers and solutions, identifying variables
  that need to be held constant to ensure a fair test and identifying criteria for
  assessing solutions;
• use appropriate vocabulary, including correct science and technology
  terminology, in describing their investigations and observations (e.g., use terms
  such as temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind chill factor, barometric
  pressure, and cloud cover);
• compile data gathered through investigation in order to record and present results,
  using tally charts, tables, and labelled graphs produced by hand or with a
  computer (e.g., record both qualitative and quantitative data from observations of
  weather over a period of time; accurately use a thermometer to read temperature
  and record the results);
• communicate the procedures and results of investigations for specific purposes
  and to specific audiences, using media works, oral presentations, written notes
  and descriptions, drawings, and charts (e.g., draw a labelled diagram of the water
  cycle).

Relating Science and Technology to the World Outside the School

By the end of Grade 5, the student will:

• describe ways in which weather conditions affect the activities of humans and
  other animals (e.g., people refrain from strenuous physical activity in extreme
  heat; farmers plant crops when the soil is moist; animals hibernate in extreme
  cold);
• explain how climatic and weather conditions influence the choice of materials
  used for building shelters (e.g., bricks are often used for building in cold climates,
  stone and marble in warmer climates);
• explain how advances in technology and science have enabled humans to make
  predictions about the weather (e.g., microwave beams are used to reflect cloud
  cover; satellite images of the earth allow us to track weather patterns on a larger
  scale than was previously possible);
• understand and explain the importance of weather forecasts for people in certain
  occupations (e.g., farmers, pilots);
• recognize how the movement of large-scale air masses affects regional weather in
  Ontario (e.g., high pressure systems from the Arctic are associated with clear and
  cool weather; Atlantic systems are associated with cloudy skies; Pacific systems
  are associated with a variety of different weather conditions);
• explain how weather conditions influence activities and events related to science
  and technology (e.g., launching the space shuttle).