Unit Plan 8 (Grade 5 Science): Engineering with Matter

Focus: Use engineering design to create, test, and improve solutions that involve mixtures, dissolving, and chemical reactions, with attention to criteria, constraints, and fair tests.

Grade Level: 5

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Engineering Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, students shift from “What happens when substances mix?” to “How can we use mixtures, dissolving, or reactions to solve problems?” They take on an engineering challenge such as designing a cleanup mixture to remove a simulated spill, creating a fizzing tablet to stir a liquid, or improving a filter to separate substances. Students generate multiple solution ideas, build and test prototypes that use mixtures or reactions, and learn how to plan fair tests where variables are controlled. They use evidence from tests to compare solutions and decide how to improve their designs.

Essential Questions

• How can mixtures, dissolving, or chemical reactions be used in real-world problem solving?
• What are criteria and constraints, and why do engineers use them when designing solutions?
• How do fair tests (controlling variables and looking for failure points) help us decide which design works best?
• Why is it important to improve prototypes instead of stopping after our first idea?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify a problem that can be addressed using mixtures, dissolving, or reactions (e.g., cleaning up a spill, mixing evenly, separating substances).
2. Define criteria (what a successful solution must do) and constraints (limits on time, materials, safety) for the design challenge.
3. Generate and compare multiple solution ideas, explaining how each meets the criteria and fits the constraints.
4. Build a simple model or prototype that uses mixtures, dissolving, or reactions and plan a fair test (control variables, repeat trials).
5. Collect data on how well each design works, identify failure points, and propose specific improvements based on evidence.

Standards Alignment — 5th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 3-5-ETS1-2 — Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints.
  • Example: Students sketch and describe two or more designs for a spill-cleanup system (different absorbent mixtures or filters) and compare which seems most likely to meet the criteria.
• 3-5-ETS1-3 — Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
  • Example: Students test different designs under the same conditions (same spill amount, same time) and use failures (leaks, slow cleanup) to guide improvements.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name the problem my design is trying to solve and what counts as success (criteria).
• I can explain at least two solution ideas and compare how well they fit our criteria and constraints.
• I can describe how my group kept our test fair by controlling variables and using the same procedure.
• I can point to evidence from tests (data, observations) to explain which design worked better and why.
• I can suggest at least one specific change that would improve our design next time.