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Physical & Chemical Changes: When Is It a New Substance?

Students sort everyday changes into physical (same substance, new form) and chemical (a brand-new substance forms) — learning to spot the clues that a real chemical change has happened.

Grade 5Matter45 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain a physical change (same substance).
  • ✓Explain a chemical change (new substance).
  • ✓Sort changes into the two types.
  • ✓Name clues of a chemical change.
Essential Question

Melting ice is still water — but burning wood is gone for good. What’s the difference between changing a material’s FORM and making a whole new substance?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Explore · Interactive Model

Physical or Chemical?

Project this and sort each change into “Physical” or “Chemical.” Tap one, then tap the bucket — and ask: is it still the same stuff?

⚛️ Sort each change — physical or chemical?Try it
🧊 Physical change
🔥 Chemical change
Tap a change, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · 5E Model

45 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Engage — Melt vs. Burn

5 min

Melt an ice cube, burn a log — can you undo each?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Compare melting ice and burning wood.
  • Ask which makes something new.
  • Set the goal: change types.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Compare the two changes.
  • Ask which is reversible.
  • Predict the types.
2

Explore — Sort the Changes

12 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Physical or Chemical.
  • Ask “is it still the same substance?”
  • Define both types.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort each change.
  • Ask the key question.
  • Define both types.
3

Explain — Clues of a New Substance

12 min

Teacher explains.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Physical = same substance, new form.
  • Chemical = new substance forms.
  • Clues: color change, gas, heat/light, smell.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tell the two apart.
  • Name the clues.
  • Give an example.
4

Elaborate — Spot the Clues

11 min

Apply to examples.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show reactions; students spot clues.
  • Discuss cooking as chemical change.
  • Note mass is still conserved.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Spot the clues.
  • Classify the change.
  • Explain conservation.
5

Evaluate — Exit Ticket

5 min

Three quick checks.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Hand out the exit ticket.
  • Look for new-substance reasoning.
  • Collect as formative data.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Classify a change.
  • Name a clue.
  • Explain the difference.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core literacy. State-standard crosswalks available on request.

NGSS
5-PS1-4

Conduct an investigation to determine whether mixing two or more substances results in new substances.

NGSS
5-PS1-2

Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that mass is conserved in a change.

NGSS
5-PS1-3

Identify materials based on their properties.

CCSS
RI.5.3

Explain relationships between events, ideas, or concepts in a scientific text.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Change picture cards to sort.
  • Sentence frame: “This is ___ because ___.”
  • Show reversible vs. not-reversible pairs.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with melting (physical) vs. burning (chemical).
  • Use a two-column sort.
  • Focus on “is it still the same stuff?”

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Explain why cooking an egg is chemical.
  • List the four clues of a chemical change.
  • Show mass is conserved in both types.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Science notebooks
  • 💻Physical or Chemical?
  • 🧊Ice + water
  • 🧪Baking soda + vinegar (demo)
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

physical changea change in form, same substancechemical changea change that makes a new substancesubstancea particular kind of matterreversibleable to be undonereactiona chemical changeconservedthe total mass stays the samedissolveto mix fully into a liquidpropertya trait of matter
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is the difference between a physical and a chemical change?
A physical change alters only the form (it’s still the same substance); a chemical change creates a brand-new substance.
QUESTION 2
Is melting ice a physical or chemical change? Why?
Physical — melted ice is still water, just in a different form.
QUESTION 3
Name one clue that a chemical change has happened.
Any one of: a color change, a gas (bubbles), heat or light given off, or a new smell.

Going deeper? Run a reaction lab.

Have students combine safe substances (like baking soda and vinegar), record the clues they observe, and decide whether a new substance formed. A printable reaction-lab sheet is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Physical & Chemical ChangesFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Physical & Chemical ChangesQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Physical & Chemical ChangesPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: chemical change, conserved, dissolve, physical change, property, reaction, reversible, substance
  1. a chemical change
  2. a change that makes a new substance
  3. a particular kind of matter
  4. able to be undone
  5. a trait of matter
  6. the total mass stays the same
  7. a change in form, same substance
  8. to mix fully into a liquid

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is the difference between a physical and a chemical change?
  2. Is melting ice a physical or chemical change? Why?
  3. Name one clue that a chemical change has happened.
Answer key — Part A: 1) reaction · 2) chemical change · 3) substance · 4) reversible · 5) property · 6) conserved · 7) physical change · 8) dissolve
Part B: 1) A physical change alters only the form (it’s still the same substance); a chemical change creates a brand-new substance. 2) Physical — melted ice is still water, just in a different form. 3) Any one of: a color change, a gas (bubbles), heat or light given off, or a new smell.