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Quest: 5th Grade, Earth Science

Here are some science questions to help you test your knowledge of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards.

The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.

Back to the Grade 5 standards.



Which of the following is likely a sign that it will rain soon?

  1. Rising temperature

    No. A warm air mass moving into your area might bring rain, but it also might bring sunny weather. Rising temperature by itself is not a good indicator of rain.
  2. Decreasing humidity

    No. The humidity at ground level does not play much of a role in the formation of rain in the clouds. Just before it rains, the precipitation could cause the humidity to increase, but it would not cause it to decrease.
  3. Wind out of the west

    No. Any weather front moving in from the west could cause winds, even if it was bringing clear, sunny weather.
  4. Falling barometric pressure

    Yes! Low pressure fronts are commonly associated with rain and storms, so falling barometric pressure is a good indicator that rain may be on the way.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.5.E.7.3 Recognize how air temperature, barometric pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, and precipitation determine the weather in a particular place and time.
Nephoscope video, checked
Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 video, checked
Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 video, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-5 practice
Review Weather-4 practice

Utah


UT.4.II.3.a Identify and use the tools of a meteorologist (e.g., measure rainfall using rain gauge, measure air pressure using barometer, measure temperature using a thermometer).
Nephoscope video, checked
Building a Rain Gauge, part 2 video, checked
Building a Rain Gauge, part 1 video, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-4 practice

NGSS


3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Nephoscope video, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-5 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice
Review Space-5 practice
Review Space-8 practice

MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice

I poured some water on this rock. Later that day, the water was all gone. What happened to it?

  1. It evaporated.

    Yes. When liquid water turns into water vapor, the process is called evaporation. That is what happened to the water on the rock.
  2. It sublimated.

    No. Sublimation is when a solid turns directly into a gas. Dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) is an example of sublimation. The solid changes directly into carbon dioxide gas, without becoming a liquid.
  3. It condensed.

    No. Condensation is when a gas turns into a liquid. The drops of water that form on the outside of a glass of ice is the result of condensation.
  4. It precipitated.

    No. In weather, precipitation is when solid or liquid water falls from the clouds. Rain, snow, and sleet are examples of precipitation.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.3.P.9.1 Describe the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling by using familiar scientific terms such as melting, freezing, boiling, evaporation, and condensation.
Cloud Formation, part 2 video
Making a Solar Still video
Wonderful Water video, checked
A Watched Pot video
Why We Sweat video, checked
Photographing Snowflakes video, checked
Ice Cream Science video, checked
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
The Water Cycle video, checked
A Model of the Water Cycle video, ClosedCaptions, checked
What Really Happens With Evaporation? text page, free, checked
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-10 practice

SC.5.E.7.1 Create a model to explain the parts of the water cycle. Water can be a gas, a liquid, or a solid and can go back and forth from one state to another.

>>> Teacher Page: Water Cycle

Cloud Formation, part 2 video
Cloud Types video
Making a Solar Still video
A Watched Pot video
Photographing Snowflakes video, checked
The Water Cycle video, checked
A Model of the Water Cycle video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-8 practice
Review Weather-10 practice

Utah


UT.4.I.2.a Locate examples of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle (e.g., water evaporates when heated and clouds or dew forms when vapor is cooled).
Cloud Types video
Making a Solar Still video
A Watched Pot video
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
The Water Cycle video, checked
A Model of the Water Cycle video, ClosedCaptions, checked
A Cool Experiment text page
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice

NGSS


MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice

Incandescent light bulbs use electrical energy to produce light energy, but it is not a direct transformation. Instead, the electrical energy is changed to a different form of energy, and then to light.

Electricity → ? → Light


What form of energy does the "?" represent?

  1. Sound

    No. Electrical energy can be transformed into sound energy, but that would not cause the bulb to light.
  2. Thermal

    Yes. As electrical energy flows through the filament, resistance changes the electrical energy into thermal energy. When the filament gets hot enough, some of the thermal energy is converted into light.
  3. Radiation

    No. The electrical energy is not transformed into radiation.
  4. Friction

    No. The electrical energy is not transformed into friction.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.2.P.10.1 Discuss that people use electricity or other forms of energy to cook their food, cool or warm their homes, and power their cars.
Review Energy-3 practice

SC.5.P.10.4 Investigate and explain that electrical energy can be transformed into heat, light, and sound energy, as well as the energy of motion.
Introduction to the LED video, checked
Light a Bulb with a Balloon video, checked
Electricity video, free, Updated
Review Energy-3 practice

SC.7.P.11.2 Investigate and describe the transformation of energy.
The Rollback Can video, free, Updated
High Bounce video, checked
Review Energy-3 practice

Utah


UT.3.V.2.c Predict, measure, and graph the temperature changes produced by a variety of mechanical machines and electrical devices while they are operating.
Review Energy-3 practice

UT.8.IV.4.b Trace the conversion of energy from one form of energy to another (e.g., light to chemical to mechanical).
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy video, checked
The Rollback Can video, free, Updated
High Bounce video, checked

NGSS


4-PS3-4 Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.
Why We Sweat video, checked
Sunglass Science: Birefringence video, free, Updated
Sunglass Science: Polarized Light video, free, Updated
Noisy String video, checked
Spoon Bells video, checked
Ice Cream Science video, checked
Making a Screamer video, free, Updated
Measuring Kinetic and Potential Energy video, checked
The Singing Glass video, checked
The Slow Race video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
Whistle Stick video, text page, blog, free, checked
Simple Circuits video, checked
Solar Power video, checked
The Rollback Can video, free, Updated
A Grass Whistle video, checked
Bottle Tones, part 1 video, checked
High Bounce video, checked
Bottle Tones, part 2 video, checked
Measuring Calories video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Why Things Go Bang video
Sunlight, Energy, and Crayons text page, free
Review Energy-5 quest
Review Energy-3 practice

This snow fell when the temperature outside was 39°F. How can you get snow when the temperature is above freezing?

  1. The wind made it feel colder, allowing it to snow.

    No. While wind chill can make it feel colder, it does not actually make it colder.
  2. It was colder in the clouds where the snow formed.

    Yes. Even when air temperatures at the surface are above freezing, the clouds can be much colder. If the air at the surface is not too warm, the snow can reach the ground without melting.
  3. Rain froze into snow when it hit the ground.

    No. Freezing rain forms ice, not snow. Light, fluffy snow flakes form as they fall through the air, not after they hit the ground.
  4. This is really hail instead of snow.

    No. Hail is made of large chunks of ice, not tiny flakes.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.5.E.7.4 Distinguish among the various forms of precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, and hail), making connections to the weather in a particular place and time.

SC.6.E.7.3 Describe how global patterns such as the jet stream and ocean currents influence local weather in measurable terms such as temperature, air pressure, wind direction and speed, and humidity and precipitation.
Nephoscope video, checked
Review Weather-6 practice

Utah


UT.4.II.2.a Observe and record effects of air temperature on precipitation (e.g., below freezing results in snow, above freezing results in rain).

NGSS


3-ESS2-1 Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
Nephoscope video, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-5 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice
Review Space-5 practice
Review Space-8 practice

MS-ESS2-5 Collect data to provide evidence for how the motions and complex interactions of air masses results in changes in weather conditions.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
Cloud Formation, part 1 video, ClosedCaptions, checked
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-1 practice
Review Weather-2 practice
Review Weather-6 practice
Review Weather-4 practice
Review Weather-3 practice

How can there be rain if this area is a desert?

Answer:

It is important to understand the difference between climate and weather. Weather is what is happening now. Climate is determined by looking at the weather data over a long period of time, often several decades. To be classified as a desert climate, the area has an average annual rainfall of 7.87 inches of rain or less. That tells us that it does sometimes have rain, just not very often.



Click to see which state standards this question tests, and which of my videos, experiments, and other resources support that topic.

Florida


SC.2.L.17.2 Recognize and explain that living things are found all over Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet its basic needs.
Hunting with an Umbrella video, free, ClosedCaptions, Updated
A Walk in the Park video, checked
Review Weather-9 practice

SC.5.E.7.6 Describe characteristics (temperature and precipitation) of different climate zones as they relate to latitude, elevation, and proximity to bodies of water.

SC.6.E.7.2 Investigate and apply how the cycling of water between the atmosphere and hydrosphere has an effect on weather patterns and climate.
Cloud Types video
Nephoscope video, checked
The Water Cycle video, checked
Weather and Climate video
Pine Cone Weather text page, free
Review Weather-8 practice
Review Weather-9 practice
Review Weather-10 practice

SC.6.E.7.6 Differentiate between weather and climate.

Utah


UT.4.V.1.a Compare the physical characteristics (e.g., precipitation, temperature, and surface terrain) of Utah's wetlands, forests, and deserts.

UT.4.V.1.c Locate examples of areas that have characteristics of wetlands, forests, or deserts in Utah.

NGSS


MS-ESS2-6 Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
Cloud Formation, part 2 video
Global Science video, ClosedCaptions
Weather and Climate video
Review Weather-9 practice

3-ESS2-2 Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

The questions are chosen randomly, so this quest will be different each time you reload the page.

Back to the Grade 5 standards.

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