Year 5 - Science
Reversible changes of state
Properties, changes and separating materials
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit explores the properties of everyday materials, including hardness, solubility, and conductivity. It covers reversible changes like dissolving and mixing, and irreversible changes such as burning. Emphasis is on scientific enquiries, data recording, and presenting findings with evidence.
Lesson Summary
You know that changes of state are reversible changes.
Key Notes
- The three states of matter are: solid state, liquid state and gas state.
- A change of state is when one state of matter changes to another.
- Changes of state are reversible changes whereby the material that has been changed can return to its original state.
- Melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation are examples of reversible changes of state.
Vocabulary To Learn
- state: The three common states of matter are solid state, liquid state and gas state.
- substance: A substance is the material that something is made up of.
- change of state: A change of state is when a material changes from one state of matter to a different state.
- reversible: If a change is reversible, it can be undone or changed back.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Children often think that ice, water and steam are three different substances and not water in different states, and that changes in state are not reversible processes.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
The three states of matter are: solid state, liquid state and gas state. A change of state is when one state of matter changes to another.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'state'
The three common states of matter are solid state, liquid state and gas state. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Children often think that ice, water and steam are three different substances and not water in different states, and that changes in state are not reversible processes. Correction: Teaching slides will reinforce that ice (solid state), water (liquid state), and water vapour (gas state) are all water and show which processes can be used to reverse state changes. This will be further explored and embedded during practice tasks.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Bioplastics (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Burning plants as fuel (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Burning: an irreversible change Study Guide
- Everyday uses of thermal insulators Study Guide
- Greenhouse gases (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- How scientists work Study Guide
- Insulating our homes and schools (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- More irreversible changes Study Guide
- More reversible changes Study Guide
- Properties of materials Study Guide
- Providing safe drinking water (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Recovering insoluble solids Study Guide
- Removing salt from seawater (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Rusting: an irreversible change Study Guide
- Separating soluble solids from solutions Study Guide
- Soluble and insoluble Study Guide
- Thermal insulators: do and review Study Guide
- Thermal insulators: plan Study Guide
- Uses of everyday materials Study Guide
Browse all guides in the Year 5 Science guide library.