School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 5

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

Public Release Items: Public release items have appeared on MSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the content standards are assessed on the MSA.

Standard 1.0 Skills and Processes

Topic A. Constructing Knowledge

Indicator 1. Gather and question data from many different forms of scientific investigations which include reviewing appropriate print resources, observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere, collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments.

Objective b. Select and use appropriate tools hand lens or microscope (magnifiers), centimeter ruler (length), spring scale (weight), balance (mass), Celsius thermometer (temperature), graduated cylinder (liquid volume), and stopwatch (elapsed time) to augment observations of objects, events, and processes.

Selected Response Item

A student is measuring the mass of a container of water.

Question Image

Which of these tools should be used to measure the mass of the container of water?

  1. a balance
  2. a thermometer
  3. a centimeter ruler
  4. a graduated cylinder
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_029.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

A student needs to measure the volume of some pond water.

Which of these tools will best measure the volume of pond water?

  1. Answer Option
  2. Answer Option
  3. Answer Option
  4. Answer Option
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_047.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item

Use the information below to answer the following.

Sunlight enters a room through an open window. The sunlight shines on the wood table, area rug on the floor, and the plane mirror and metal spoon on the table. A spot of light appears on the wall opposite the window.

Which tool should be used to measure the length of the table?

  1. a balance
  2. a stopwatch
  3. a spring scale
  4. a centimeter ruler
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_073.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item

Use the information below to answer the following.

Students used two textbooks and a board to make a ramp. The students rolled Ball 1 down the ramp. They measured the distance the ball traveled in 10 seconds. The students repeated the investigation, using Ball 2. The students calculated the average speed of each ball after five trials and recorded the information in the data table below.

Which of these tools should students use to find the distance each ball rolled?

  1. a balance
  2. a hand lens
  3. a stopwatch
  4. a metric ruler
/toolkit/vsc/assessment_items/msa_science_5_114.xml

Correct Answer:
D