This 2-page exit slip asks 5th grade students two questions about mixing, tied to NGSS 5-PS1-4. The first describes baking soda and vinegar that fizz and bubble. The second describes salt that dissolves in water with no bubbles or color change. For each one, students decide whether a new substance formed and say how they know. A five-face mood scale closes the slip, and the slip repeats three times so you can cut it into strips.
5-PS1-4
“Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.”
Both questions: the fizzing baking soda and vinegar point to a new substance, while the salt water, with no bubbles or color change, does not.
Question 1 describes the two mixing, fizzing, and bubbling. Students say whether a new substance formed and give the evidence.
Question 2 describes salt that dissolves in water with no bubbles or color change. Students decide whether this time anything new was made.
A row of five faces, from angry to happy, for a quick self-report on the lesson.
End of the lab
Hand it out straight after students mix baking soda and vinegar. Answers to question 1 that name the bubbles as evidence tell you the lab made its point.
Sorting the next lesson
Group the slips by their answer to question 2. Students who call salt water a new substance need another look at dissolving before you move on.
Mood check
The five faces take seconds. Read them next to the answers, since a student who gets both right but circles a frown may still want more time.
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