On this 2-page 5th grade worksheet, students label a particle model diagram. They fill five blank lines, A to E, from a word bank of Liquid, Empty Space, Particle, Gas, and Solid. Three labels name the states of matter, and two name the parts of the model itself, which is the kind of particle model NGSS 5-PS1-1 asks students to build. The answer key gives all five labels in order.
5-PS1-1
“Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.”
Labels D and E, where students name a particle and the empty space between particles, and labels A to C, which tie each state to its particle arrangement.
Students write the correct word on each of five blank lines on the diagram. Lines A, B, and C name the three states, and lines D and E point to a single particle and the empty space around it.
Five terms, one for each line: Liquid, Empty Space, Particle, Gas, and Solid. Each word is used once.
Pre-check
Give it cold before you teach particles. A student who places Empty Space correctly already has a picture of gas particles spread apart.
Model drawing
After labeling, have students draw their own three boxes of particles beside the diagram. Compare their spacing with the printed model.
Recall starter
Five labels make it a quick recall task at the start of a later lesson on phase changes. Check the answers against the key together.
Get started today
