PSSA Grade 5 Science case studies
PSSA Grade 5 Science · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The PSSA (Pennsylvania System of School Assessment) is Pennsylvania's annual standards-based, criterion-referenced assessment. In its own words, PDE describes it as giving "students, parents, educators and citizens with an understanding of student and school performance related to the attainment of proficiency of the academic standards." In science, every Pennsylvania student in grade 5 is assessed - grade 8 is the other science year - while English Language Arts and math are tested in grades 3 through 8. The PSSA Grade 5 Science case studies are 5 cases and about 2,277 words.
1Which Bean Team Should the Class Trust?
Two fifth-grade teams want to find out whether liquid plant food makes bean plants grow taller. Team A plants 10 bean seeds in one flat tray on the windowsill, waters every plant with 50 mL of water mixed with plant food every other day, and measures heights after three weeks.
496 words, about 2 min2Getting Sand and Salt Into Separate Dishes
A group is handed a beaker holding 20 g of sand, 10 g of table salt, and 150 mL of water, all stirred together. Their goal is to finish with dry sand in one dish and dry salt in another.
472 words, about 2 min3The Terrarium in the Closet
A class builds a terrarium in a clear plastic bottle: 2 cm of moist soil, three small green plants, four crickets, a few dead leaves, and a tight cap. It sits on a windowsill.
432 words, about 2 min4Runoff From Two Slopes
Two identical trays hold the same kind of soil packed the same way, tilted at the same angle. Tray A is bare soil.
444 words, about 2 min5Two Bulbs, One Old Battery, One Bad Connection
A group builds a circuit with one D-cell battery, two wires, and a small bulb. The bulb lights brightly.
433 words, about 2 min