As a teacher, you know how important it is to capture your students’ attention and up the engagement from the very beginning of a lesson. One effective way to do this is by incorporating pre-learning activities into your teaching routine. I love pre-learning activities and how they can lead to better mastery of the standards.

Why I love Pre-Learning Activities:

• Activates prior knowledge and sparks curiosity
• Builds anticipation and excitement for the lesson
• Helps students connect new information to existing knowledge
• Encourages active learning and participation
• Saves time by streamlining the introduction process

Try some of these ideas in your next lesson:

• Start with an interesting question or image related to the lesson topic
• Use a short video or animation to get students curious about the topic
• Have students complete a brief survey or K-W-L chart
• Incorporate hands-on manipulatives or exploration time
• Utilize graphic organizers to scaffold thinking

To make pre-learning activities even more accessible and effective, you will love using a resource like “Matter and Energy Science Lesson Intros: Grades 3-5”. This comprehensive pack includes a range of activities and templates specifically designed for the matter and energy physical science standards, covering various state and National science standards. With this resource, you’ll save time and effort while watching your students thrive.

Pre-learning activities are a simple yet powerful way to elevate your teaching and student engagement. By implementing these this type of activity into your lesson, you’ll create an engaging and successful learning environment. The great news is that if you are using any of my complete lesson sets or full year bundles, you already have these activities available to you! The first activity of each of my lessons is a dynamic pre-learning or anticipatory activity. If not, you can grab Lesson Intros below:

Other Lesson Intro Sets Coming Soon:

Force, Motion, and Energy

Earth and Space

Organisms and Environments

Matter and Energy standards-based lesson activities cover:

NGSS5-PS1-3

Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. Examples of materials to be identified could include baking soda and other powders, metals, minerals, and liquids. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, reflectivity, electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, response to magnetic forces, and solubility; density is not intended as an identifiable property. Assessment does not include density or distinguishing mass and weight.

NGSS5-PS1-4

Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.

NGSS5-PS1-2

Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved. Examples of reactions or changes could include phase changes, dissolving, and mixing that forms new substances. Assessment does not include distinguishing mass and weight.

NGSS5-PS1-1

Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. Examples of evidence could include adding air to expand a basketball, compressing air in a syringe, dissolving sugar in water, and evaporating salt water. Assessment does not include the atomic-scale mechanism of evaporation and condensation or defining the unseen particles.

TEKS

5.6(A) compare and contrast matter based on measurable, testable, or observable physical properties, including mass, magnetism, relative density (sinking and floating using water as a reference point), physical state (solid, liquid, gas), volume, solubility in water, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal energy and electric energy;

4.6(A) classify and describe matter using observable physical properties, including temperature, mass, magnetism, relative density (the ability to sink or float in water), and physical state (solid, liquid, gas);

3.6(A) measure, test, and record physical properties of matter, including temperature, mass, magnetism, and the ability to sink or float in water;

3.6 (B) describe and classify samples of matter as solids, liquids, and gases and demonstrate that solids have a definite shape and that liquids and gases take the shape of their container;

3.6 (C) predict, observe, and record changes in the state of matter caused by heating or cooling in a variety of substances such as ice becoming liquid water, condensation forming on the outside of a glass, or liquid water being heated to the point of becoming water vapor (gas); and

3.6(D) demonstrate that materials can be combined based on their physical properties to create or modify objects such as building a tower or adding clay to sand to make a stronger brick and justify the selection of materials based on their physical properties.

 5.6(B) demonstrate and explain that some mixtures maintain physical properties of their substances such as iron filings and sand or sand and water;

 5.6(C) compare the properties of substances before and after they are combined into a solution and demonstrate that matter is conserved in solutions; and

4.6(B) investigate and compare a variety of mixtures, including solutions that are composed of liquids in liquids and solids in liquids; and

4.6 (C) demonstrate that matter is conserved when mixtures such as soil and water or oil and water are formed.

5.6(D) illustrate how matter is made up of particles that are too small to be seen such as air in a balloon.