• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Dissolving and solutions). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Is sand soluble or insoluble in water? (soluble (dissolves in water) / insoluble (does not dissolve)) → insoluble (does not dissolve)Prompt: Imagine stirring it into a glass of water. Would it disappear from view?
2. 40 g of salt is dissolved in 100 g of water. What is the mass of the solution, in g? → 140 gPrompt: When something dissolves, does it disappear or is it still there?
3. Sugar seems to disappear when it dissolves. Where does it go? (It turns into water / It is destroyed / It floats away as gas / It breaks into tiny particles spread through the water) → It breaks into tiny particles spread through the waterPrompt: Taste the water: is the sugar still there?

• Pass round objects made of different materials and ask why each one was chosen.
• Share the objective: Mixture or solution? Tell them apart. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: sugar in hot tea?
• Step 1: In a solution one substance has dissolved evenly into another; you cannot see separate bits.
• Step 2: So the answer is: solution
• Answer: solution
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Is this a solution or a mixture that is not a solution: instant coffee in hot water? (solution / mixture that is not a solution) → solutionPrompt: After stirring and waiting, can you still see separate bits or layers?
2. Which statement about every solution is true? (It is always cloudy. / It is see-through, though it may be coloured. / It always has a solid at the bottom. / It always has two layers.) → It is see-through, though it may be coloured.Prompt: Think of salt water and weak orange squash.

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. True or false? Oil dissolves completely in water. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Can you see the parts separately?
2. Which statement about every solution is true? (It always has a solid at the bottom. / It always has two layers. / It is always cloudy. / It is see-through, though it may be coloured.) → It is see-through, though it may be coloured.Prompt: Think of salt water and weak orange squash.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-5.