Compare & Contrast Matter Activity: 8 Hands-On Stations for Teaching the Physical Properties of Matter (TEKS 5.6A)

Chris Kesler · 8 min read

Hand a 5th grader a cork and a fork. Ask which one is denser. Most of them will pick the fork because it feels heavier, and that's the wrong reason. "Heavier" and "denser" are not the same thing, and 5th grade is the year they finally have to untangle the two. By the end of the lab, they've held both objects, dropped both in water, watched the cork float and the fork sink, and worked out that density is about how much matter is packed into the space, not how much it weighs.

That's TEKS 5.6A. It asks 5th graders to investigate and compare seven physical properties of matter: mass, magnetism, physical state, volume, relative density, solubility, and conductivity. For most kids, this is the first time they've heard the word "property" used like this in a science class.

The Compare & Contrast Matter Station Lab for TEKS 5.6A walks them through all seven properties in one or two class periods. Kids weigh four mystery objects on a triple beam balance, test them with magnets, drop them in cups of water to compare relative density, sort cards comparing a cork and a fork, and build a vocabulary base for everything else in 5.6.

⏱ 1–2 class periods 📓 5th Grade Science 🧪 TEKS 5.6A 🎯 Built-in differentiation 💻 Print or Digital

8 hands-on stations for teaching the physical properties of matter

A station lab is a student-led activity where small groups rotate through 8 stations (plus a 9th challenge station for early finishers) at their own pace during one to two class periods. You become a facilitator instead of a lecturer. You walk around, spot-check, and break misconceptions while kids work through the rotation.

The Compare & Contrast Matter Station Lab has four input stations (where students take in new information on the seven physical properties) and four output stations (where they show what they learned). Here's what's at each one.

📷 Image slot 1 — add screenshot

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4 input stations: how students learn the physical properties of matter

🎬 Watch It! —

A short YouTube video introduces the seven ways scientists classify matter. Three questions on the answer sheet check whether students caught the big ideas: name all seven properties, explain a good way to compare relative density, and describe the difference between a conductor and an insulator. Visual learners come alive at this station because they see all seven properties demonstrated on screen before they have to do any of them with their own hands.

📖 Read It! —

A one-page passage called "How Do We Describe and Group Matter?" uses a kitchen spoon as the running example. Why isn't it in the refrigerator? Because of its physical state. Why does it sink? Because it's denser than water. Why do you grab a wooden spoon for hot soup? Because metal conducts heat. The passage hits all seven properties (mass, magnetism, physical state, volume, relative density, solubility, conductivity) with vocabulary bolded throughout. Three multiple-choice questions follow, plus a vocabulary section. Comes in two reading levels (Dependent and Modified) plus a Spanish version.

🔬 Explore It! —

This is the heart of the lab. Four mystery objects labeled A, B, C, and D sit at the table. Students put each one on a triple beam balance and record the mass in grams. Then they hold a magnet to each object and write "magnetic" or "not magnetic." Then they drop each one in a cup of water and record whether it sinks or floats. The final question asks them to classify the four objects into groups based on the properties they tested. This is where you find out who actually understands the difference between mass and density, because they have the data sitting right in front of them.

💻 Research It! —

Sixteen reference cards cover the conceptual depth behind each property. The Measuring Mass card shows a triple beam balance with a flask on it. The Physical States of Matter card walks through how particles behave in solids, liquids, and gases. The Relative Density card lists wood at 0.5 g/cm³, water at 1.00, steel at 7.8. The Conductivity card shows which materials conduct heat and electricity (copper, aluminum, silver, gold) vs. which insulate (wood, plastic, rubber, ceramic). Four questions tie the cards together with real-world reasoning: compare steel and plastic, explain why things sink or float, and pick the right material for cooking pans vs. electrical wire insulation.

📷 Featured station deep-dive — add screenshot of the Explore It! task card

4 output stations: how students show what they learned

📋 Organize It! —

A two-column card sort compares a cork and a fork side by side. Kids match cards to each object across all seven properties: mass (1.5 g vs. 15 g), volume (2 mL vs. 10 mL), magnetism (not magnetic vs. magnetic), state of matter (both solid), relative density (cork floats, fork sinks), solubility (both not soluble), and conductivity (cork is a heat and electrical insulator, fork is a heat and electrical conductor). The cork-and-fork pairing is the perfect 5th-grade compare-and-contrast: same state of matter, opposite results on almost everything else. Easy to spot-check at a glance.

🎨 Illustrate It! —

Students draw five quick sketches: one tool or test for each of these properties: mass (triple beam balance), volume (graduated cylinder or water displacement), magnetism (a magnet), relative density (object in a cup of water), and solubility (substance dissolving in water). Even kids who say "I can't draw" surprise themselves here. The drawings double as a study tool when they go back through their answer sheets later.

✍️ Write It! —

Three open-ended questions in complete sentences: how physical properties can be used to compare and contrast items, why someone would need to know the relative density of an object, and a scenario where students describe a pot, the water boiling in it, and the pasta inside using at least one physical property for each. The pasta question is the one to watch. Kids who think pasta and water and metal are the same kind of "stuff" struggle. Kids who get it can name three different states or densities or conductivities in one breath.

📝 Assess It! —

Three multiple-choice questions plus a fill-in-the-paragraph that uses the five Read It! vocabulary words (physical properties, volume, relative density, solubility, conductivity). The multiple choice covers what solubility tells us, what tool finds mass, and what we know about an object that floats. The paragraph weaves the vocabulary together in a real scenario (comparing sugar across all five properties). If you're grading the lab, this is the easiest station to grade.

Bonus Challenge It! station for early finishers

🏆 Challenge It! —

Four optional extensions: build a 10-word vocabulary crossword puzzle, complete a Solids, Liquids, and Gases online interactive at primaryschoolscience.co.uk, write 10 quiz questions for classmates (mixing true/false, multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer), or design a set of trading cards for the seven physical properties (each card has the property name, an image, and how it's measured or observed). Requires teacher approval before they start.

How this fits into a complete Compare & Contrast Matter unit

This Station Lab is the Explore day of our full Compare & Contrast Matter Complete 5E Lesson for TEKS 5.6A. The complete two-week unit follows the 5E method of instruction and includes an Engage hook, the Compare & Contrast Matter Station Lab for Explore, PowerPoint slides and interactive notebook pages for Explain, student choice projects to Elaborate, and an Evaluate assessment.

Most 5th-grade teachers grab the full 5E because the Station Lab lands hardest with the days around it. But if you just need a strong hands-on day on the seven physical properties of matter, the Station Lab on its own does the job.

Two options

Compare & Contrast Matter 5E Lesson cover

Full 5E Lesson $13.20 Get the 5E Lesson

Compare & Contrast Matter Station Lab cover

Just the Station Lab $7.20 Get the Station Lab

Materials needed to teach the physical properties of matter

Materials beyond what's in the download:

Four mystery objects per group labeled A, B, C, and D for the Explore It! station. Pick objects that vary across the three tests: something light and floating (cork, ping-pong ball, foam), something magnetic and sinking (steel washer, paperclip, metal bolt), and a couple in between (plastic bead, wooden block). Don't tell them what the objects are made of, that's part of the puzzle.
One triple beam balance per group, or one shared between two groups if you're short. If you don't have one, a digital kitchen scale works as a substitute for the mass step.
One small magnet per group (any bar or button magnet works).
One clear plastic cup of water per group for the float/sink test. A small Tupperware container also works.
Colored pencils or markers for the Illustrate It! station.
Pencils and the printed answer sheets (included)
A device with internet for the Watch It! station

Standard covered: Texas TEKS 5.6A —

Investigate and compare the physical properties of matter, including mass, magnetism, physical state, volume, relative density, solubility, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal or electric energy.

See the full standard breakdown →

Grade level: 5th grade physical science

Time: One to two class periods (45–110 minutes total). Plan for two periods the first time you run a station lab.

Common student misconceptions this lab fixes

"Heavier things always sink. Lighter things always float."
This is the big one for 5th graders. They tie weight and floating together because that's how it feels in the real world: a rock is heavy and sinks, a leaf is light and floats. The Explore It! station breaks this open. They have four objects with different masses, and the order from heaviest to lightest is not the same as the order from sinks to floats. The Organize It! cork-and-fork sort makes it concrete: the cork weighs 1.5 grams and floats, the fork weighs 15 grams and sinks, but density (not weight) is what matters. The Research It! density table shows wood at 0.5 g/cm³ floating and steel at 7.8 g/cm³ sinking. By the time they hit Assess It! question 3, they know: an object floats because it is less dense than water, not because it is lightweight.
"All metals are magnetic. If it's shiny and metal, a magnet will grab it."
5th graders hear "metal" and assume magnet. They've never tested aluminum foil or a copper penny. The Read It! passage says it plainly: not all metals are magnetic. The Explore It! station has them test four objects with a real magnet, and some of those objects look metal but won't stick. The Research It! magnetism card narrows it down to iron and steel as the metals magnets actually pull on. The Organize It! card sort hammers it home: the fork (steel, magnetic) and a stainless aluminum spoon or copper penny on the same table would behave completely differently. Magnetism is about what the metal is made of, not whether it's metal.
"If it pours, it's a liquid. Sand pours, so sand is a liquid."
Pouring is a give-away for liquid in real life: water pours, juice pours, milk pours. But sand pours too, and so does sugar, salt, and flour. The Research It! Physical States of Matter card defines the three states by particle behavior, not by how the substance moves: in a solid, particles are closely packed and vibrate in place; in a liquid, particles slide past each other; in a gas, particles spread far apart. The Illustrate It! station asks them to draw the tool to test physical state and to think about the difference. By the end, a grain of sand is still a solid even if a whole cup of sand pours like a liquid, because each grain holds its own shape.

What you get with this Compare & Contrast Matter activity

📷 Inside-the-product — add screenshot of Read It passage or sample answer sheet

When you buy the Station Lab, you get a single download with everything you need:

Print version at two reading levels (Dependent for on-grade, Modified for additional support) plus a Spanish Read It! passage
Digital version as PowerPoint files (works in Google Slides too) at both levels — for 1:1 classrooms or Google Classroom
Teacher Directions and Answer Key for both versions, all keys included
Station task cards ready to print, laminate, and drop in baskets at each station
Reference cards for the Research It! station (16 cards covering mass, states of matter, relative density tables, magnetism, conductors and insulators, and solubility)
Sort cards for the Organize It! station (a cork and a fork compared across all seven physical properties)
Student answer sheets for each level

Tips for teaching the physical properties of matter in your 5th grade classroom

Two things make this lab go smoother the first time:

1. Pick the four mystery objects carefully.

The Explore It! station only works if the four objects give kids enough variation to draw real conclusions. Pick one that floats and isn't magnetic (cork, ping-pong ball, balsa wood), one that sinks and is magnetic (steel washer, iron bolt, paperclip), one that sinks and isn't magnetic (plastic cube, marble, ceramic tile), and one that floats and is magnetic (small magnet on a foam piece works, or a hollow steel ball if you have one). A common mistake is to grab four objects that all sink, or three that aren't magnetic. The data table comes back looking identical for every object and the classification question at the end has nothing to chew on. Mix it up.

2. Pre-set the triple beam balance to zero.

If you don't use the balance often, it's worth a 30-second tare check before class. A balance with the sliders not set to zero will throw off every mass reading, and 5th graders won't catch the error until you do. Loosen the screw under the pan if needed, slide all three riders to zero, and confirm the pointer rests on the line. Do this once for each group's balance and you've saved yourself ten minutes of "my number is weird" mid-rotation.

Get this Compare & Contrast Matter activity

Compare & Contrast Matter Station Lab for 5th grade physical science — TEKS 5.6A

Buy the Station Lab — $7.20

Or if you want the full two-week experience with the Engage hook, Explain day, Elaborate extension, and Evaluate assessment all included:

Buy the full 5E Complete Lesson — $13.20

(Station Lab is included)

Frequently asked questions

What does TEKS 5.6A cover?

Texas TEKS 5.6A asks 5th grade students to investigate and compare the physical properties of matter, including mass, magnetism, physical state, volume, relative density, solubility, and the ability to conduct or insulate thermal or electric energy. Students should be able to look at any object and describe it using these seven properties, plus use the right tool or test for each one.

Is this kids' first time meeting these physical properties?

For most 5th graders, yes. They've heard words like "mass" and "magnetic" in earlier grades, but "physical property" as a category that ties seven different things together is brand new. The Read It! kitchen-spoon passage introduces all seven in one place, the Explore It! station gets them testing three of those properties hands-on, and the Organize It! cork-and-fork sort makes them apply all seven side by side. By the end, they have a working vocabulary for all of 5.6.

How long does this Compare & Contrast Matter activity take?

One to two class periods (45 to 110 minutes total). The Explore It! station with the four mystery objects is the longest piece, so plan for two periods the first time you run a station lab. Once your class has the rotation routine down, most groups can finish all 8 stations in one period.

Do I need a lot of supplies for this?

Not really. Four mystery objects per group (most teachers already have these in a junk drawer somewhere), one triple beam balance, one magnet, and a cup of water. Total cost for a class of 30 if you're starting from nothing: under $40, mostly for the balances. The Watch It! station also needs a device with internet.

Can I use this in a 1:1 digital classroom?

Yes. The full digital version (PowerPoint or Google Slides) works in 1:1 classrooms and Google Classroom. Students drag digital cards at the Organize It! station and type their responses. The Explore It! hands-on mass and density steps are harder to digitize, but you can substitute a virtual balance simulation if you don't have the physical supplies.