Grades 3–5
Matter Up Close
Draw the particles in a solid, a liquid and a gas, then check the facts that are true for each state.
Science worksheet · States of matter
Solid, Liquid or Gas?
Cut out twelve things and sort them into solids, liquids and gases.
- Grade level
- Grades 2–3
- Time
- About 20 minutes
- Topic
- States of matter
- Answer key
- Yes, page 2 of the PDF
- Kids practice
- States of matter, Properties, Changes of state
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- Glue each card in the right column.
Words on this sheet
SolidLiquidGasa bookan ice cubesteamair in aballoonsodarainjuicemilkthe air webreathea rockhoneya pencil
Teacher tip
Ask kids where they would put toothpaste or sand. The tricky ones spark good talk.
How to use it
- Show ice, water and steam from a kettle (at a safe distance) before the sheet.
- Pass around a solid, a liquid in a bottle and a balloon full of air.
- Start with a two-minute “I notice, I wonder” talk about the picture on the sheet.
Watch for
Kids who think gases weigh nothing. Weigh a flat and a blown-up ball to show air has mass.
Talk about it
- Is air matter? How do you know?
- What did you notice that surprised you?
Take it further
Make ice pops and record how long they take to freeze and to melt.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More states of matter worksheets
Grades 3–5
Changes of State
Label melting, freezing, evaporation and condensation on the water diagram, then fill in five sentences.
Grades 2–5
Ice Cube Melt Race
An experiment: predict where ice melts fastest, time three ice cubes and write a conclusion.
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