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5-PS1-4 Matter and its Interactions Science Phenomena

Human-Crafted Phenomena for the NGSS

Not all assessments are created equal. Unlike generic question banks or AI-generated items, InnerOrbit’s 5-PS1-4 content is built by a team of teachers and science leaders who deeply understand the NGSS and the realities of today’s classrooms.

5-PS1-4 Aligned Phenomena to easily create assessments for your students to take

Why Is This Lady So Blue?

How Can Everyday Ingredients Make Jumbo Toothpaste?

Why Do Purple And White Make Green In This Investigation?

How Can You Use Change to Make Candy?

Why Does This Cheesy Change Really Stink?

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Performance Expectation 5-PS1-4

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

What Makes Our Content Different?

Expertly Crafted, Not Auto-Generated

Every question and phenomenon for MS-PS3-1 is thoughtfully designed by educators. Our team ensures each item encourages authentic sensemaking rather than surface-level recall.

Discreetly Tagged for Rich Data

Each question is carefully tagged by dimension (DCI, SEP, CCC) and other criteria, producing detailed reports that highlight where students are thriving and where they need support.

Tailored to Match Your Curriculum

We spend time aligning our questions to different district curricula and instructional needs, so teachers can integrate them seamlessly into their classroom flow.

Actionable, Not Just Informative

Our assessments don’t just give scores — they generate instructionally useful data that helps teachers make smarter, more frequent adjustments.

Try out InnerOrbit

Sign up for a free trial and explore our library of over 9,000 phenomena-driven assessment items, and highly scaffolded NGSS Assessments for grades 3–12.

Photo Credit: NASA

The Three Tools That Power InnerOrbit

InnerOrbit is built around three interconnected tools that help educators assess, analyze, and support NGSS learning in the classroom. Together, they create a complete system for sensemaking and instructional growth.

Measuring Instruments

Assessments

Discover a library of rigorously designed NGSS assessments that make sensemaking the priority.

  • Hundreds of real-world phenomena that spark curiosity
  • Thousands of 3D-aligned questions designed for diagnostic, formative, and summative use
  • Ready-to-use Pre-Made Assessments for quick classroom deployment
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Reports

Turn student work into meaningful, actionable data.

  • Performance broken down by dimension (SEP, DCI, CCC)
  • Data that aligns with state test results at a 97% rate
  • Insightful reporting that supports frequent instructional change
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Activities

Support learning with classroom-ready activities that give students hands-on practice with NGSS sensemaking.

  • Sensemaking Practice Activity Guides to connect phenomena with classroom discussion
  • Structured opportunities for students to practice thinking like scientists
  • Activities that reinforce skills for both assessments and state tests