Science 5 — Course Syllabus
MATATAG Curriculum · Key Stage 2 · School Year 2026–2027
| Learning Area | Science |
| Grade Level | Grade 5 |
| Key Stage | Key Stage 2 (Grades 4–6) |
| Time Allotment | 45 minutes daily · 5 days a week · 3 terms |
| Prerequisite | Science 4 |
| Curriculum Basis | MATATAG K to 10 Curriculum (DepEd, August 2023) |
| Calendar Basis | DO No. 009, s. 2026 — three-term school calendar |
| Assessment Basis | DO No. 015, s. 2026 — revised classroom assessment and grading |
| Medium of instruction | English |
The three-term school year
| Term | Months | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| Term 1 | June – September | 1 – 11 |
| Term 2 | September – December | 12 – 22 |
| Term 3 | January – April | 23 – 33 |
The curriculum guide predates this calendar and still assigns content to four quarters. §4 keeps the guide's own quarter attribution; §5 maps four quarters onto three terms.
1. Course Description
Science 5 is the year the word investigation starts to mean something specific. Grade 4 asked learners to measure and to be objective; Grade 5 asks them to plan the steps, choose the equipment, and control what they change — and the guide sets out the four steps by name.
The content follows: matter defined by mass and volume and sorted into three states; the body systems that let humans grow, develop and reproduce; contact and non-contact forces, friction, gravity, static electricity and the first circuit a learner ever builds; and the landforms, rocks, water cycle, weather disturbances and solar system of the world around them.
Two things are new. Units become non-negotiable — millilitres, litres, grams, kilograms and degrees Celsius, used correctly or not counted. And PAGASA's Public Storm Warning Signals enter the curriculum as content, which makes this the first year in which a Science lesson may keep a child safe in a way the child can act on alone.
2. Grade Level Standard
Quoted verbatim from the MATATAG Science Curriculum Guide (DepEd, August 2023, page 23).
Grade 5 — At the end of Grade 5, learners identify matter as having mass and taking up space and existing in three states based on the properties of shape and volume. They identify that heat is involved in changes of state. They plan and carry out a simple scientific investigation following appropriate steps and identifying appropriate equipment. Learners describe and create models of the body systems that represent how humans grow, develop, and reproduce. They use tables to group living things as plants, animals, or microorganisms. They use skills of observing, predicting, measuring, and recording to plan and carry out a simple activity to compare the life cycles of plants and animals. They plan and carry out valid and reliable scientific investigations to explore frictional forces by identifying and controlling variables. They observe and describe basic features of static electricity and electric current and explain and recognize applications of forces and electrical energy in the home and community. Learners explain the role of the water cycle in changing landforms and earth materials. They explain the causes and impacts of extreme weather and identify appropriate and safe ways to respond to such events. They recognize the scale of space and describe the features of the solar system. They use models to communicate significant relationships and movements. They demonstrate curiosity and creativity in communicating information about earth processes to other people. Learners use objectivity and measurement to carry out scientific investigations using fair tests and multiple trials to explore how forces influence the movement of familiar objects and predict how gravity affects objects on Earth.
3. Content Domains
3.1 The three content strands — what the learner does
| Strand | What it is at Grade 5 |
|---|---|
| Performing scientific inquiry skills | Planning an investigation in four named steps, choosing equipment, controlling variables, running multiple trials, and measuring in the right unit. |
| Understanding and applying scientific knowledge | States of matter; body systems; classification; forces, friction, gravity and electricity; landforms, the water cycle, weather disturbances and the solar system. |
| Developing and demonstrating scientific attitudes and values | Objectivity, and creativity in communicating — the guide names both in the grade level standard. |
3.2 The four discipline-oriented domains — what is studied
| Domain | Grade 5 coverage |
|---|---|
| Materials | Matter, mass and volume; three states by shape and volume; measuring volume; changes of state; the four steps of an investigation; units. |
| Living Things | Digestive, respiratory and reproductive systems; classifying plants, animals and microorganisms; life cycles; specialised plant structures; adaptation. |
| Force, Motion, and Energy | Contact and non-contact forces; friction; gravity; static electricity; simple circuits; conductors and insulators; electromagnets. |
| Earth and Space | Landforms and bodies of water; rocks and minerals; weathering and erosion; the water cycle; weather disturbances and PAGASA signals; the solar system and the phases of the Moon. |
3.3 One quarter, one domain
Each quarter is one domain — the guide's table, page 28.
| Quarter | Domain | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Materials | Term 1 |
| 2 | Living Things | Terms 1 and 2 |
| 3 | Force, Motion, and Energy | Terms 2 and 3 |
| 4 | Earth and Space | Term 3 |
4. Content Map
Every entry is quoted from the official curriculum guide (DepEd, August 2023, pages 37–40),
committed at docs/research/source/. Competency numbers are the
guide's own and are quarter-relative.
Performance tasks here are the guide's, not this syllabus's — page 17 requires one per quarter and supplies the tasks.
CG Quarter 1 — Materials
Taught in Term 1, weeks 1–8
| Content | Matter in daily life · Matter and the three states · Scientific investigation |
| Content standards | 1. Scientists identify three states of matter based on shape and volume. 2. Temperature can cause changes of state. 3. Planned simple scientific investigations require several steps and processes. 4. An understanding of matter can be applied to solve real world problems. |
| Learning competencies | 1. describe matter as anything that has mass and takes up space; 2. identify that matter has (exists in) three states called solids, liquids, and gases; 3. describe the properties of solids, liquids, and gases in terms of shape and volume: a. solids: definite shape and volume, b. liquids: no definite shape, definite volume, c. gases: no definite shape or volume; 4. identify objects at home and in the classroom as solid, liquid or gas; 5. use measuring cylinders or beakers to measure volume using units, such as milliliters (mL), and liters (L); 6. describe how changes in temperature cause matter to change in state, such as solid to liquid to gas; 7. describe the steps of a simple science investigation: a. What is the problem? b. What materials do you need? c. What do you need to do? d. What have you found out/learned?; 8. identify and appropriately use units in simple science activities, such as milligrams, grams, kilograms, and degrees centigrade; and 9. plan simple scientific investigations in answering questions, such as "Do gases (like air) or liquids (like water) have mass?", using appropriate simple science equipment, such as a balance, and a thermometer, with appropriate units. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners describe three states of matter based on properties of shape and volume and identify that heat is involved in changes of state. They plan a simple scientific investigation following appropriate steps and using units such as milliliters, liters, grams, kilograms, and degrees Celsius for measuring. |
| Performance task (from the guide) | Plan and carry out a scientific investigation on a simple everyday problem such as "do gases have weight?" |
CG Quarter 2 — Living Things
Opens in Term 1 (weeks 9–11); completed in Term 2 (weeks 12–16)
| Content | Body systems in animals · Plants, animals, and microorganisms · Life cycles of living things · Specialized structures in plants |
| Content standards | 1. Animals have systems that help them grow, respond, and reproduce. 2. Living things can be grouped as plants, animals, and microorganisms based on their characteristics. 3. The life cycles of plants and animals allow them to survive and reproduce. 4. Plants have specialized structures that help them overcome unfavorable conditions. |
| Learning competencies | 1. identify from pictures and labeled diagrams the parts of the digestive system as mouth, gullet, stomach, small intestine, and large intestine, and describe how they work; 2. identify from pictures and diagrams the parts of the respiratory system as the nose, windpipe, and lungs, and describe how they work; 3. identify from pictures and labeled diagrams the parts of the female reproductive system as ovaries, uterus, and vagina and those of the male reproductive system as the prostate, testis, and penis and describe how they work; 4. use a table to show how living things can be classified into groups based on similar characteristics: plants including flowering and non-flowering; animals including mammals, reptiles, insects, birds, fish and amphibians; microorganisms including fungi and bacteria; 5. identify which groups of animals reproduce by giving birth to live young and which reproduce by laying eggs; 6. compare the life cycles of mammals from birth to adulthood, birds from egg to a mature organism, and plants from seed to a young plant, and then to a mature plant; 7. describe the purpose of specialized structures in plants, such as rhizomes, tubers, thorns, bulbs, and aerial roots; 8. explain how some plants have adapted to unfavorable conditions in the environment, such as lack of rain or floods; and 9. use information from secondary sources to describe examples of how some animals have changed to better suit their environment, such as mimicry or camouflage. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners describe and create models of the body systems whose function is to help humans grow, develop, and reproduce. They use tables to group living things as plants, animals, or microorganisms. They use skills of observation, predicting, measuring, and recording to plan and carry out a simple activity to observe the life cycle of a plant and compare it to the life cycles of animals. |
| Performance task (from the guide) | A. Make a model using local recyclable materials of one of the human body systems to show how it works. B. Set up a simple science activity to observe and record the changes in plants as they grow from seed to maturity. |
CG Quarter 3 — Force, Motion, and Energy
Opens in Term 2 (weeks 17–22); completed in Term 3 (weeks 23–24)
| Content | Contact and non-contact forces · Investigating scientifically · Friction · Gravity · Static electricity · Conductors, insulators, and simple circuits |
| Content standards | 1. Science investigations provide evidence to support predictions and explanations. 2. Forces are pushes or pulls that act in a specific direction. 3. Friction is an everyday force created by two surfaces interacting. 4. Gravity causes all objects to fall towards the ground. 5. Static electricity occurs when some materials rub on other materials causing charges to jump. 6. Electric current requires a pathway for charges to flow. |
| Learning competencies | 1. carry out simple investigations to demonstrate that contact forces cause objects to move in the same direction as the direction that the force is applied; 2. plan and carry out a scientific investigation to determine the effect of different surfaces on the size of frictional forces; 3. demonstrate how friction can produce heat and investigate ways of reducing and increasing friction; 4. identify gravity as a non-contact force that affects the behaviors of materials and objects on Earth in predictable ways; 5. predict and explain whether heavier objects will fall faster than lighter objects due to the force of gravity; 6. observe and describe the effects of gravity to the motion of an object; 7. investigate the effects of static electricity using common materials, such as a comb, plastic and glass rods, and balloons; 8. assemble and draw a simple circuit using batteries, wires, switch, and bulb and/or toy motor or buzzer; 9. design and construct a simple electrical circuit to identify what materials will conduct electricity; and 10. make a simple electromagnet and observe and record its properties. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners use objectivity and measurement to carry out scientific investigations using fair tests and multiple trials to explore how forces influence the movement of familiar objects and extend their understanding to predict how gravity affects objects on Earth. They plan and carry out valid and reliable scientific investigations to explore frictional forces by identifying and controlling variables. They observe and describe basic features of static electricity and electric current. |
| Performance task (from the guide) | A. Develop a graphic organizer comparing contact and non-contact forces. B. Set up an inclined plane for toy cars, and apply the concept of friction to stop the toy car as fast as possible. C. Develop a graphic organizer comparing conductors and insulators, suggesting how recycled materials could be used. |
CG Quarter 4 — Earth and Space
Taught in Term 3, weeks 25–33
| Content | Landforms, rocks and minerals · Weathering and erosion · Using models · The Water Cycle · Weather disturbances · The Solar System |
| Content standards | 1. Landforms influence living and non-living components of the environment. 2. Rocks are composed of grains of minerals that break down to form soil. 3. Weathering and erosion shape the Earth's surface. 4. The Water Cycle includes processes of evaporation, precipitation and transportation. 5. Weather disturbances feature low pressure, strong winds, and storms. 6. The planets and moons vary in physical features and composition. 7. Phases of the Moon depend on its position relative to Earth and Sun. |
| Learning competencies | 1. identify local examples of natural landforms and bodies of water and describe how they influence non-living and living components of the environment; 2. explore the school grounds or the local area to observe or collect different types of rocks, describing their similarities and differences in terms of texture, color, and grain crystal size; 3. classify common rocks using a simple rock classification system, such as a dichotomous key; 4. explain how soil is formed from rocks and minerals; 5. demonstrate how erosion transports Earth materials; 6. explain the role of the water cycle in the environment; 7. construct a model to communicate some of the key processes in the water cycle; 8. describe some effects of weather disturbances that occur in or near the Philippines; 9. describe the weather conditions according to a Public Storm Warning Signal issued by PAGASA; 10. describe typical weather conditions before, during and after a tropical cyclone; 11. describe the general structure of the solar system, identifying the names of the major celestial objects, their main features, and general composition; and 12. make drawings or a simple model to show the motion of the Earth and Moon relative to the Sun to explain the phases of the moon. |
| Performance standard | By the end of the Quarter, learners relate changes in landforms and earth materials to processes and effects of the water cycle. They explain causes and impacts of extreme weather and identify appropriate and safe ways to respond to such events. They demonstrate curiosity as they make detailed observations guided by science classification systems and demonstrate creativity in communicating information about earth processes. They show an appreciation of the scale of space. |
| Performance task (from the guide) | A. Create a video of a weather report or act out a TV weather broadcast segment explaining a weather disturbance. B. Construct a scale model of the sun and the inner planets showing relative sizes and distances. |
5. Term-by-Term Scope and Sequence
| Quarter blocks | Q1 → weeks 1–8 · Q2 → 9–16 · Q3 → 17–24 · Q4 → 25–33 |
| The last week of each block | the quarter's performance task, per guide page 17 |
| Teaching weeks per quarter | seven (eight in Quarter 4) |
| Within a block | the guide's own competency order, adjacent competencies merged where natural — marked ⊕ |
⚠️ The week mapping is this repository's, not DepEd's. A school's approved Budget of Work replaces every week number below; none has been obtained. The quarter-to-domain assignment is DepEd's and is reproduced exactly.
Term 1 — June to September
| Week | Focus | CG source | Artifacts in this repo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Matter: anything with mass that takes up space | Q1 · 1 | — |
| 2 | The three states, named | Q1 · 2 | — |
| 3 | Shape and volume — what separates solid, liquid and gas | Q1 · 3 | ✔ Full set — lesson plans, slides, game, offline activities, worksheets, wall chart |
| 4 | Sorting the classroom and the kitchen | Q1 · 4 | — |
| 5 | Measuring volume in millilitres and litres | Q1 · 5 | — |
| 6 | How temperature changes the state | Q1 · 6 | — |
| 7 ⊕ | The four steps of an investigation and units and planning one | Q1 · 7–9 | — |
| 8 | Quarter 1 performance task — do gases have weight? | Q1 · PT | — |
| 9 | The digestive system | Q2 · 1 | — |
| 10 | The respiratory system | Q2 · 2 | — |
| 11 | The reproductive systems | Q2 · 3 | — |
End-of-term block — Term 1 examination, remediation, reporting.
Term 2 — September to December
| Week | Focus | CG source |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | Classifying: plants, animals, microorganisms | Q2 · 4 |
| 13 ⊕ | Live young or eggs and comparing life cycles | Q2 · 5–6 |
| 14 | Rhizomes, tubers, thorns, bulbs, aerial roots | Q2 · 7 |
| 15 ⊕ | Plants adapting to drought and flood and mimicry and camouflage | Q2 · 8–9 |
| 16 | Quarter 2 performance task — a body-system model, or a seed-to-maturity record | Q2 · PT |
| 17 | Contact forces move things the way they are pushed | Q3 · 1 |
| 18 ⊕ | Friction on different surfaces and friction making heat | Q3 · 2–3 |
| 19 ⊕ | Gravity as a non-contact force and do heavy things fall faster and its effect on motion | Q3 · 4–6 |
| 20 | Static electricity with a comb and a balloon | Q3 · 7 |
| 21 | Building and drawing a simple circuit | Q3 · 8 |
| 22 | Conductors and insulators, tested | Q3 · 9 |
End-of-term block — Term 2 examination, remediation, reporting.
Term 3 — January to April
| Week | Focus | CG source |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Making an electromagnet, and recording what it does | Q3 · 10 |
| 24 | Quarter 3 performance task — force organiser, inclined plane, or conductor comparison | Q3 · PT |
| 25 | Local landforms and bodies of water | Q4 · 1 |
| 26 ⊕ | Collecting rocks and classifying them with a key | Q4 · 2–3 |
| 27 ⊕ | Soil from rocks and erosion moving earth materials | Q4 · 4–5 |
| 28 ⊕ | The role of the water cycle and a model of it | Q4 · 6–7 |
| 29 | Weather disturbances in and near the Philippines | Q4 · 8 |
| 30 ⊕ | PAGASA Public Storm Warning Signals and before, during and after a cyclone | Q4 · 9–10 |
| 31 | The structure of the solar system | Q4 · 11 |
| 32 | A Sun–Earth–Moon model and the phases of the Moon | Q4 · 12 |
| 33 | Quarter 4 performance task — a weather broadcast, or a scale model of the inner planets | Q4 · PT |
End-of-term block — Term 3 examination, closing activities, reporting.
Coverage check
| CG quarter | Competencies | Teaching weeks | PT week | Where |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter 1 | 9 | 7 | 8 | Term 1, weeks 1–8 |
| Quarter 2 | 9 | 7 | 16 | Term 1 weeks 9–11; Term 2 weeks 12–16 |
| Quarter 3 | 10 | 7 | 24 | Term 2 weeks 17–22; Term 3 weeks 23–24 |
| Quarter 4 | 12 | 8 | 33 | Term 3, weeks 25–33 |
| Total | 40 | 29 | 4 | 33 weeks |
All 40 CG competencies are placed. None is taught twice, and none is dropped.
6. Assessment and Grading
Per DO No. 015, s. 2026, for a Key Stage 2 core learning area:
| Component | Weight | What it covers in this course |
|---|---|---|
| Written Works | 20% | Worksheets, weekly checks, summative tests, recorded investigation data |
| Performance Tasks | 50% | The four quarterly performance tasks from the guide, group activities, the game's Teacher Panel record |
| Examinations | 30% | Term examinations |
Transmutation is a year switch. SY 2026–2027 uses an adjusted table in which a raw 70 transmutes to a passing 75; from SY 2027–2028 transmutation is removed.
⚠️ Reported, not read. DO No. 015, s. 2026 could not be downloaded in the environment these artifacts were built in. Two independent search passes returned the same 20 / 50 / 30 split. Confirm before computing a real grade.
One thing Grade 5 assessment must do that Grade 4's did not
A unit is part of the answer. From this year the guide names the units by name — mL, L, mg, g,
kg, °C — and a numerical answer with no unit is not a partly correct answer, it is an incomplete
one. Every key in assessment.md says so explicitly rather than leaving it to
the marker.
7. Learner Support
| Provision | What it looks like |
|---|---|
| Below-level | Pour it before naming it. worksheet-remediation.html starts from containers and reaches the three words only in task 3. |
| On-level | The standard task with a written justification required. |
| Above-level | A second variable to control, or a claim to argue against. Never more of the same items. |
| Language | All materials are in English. Each technical term is said aloud before it is read, and repeated in one fixed form of words. |
| Learners with additional needs | Enlarged print, extended time, verbal instead of written response, a peer scribe. Every digital artifact is keyboard-operable and screen-reader labelled. |
| Absence and catch-up | Every digital artifact is one file that copies to a phone or USB stick and runs offline. |
8. Materials
No-cost / recycled — the default.
- Cut plastic bottles as beakers and as a rain gauge; a marked strip of paper as a scale
- Sand, salt, rice and powdered milk — the four solids that pour
- Balloons, plastic bags, a comb, string and a stick for the balance
- Stones from the school grounds; soil from three places
- Chalk and a board
If available.
- A projector or television for the deck; any browser device for the game
- Measuring cylinders, a balance and a thermometer
- Dry cells, wire, a bulb holder and a small magnet
DepEd's Grade 5 equipment list is not held here. The guide names measuring cylinders, a balance and a thermometer; whether a school has them is not stated anywhere this repository can read. Every artifact here runs without them, and
offline-activities.mdnames the improvisation each time — a cut bottle marked in spoonfuls is a beaker with a unit, and a unit is what the competency asks for.
9. Curriculum Verification — Completed
| Item | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Grade level standard (§2) | CG p. 23 | ✅ Verbatim |
| The three content strands (§3.1) | CG p. 19 | ✅ Verified |
| The four domains (§3.2) | CG p. 19 | ✅ Verified |
| Domain per quarter (§3.3) | CG p. 28 | ✅ Verified |
| Quarters 1 to 4 (§4) | CG pp. 37–40 | ✅ Verbatim |
| Performance tasks (§4) | CG pp. 37–40 | ✅ From the guide |
| Week mapping (§5) | This repository | ⚠️ Proposal — the Budget of Work is unobtained |
| Three-term calendar | DO No. 009, s. 2026 | ⚠️ Adopted, from reporting |
| Assessment weights (§6) | DO No. 015, s. 2026 | ⚠️ Adopted, from reporting |
What opening the guide changed
| Assumed | Actually |
|---|---|
| Grade 5 Quarter 1 is the water cycle | The water cycle is Quarter 4. Quarter 1 is matter and the three states. |
| The three states are defined by how they behave | They are defined by shape and volume, in those words, which is what makes sand a solid. |
| Circuits are Grade 6 | Circuits, conductors, insulators and an electromagnet are Grade 5 Quarter 3. |
| PAGASA storm signals are Araling Panlipunan | They are Science, Quarter 4 competency 9, by name. |
Part of the E-turo MATATAG artifact set. Companion files:
lesson-plan.md · lesson-plan-ilaw.md ·
assessment.md · offline-activities.md ·
slides.html · game.html