MS-PS1-5 | Conservation of Matter

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Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the law of conservation of matter and on physical models or drawings, including digital forms, that represent atoms.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include the use of atomic masses, balancing symbolic equations, or intermolecular forces.

Performance Level Descriptions

PLDs communicate the knowledge and skills expected of students to demonstrate proficiency in each Learning Standard. NYS assessments classify student performance into one of four levels.

Level 1: Given a model showing a chemical reaction, identify evidence that proves the total number of atoms is conserved.
Level 2: Given a model, describe how the total number of each type of atom does not change in a chemical reaction and/or that mass is conserved.
Level 3: Develop and use a model to describe how the total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.
Level 4: Develop and use a model (including balanced equations and/or atomic masses) to describe how the total number of each type of atom does not change in a chemical reaction and because of this, mass is conserved.


Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of MS-PS1-5.

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Assessment

What assessment of MS-PS1-5 might look like on a NY state exam.

Exam Cluster Question
Spring 2026 Ammonia and the Nitrogen Cycle Question 26
Hard-Boiled Eggs Question 42
Spring 2025 Rust Question 25
Spring 2024 The Chemistry of Propane Question 51
Sample clusters Investigating Chemical Reactions Question 3


NGSS Dimensions

Performance expectation MS-PS1-5 was developed using the following elements from the NRC document A Framework for K-12 Science Education:

Science and Engineering Practices
  • Developing and Using Models
    • Develop a model to describe unobservable mechanisms.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
  • PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
    • (NYSED) Substances react chemically in characteristic ways. When substances react, the atoms that make up the molecules rearrange, forming new substances with different properties.
    • The total number of atoms does not change in a chemical reaction and thus mass is conserved.
Crosscutting Concepts
  • Energy and Matter
    • Matter is conserved because atoms are conserved in physical and chemical processes.
MS | MS. Chemical Reactions