5-LS2-1 | Cycling of Matter · NYS standard · Grade 5 test questions

Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers, and the environment.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the flow of energy and cycling of matter in systems such as organisms, ecosystems, and/or Earth.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include molecular explanations.

Grade 5 Science Test Questions

Released New York State Grade 5 science test questions that assess 5-LS2-1 are listed here by test and question cluster. Each link opens the question with its answer key.

Exam	Cluster	Question
Spring 2026 Grade 5 Test	Wolves in Yellowstone National Park	Question 12
Spring 2026 Grade 5 Test	Locust Trees	Question 31
Spring 2025 Grade 5 Test	The Albany Pine Bush Ecosystem	Question 21
Spring 2024 Grade 5 Test	Meerkats	Question 25

Vocabulary

Terms from the Elementary Science Glossary that come from this standard or from the released Grade 5 Science Test questions that assess it.

From this standard

animal
consumer
cycling of matter
decomposer
ecosystem
energy
environment
evidence
flow of energy
food web
matter
model
molecular explanation
movement of matter
organism
pathway
plant
producer
system

From released test questions

bacteria – Spring 2025
balance of the ecosystem – Spring 2026
caterpillar – Spring 2025
coastal region – Spring 2025
decomposed material – Spring 2025
distribution – Spring 2026
endangered species – Spring 2025
feeding relationship – Spring 2026
food source – Spring 2026, Spring 2025
grassland – Spring 2026
growth rate – Spring 2026
land surface temperature – Spring 2026
light – Spring 2026
low-growing plant – Spring 2026
population – Spring 2026
prairie – Spring 2026
predator – Spring 2025
species – Spring 2025

Implied by this standard

food chain – implied by "the movement of matter among plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers, and the environment" (a food web is named in the PLDs)

Performance Level Descriptions

Every Grade 5 Science Test question on 5-LS2-1 is written to match one of the performance level descriptions (PLDs) below.

Level 1: Identify the evidence in a model of a food web that shows one pathway for the transfer of matter among plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers, and/or the environment. Spring 2026 · Q31

Level 2: Use a model of a food web to describe the movement of matter among plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers, and/or the environment. Spring 2026 · Q12

Level 3: Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers, and the environment. Spring 2025 · Q21 Spring 2024 · Q25

Level 4: Develop a model that includes multiple pathways to describe the movement of matter and energy among multiple plants (producers), animals (consumers), decomposers and the environment.

Resources

Examples and discussion of resources for the learning, teaching, and assessment of 5-LS2-1.

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Page contributors: Conrad Richman

Grades 3–5 science standards | 5. Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems