Where It Gives Way is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 science worksheet on fair tests with variables controlled to find failure points, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-3. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
1.You strengthen the corner and it fails somewhere else. What does that mean?
A.Nothing was learned
B.The failure point moved, so the first fix worked
C.The design got worse
2.A test shows no failure at all. What should you do?
A.Stop testing
B.Declare it perfect
C.Increase the load until it does, to find the limit
3.You change the material and the joints at the same time. What is the problem?
A.Nothing, it improved
B.You cannot tell which change caused the difference
C.Two changes are always better
4.A shelter collapses at the same corner every time. What is that?
A.Bad luck
B.A reason to stop testing
C.A failure point, and the thing to redesign
5.What should be recorded besides the result?
A.The weather outside
B.What was held the same, so somebody else can judge the test
C.Who was fastest
6.Why repeat a test three times?
A.To fill the lesson
B.One result might be a bad build rather than a bad design
C.To use more materials
7.Why add load in equal steps rather than all at once?
A.It is quicker
B.So you can tell at what load it failed
C.It looks tidier
8.You test two shelters in the wind. What must be identical?
A.The colors
B.The names of the builders
C.The wind speed, the exposure and how you judge failure
LessonPrint · 3-5-ETS1-3 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Where It Gives Way
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.The failure point moved, so the first fix worked
2.Increase the load until it does, to find the limit
3.You cannot tell which change caused the difference
4.A failure point, and the thing to redesign
5.What was held the same, so somebody else can judge the test
6.One result might be a bad build rather than a bad design
7.So you can tell at what load it failed
8.The wind speed, the exposure and how you judge failure
Questions about Where It Gives Way
What does the Where It Gives Way worksheet cover?
It practices fair tests with variables controlled to find failure points — 8 questions for Grade 3 to Grade 5, all on NGSS 3-5-ETS1-3: Run fair tests, controlling the variables, to find what to improve. The instruction to students is “Circle the best answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Where It Gives Way practice?
3-5-ETS1-3, under Engineering Design for Grade 3 to Grade 5. The published performance expectation reads: “Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Where It Gives Way is written for Grade 3 to Grade 5, typically ages 40-41. It is one of the sheets on 3-5-ETS1-3, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Where It Gives Way come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Where It Gives Way can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Where It Gives Way free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Where It Gives Way, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
Is there a lesson plan to teach 3-5-ETS1-3?
Yes — “Where It Gives Way” is a 55-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 plan for 3-5-ETS1-3, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Where It Gives Way is the practice that follows it.
More practice for 3-5-ETS1-3
Run fair tests, controlling the variables, to find what to improve.
Teaching this next? Where It Gives Way is the 55-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.