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Round and Round the Matter Goes is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on modelling how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment, aligned to Common Core standard 5-LS2-1. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Round and Round the Matter Goes

5-LS2-1

NameDate

Draw a line from each event to the move it makes.

1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • Woodlice and fungi break down fallen leaves
  • An animal breathes gas out into the air
  • Compost is dug into a vegetable bed
  • Roots take up minerals released by decomposers
  • A.Matter moves from a plant into decomposers
  • B.Matter moves from an animal into the environment
  • C.Matter moves from the soil back into a plant
  • D.Matter moves from decomposers back into the soil
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • A rabbit eats the plant
  • A dead animal is broken down in the soil
  • A plant takes in gas from the air and water from the soil
  • A fox eats the rabbit
  • A.Matter moves from a plant into an animal
  • B.Matter moves from the environment into a plant
  • C.Matter moves from an animal into the environment
  • D.Matter moves from one animal into another

LessonPrint · 5-LS2-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Round and Round the Matter Goes

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Woodlice and fungi break down fallen leaves — A (Matter moves from a plant into decomposers) 2. An animal breathes gas out into the air — B (Matter moves from an animal into the environment) 3. Compost is dug into a vegetable bed — D (Matter moves from decomposers back into the soil) 4. Roots take up minerals released by decomposers — C (Matter moves from the soil back into a plant)
  2. 2.1. A rabbit eats the plant — A (Matter moves from a plant into an animal) 2. A dead animal is broken down in the soil — C (Matter moves from an animal into the environment) 3. A plant takes in gas from the air and water from the soil — B (Matter moves from the environment into a plant) 4. A fox eats the rabbit — D (Matter moves from one animal into another)

Questions about Round and Round the Matter Goes

What does the Round and Round the Matter Goes worksheet cover?

It practises modelling how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment — 2 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core 5-LS2-1: Model how matter moves between plants, animals, decomposers and the environment. The instruction to pupils is “Draw a line from each event to the move it makes”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Round and Round the Matter Goes practise?

5-LS2-1 — 5-LS2-1, in the Life Science domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Round and Round the Matter Goes is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-LS2-1, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Round and Round the Matter Goes come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 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 Round and Round the Matter Goes can I print?

25 — one per pupil, 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 Round and Round the Matter Goes free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Round and Round the Matter Goes, 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 5-LS2-1?

Yes — “Round and Round the Matter Goes” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-LS2-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Round and Round the Matter Goes is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 5-LS2-1

Model how matter moves between plants, animals, decomposers and the environment.

Teaching this next? Round and Round the Matter Goes is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-LS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.