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Weighed Before, Weighed After is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on measuring to show the total weight of matter is conserved, aligned to Common Core standard 5-PS1-2. It prints 5 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Weighed Before, Weighed After

5-PS1-2

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Weighed Before and Weighed After

Masses recorded on the same balance, before and after four changes. MASS BEFORE AND AFTER Sugar stirred into water, sealed jar ... 254.0 g then 254.0 g Ice melted in a sealed bag ............ 118.6 g then 118.6 g Vinegar and soda in a SEALED jar ...... 201.3 g then 201.3 g Vinegar and soda in an OPEN jar ....... 201.3 g then 197.8 g The same balance was used for every reading.

  1. 1. Why did the open jar lose mass when the sealed one did not?
  2. 2. What claim does this record support?
  3. 3. What happened to the mass in every sealed container?
  4. 4. What happened to the mass in the open jar?
2.Why is the sealed jar the fair test of conservation?
  • A.Open jars are inaccurate
  • B.Nothing can leave, so the balance measures all the matter
  • C.Sealed jars are heavier
3.A pupil concludes matter disappears because an open jar lost mass. What is wrong?
  • A.Nothing is wrong
  • B.The gas left the jar but not the world; the sealed jar shows it
  • C.Open jars destroy matter
4.Why use the same balance for every reading?
  • A.So a difference between readings is a real difference in mass
  • B.Balances are all identical
  • C.To save time
5.Ice melts in a sealed bag. What should the mass do?
  • A.Fall, because liquid is lighter
  • B.Rise, because water is heavier
  • C.Stay exactly the same

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighed Before, Weighed After

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Gas escaped from the open jar, and the sealed jar kept it inside. 2. The total mass of matter stays the same through a change, when nothing can escape. 3. It stayed exactly the same before and after. 4. It fell from 201.3 g to 197.8 g.
  2. 2.Nothing can leave, so the balance measures all the matter
  3. 3.The gas left the jar but not the world; the sealed jar shows it
  4. 4.So a difference between readings is a real difference in mass
  5. 5.Stay exactly the same

Questions about Weighed Before, Weighed After

What does the Weighed Before, Weighed After worksheet cover?

It practises measuring to show the total weight of matter is conserved — 5 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core 5-PS1-2: Measure and graph to show that weight is conserved when matter changes. The instruction to pupils is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Weighed Before, Weighed After practise?

5-PS1-2 — 5-PS1-2, in the Physical Science domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Weighed Before, Weighed After is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-PS1-2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Weighed Before, Weighed After come with an answer key?

Yes. All 5 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 Weighed Before, Weighed After 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 Weighed Before, Weighed After free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Weighed Before, Weighed After, 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-PS1-2?

Yes — “Weighed Before, Weighed After” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-PS1-2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Weighed Before, Weighed After is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 5-PS1-2

Measure and graph to show that weight is conserved when matter changes.

Teaching this next? Weighed Before, Weighed After is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.