Where a Plant's Mass Comes From is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on arguing that plants get their materials chiefly from air and water, aligned to Common Core standard 5-LS1-1. 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.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
A five-month record of a potted plant, with the pot and soil weighed separately.
OVER FIVE MONTHS
Plant mass at the start ......... 12 g
Plant mass at the end ........... 486 g
Dry soil at the start ........... 2,000 g
Dry soil at the end ............. 1,988 g
Water given over five months .... about 9 litres
The pot stood in the light and was not fed.
1. Where did most of the plant's new material come from?
2. How much dry soil was lost?
3. How much did the plant gain over five months?
4. What claim does this record support?
2.Which gas does a plant take in to build its material?
A.Carbon dioxide from the air
B.Nitrogen from the soil
C.Oxygen only
3.What would you measure to test this claim on a different plant?
A.Its height only
B.The number of leaves
C.The plant's mass gain and the dry soil's mass loss over the same period
4.What does the plant take from the soil, if not most of its mass?
A.Water and small amounts of minerals
B.Nothing at all
C.All of its material
5.A plant gained 474 g while the dry soil lost only 12 g. What does that rule out?
A.That the plant grew
B.That the plant's mass came mostly from the soil
C.That soil matters at all
LessonPrint · 5-LS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Where a Plant's Mass Comes From
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. From air and water rather than from the soil. 2. 12 g, from 2,000 g to 1,988 g. 3. 474 g, from 12 g to 486 g. 4. Plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
2.Carbon dioxide from the air
3.The plant's mass gain and the dry soil's mass loss over the same period
4.Water and small amounts of minerals
5.That the plant's mass came mostly from the soil
Questions about Where a Plant's Mass Comes From
What does the Where a Plant's Mass Comes From worksheet cover?
It practises arguing that plants get their materials chiefly from air and water — 5 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core 5-LS1-1: Argue that plants build themselves mostly from air and water. 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 Where a Plant's Mass Comes From practise?
5-LS1-1 — 5-LS1-1, in the Life Science domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Where a Plant's Mass Comes From is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-LS1-1, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Where a Plant's Mass Comes From 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 Where a Plant's Mass Comes From 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 Where a Plant's Mass Comes From free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Where a Plant's Mass Comes From, 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-LS1-1?
Yes — “Where a Plant's Mass Comes From” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-LS1-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Where a Plant's Mass Comes From is the practice that follows it.
More practice for 5-LS1-1
Argue that plants build themselves mostly from air and water.