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Sorting by What You Can See is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on classifying materials by their observable properties, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 2-PS1-1. It prints 3 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Sorting by What You Can See

2-PS1-1

NameDate

Sort each material into the right group.

1.Sort each one: Hard and stiff or Soft and bendy or You can see through it?

Sort: A cellophane wrapper, A woollen scarf, A wooden ruler

Hard and stiffSoft and bendyYou can see through it
2.Sort each one: Hard and stiff or Soft and bendy or You can see through it?

Sort: A glass jar, Clean water in a glass, A sponge

Hard and stiffSoft and bendyYou can see through it
3.Sort each one: Hard and stiff or Soft and bendy or You can see through it?

Sort: A china plate, A window pane, A rubber band

Hard and stiffSoft and bendyYou can see through it

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

Answer key — Sorting by What You Can See

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. A cellophane wrapper — You can see through it 2. A wooden ruler — Hard and stiff 3. A woollen scarf — Soft and bendy
  2. 2.1. A glass jar — Hard and stiff 2. A sponge — Soft and bendy 3. Clean water in a glass — You can see through it
  3. 3.1. A china plate — Hard and stiff 2. A rubber band — Soft and bendy 3. A window pane — You can see through it

Questions about Sorting by What You Can See

What does the Sorting by What You Can See worksheet cover?

It practices classifying materials by their observable properties — 3 questions for Grade 2, all on NGSS 2-PS1-1: Sort materials by what you can observe about them. The instruction to students is “Sort each material into the right group”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which NGSS performance expectation does Sorting by What You Can See practice?

2-PS1-1, under Physical Science for Grade 2. The published performance expectation reads: “Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Sorting by What You Can See is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on 2-PS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Sorting by What You Can See come with an answer key?

Yes. All 3 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 Sorting by What You Can See 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 Sorting by What You Can See free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Sorting by What You Can See, 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 2-PS1-1?

Yes — “Sorting by What You Can See” is a 50-minute Grade 2 plan for 2-PS1-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Sorting by What You Can See is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 2-PS1-1

Sort materials by what you can observe about them.

Teaching this next? Sorting by What You Can See is the 50-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-PS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.