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Four Systems, One Storm is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on modelling how the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere interact, aligned to Common Core standard 5-ESS2-1. 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.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Four Systems, One Storm

5-ESS2-1

NameDate

Read the account, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

One Storm, Four Systems

A local account of one week's storm and the week that followed it. THE WEEK OF THE STORM Air: three days of gale and heavy rain Water: the river rose two metres and burst its bank Land: the bank collapsed and 40 tonnes of soil moved downstream Living things: the willow roots held one section of bank in place The section held by willow lost almost no soil.

  1. 1. How did living things affect the land here?
  2. 2. How much soil moved downstream?
  3. 3. Which section of bank lost almost no soil?
  4. 4. What claim does this account support?
2.Planting willow along the whole bank would be an example of what?
  • A.The air affecting the water
  • B.A system with no interaction
  • C.People using living things to affect the land
3.Willow roots held one section of bank while the rest collapsed. Which systems interacted?
  • A.Only the land
  • B.Only the weather
  • C.Living things acting on the land, during a storm in the air and water
4.What makes the two bank sections a fair comparison?
  • A.They are both muddy
  • B.Same storm and same river, so only the willow differed
  • C.They look similar
5.Trees take carbon dioxide from the air. Which two systems?
  • A.Living things affecting the air
  • B.The air affecting the land
  • C.The land affecting the water

LessonPrint · 5-ESS2-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Four Systems, One Storm

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The willow roots held the soil so the bank did not collapse there. 2. 40 tonnes. 3. The section held in place by willow roots. 4. The air, the water, the land and living things all affect one another.
  2. 2.People using living things to affect the land
  3. 3.Living things acting on the land, during a storm in the air and water
  4. 4.Same storm and same river, so only the willow differed
  5. 5.Living things affecting the air

Questions about Four Systems, One Storm

What does the Four Systems, One Storm worksheet cover?

It practises modelling how the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere interact — 5 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core 5-ESS2-1: Model one way that land, life, water and air affect each other. The instruction to pupils is “Read the account, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Four Systems, One Storm practise?

5-ESS2-1 — 5-ESS2-1, in the Earth and Space Science domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Four Systems, One Storm is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-ESS2-1, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Four Systems, One Storm 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 Four Systems, One Storm 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 Four Systems, One Storm free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Four Systems, One Storm, 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-ESS2-1?

Yes — “Four Systems, One Storm” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-ESS2-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Four Systems, One Storm is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 5-ESS2-1

Model one way that land, life, water and air affect each other.

Teaching this next? Four Systems, One Storm is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-ESS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.