Four White Powders is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on identifying materials by testing their properties, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-PS1-3. It prints 8 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.
1.Why must the same amount of each powder be used?
A.So the results can be compared fairly
B.To use up the powders
C.It does not matter
2.What is a property, in this test?
A.What it is called
B.Something the material does that can be observed and compared
C.Where it was bought
3.Two unknowns give identical results on every test you ran. What follows?
A.The tests were wrong
B.They are definitely different
C.You need a new test, or they may be the same material
4.Two powders both dissolve in water. What does that tell you?
A.They are the same substance
B.One must be sugar
C.Not enough to tell them apart; another test is needed
5.Why is color a weak property for identifying these powders?
A.Color cannot be observed
B.Color is not a property
C.All four are white, so it separates none of them
6.Powder C fizzes with vinegar and the others do not. What is that test good for?
A.Separating C from the rest
B.Identifying all four
C.Nothing useful
7.You have four tests and four unknowns. What is the aim?
A.Use every test on one powder
B.Get four fizzes
C.Find a combination of results unique to each unknown
8.What makes an identification trustworthy?
A.One striking result
B.Several properties agreeing, tested the same way each time
C.A confident guess
LessonPrint · 5-PS1-3 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Four White Powders
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.So the results can be compared fairly
2.Something the material does that can be observed and compared
3.You need a new test, or they may be the same material
4.Not enough to tell them apart; another test is needed
5.All four are white, so it separates none of them
6.Separating C from the rest
7.Find a combination of results unique to each unknown
8.Several properties agreeing, tested the same way each time
Questions about Four White Powders
What does the Four White Powders worksheet cover?
It practices identifying materials by testing their properties — 8 questions for Grade 5, all on NGSS 5-PS1-3: Identify a material by its properties. The instruction to students is “Circle the best answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Four White Powders practice?
5-PS1-3, under Physical Science for Grade 5. The published performance expectation reads: “Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Four White Powders is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-PS1-3, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Four White Powders come with an answer key?
Yes. All 8 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 White Powders 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 Four White Powders free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Four White Powders, 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-PS1-3?
Yes — “Four White Powders” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-PS1-3, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Four White Powders is the practice that follows it.
More practice for 5-PS1-3
Identify a material by its properties.
Teaching this next? Four White Powders is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.