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Setting the Bar and the Bounds is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 science worksheet on defining a design problem with criteria and constraints, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-5-ETS1-1. 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.

Setting the Bar and the Bounds

3-5-ETS1-1

NameDate

Sort each one into criterion or constraint.

1.Sort each one: Criterion: what success means or Constraint: what limits you?

Sort: The filter must remove all visible sediment, Nothing may be dug into the field, The design must cut water use by a quarter, You may use only materials already in school

Criterion: what success meansConstraint: what limits you
2.Sort each one: Criterion: what success means or Constraint: what limits you?

Sort: No part may need mains water, It must be safe to leave unsupervised, The store must keep water cool for six hours, The model must cycle matter back to the soil

Criterion: what success meansConstraint: what limits you
3.Sort each one: Criterion: what success means or Constraint: what limits you?

Sort: It must be understood by a Grade 2 class, The budget is fifteen pounds, It must be finished within three lessons, It must survive a week outdoors

Criterion: what success meansConstraint: what limits you

LessonPrint · 3-5-ETS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Setting the Bar and the Bounds

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Nothing may be dug into the field — Constraint: what limits you 2. The design must cut water use by a quarter — Criterion: what success means 3. The filter must remove all visible sediment — Criterion: what success means 4. You may use only materials already in school — Constraint: what limits you
  2. 2.1. It must be safe to leave unsupervised — Constraint: what limits you 2. No part may need mains water — Constraint: what limits you 3. The model must cycle matter back to the soil — Criterion: what success means 4. The store must keep water cool for six hours — Criterion: what success means
  3. 3.1. It must be finished within three lessons — Constraint: what limits you 2. It must be understood by a Grade 2 class — Criterion: what success means 3. It must survive a week outdoors — Criterion: what success means 4. The budget is fifteen pounds — Constraint: what limits you

Questions about Setting the Bar and the Bounds

What does the Setting the Bar and the Bounds worksheet cover?

It practices defining a design problem with criteria and constraints — 3 questions for Grade 3 to Grade 5, all on NGSS 3-5-ETS1-1: Define a design problem, with what counts as success and what limits you. The instruction to students is “Sort each one into criterion or constraint”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which NGSS performance expectation does Setting the Bar and the Bounds practice?

3-5-ETS1-1, under Engineering Design for Grade 3 to Grade 5. The published performance expectation reads: “Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Setting the Bar and the Bounds is written for Grade 3 to Grade 5, typically ages 40-41. It is one of the sheets on 3-5-ETS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Setting the Bar and the Bounds 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 Setting the Bar and the Bounds 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 Setting the Bar and the Bounds free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Setting the Bar and the Bounds, 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 3-5-ETS1-1?

Yes — “Setting the Bar and the Bounds” is a 60-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 plan for 3-5-ETS1-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Setting the Bar and the Bounds is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 3-5-ETS1-1

Define a design problem, with what counts as success and what limits you.

Teaching this next? Setting the Bar and the Bounds is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 3 to Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-5-ETS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.