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Weighed Before, Weighed After is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on measuring to show the total weight of matter is conserved, aligned to Common Core standard 5-PS1-2. 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 8 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per pupil

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Weighed Before, Weighed After

5-PS1-2

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Weighed Before and Weighed After

Masses recorded on the same balance, before and after four changes. MASS BEFORE AND AFTER Sugar stirred into water, sealed jar ... 254.0 g then 254.0 g Ice melted in a sealed bag ............ 118.6 g then 118.6 g Vinegar and soda in a SEALED jar ...... 201.3 g then 201.3 g Vinegar and soda in an OPEN jar ....... 201.3 g then 197.8 g The same balance was used for every reading.

  1. 1. What was the mass after sugar was stirred into water?
  2. 2. What happened to the mass in every sealed container?
  3. 3. What claim does this record support?
  4. 4. Why did the open jar lose mass when the sealed one did not?
2.Why use the same balance for every reading?
  • A.To save time
  • B.Balances are all identical
  • C.So a difference between readings is a real difference in mass
3.A pupil concludes matter disappears because an open jar lost mass. What is wrong?
  • A.The gas left the jar but not the world; the sealed jar shows it
  • B.Open jars destroy matter
  • C.Nothing is wrong
4.A sealed jar of vinegar and soda weighs the same before and after fizzing. What does that show?
  • A.Matter was destroyed
  • B.No matter was lost; the gas is still inside the jar
  • C.The balance was wrong
5.Sugar dissolves and the mass is unchanged. What does that suggest about the sugar?
  • A.It is still there, spread through the water
  • B.It became water
  • C.It has been destroyed

LessonPrint · 5-PS1-2 · Set 8 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Weighed Before, Weighed After

Set 8. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 254.0 g, the same as before. 2. It stayed exactly the same before and after. 3. The total mass of matter stays the same through a change, when nothing can escape. 4. Gas escaped from the open jar, and the sealed jar kept it inside.
  2. 2.So a difference between readings is a real difference in mass
  3. 3.The gas left the jar but not the world; the sealed jar shows it
  4. 4.No matter was lost; the gas is still inside the jar
  5. 5.It is still there, spread through the water

More practice for 5-PS1-2

Measure and graph to show that weight is conserved when matter changes.

Teaching this next? Weighed Before, Weighed After is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-PS1-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.