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Where a Plant's Mass Comes From is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on arguing that plants get their materials chiefly from air and water, aligned to Common Core standard 5-LS1-1. 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.

Set 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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

Where a Plant's Mass Comes From

5-LS1-1

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Where the Plant's Mass Came From

A five-month record of a potted plant, with the pot and soil weighed separately. OVER FIVE MONTHS Plant mass at the start ......... 12 g Plant mass at the end ........... 486 g Dry soil at the start ........... 2,000 g Dry soil at the end ............. 1,988 g Water given over five months .... about 9 litres The pot stood in the light and was not fed.

  1. 1. How much dry soil was lost?
  2. 2. Where did most of the plant's new material come from?
  3. 3. How much did the plant gain over five months?
  4. 4. What claim does this record support?
2.Why does this argument need the soil weighed as well as the plant?
  • A.Soil is interesting
  • B.It fills the table
  • C.Without it you cannot say the mass did not come from the soil
3.Which gas does a plant take in to build its material?
  • A.Nitrogen from the soil
  • B.Oxygen only
  • C.Carbon dioxide from the air
4.Why weigh the soil dry rather than damp?
  • A.Dry soil is lighter
  • B.It is easier to handle
  • C.Water in the soil would change the reading without any material being used
5.What would you measure to test this claim on a different plant?
  • A.The number of leaves
  • B.The plant's mass gain and the dry soil's mass loss over the same period
  • C.Its height only

LessonPrint · 5-LS1-1 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Where a Plant's Mass Comes From

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 12 g, from 2,000 g to 1,988 g. 2. From air and water rather than from the soil. 3. 474 g, from 12 g to 486 g. 4. Plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
  2. 2.Without it you cannot say the mass did not come from the soil
  3. 3.Carbon dioxide from the air
  4. 4.Water in the soil would change the reading without any material being used
  5. 5.The plant's mass gain and the dry soil's mass loss over the same period

More practice for 5-LS1-1

Argue that plants build themselves mostly from air and water.

Teaching this next? Where a Plant's Mass Comes From is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-LS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.