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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 25 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 did the plant gain over five months?
  2. 2. What claim does this record support?
  3. 3. Can the soil account for the plant's gain?
  4. 4. How much dry soil was lost?
2.A pupil says plants eat soil. What evidence contradicts that?
  • A.Plants have no mouths
  • B.Soil is heavy
  • C.The soil lost 12 g while the plant gained 474 g
3.Why does this argument need the soil weighed as well as the plant?
  • A.Soil is interesting
  • B.Without it you cannot say the mass did not come from the soil
  • C.It fills the table
4.What does the plant take from the soil, if not most of its mass?
  • A.Nothing at all
  • B.Water and small amounts of minerals
  • C.All of its material
5.Which gas does a plant take in to build its material?
  • A.Oxygen only
  • B.Carbon dioxide from the air
  • C.Nitrogen from the soil

LessonPrint · 5-LS1-1 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Where a Plant's Mass Comes From

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 474 g, from 12 g to 486 g. 2. Plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water. 3. No: the plant gained 474 g and the soil lost only 12 g. 4. 12 g, from 2,000 g to 1,988 g.
  2. 2.The soil lost 12 g while the plant gained 474 g
  3. 3.Without it you cannot say the mass did not come from the soil
  4. 4.Water and small amounts of minerals
  5. 5.Carbon dioxide from the air

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.