PencilGo

Grade 6 · Science

6th grade Plan a fair experiment worksheet

6 printable versionsBuilding Confidence10 questions · answer keyFree · no account

Level: Building Confidence · On Level · Challenge Me

When it’s done, scan the sheet with your phone and PencilGo marks it and picks the next one. Create a free account

Version
Print

Plan a fair experiment

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Question, Does the amount of light change how tall bean plants grow?; what is changed, blank; what is measured, blank. Ari tests whether the amount of light changes how tall bean plants grow. What is the independent variable?

    • The color of the pots on the shelf
    • The kind of soil, which stays the same
    • The amount of light each plant gets
    • How tall the bean plants grow by the end
  2. What is changed, drop height: 50, 100, 150 cm; what is measured, blank. Bo drops a ball from 50, 100 and 150 cm and measures how high it bounces. What is the dependent variable?

    • The kind of ball, kept the same
    • The number of people watching the drop
    • The drop height of the ball
    • How high the ball bounces
  3. Kira times how long sugar takes to dissolve in cold and in warm circle water. Which pair names the variables correctly?

    • Changed: the glass; measured: the spoon
    • Changed: water temperature; measured: time to dissolve
    • Changed: time to dissolve; measured: water temperature
    • Changed: amount of sugar; measured: water temperature
  4. “Investigation card:” Jun tests three paper-towel brands to see which soaks up the most water. What must stay the same?

    • The brand of paper towel
    • Nothing; any amounts will do
    • The water amount and the towel size
    • The amount of water each towel soaks up
  5. Luz tests whether salt makes ice cubes melt faster. Which plan is fair?

    • Big cubes get salt; small cubes get no salt
    • Same-size cubes in the same room, salt on one plate
    • Salted cubes in the sun; plain cubes in the cool shade
    • Test one plate of salted cubes and nothing else
  6. Investigation card: what is changed, magnet A or B; what is measured, paper clips picked up. Milo compares two magnets by counting how many paper clips each picks up. Which choice would make the test unfair?

    • Counting the clips the same way each time
    • Testing both magnets on the same table
    • Using bigger paper clips for one magnet
    • Using the same box of paper clips for both
  7. Which hypothesis can Pia test with a ball and a meter stick?

    • If the drop height is greater, the ball will bounce higher
    • Bouncing a ball is a good game
    • Balls bounce because they want to go back up
    • Red balls are more fun to bounce than blue balls or green ones
  8. Ren will test sugar in cold and warm circle water. Which hypothesis fits the experiment?

    • If the glass is blue, sugar will dissolve faster
    • Warm water is nicer than cold water
    • Sugar is better than salt
    • If the water is warmer, sugar will dissolve faster
  9. Why does Zee include a plate of ice cubes with no salt?

    • It is not needed; the salted plate shows the answer
    • To compare melting with and without salt
    • To make the test take longer to finish
    • To use up the extra ice in the freezer
  10. Read this first

    Use this

    A jar of water and two piles of bean seeds. Investigation card: what is changed, soaked or dry; what is measured, days to sprout.

  11. Esme wants to know whether soaking seeds overnight helps them sprout sooner. Which plan has a control group?

    • Soak all 20 seeds, then plant them
    • Soak 10 seeds and keep 10 dry, then plant all 20
    • Soak 10 seeds; plant the dry ones in different soil
    • Soak 1 seed and plant it by itself
PencilGopencilgo.com

6th grade Plan a fair experiment worksheet – printable
Print: 123456

About this worksheet

Designing a fair experiment: variables, hypotheses, controls and trials. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can name the independent variable (what I change), the dependent variable (what I measure) and what stays the same.
  • I can pick a testable question and an if-then hypothesis, and say which group is the control.
  • I can fix an unfair plan, explain why repeated trials matter, and write a conclusion that stays inside the data.

Standard: practices (no PE code)

Words to know

independent variable: The one thing you change on purpose

dependent variable: What you measure to see the effect

controlled variables: Everything you keep the same

control group: The group that gets no change, for comparing

hypothesis: A testable prediction: if I change this, that will happen

trial: One run of the experiment

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the two variables. The independent variable is what the scientist changes on purpose; the dependent variable is what gets measured.

Your child missed something that was not kept the same. In a fair test, only the independent variable changes; everything else stays the same.

Your child chose a statement that cannot be tested. A testable hypothesis predicts how changing one variable will change something you can measure.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with plan a fair experiment?

Your child mixed up the two variables. The independent variable is what the scientist changes on purpose; the dependent variable is what gets measured.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 science

See all grade 6 science

Every sheet you scan goes into your child’s record: dated, marked and ready for the year-end portfolio. Homeschool records