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Matter Paths in a Wheat Field

Use wheat-straw investigation results to model how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Grade 5ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to5-LS2-1

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What’s included

Single worksheet
Auto-graded online
1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
13 questions
Classroom-ready

Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 5
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Matching, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer, Drawing

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students use investigation results as evidence of decomposition.
Students model matter moving among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.
Students distinguish matter transfers from sunlight supplying energy.

How to use

Read the investigation and graph together. Have students answer with evidence, then draw and label their own matter-transfer model.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

5-LS2-1

Model how matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers and the environment.

Preview

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Name Date

Matter Paths in a Wheat Field

Use a farm investigation to model where matter goes.

Investigate the Straw

Read the passage and graph. Use the investigation results to answer questions 1–5.

After the Wheat Harvest

A fifth-grade class visited a wheat farm after harvest. Short stems, called stubble, remained in the field. Loose straw covered parts of the soil. Tessa wondered what would happen to that straw before the next crop grew. The class planned a test at the farm's covered work area, where rain could not change the amount of water in the test trays.

Step 1: An adult collected dry wheat straw from one part of the field. The class placed 20 grams of straw in each of four identical fine-mesh bags. The mesh allowed water and tiny organisms to pass through but held the straw pieces inside. Step 2: Students filled four identical trays with equal amounts of soil from the same mixed batch. Each bag was buried at the same depth in one tray.

Step 3: The class labeled two trays Moist A and Moist B. An adult added water regularly to keep their soil damp, not flooded. The other trays, Dry A and Dry B, received no added water. All four trays stayed together at the same temperature for eight weeks. Step 4: Students observed the bags without opening them. They recorded that straw in the moist trays became softer and broke apart more easily.

Step 5: After eight weeks, an adult removed the bags, gently brushed away loose soil, and air-dried the remaining straw until its mass stopped changing. The straw had also been dry when first weighed. The adult weighed the straw without the bags. Students recorded the results in the graph below. They washed their hands after working near the trays and did not handle moldy material.

The class also gathered information for a field model. Wheat takes in matter from air and water as it grows. Its roots absorb water and minerals from soil. Sunlight supplies energy, not matter. Field mice eat wheat grains, and owls may eat the mice. Animals release matter into the air as they breathe, and their waste can reach the soil. Bacteria and fungi are decomposers. They take in matter from dead organisms and waste. As they live and break down these materials, matter also moves into the surrounding soil, water, and air. A useful model uses labeled arrows to show these transfers.