Variables in an Experiment

Variables in an Experiment Worksheet (Grade 6 Science, TEKS 6.1B)

Teach grade 6 students the three kinds of variables in a fair test. A short reading and a lab notebook page walk through one clear example: does water temperature affect how quickly sugar dissolves?

What's Inside

• A short reading on variables, independent and dependent variables, and controlled variables (constants)
• A lab notebook page with the sugar and water experiment, its plan, and its variables
• Activity 1: Students label the variables in a new toy car and ramp experiment with I, D, or C
• Activity 2: A word bank fill-in to review the key terms
• A visual answer key with answers marked in red

How Teachers Use It

Use it before a hands-on experiment or as a follow-up to a lab. Students apply the terms to a new experiment instead of copying the example. Every term is taught on the page, so no prior knowledge is needed. The sheet takes about 10 minutes, works for independent work, partners, or homework, and prints clearly in black and white.

This worksheet is part of the Reading in Science series for grade 6. It supports TEKS 6.1B: use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems. Pair it with the other sheets in the series to build a full unit on scientific and engineering practices, one skill at a time.

Why It Works

Each sheet teaches one or two new terms in plain words first, then asks students to use only what the page taught. Activities stay at the sort, circle, and match level, so students build confidence while the answer key gives teachers the reasoning they need.