Identifying Variables Worksheet

Six short experiments to read, each with independent, dependent and controlled to choose from, and an answer key.

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NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Identifying variablesA class waters beans once, twice or three times a week and measurestheir height. How often they water is thevariable.controlleddependentindependentRex times how fast salt and sugar dissolve in water of one temperature.Water temperature is thevariable.controlledindependentdependentZoe plucks rubber bands of three thicknesses and notes how high eachsounds. The pitch is thevariable.dependentindependentcontrolledUma grows beans in sand, clay and potting soil and gives each pot equalwater. The amount of water is thevariable.independentcontrolleddependentMax slides a block down sandpaper, cloth and foil and measures howfar it goes. The distance is thevariable.independentcontrolleddependentLin floats clay boats of three shapes and counts the pennies each holds.The number of pennies is thevariable.independentdependentcontrolled
NameDateMade at homeroomtools.comRead each sentence. Circle the word that fits.1.2.3.4.5.6.Identifying variablesAnswer keyA class waters beans once, twice or three times a week and measurestheir height. How often they water is thevariable.controlleddependentindependentRex times how fast salt and sugar dissolve in water of one temperature.Water temperature is thevariable.controlledindependentdependentZoe plucks rubber bands of three thicknesses and notes how high eachsounds. The pitch is thevariable.dependentindependentcontrolledUma grows beans in sand, clay and potting soil and gives each pot equalwater. The amount of water is thevariable.independentcontrolleddependentMax slides a block down sandpaper, cloth and foil and measures howfar it goes. The distance is thevariable.independentcontrolleddependentLin floats clay boats of three shapes and counts the pennies each holds.The number of pennies is thevariable.independentdependentcontrolledindependentcontrolleddependentcontrolleddependentdependent
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All 54 experiments

Science terms 30

  • A class builds parachutes from plastic, paper and cloth and times each fall. The fall time is the ___ variable. Dependent. The stopwatch reading is the outcome for each material.
  • A class waters beans once, twice or three times a week and measures their height. How often they water is the ___ variable. Independent. The class picks the watering plan; the height of the plants is the result.
  • Ada grows seedlings under red, blue and white lamps and counts their leaves. The leaf count is the ___ variable. Dependent. The leaf count is what Ada records for each lamp.
  • Ana puts ice cubes in water at three temperatures and times how long they last. Water temperature is the ___ variable. Independent. Ana sets up the three temperatures; the melting time follows from them.
  • Ben wraps jars of hot water in foil, wool or paper and reads a thermometer later. Water temperature is the ___ variable. Dependent. Here the temperature is read off, not set: it shows what each wrapping did.
  • Cal blows bubbles with three soap mixes and times how long each lasts. How long a bubble lasts is the ___ variable. Dependent. The time a bubble lasts is the outcome Cal compares.
Show all 54 experiments (48 more)

Science terms, continued

  • Dev times a toy car on wood, carpet and sandpaper ramps of one height. The ramp height is the ___ variable. Controlled. The surface is the test; the height is held steady.
  • Eva shines a flashlight on a toy from three distances and measures its shadow. The distance is the ___ variable. Independent. Eva moves the flashlight; the shadow changes because of it.
  • Fay tests three kinds of ball for bounce and drops each from one shelf. The drop height is the ___ variable. Controlled. One shelf gives every ball the same drop.
  • Gus tests whether music helps plants grow and uses one kind of plant throughout. The kind of plant is the ___ variable. Controlled. Using one kind of plant keeps the comparison fair.
  • Hana melts ice cubes of one size on metal, wood and plastic plates. The size of the cube is the ___ variable. Controlled. A bigger cube would last longer on any plate.
  • Ian counts the paper clips each of three magnets lifts, using clips of one size. The clip size is the ___ variable. Controlled. Clips of one size make the counts comparable.
  • Ivy leaves cups of water in sun, shade and a closet and measures what is left. The water left is the ___ variable. Dependent. What is left in each cup is the measurement.
  • Jo wets three kinds of paper towel and counts the marbles each holds. The kind of towel is the ___ variable. Independent. The kind of towel is what Jo is comparing.
  • Joy tests foam, paper and metal cups with equal amounts of warm cocoa. The amount of cocoa is the ___ variable. Controlled. More cocoa would stay warm longer in any cup.
  • Kai times how fast balls, cubes and sheets of ice melt in one room. The room is the ___ variable. Controlled. One room gives every shape the same warmth.
  • Kim hangs 1, 2 or 3 washers on a string and counts its swings in a minute. The number of washers is the ___ variable. Independent. Kim adds the washers; the count of swings is the measurement.
  • Leo times how fast whole, broken and crushed sugar cubes dissolve. The form of the sugar is the ___ variable. Independent. Whole, broken or crushed is what Leo chooses to test.
  • Lin floats clay boats of three shapes and counts the pennies each holds. The number of pennies is the ___ variable. Dependent. The penny count is the result for each shape.
  • Max slides a block down sandpaper, cloth and foil and measures how far it goes. The distance is the ___ variable. Dependent. The distance answers the question about the three coverings.
  • Mia drops one ball onto carpet, wood and tile and measures each bounce. The floor surface is the ___ variable. Independent. The surface is the one thing Mia swaps between drops.
  • Nia gives tomato plants 0, 1 or 2 spoonfuls of plant food and weighs the tomatoes. Their weight is the ___ variable. Dependent. The weight is the result Nia records for each dose.
  • Omar rubs a balloon 5, 10 or 20 times and counts the paper bits it picks up. The number of bits is the ___ variable. Dependent. Omar counts the bits to see what the rubbing did.
  • Raj plants seeds 1, 3 or 5 centimeters deep and counts the days until they sprout. Planting depth is the ___ variable. Independent. Raj picks the depths; the days to sprout depend on them.
  • Rex times how fast salt and sugar dissolve in water of one temperature. Water temperature is the ___ variable. Controlled. Warmer water would speed up either one, so both get the same.
  • Sam folds paper planes with short, medium and long wings and measures each flight. Wing length is the ___ variable. Independent. Sam decides the wing lengths before any plane is thrown.
  • Tia tests which paper plane flies farthest and throws each from the same line. The throwing line is the ___ variable. Controlled. A different starting line would change the distance, so it never moves.
  • Tom rolls a toy car down ramps of three heights and times each run. The ramp height is the ___ variable. Independent. Tom sets the three heights himself; the time is what he measures.
  • Uma grows beans in sand, clay and potting soil and gives each pot equal water. The amount of water is the ___ variable. Controlled. Equal water means only the soil can explain a difference.
  • Zoe plucks rubber bands of three thicknesses and notes how high each sounds. The pitch is the ___ variable. Dependent. The pitch is what Zoe listens for after changing the band.

Plain words 24

  • A class rolls a marble down ramps of three heights and uses a ruler to see how far it travels. The distance is ___. Measured: the ruler gives the result for each ramp.
  • A class tapes 1, 2 or 3 coins to a toy car and sees how far it rolls off a ramp. The number of coins is ___. Changed on purpose: the class decides how many coins to add.
  • A class tests which soil grows the tallest beans. Every pot sits on one sunny shelf. The amount of sun is ___. Kept the same: one shelf gives every pot equal light.
  • A group drops paper parachutes of three sizes and starts a stopwatch each time. The time to land is ___. Measured: the stopwatch gives the answer for each size.
  • A group folds paper bridges flat, as a fan and as a tube, then piles pennies on each. The shape of the paper is ___. Changed on purpose: the group chooses the three folds.
  • A group tests which cloth dries fastest and wets every piece with one spoonful of water. The amount of water is ___. Kept the same: each cloth starts equally wet.
  • Ava tests three paper planes and throws each one with the same gentle push. The push is ___. Kept the same: a harder throw would help any plane.
  • Bea fills a balloon rocket with 1, 2 or 3 breaths and sees how far it flies along a string. The number of breaths is ___. Changed on purpose: Bea decides how much air goes in.
  • Cy rolls three balls down one ramp to see which is fastest and never moves the ramp. The slope of the ramp is ___. Kept the same: only the ball differs from roll to roll.
  • Dee tests which shoe grips best by pulling each one across the same floor tile. The floor is ___. Kept the same: one tile for every shoe.
  • Eli tests whether warm or cold water dissolves a sugar cube faster and uses cubes of one size. The size of the cube is ___. Kept the same: a bigger cube would take longer in either cup.
  • Friends build towers on bases of three widths and count the blocks before each tower falls. The number of blocks is ___. Measured: the count is the result for each base.
  • Friends test which liquid freezes first and pour the same amount of each into the tray. The amount of liquid is ___. Kept the same: a smaller amount would freeze sooner whatever it is.
  • Ned cuts a short, a medium and a long straw whistle to hear which sounds highest. The length of the straw is ___. Changed on purpose: Ned cuts the three lengths.
  • Pat holds paper, foil and cloth in front of a lamp to see which blocks the most light. The material is ___. Changed on purpose: Pat swaps the material each time.
  • Ray kicks a ball on grass, sand and pavement to see where it rolls farthest. The ground is ___. Changed on purpose: Ray moves to a new kind of ground for each kick.
  • Students hang 1, 2 and 3 weights on a spring and hold a ruler beside it. The length of the spring is ___. Measured: the ruler shows how far each load stretched it.
  • Students leave ice cubes in the sun, in shade and in a cooler and time the melting. The place is ___. Changed on purpose: the students pick the three places.
  • Students test string phones made with three kinds of string, each cut to one length. The length of the string is ___. Kept the same: only the kind of string is being compared.
  • Sue grows grass under a lamp and in a dark box and checks how tall it is each week. The height of the grass is ___. Measured: the height shows what the light did.
  • Two friends give seeds a little, some or a lot of water and watch which sprout first. The amount of water is ___. Changed on purpose: the friends pour the three amounts.
  • Vic puts a thermometer in a black, a white and a silver cup left in the sun. The temperature is ___. Measured: Vic reads it off to compare the cups.
  • Wes tests three magnets by counting the paper clips each one lifts. The number of paper clips is ___. Measured: the count tells Wes which magnet is strongest.
  • Yul waters one plant with tap water and one with rain water and counts the new leaves. The number of new leaves is ___. Measured: the leaf count is what Yul records.

How this list was compiled: Written for this page on 2026-10-16. Every experiment is made up; none reports a real result. What the three kinds of variable are was read that day in the English Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/), whose text is under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike license: Dependent and independent variables (the independent variable is controlled by the experimenter and the dependent variable is the outcome; a variable kept constant is called a controlled variable, control variable or fixed variable; the fertilizer example, in which the kind of plant, the pot size and the sunlight are controlled), Control variable and Scientific control (the control group). The independent and the dependent variable were read again at North Carolina State University's LabWrite pages Independent Variable (https://labwrite.ncsu.edu/po/independentvar.htm) and Dependent Variable (https://labwrite.ncsu.edu/po/dependentvar.htm), and at the Kids' Zone of the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics, What are Independent and Dependent Variables? (https://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/help/user_guide/graph/variables.asp). The names in the experiments are made-up first names and stand for no real person. Licence: own work

How it works

This identifying variables worksheet prints six short experiments, such as beans watered once, twice or three times a week. Each names one thing and asks which variable it is: independent, dependent or controlled. A key is the last page.

Read the full guide

One thing, three parts

The same thing can be any of the three, and only the experiment decides. In the bank, water temperature is independent where ice cubes sit in water at three temperatures, dependent where wrapped jars are read with a thermometer, and controlled where salt and sugar dissolve in water of one temperature.

The same job in plain words

Under Set, Plain words holds 24 more experiments with no science terms. Each line ends in a blank for changed on purpose, measured or kept the same: coins taped to a toy car, a thermometer in three cups, one sunny shelf for every pot.

  • For your own experiment, type a line such as: Ramp height is the ___ variable. = independent / dependent / controlled

Questions and answers

What is the difference between an independent and a dependent variable?

The independent variable is the one thing the experimenter changes on purpose. The dependent variable is what gets measured to see the effect. Change the height of a ramp and time the car: height is independent, time is dependent.

What is a controlled variable?

Anything that could change the result and is held the same in every trial. In a test of how much fertilizer helps a plant grow, the kind of plant, the size of the pot and the sunlight are controlled variables.

Is a controlled variable the same as a control group?

No. A controlled variable is a condition held steady for every trial. A control group is the set of subjects that does not get the treatment, so that there is a baseline to compare the treated ones with.

Is there an identifying variables worksheet for 4th grade or 5th grade?

The sheet prints no grade. Every experiment is two lines about things a class can picture: ramps, bean plants, ice cubes, paper planes. Plain words drops the three science terms for a class that has not met them.

Can I get the identifying variables worksheet as a PDF?

Yes. Print worksheet opens the print window, and Save as PDF there gives a file of two pages: the six experiments, then the same six with the right word circled.

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