Reading and Pan Balance Scale

Target learning:

I can read the weights of the pan balance scale. I can find the mass of objects using a pan balance.

This page is a fold-able lab sheet that can be glued into their science spiral or science journal. Instructions on printing the pages is included

 This worksheet has a written explanation and 10 practice problems. Half of them are challenging for the students. Most every object the students place on a scale will involve a decimal place.

I have included an easy sheet with just whole numbers and another sheet where students pick which object has the most mass or least mass.

You can also use this in math class if you would like to work into some integration science and math

The students fill in their answers using the same looking boxes found on standardized test. This is also great practice for place value and how the fill in those boxes.

Start the school year out with introducing all the tools that the students will be using during all the labs for the school year. This will help all the other labs go smoother because the students will already know how to use the tool.

Materials needed:

Even though this is just a practice sheet on how to add the weights. I would encourage you to have the pan balance beams out for the students to put their hands on it. Let them touch it and play with it. Maybe have them find the mass of their science spiral and see if each group gets the same mass. If they don’t get the same mass ….why not? I really encourage the students to get good measurements and data.

Things to focus on when showing them the scale

• zero out the scale by sliding the weight
• Adding weights
• Adding up the weights
• How to hold it and care for it