Reading From the Triple Beam Balance

Target learning: Learn how to read the weights of the triple beam balance scale. Finding the mass of objects

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

 Students have a hard time reading those weights on the triple beam balance scale. This worksheet has a written explanation and 10 practice problems. Half of them are challenging for the students because it requires the students to go into the tenths place. Most every object the students place on a scale will involve a decimal place. I have trouble with my students trying to just round the numbers to the nearest whole number. I require some kind of tenths or hundreds place. If a student or group gets a whole number on their scale they have to call me over to sign off that it can be used.

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 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 nob under the plate
• Moving the weights
• The back two weights have a notch that they fit in and the front unit weight can slide by any number
• Adding up the weights
• How to hold it and care for it

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