Texas TEKS5th GradeScience

§112.7.b.7.BDesign a simple experimental investigation that

Force, motion, and energy · b.7: Force, motion, and energy. The student knows the nature of forces and the patterns of their interactions. The student is expected to:

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What this standard means: TEKS §112.7.7.B asks fifth graders to design a simple fair test that shows how force changes an object's motion. This intervention, Fix the Fair Test, practices that skill by having students diagnose broken investigation plans rather than build one from scratch. In each question, a student changes two variables at once, such as ramp height and toy car, or skips repeated trials, or measures the wrong thing, such as a paper airplane's spins instead of its flight distance. Students must name the specific error and explain the fix: hold one variable steady, repeat trials, or match the measurement to the question being tested. With repetition, spotting an unfair test becomes as automatic as designing a fair one.

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Everything below is measured from the actual lesson and the actual file. Nothing here is an estimate.

Time to run
About 34 minutes. 10 min lesson, then 24 min of practice.
In the download
9 printable pages: the full lesson, the worked examples, the visual models, and 7 practice questions with space to work. A teacher answer key is included at the end, so the student pages come first and it is still ready to hand out. The lesson’s worked examples do show their solutions, because that is how they teach.
Question set
The download carries all 7 questions. The page shows 3 of them as a sample.
Question format
Every question is short answer. Students show their work on the page.
Dates
Published August 6, 2026. Not revised since.

The sample intervention

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§112.7.b.7.B

Fix the Fair Test: Force and Motion Investigation Challenge

Design a simple fair test to see how force changes the motion of an object.

Read the passages and examples below to learn about designing a simple fair test to see how force changes the motion of an object. Notice what makes an investigation fair, how to keep one variable changed at a time, and how to use repeated trials and data to support a claim.

A fair test changes only one variable at a time. A variable is something that can change in an investigation. If you want to learn how force affects motion, keep everything else the same. That way, the data tells you what caused the change.
In a toy car ramp test, the ramp height can be the one variable. Use the same car, the same ramp surface, and the same starting spot. Then compare how far the car rolls or how fast it moves. If two things change at once, the results are harder to trust.
Parts of a fair test plan
Toy car on a ramp
What we change (1 variable)the ramp height
What we keep the samesame car, same surface, same start
What we measure (the data)how far the car rolls, in cm
How many trials3 trials, then compare the results

Use these four lines to check any plan. If a line is missing or has more than one change, the test is not fair.

How far the car rolled (3 trials)
Trial 1Trial 2Trial 3
Ramp height 10 cm42 cm39 cm44 cm
Ramp height 20 cm78 cm81 cm76 cm

Only the ramp height changed. Trials of the same setup are close but not identical, so one trial alone is not enough.

Fair Test vs. Not Fair

Sort each idea by whether it keeps one variable changed at a time.

Worked exampleExample 1: Wrong plan — A student changes both the ramp height and the toy car at the same time. Why it is wrong: two variables changed, so the data would not show which change affected motion. Correct plan: keep the same car and change only the ramp height.
Worked exampleExample 2: Wrong plan — A student tests a balloon rocket only once and says the result is final. Why it is wrong: one trial does not give reliable data. Correct plan: repeat the test several times and compare the results.

Practice questions

  1. 1

    A student tests whether a paper airplane flies farther when the wings are folded differently. The student changes the wing fold but also changes the paper type and throws one airplane harder than the other. The student says, 'This is a fair test because I changed several things.' What is wrong with the student's claim, and how should the test be changed to make it fair?

  2. 2

    A student says, 'I changed the ramp height and also switched to a different toy car, so I learned which change affected the motion.' What is wrong with this plan, and how should it be fixed?

  3. 3

    A student tests a balloon rocket by measuring how far it travels after each launch. The student writes, “Launch 1: measure the distance. Launch 2: measure the distance. Launch 3: measure the distance.” A classmate says, “This is not a fair test because the student should change the launch distance each time.” Explain why the classmate is wrong and describe what repeated trials show in this investigation.

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