5-LS1-1: Plants Grow from Air and Water
Also called NGSS 5-LS1-1 · Topic: Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems · Life Science
The Official Wording
Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.
Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the idea that plant matter comes mostly from air and water, not from the soil.
NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026
What 5-LS1-1 Means in Plain English
Fifth graders make an evidence-based argument about where a plant's body comes from. Growing plants and weighing the soil shows that a plant gains far more weight than the soil loses, so most of the new plant matter must come from air and water.
Students argue from evidence and do not need the chemistry of photosynthesis. Soil supplies small amounts of minerals, but not the bulk of the plant. The idea pairs with 5-PS3-1 and grows into MS-LS1-6, where photosynthesis is explained in detail.
5-LS1-1 I Can Statements
- I can use measurements as evidence in a science argument.
- I can explain why a growing plant does not use up its soil.
- I can name air and water as the main materials for plant growth.
5-LS1-1 Worked Example
A five-week growing test that puts the soil on a balance before and after.
As bean plants grow, does their soil lose as much as the plants gain?
Set It Up: A cup with drainage holes, oven-dried potting soil, three bean seeds, and a balance that reads to 0.1 g.
- Find the dry soil's weight, then plant the bean seeds in it.Dry soil: 200.0 g
- Keep the cup damp in a sunny window for five weeks.Plants about 25 cm tall
- Pull out the plants, shaking every crumb of soil back into the cup.Roots bare, soil saved
- Put the fresh plants on the balance.Plants: 31.5 g
- Let the soil dry completely, then put it back on the balance.Dry soil: 199.6 g
The plants gained about 31 g while the soil lost less than half a gram, so the soil could not have built the plants.
Why it works: Plants take in water through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air, and use sunlight to turn them into leaves, stems, and roots.
Common Mistakes with 5-LS1-1
Thinking plants eat soil
“The plant gets big by eating the dirt.”
Try this: Weigh the soil before and after. It barely changes while the plant gains a lot, so the plant's matter came from elsewhere.
Forgetting that air is matter
“Air can't make a plant heavier, it's just empty.”
Try this: Air is made of gases with weight. Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and build it into leaves, stems, and wood.
Comparing wet soil with dry soil
Soggy soil weighed at the end, dry soil at the start
Try this: Water changes the reading a lot. Dry the soil the same way both times, so the weights compare only the soil itself.
Where 5-LS1-1 Fits
Practice 5-LS1-1
Quick Check
- A tree grows from a seed into a giant. Where did most of its weight come from?
- A plant gained 30 g but its soil lost only 1 g. What does that tell you?
- Why must both soil weighings be done when the soil is dry?