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Sunlight, Water, or Both is a free printable Grade 2 science worksheet on planning an investigation into what plants need to grow, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 2-LS2-1. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Sunlight, Water, or Both

2-LS2-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.A student waters one tray more than the others. What is wrong?
  • A.The tray will be tidier
  • B.Two things now differ, so the result cannot be explained
  • C.Nothing, more water is better
2.Tray 4 had neither. What does its result add?
  • A.Nothing at all
  • B.It proves soil is useless
  • C.It shows what happens with nothing, to compare the others against
3.Tray 3 had water and no sunlight and grew pale thin grass. What does that show?
  • A.Water is not needed
  • B.Sunlight does nothing
  • C.Water lets it grow, but sunlight is needed to grow thick and green
4.How long should a plant test run?
  • A.One afternoon
  • B.Long enough for a difference to show, such as three weeks
  • C.Until somebody gets bored
5.Why were all four trays sown on the same day?
  • A.So only the sunlight and the water differed between them
  • B.So the trays matched
  • C.So the class was busy
6.What should be kept the same in a plant test?
  • A.The seed, the soil and the tray
  • B.The amount of light in every tray
  • C.Nothing, so it is interesting
7.Tray 1 had sunlight and water and grew thick green grass. Tray 2 had sunlight and no water and grew nothing. What does that show?
  • A.Without water nothing grows at all
  • B.Sunlight is not needed
  • C.Grass hates sunlight
8.What would settle whether a plant needs soil as well?
  • A.Watching tray 1 for longer
  • B.Asking a gardener
  • C.A tray with water and light but no soil

LessonPrint · 2-LS2-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunlight, Water, or Both

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Two things now differ, so the result cannot be explained
  2. 2.It shows what happens with nothing, to compare the others against
  3. 3.Water lets it grow, but sunlight is needed to grow thick and green
  4. 4.Long enough for a difference to show, such as three weeks
  5. 5.So only the sunlight and the water differed between them
  6. 6.The seed, the soil and the tray
  7. 7.Without water nothing grows at all
  8. 8.A tray with water and light but no soil

Questions about Sunlight, Water, or Both

What does the Sunlight, Water, or Both worksheet cover?

It practices planning an investigation into what plants need to grow — 8 questions for Grade 2, all on NGSS 2-LS2-1: Test whether plants need sunlight and water to grow. The instruction to students is “Circle the best answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which NGSS performance expectation does Sunlight, Water, or Both practice?

2-LS2-1, under Life Science for Grade 2. The published performance expectation reads: “Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Sunlight, Water, or Both is written for Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on 2-LS2-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Sunlight, Water, or Both come with an answer key?

Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Sunlight, Water, or Both can I print?

25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Sunlight, Water, or Both free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Sunlight, Water, or Both, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach 2-LS2-1?

Yes — “Sunlight, Water, or Both” is a 50-minute Grade 2 plan for 2-LS2-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Sunlight, Water, or Both is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 2-LS2-1

Test whether plants need sunlight and water to grow.

Teaching this next? Sunlight, Water, or Both is the 50-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 2-LS2-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.