A Small Difference That Helps is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on how variation among individuals can give an advantage, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-LS4-2. It prints 2 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.
LessonPrint · 3-LS4-2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — A Small Difference That Helps
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. A tree that flowers a week earlier — D (Sets seed before the summer drought) 2. A moth whose wings match the bark — A (Is spotted less often by birds) 3. A flower with a brighter color — B (Attracts more bees, so more seed is set) 4. A beetle with a harder shell — C (Survives being trodden on or pecked)
2.1. A plant with a deeper root — A (Reaches water in a dry summer) 2. A fish that grows faster than its shoal — C (Is too big for smaller predators sooner) 3. A bird with a stronger beak — B (Cracks seeds others cannot open) 4. A rabbit with slightly longer legs — D (Escapes a fox more often)
Questions about A Small Difference That Helps
What does the A Small Difference That Helps worksheet cover?
It practices how variation among individuals can give an advantage — 2 questions for Grade 3, all on NGSS 3-LS4-2: Explain how differences between individuals help them survive and reproduce. The instruction to students is “Draw a line from each variation to the advantage”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does A Small Difference That Helps practice?
3-LS4-2, under Life Science for Grade 3. The published performance expectation reads: “Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
A Small Difference That Helps is written for Grade 3, typically ages 8-9. It is one of the sheets on 3-LS4-2, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does A Small Difference That Helps come with an answer key?
Yes. All 2 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 A Small Difference That Helps 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 A Small Difference That Helps free to print and photocopy?
Yes. A Small Difference That Helps, 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 3-LS4-2?
Yes — “A Small Difference That Helps” is a 55-minute Grade 3 plan for 3-LS4-2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. A Small Difference That Helps is the practice that follows it.
More practice for 3-LS4-2
Explain how differences between individuals help them survive and reproduce.