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Sunflowers in Sun and Shade is a free printable Grade 3 science worksheet on using measured heights as evidence that surroundings change a trait, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 3-LS3-2. It prints 7 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 12 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

3-LS3-2

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

Sunflowers From One Packet

Heights measured after ten weeks, from one packet of seed sown in two places. HEIGHTS AFTER TEN WEEKS Sunny bed: 148 cm, 152 cm, 139 cm, 155 cm, 144 cm Shady bed: 96 cm, 88 cm, 102 cm, 91 cm, 85 cm All seeds came from the same packet. All had the same soil and the same watering. Every plant had yellow flowers and a thick stem.

  1. 1. What was kept the same between the two beds?
  2. 2. What would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  3. 3. How do the two beds compare?
  4. 4. What was the shortest plant in the shady bed?
2.How could you test whether light affects the height of a plant?
  • A.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  • B.Grow different kinds of seed in the same place
  • C.Grow one plant and measure it once
3.Why use seeds from the same packet when testing surroundings?
  • A.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  • B.Because packets are cheaper
  • C.So they look the same in photos
4.Flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat. What does that show?
  • A.The color is only inherited
  • B.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  • C.All birds are pink
5.Hydrangea bushes of one kind have blue flowers in some soils and pink in others. What causes the difference?
  • A.The gardener's favorite color
  • B.The bushes are different kinds
  • C.The soil they grow in
6.Identical twins grow up apart, and one does far more sport. One is much stronger. Inherited or surroundings?
  • A.Inherited, because they are twins
  • B.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  • C.Neither
7.A dog is given too much food and little exercise. What may happen?
  • A.Its puppies will be overweight
  • B.It becomes overweight
  • C.It grows a longer tail

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 12 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 12. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The same seed packet, the same soil and the same watering. 2. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 3. Every plant in the sunny bed was taller than every plant in the shady bed. 4. 85 cm.
  2. 2.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  3. 3.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  4. 4.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  5. 5.The soil they grow in
  6. 6.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  7. 7.It becomes overweight

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 3-LS3-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.