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

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Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

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 would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  2. 2. What was the tallest plant in the sunny bed?
  3. 3. Why did plants from one packet end up different heights?
  4. 4. What does this record not tell you?
2.Hydrangea bushes of one kind have blue flowers in some soils and pink in others. What causes the difference?
  • A.The bushes are different kinds
  • B.The soil they grow in
  • C.The gardener's favorite color
3.A seedling grown in a dark cupboard is pale and spindly. What caused that?
  • A.Growing without light
  • B.It was too warm
  • C.It came from a pale parent
4.Flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat. What does that show?
  • A.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  • B.The color is only inherited
  • C.All birds are pink
5.Identical twins grow up apart, and one does far more sport. One is much stronger. Inherited or surroundings?
  • A.Neither
  • B.Inherited, because they are twins
  • C.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
6.A tree on a windy hilltop is short and bent. A tree of the same kind in a valley is tall and straight. What explains it?
  • A.The hilltop tree is older
  • B.The two trees are different kinds
  • C.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
7.A dog is given too much food and little exercise. What may happen?
  • A.Its puppies will be overweight
  • B.It grows a longer tail
  • C.It becomes overweight

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

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 2. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 2. 155 cm. 3. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth. 4. It does not tell you how much sunlight each bed actually received.
  2. 2.The soil they grow in
  3. 3.Growing without light
  4. 4.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  5. 5.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  6. 6.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
  7. 7.It becomes overweight

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