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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 20 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. How do the two beds compare?
  2. 2. What was kept the same between the two beds?
  3. 3. What was the tallest plant in the sunny bed?
  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.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
4.Identical twins grow up apart, and one does far more sport. One is much stronger. Inherited or surroundings?
  • A.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  • B.Inherited, because they are twins
  • C.Neither
5.Why use seeds from the same packet when testing surroundings?
  • A.So they look the same in photos
  • B.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  • C.Because packets are cheaper
6.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 gardener's favorite color
  • C.The soil they grow in
7.A dog is given too much food and little exercise. What may happen?
  • A.It grows a longer tail
  • B.It becomes overweight
  • C.Its puppies will be overweight

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 20 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 20. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Every plant in the sunny bed was taller than every plant in the shady bed. 2. The same seed packet, the same soil and the same watering. 3. 155 cm. 4. 85 cm.
  2. 2.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  3. 3.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  4. 4.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  5. 5.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  6. 6.The soil they grow in
  7. 7.It becomes overweight

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