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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 21 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. Why did plants from one packet end up different heights?
  2. 2. What would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  3. 3. What does this record not tell you?
  4. 4. What was kept the same between the two beds?
2.A kind of plant that normally grows tall is given too little water. What happens?
  • A.It grows taller than normal
  • B.It grows short and stunted
  • C.It changes into a different kind of plant
3.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 wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
  • B.The hilltop tree is older
  • C.The two trees are different kinds
4.A seedling grown in a dark cupboard is pale and spindly. What caused that?
  • A.It was too warm
  • B.Growing without light
  • C.It came from a pale parent
5.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
6.How could you test whether light affects the height of a plant?
  • A.Grow different kinds of seed in the same place
  • B.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  • C.Grow one plant and measure it once
7.A dog is given too much food and little exercise. What may happen?
  • A.It becomes overweight
  • B.Its puppies will be overweight
  • C.It grows a longer tail

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth. 2. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 3. It does not tell you how much sunlight each bed actually received. 4. The same seed packet, the same soil and the same watering.
  2. 2.It grows short and stunted
  3. 3.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
  4. 4.Growing without light
  5. 5.The soil they grow in
  6. 6.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  7. 7.It becomes overweight

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