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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 24 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 the tallest plant in the sunny bed?
  3. 3. What would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  4. 4. Why did plants from one packet end up different heights?
2.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
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.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
5.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
6.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
7.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

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 24 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 24. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Every plant in the sunny bed was taller than every plant in the shady bed. 2. 155 cm. 3. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 4. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth.
  2. 2.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
  3. 3.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  4. 4.It becomes overweight
  5. 5.Growing without light
  6. 6.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  7. 7.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait

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