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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 4 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 claim does this record support?
  3. 3. What was the tallest plant in the sunny bed?
  4. 4. What was kept the same between the two beds?
2.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
3.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
4.Two cuttings from one geranium grow on a sunny windowsill and in a dark corner. Which will probably have greener, sturdier leaves?
  • A.The one in the dark corner
  • B.The one on the sunny windowsill
  • C.Both exactly the same, because they came from one plant
5.How could you test whether light affects the height of a plant?
  • A.Grow one plant and measure it once
  • B.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  • C.Grow different kinds of seed in the same place
6.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
7.Why use seeds from the same packet when testing surroundings?
  • A.Because packets are cheaper
  • B.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  • C.So they look the same in photos

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 4 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 4. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth. 2. Seed from one packet grew to different heights, so the sunny and shady beds changed how tall the plants grew. 3. 155 cm. 4. The same seed packet, the same soil and the same watering.
  2. 2.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  3. 3.The soil they grow in
  4. 4.The one on the sunny windowsill
  5. 5.Grow seeds from one packet, some in light and some in shade, with everything else the same
  6. 6.It becomes overweight
  7. 7.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents

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