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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 6 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 was the shortest plant in the shady bed?
  2. 2. What does this record not tell you?
  3. 3. Why did plants from one packet end up different heights?
  4. 4. What claim does this record support?
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 hilltop tree is older
  • B.The two trees are different kinds
  • C.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
3.A dog is given too much food and little exercise. What may happen?
  • A.It becomes overweight
  • B.It grows a longer tail
  • C.Its puppies will be overweight
4.Why use seeds from the same packet when testing surroundings?
  • A.So they look the same in photos
  • B.Because packets are cheaper
  • C.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
5.Identical twins grow up apart, and one does far more sport. One is much stronger. Inherited or surroundings?
  • A.Inherited, because they are twins
  • B.Neither
  • C.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
6.Hydrangea bushes of one kind have blue flowers in some soils and pink in others. What causes the difference?
  • A.The soil they grow in
  • B.The gardener's favorite color
  • C.The bushes are different kinds
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 6 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 6. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 85 cm. 2. It does not tell you how much sunlight each bed actually received. 3. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth. 4. Seed from one packet grew to different heights, so the sunny and shady beds changed how tall the plants grew.
  2. 2.The wind on the hilltop affected how it grew
  3. 3.It becomes overweight
  4. 4.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  5. 5.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  6. 6.The soil they grow in
  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.