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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 9 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 would a third bed with even less light probably show?
  3. 3. How do the two beds compare?
  4. 4. Why did plants from one packet end up different heights?
2.Two cuttings from one geranium grow on a sunny windowsill and in a dark corner. Which will probably have greener, sturdier leaves?
  • A.Both exactly the same, because they came from one plant
  • B.The one on the sunny windowsill
  • C.The one in the dark corner
3.Flamingos get their pink color from the food they eat. What does that show?
  • A.The color is only inherited
  • B.All birds are pink
  • C.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
4.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
5.A seedling grown in a dark cupboard is pale and spindly. What caused that?
  • A.It was too warm
  • B.It came from a pale parent
  • C.Growing without light
6.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
7.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 bushes are different kinds
  • C.The gardener's favorite color

LessonPrint · 3-LS3-2 · Set 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Sunflowers in Sun and Shade

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. 85 cm. 2. Plants shorter than the shady bed's, if less sunlight means less growth. 3. Every plant in the sunny bed was taller than every plant in the shady bed. 4. The plants in the shady bed had less sunlight, which affected their growth.
  2. 2.The one on the sunny windowsill
  3. 3.Their surroundings, through their food, affect a trait
  4. 4.So any difference is caused by the surroundings, not different parents
  5. 5.Growing without light
  6. 6.Surroundings, because the twins started the same
  7. 7.The soil they grow in

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