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Shadows, Days and Stars is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on representing data to reveal daily and seasonal patterns in the sky, aligned to Common Core standard 5-ESS1-2. It prints 4 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per pupil

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Shadows, Days and Stars

5-ESS1-2

NameDate

Look at the data, then answer.

1.
21 June21 March21 September21 December
Sunrise time in hours after 4 am, four dates. Which date had the latest sunrise?
2.
JuneSeptemberDecemberMarch
Hours of darkness by month. Which month had the most darkness?
3.
AugustSeptemberOctoberNovember
Shadow length at noon each month, in tenths of a metre. How long in October?
4.
21 December21 March21 June21 September
Noon shadow of a one-metre stick, four dates. Which date had the longest shadow?

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-2 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Shadows, Days and Stars

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.21 December, 4 hours after 4 am.
  2. 2.December, with about 16 hours.
  3. 3.1.9 m — 19 tenths of a metre.
  4. 4.21 December, at 3.2 m — 32 tenths of a metre.

Questions about Shadows, Days and Stars

What does the Shadows, Days and Stars worksheet cover?

It practises representing data to reveal daily and seasonal patterns in the sky — 4 questions for Grade 5, all on Common Core 5-ESS1-2: Graph data on shadows, day and night, and the stars across a year. The instruction to pupils is “Look at the data, then answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which Common Core standard does Shadows, Days and Stars practise?

5-ESS1-2 — 5-ESS1-2, in the Earth and Space Science domain for Grade 5. The published standard reads: “Represent data in graphical displays to reveal patterns of daily changes in length and direction of shadows, day and night, and the seasonal appearance of some stars in the night sky.” The worksheet assesses that standard rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Shadows, Days and Stars is written for Grade 5, typically ages 10-11. It is one of the sheets on 5-ESS1-2, so it suits any pupil working at that standard — including older pupils revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Shadows, Days and Stars come with an answer key?

Yes. All 4 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Shadows, Days and Stars can I print?

25 — one per pupil, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Shadows, Days and Stars free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Shadows, Days and Stars, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach 5-ESS1-2?

Yes — “Shadows, Days and Stars” is a 60-minute Grade 5 plan for 5-ESS1-2, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Shadows, Days and Stars is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 5-ESS1-2

Graph data on shadows, day and night, and the stars across a year.

Teaching this next? Shadows, Days and Stars is the 60-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 5 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 5-ESS1-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.