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Turning Once a Day is a free printable Grade 5 science worksheet on explaining day and night and the sun's daily path by Earth's spin, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 5-ESS1-2. It prints 8 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 16 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.

Turning Once a Day

5-ESS1-2

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.If Earth spun around faster, what would happen to the length of each day and night?
  • A.Days and nights would be shorter
  • B.Nothing would change
  • C.They would be longer
2.Why does the sun seem to cross the sky from east to west each day?
  • A.Clouds push the sun along
  • B.Earth spins toward the east, once about every 24 hours
  • C.The sun travels around Earth each day
3.Early in the morning, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Toward the east, at the sun
  • B.Toward the west, away from the rising sun
  • C.Straight down
4.In the evening, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  • B.Toward the west, at the sun
  • C.Straight up
5.When it is noon on one side of Earth, what time is it on the opposite side?
  • A.About midnight
  • B.Also noon
  • C.Early morning everywhere
6.The sun rises earlier in a town far to the east than in a town far to the west. Why?
  • A.Earth turns toward the east, so eastern places turn into sunlight first
  • B.The sun rises twice
  • C.The eastern town is closer to the sun
7.Why does a stick's shadow swing around during the day?
  • A.The ground moves under the stick
  • B.The stick bends in the heat
  • C.The sun's position in the sky changes as Earth turns
8.Why is a shadow shortest around the middle of the day?
  • A.The sun is furthest away
  • B.The sun is at its highest in the sky
  • C.The sun is smallest then

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-2 · Set 16 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Turning Once a Day

Set 16. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Days and nights would be shorter
  2. 2.Earth spins toward the east, once about every 24 hours
  3. 3.Toward the west, away from the rising sun
  4. 4.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  5. 5.About midnight
  6. 6.Earth turns toward the east, so eastern places turn into sunlight first
  7. 7.The sun's position in the sky changes as Earth turns
  8. 8.The sun is at its highest in the sky

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