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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 19 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.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 eastern town is closer to the sun
  • C.The sun rises twice
2.When it is noon on one side of Earth, what time is it on the opposite side?
  • A.Also noon
  • B.About midnight
  • C.Early morning everywhere
3.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
4.Why does the sun seem to cross the sky from east to west each day?
  • A.Clouds push the sun along
  • B.The sun travels around Earth each day
  • C.Earth spins toward the east, once about every 24 hours
5.How long does Earth take to spin around once?
  • A.About 24 hours
  • B.About a year
  • C.About a week
6.Early in the morning, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Straight down
  • B.Toward the east, at the sun
  • C.Toward the west, away from the rising sun
7.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
8.In the evening, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Toward the west, at the sun
  • B.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  • C.Straight up

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-2 · Set 19 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Turning Once a Day

Set 19. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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