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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 23 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 stars seem to move across the sky during the night. Why?
  • A.The stars are blown by wind
  • B.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
  • C.The stars orbit Earth every night
2.If Earth spun around faster, what would happen to the length of each day and night?
  • A.Days and nights would be shorter
  • B.They would be longer
  • C.Nothing would change
3.Why is a shadow shortest around the middle of the day?
  • A.The sun is at its highest in the sky
  • B.The sun is furthest away
  • C.The sun is smallest then
4.Why are some star patterns seen only in winter?
  • A.As Earth travels around the sun, its night side faces different stars
  • B.Those stars switch off in summer
  • C.Clouds hide them all summer
5.In the evening, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  • B.Straight up
  • C.Toward the west, at the sun
6.How long does Earth take to spin around once?
  • A.About a year
  • B.About 24 hours
  • C.About a week
7.Why does a stick's shadow swing around during the day?
  • A.The sun's position in the sky changes as Earth turns
  • B.The stick bends in the heat
  • C.The ground moves under the stick
8.Why does the sun seem to cross the sky from east to west each day?
  • A.Earth spins toward the east, once about every 24 hours
  • B.Clouds push the sun along
  • C.The sun travels around Earth each day

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-2 · Set 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Turning Once a Day

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
  2. 2.Days and nights would be shorter
  3. 3.The sun is at its highest in the sky
  4. 4.As Earth travels around the sun, its night side faces different stars
  5. 5.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  6. 6.About 24 hours
  7. 7.The sun's position in the sky changes as Earth turns
  8. 8.Earth spins toward the east, once about every 24 hours

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