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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 25 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.When it is noon on one side of Earth, what time is it on the opposite side?
  • A.Also noon
  • B.Early morning everywhere
  • C.About midnight
2.If Earth spun around faster, what would happen to the length of each day and night?
  • A.Nothing would change
  • B.They would be longer
  • C.Days and nights would be shorter
3.The stars seem to move across the sky during the night. Why?
  • A.The stars orbit Earth every night
  • B.The stars are blown by wind
  • C.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
4.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
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 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.In the evening, which way does a stick's shadow point?
  • A.Straight up
  • B.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  • C.Toward the west, at the sun

LessonPrint · 5-ESS1-2 · Set 25 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Turning Once a Day

Set 25. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.About midnight
  2. 2.Days and nights would be shorter
  3. 3.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
  4. 4.Earth turns toward the east, so eastern places turn into sunlight first
  5. 5.About 24 hours
  6. 6.Toward the west, away from the rising sun
  7. 7.The sun's position in the sky changes as Earth turns
  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.