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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 9 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.They would be longer
  • B.Days and nights would be shorter
  • C.Nothing would change
2.How long does Earth take to spin around once?
  • A.About a year
  • B.About 24 hours
  • C.About a week
3.Why are some star patterns seen only in winter?
  • A.Those stars switch off in summer
  • B.Clouds hide them all summer
  • C.As Earth travels around the sun, its night side faces different stars
4.The stars seem to move across the sky during the night. Why?
  • A.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
  • B.The stars orbit Earth every night
  • C.The stars are blown by wind
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.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
7.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
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 9 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Turning Once a Day

Set 9. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.Days and nights would be shorter
  2. 2.About 24 hours
  3. 3.As Earth travels around the sun, its night side faces different stars
  4. 4.Earth is turning, so the stars appear to move
  5. 5.Toward the east, away from the setting sun
  6. 6.Toward the west, away from the rising sun
  7. 7.About midnight
  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.