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Naming the Problem is a free printable Kindergarten to Grade 2 science worksheet on defining a simple problem that could be solved, aligned to NGSS performance expectation K-2-ETS1-1. 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 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Naming the Problem

K-2-ETS1-1

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

1.The sandpit gets too hot at noon. What is the problem to solve?
  • A.How to keep sunlight off the sandpit
  • B.Why sand is yellow
  • C.How deep the sand is
2.Before you build something, what do you need to know first?
  • A.What color to paint it
  • B.Who will watch
  • C.What problem it has to solve
3.The reading corner is too dark. What is the problem to solve?
  • A.Why books are heavy
  • B.How to get more light onto the books
  • C.How many books there are
4.Why does a problem need to be written down clearly?
  • A.So everybody is trying to solve the same thing
  • B.So it looks neat
  • C.So it takes longer
5.Which of these is a problem you could actually solve?
  • A.It is Tuesday
  • B.The sky is blue
  • C.The trash can lid is too heavy to lift
6.Coats keep falling off the pegs. What is the problem to solve?
  • A.Why coats are warm
  • B.What color coats are
  • C.How to keep a coat on its peg
7.The door bangs shut in the wind. What is the problem to solve?
  • A.Why wind blows
  • B.Who opened the door
  • C.How to stop the wind slamming the door
8.What should you do before deciding how to fix the dark corner?
  • A.Start building at once
  • B.Ask nobody
  • C.Look at it and gather information

LessonPrint · K-2-ETS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Naming the Problem

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.How to keep sunlight off the sandpit
  2. 2.What problem it has to solve
  3. 3.How to get more light onto the books
  4. 4.So everybody is trying to solve the same thing
  5. 5.The trash can lid is too heavy to lift
  6. 6.How to keep a coat on its peg
  7. 7.How to stop the wind slamming the door
  8. 8.Look at it and gather information

Questions about Naming the Problem

What does the Naming the Problem worksheet cover?

It practices defining a simple problem that could be solved — 8 questions for Kindergarten to Grade 2, all on NGSS K-2-ETS1-1: Ask, look and gather information to define a problem worth solving. The instruction to students is “Circle the best answer”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which NGSS performance expectation does Naming the Problem practice?

K-2-ETS1-1, under Engineering Design for Kindergarten to Grade 2. The published performance expectation reads: “Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Naming the Problem is written for Kindergarten to Grade 2, typically ages 7-8. It is one of the sheets on K-2-ETS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Naming the Problem come with an answer key?

Yes. All 8 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Naming the Problem can I print?

25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Naming the Problem free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Naming the Problem, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach K-2-ETS1-1?

Yes — “Naming the Problem” is a 45-minute Kindergarten to Grade 2 plan for K-2-ETS1-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Naming the Problem is the practice that follows it.

More practice for K-2-ETS1-1

Ask, look and gather information to define a problem worth solving.

Teaching this next? Naming the Problem is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Kindergarten to Grade 2 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to K-2-ETS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.