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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 Common Core standard 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 pupils in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 17 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.

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

LessonPrint · K-2-ETS1-1 · Set 17 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Naming the Problem

Set 17. Prints on its own sheet.

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

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.