What the Sun Does to the Ground is a free printable Kindergarten science worksheet on observing the effect of sunlight on a surface, aligned to NGSS performance expectation K-PS3-1. It prints 7 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.
What we measured on two steps at noon, on a sunny day in June.
TWO STEPS AT NOON
Step in the sun ...... 28 degrees. It felt hot.
Step in the shade .... 19 degrees. It felt cool.
Both steps are made of the same stone.
We measured both at the same time.
1. What was kept the same in this test?
2. Why was one step warmer than the other?
3. What would the shady step do if the shade moved away?
2.A slide stands in the sun all morning. How does it feel at noon?
A.Warm, because sunlight has been falling on it
B.Icy cold
C.Wet
3.A cloud covers the sun for an hour. What happens to the ground?
A.It warms less, because less sunlight reaches it
B.It gets wet
C.It gets hotter
4.How could you find out whether sunlight warms the ground?
A.Measure one patch in the morning only
B.Look at the sky once
C.Measure a sunny patch and a shady patch at the same time
5.Snow melts first on one side of the yard. Which side?
A.Both sides at once
B.The side in the shade
C.The side the sun shines on
6.Why is the sand in the sun warmer than the sand under the tree?
A.Sunlight falls on it and warms it
B.The tree makes the other sand cold
C.It is a different kind of sand
7.What does sunlight do to the things it lands on?
A.It warms them
B.It cools them
C.It makes them heavier
LessonPrint · K-PS3-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — What the Sun Does to the Ground
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. Both steps are made of the same stone and were measured at the same time. 2. Sunlight fell on it, and sunlight warms what it lands on. 3. It would get warmer, because sunlight would fall on it.
2.Warm, because sunlight has been falling on it
3.It warms less, because less sunlight reaches it
4.Measure a sunny patch and a shady patch at the same time
5.The side the sun shines on
6.Sunlight falls on it and warms it
7.It warms them
Questions about What the Sun Does to the Ground
What does the What the Sun Does to the Ground worksheet cover?
It practices observing the effect of sunlight on a surface — 7 questions for Kindergarten, all on NGSS K-PS3-1: Find out what sunlight does to the ground. The instruction to students is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does What the Sun Does to the Ground practice?
K-PS3-1, under Physical Science for Kindergarten. The published performance expectation reads: “Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
What the Sun Does to the Ground is written for Kindergarten, typically ages 5-6. It is one of the sheets on K-PS3-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does What the Sun Does to the Ground come with an answer key?
Yes. All 7 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 What the Sun Does to the Ground 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 What the Sun Does to the Ground free to print and photocopy?
Yes. What the Sun Does to the Ground, 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-PS3-1?
Yes — “What the Sun Does to the Ground” is a 45-minute Kindergarten plan for K-PS3-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. What the Sun Does to the Ground is the practice that follows it.