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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 21 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.

What the Sun Does to the Ground

K-PS3-1

NameDate

Read the record, then answer the questions.

1.Read the record, then answer the questions.

The Sunny Step and the Shady Step

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. 1. What was kept the same in this test?
  2. 2. Which step was warmer?
  3. 3. What would the shady step do if the shade moved away?
2.Why is a metal bench in the sun too hot to sit on?
  • A.Somebody heated it
  • B.Metal is always hot
  • C.Sunlight has been warming it
3.Which spot would be warmest at lunchtime on a sunny day?
  • A.The middle of the playground, in full sun
  • B.Behind the wall in the shade
  • C.Under the shelter
4.Ice cubes are put on a sunny step and a shady step. Which melt first?
  • A.The ones on the shady step
  • B.The ones on the sunny step
  • C.They never melt
5.What does sunlight do to the things it lands on?
  • A.It makes them heavier
  • B.It cools them
  • C.It warms them
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.How could you find out whether sunlight warms the ground?
  • A.Measure a sunny patch and a shady patch at the same time
  • B.Look at the sky once
  • C.Measure one patch in the morning only

LessonPrint · K-PS3-1 · Set 21 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Sun Does to the Ground

Set 21. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Both steps are made of the same stone and were measured at the same time. 2. The step in the sun, at 28 degrees. 3. It would get warmer, because sunlight would fall on it.
  2. 2.Sunlight has been warming it
  3. 3.The middle of the playground, in full sun
  4. 4.The ones on the sunny step
  5. 5.It warms them
  6. 6.Sunlight falls on it and warms it
  7. 7.Measure a sunny patch and a shady patch at the same time

More practice for K-PS3-1

Find out what sunlight does to the ground.

Teaching this next? What the Sun Does to the Ground is the 45-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

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Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to K-PS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.