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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 23 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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One paper per student

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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. Why was one step warmer than the other?
  2. 2. What was kept the same in this test?
  3. 3. How warm was the step in the sun?
2.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
3.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
4.Which spot would be warmest at lunchtime on a sunny day?
  • A.Behind the wall in the shade
  • B.Under the shelter
  • C.The middle of the playground, in full sun
5.Ice cubes are put on a sunny step and a shady step. Which melt first?
  • A.They never melt
  • B.The ones on the shady step
  • C.The ones on the sunny step
6.What does sunlight do to the things it lands on?
  • A.It cools them
  • B.It makes them heavier
  • C.It warms them
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 23 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — What the Sun Does to the Ground

Set 23. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. Sunlight fell on it, and sunlight warms what it lands on. 2. Both steps are made of the same stone and were measured at the same time. 3. 28 degrees.
  2. 2.The side the sun shines on
  3. 3.Warm, because sunlight has been falling on it
  4. 4.The middle of the playground, in full sun
  5. 5.The ones on the sunny step
  6. 6.It warms them
  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.