Grade 3 · Science · Life science

3rd Grade Environment and Traits worksheets

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Environment and Traits

Grade 3 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

NameDate

Circle the answer.

1.
A student grows two bean plants from the same kind of seed, in the same pots, with the same water. One sits in a sunny window and one sits in a closet. What is being tested?
- whether water affects how the plants grow
- whether the pots affect how the plants grow
- whether the kind of seed affects growth
- whether sunlight affects how the plants grow
2.
A student grows two seedlings in the same light and soil, but waters one twice as often. What is being tested?
- whether the kind of soil affects growth
- whether the amount of light affects growth
- whether the seedlings inherited different traits
- whether the amount of water affects growth
3.
A student wants to test whether fertilizer makes tomato plants bigger. Which plan is a fair test?
- same seeds, light and water; fertilizer for only one
- different kinds of seeds, fertilizer for both
- fertilizer and extra water for the same plant
- same seeds, but one in sun and one in shade
4.
Plant 1 is in a warm room and plant 2 is in a cold room. Plant 1 also gets more water. Why is this not a fair test?
- the plants are the same kind
- only one condition changed
- two conditions changed, so the cause is unclear
- the rooms have the same light
5.
Pond A has 10 fish and pond B has 100 fish. The ponds are the same size. Use the graph. How much longer are the fish in pond A?
- 2 cm
- 7 cm
- 21 cm
- 14 cm
6.
Plant A was watered 1 time a week, plant B 3 times, and plant C 5 times. Use the graph. What pattern does it show?
- more water gave shorter plants
- water made no difference
- more water gave taller plants in this test
- plant B grew the most
7.
Plant A got 1 hour of sun a day, plant B got 3 hours, and plant C got 6 hours. Use the graph. Plant D gets 4 hours. About how tall will it grow?
- about 10 cm
- about 2 cm
- about 7 cm
- about 12 cm
8.
Why do scientists grow two plants of the same kind in the same soil and light, changing only the water?
- so a growth difference comes from the water
- so they can test two things at once
- so the plants can use different pots
- so the plants inherit different traits
9.
A gardener moves a pink hydrangea into soil like the soil where blue hydrangeas grow. What will most likely happen?
- its flowers will turn white
- its new flowers will turn blue
- its new flowers will stay pink
- its leaves will turn pink
10.
Pieces cut from one plant were planted low on a mountain and high on the mountain. The low ones grew tall and the high ones stayed short. Why is this good evidence that the environment affects height?
- the pieces were planted in the same spot
- plants grow taller near mountain tops
- the pieces came from different parent plants
- all the pieces came from one plant, so only the place differed

3rd Grade Environment and Traits worksheet 1 – printable PDF — Download PDF: 1 2 3 4 5 6

About this worksheet

Environment and traits helps third graders connect observations with scientific explanations instead of memorizing isolated facts. Students may say every difference is inherited, or forget that a fair test changes only one condition. This worksheet uses short evidence-based situations so students must read the setup, identify the pattern, and choose the answer that fits the science idea named in the title. Students find the condition that caused a difference, read plant and animal growth graphs, and plan fair tests that change one thing.

Support versions use familiar examples and direct wording. Standard and challenge versions add closer distractors and require more comparison. Encourage your child to point to the evidence in the prompt before choosing an answer. If the answer does not explain the observation or solve the stated problem, it is probably a distractor. That habit builds careful science reasoning and prepares students for longer investigations.

What your child will learn

Find the condition that caused a difference
Read growth data from graphs
Plan a fair test
Tell inherited traits from environment effects

NGSS standard: 3-LS3-2

Worked example

Two bean plants from the same kind of seed get the same water, but one sits in sun and one in shade. The sunny plant grows taller, so sunlight affected its height.