The Sun: Our Nearest Star — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the 3rd Grade the solar system & space worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheet3rd Grade · Science · The Solar System & SpaceThe Sun: Our Nearest Star — Answers
Part A: Meet the Sun
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
The Sun is a star. It is a gigantic ball of very hot, glowing gas. It gives out huge amounts of light and heat.
The Sun is much bigger than the Earth — more than a million Earths could fit inside it. It looks small in our sky because it is about 150 million kilometers away.
There are many other stars, but they are so far away that they look like tiny dots at night. The Sun is the nearest star to Earth, so it looks big and bright.
Without the Sun, Earth would be dark and frozen. Plants use sunlight to make their food, and animals eat plants, so almost all life depends on the Sun.
Sunlight can also harm us. Never look straight at the Sun. Protect your skin with a hat, sunscreen, clothing and shade.
- Aa planet
- Ba star
- Ca moon
- Da cloud of dust
Answer: a star
The Sun is a star: a huge ball of very hot, glowing gas.
- AIt is the only star.
- BIt is much closer to Earth.
- CIt is the biggest star in space.
- DOther stars only shine in the day.
Answer: It is much closer to Earth.
The Sun is our nearest star. Other stars are much further away, so they look like tiny dots.
- AStare at it for a short time.
- BLook at it through sunglasses.
- CNever look straight at it.
- DLook at it through a magnifying glass.
Answer: Never look straight at it.
Looking straight at the Sun can badly damage your eyes, even with sunglasses.
- Ato make their food
- Bto keep insects away
- Cto change color at night
- Dto stop rain
Answer: to make their food
Plants use sunlight to make their own food. Animals then eat the plants.
- Aabout 10
- Babout 100
- Cabout 1000
- Dmore than a million
Answer: more than a million
The Sun is so big that more than a million Earths could fit inside it.
Part B: Light, heat and safety
- wearing a wide-brimmed hat
- putting on sunscreen
- sitting under a tree
- blocks direct sunlight
- shades your face and neck
- protects bare skin
Answer: wearing a wide-brimmed hat → shades your face and neck; putting on sunscreen → protects bare skin; sitting under a tree → blocks direct sunlight
Answer: heat
Also accept: warmth.
Answer: gas
Answer: At night our side of the Earth faces away from the Sun, so we cannot see it. Other, far-away stars can then be seen in the dark sky.
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: False
The Sun is a star. Planets, like Earth, travel around the Sun.
Answer: True
The Sun is far bigger than the Earth; it only looks small because it is so far away.
Answer: True
Other stars are balls of hot gas like our Sun, but much further away.
Answer: False
Sunglasses do not protect your eyes from looking straight at the Sun.
Part D: Thinking scientifically: a world without the Sun
Model answer: Earth would become dark all the time, and it would get colder and colder until water froze. Plants could not make food without light, so they would die, and then the animals that eat plants would have no food.
Success criteria:
- Mentions loss of light or heat
- Links sunlight to plants making food
- Explains an effect on animals or people
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
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