Daylight Savings Sort

This geography and science worksheet supports students in Grades 5, 6, and 7 as they explore Daylight Saving Time (DST) and how it is used differently around the world. Through a sorting activity, students classify 14 countries into groups based on whether they observe DST, building geographic awareness, analytical reasoning, and understanding of global timekeeping systems. The activity connects Earth’s rotation and sunlight patterns to human decisions about time measurement, while a critical thinking extension encourages students to consider cultural, environmental, and governmental reasons why some countries choose not to use DST.

Learning Goals

• Global Time Systems (Grades 5-7) – Identify which countries observe Daylight Saving Time and which do not
• Geographic Awareness – Recognize patterns in DST use across world regions
• Science Connections – Understand how Earth’s rotation and daylight influence timekeeping decisions
• Critical Thinking – Analyze reasons nations may adopt or reject Daylight Saving Time

Instructional Benefits

• Teacher-Created Resource – Designed by educators to align with geography, science, and social studies standards
• Clear Sorting Format – Helps students organize information and compare global practices
• Extension Reasoning Prompt – Encourages deeper thinking beyond classification
• Flexible Use – Ideal for geography units, time zone lessons, review activities, or homeschool learning

This Daylight Saving Time worksheet helps students strengthen global awareness, reasoning, and understanding of how societies adapt time systems to natural cycles. By comparing countries and reflecting on their choices, learners gain insight into the relationship between science, culture, and governance. It’s a no-prep resource for both classroom and homeschool settings that supports geographic literacy, critical thinking, and real-world understanding of timekeeping.

This worksheet is part of our Time Zones and Their Basis collection.