In Science, students will use mathematical analysis, scientific inquiry, and engineering design to pose questions, make predictions, observe experiments and draw conclusions. By the end of grade 3, children should know and understand:

Living Environment

PLANTS--Plants have different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction: roots take in water/nutrients; leaves use sunlight to make food; stems, stalks, and trunks provide support; flowers are reproductive structures; and seeds contain stored food that aids in germination and growth of young plants. Seeds disperse by a plant’s own mechanism and/or in a variety of ways that can include wind, water and animals. Leaf, flower, stem and root adaptations may include variations in size, shape, color, smell and texture. Each kind of plant goes through its own stages of growth and development that may include seed, young plant and mature plant. Food supplies the energy and materials necessary for growth and repair. Plants manufacture food by using air, water and energy from the sun. The sun’s energy is transferred on Earth from plants to animals through the food chain.

HEALTH AND NUTRITION--Humans need a variety of healthy foods, exercise and rest in order to grow and maintain good health. Good habits include hand washing, personal cleanliness, avoiding harmful substances, eating a balanced diet, engaging in regular exercise. Human decisions and activities have had a profound impact on the physical and living environments. Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments.

Physical Setting

MATTER--Matter takes up space and has mass. Matter has properties (color, hardness, odor, sound, taste…) that can be observed through the senses. Objects have properties that can be observed, described and/or measured: length, width, volume, size, shape, mass or weight, temperature, texture, flexibility and reflectiveness of light. The mass of a material is conserved whether it is together, in parts or in a different state. The materials an object is made up of determine some specific properties of the object (sink/float). Properties can be observed or measured with tools such as hand lenses, metric rulers, thermometers, balances, magnets, and graduated cylinders. Matter exists in three states: solid, liquid, gas; solids have a definite shape and volume; liquids do not have a definite shape but have a definite volume; gases do not hold their shape or volume. Things can be done to materials to change some of their properties but not all materials respond in the same way to what is done to them. Changes in the properties or materials of objects can be observed and described.

SOUND--Properties of sound such as pitch and loudness can be altered by changing the properties of the sound’s source (i.e., changing the rate of vibrations). Energy and matter interact: a musical instrument is played to produce sound and vibrating objects produce sound. Humans utilize interactions between matter and energy: electrical to sound (i.e., doorbell buzzer); mechanical to sound (i.e., musical instruments, clapping).

WATER CYCLE--Water is recycled by natural processes on earth (evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, groundwater). Erosion and deposition result from the interaction among air, water and land. Extreme natural events (floods, fires, volcanic eruptions, tornados) may have a positive or negative impact on living things. Heat energy from the sun powers the water cycle