Students will gather information about the world around them through hands-on, scientific
investigation and inquiry. They will do what scientists do. Students will raise questions and try to
answer them as they wrestle with contradictions, evaluate evidence and search for connections.
As
young scientists, they will:
• Observe and describe details and note similarities and differences among objects and events
• Classify organisms according to an established scheme
• Search for patterns in observations and come up with possible explanations
• Make predictions based on observed patterns or past experiences
• Plan and conduct a simple investigation based on a testable question
• Name and use simple equipment and tools (e.g., rulers, meter sticks, thermometers, hand
lenses, microscopes, spring scales and balances) to gather data and extend the senses
• Describe and communicate observations and data through discussions, drawing, numbers,
tables or graphs, maps or written statements
Three units and one mini-unit of study will provide the opportunity to explore the physical, earth
and life sciences.
Grade three students will:
Physical Science: Motion and Simple Machines
• Define motion
• Experiment with different objects and the various ways they can move
• Identify the pulling force of gravity
• Identify and explain the concepts of work, effort (force) and resistance
• Identify the simple machines and how they affect motion (e.g., lever, screw, wedge, inclined
plane, pulley, wheel & axle, gear)
• Define friction
Earth Science: Earth Within the Solar System (mini-unit)
• Recognize that the earth is part of a system called the “solar system” that includes the sun (a
star), planets, and many moons
• Define the characteristics that make life on Earth possible
• Explain the relationship between the different seasons and the tilt of the earth
• Use a moon chart and moon log to record data
• Identify and describe orbits in our solar system
• Recognize that the earth revolves around (orbits) the sun in a year’s time and that the earth
rotates on its axis once approximately every 24 hours
• Investigate the connections between the rotation of the earth and day/night, and the apparent
movement of the sun, moon, and stars across the sky
Earth Science: Soil
• Examine how soil is formed and how it is that soil differs from place to place
• Understand the role of decomposers in the health of soil
• Compare and contrast a variety of soil samples and their properties
• Conduct simple tests to describe and identify soil components
• Recognize that soil is one of the basic building blocks of all living organisms
• Define producer, consumer and decomposer
Life Science: Animal Kingdom
• Identify the differences between living and nonliving things
• Classify animals according to the physical characteristics that they share
• Compare and contrast the life cycles of different organisms
• Identify the ways in which an organism’s habitat provides for its basic needs
• Recognize that adaptations enable an organism to survive in its habitat
• Compare and contrast instinctive and learned behaviors
• Explore food chains and recognize the interconnectedness of organisms
• Define herbivore, carnivore and omnivore
