Third Grade Science Content Standards

Third grade students are expected to:

• Physical Science
  • Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another
    energy:
    • Comes from the sun to the Earth in the form of light
    • Is stored in many forms (food, fuel. etc.), and can be converted to motion/heat
    • Is carried from one place to another by waves (water, sound, etc)
  • Matter:
    • Has three forms (solid, liquid, gas)
    • Is changed by heat (evaporation, melting)
    • In one form which is combined with another form may result in change of original properties (over cooked food - carbon)
    • Is made of atoms
    • People once thought all matter was made from earth, wind, fire, water. Through experimentation, scientists developed Periodic Table of the Elements
  • Light:
    • Has a source and travels in a direction
    • Can be blocked to create shadows
    • Reflects off surfaces
    • Travels from an object to our eye enabling us to see object
    • Is made up of colors and affects the way an object is seen
• Life Science
  • Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival
    • Plants and animals have structures that help them grow, survive and reproduce
    • Examples of animals whose adaptations enable them to survive in different environments (oceans, creeks, wetlands, deserts, etc)
    • Living things cause changes in their environments (beneficial/ detrimental)
    • When an environment changes some plants and animals survive, some die, some relocate
    • Some present plants and animals resemble extinct species
• Earth Science
  • Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns
    • The patterns of stars stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons
    • The phases of the moon in the lunar cycle
    • Telescopes magnify distant objects in the sky
    • The Earth/solar system orbit the sun, and moon orbits Earth
    • The observed position of the sun in the sky changes during the day and from season to season
• Investigation and experimentation
  • Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations
    • Repeat observations to improve accuracy
    • Differentiate evidence from opinion
    • Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements
    • Make predictions and compare them to actual results
    • Collect and analyze data to develop a logical conclusion

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