Grade 3 Science Tutor
Third grade students will investigate plants and soils and look at motion and structures to learn the basic concepts of science, engineering and biology.
Overall Expectations
- Assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats
- Investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow
- Demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics
- Assess the importance of form, function, strength, and stability in structures through time
- Investigate strong and stable structures to determine how their design and materials enable them to perform their load-bearing function
- Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of structure, strength, and stability and the factors that affect them
- Assess the impact of various forces on society and the environment
- Investigate devices that use forces to create controlled movement
- Demonstrate an understanding of how forces cause movement and changes in movement
- Assess the impact of soils on society and the environment, and of society and the environment on soils
- Investigate the composition and characteristics of different soils
- Demonstrate an understanding of the composition of soils, the types of soils, and the relationship between soils and other living things
Jump To a Grade Level:
Grade 3 Science Sample Curriculum
Understanding life systems: growth and changes in plants
- Assess ways in which plants are important to humans and other living things, taking different points of view into consideration and suggest ways in which humans can protect plants
- Assess the impact of different human activities on plants, and list personal actions they can engage in to minimize harmful effects and enhance good effects
- Observe and compare the parts of a variety of plants
- Germinate seeds and record similarities and differences as seedlings develop
- Investigate ways in which a variety of plants adapt and/or react to their environment, including changes in their environment, using a variety of methods
- Use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills, and knowledge acquired from previous investigations, to investigate a variety of ways in which plants meet their basic needs
- Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including stem, leaf, root, pistil, stamen, flower, adaptation, and germination
- Describe the basic needs of plants, including air, water, light, warmth, and space
- Identify the major parts of plants, including root, stem, flower, stamen, pistil, leaf, seed, and fruit, and describe how each contributes to the plant’s survival within the plant’s environment
- Describe the changes that different plants undergo in their life cycles
- Describe how most plants get energy to live directly from the sun and how plants help other living things to get energy from the sun
- Describe ways in which humans from various cultures, including Aboriginal people, use plants for food, shelter, medicine, and clothing
- Describe ways in which plants and animals depend on each other
- Describe the different ways in which plants are grown for food, and explain the advantages and disadvantages of locally grown and organically produced food, including environmental benefits
- Identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten plant and animal survival
Understanding structures and mechanisms: Strong and stable structures
- Assess effects of strong and stable structures on society and the environment
- Assess the environmental impact of structures built by various animals and those built by humans
- Investigate, through experimentation, how various materials and construction techniques can be used to add strength to structures
- Investigate, through experimentation, the effects of pushing, pulling, and other forces on the shape and stability of simple structures
- Design and build a strong and stable structure that serves a purpose
- Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including compression, tension, strut, ties, strength, and stability
- Define a structure as a supporting framework, with a definite size, shape, and purpose, that holds a load
- Identify structures in the natural environment and in the built environment
- Identify the strength of a structure as its ability to support a load
- Identify the stability of a structure as its ability to maintain balance and stay fixed in one spot
- Identify properties of materials that need to be considered when building structures
- Describe ways in which the strength of different materials can be altered
- Describe ways to improve a structure’s strength and stability
- Explain how strength and stability enable a structure to perform a specific function
- Describe ways in which different forces can affect the shape, balance, or position of structures
- Identify the role of struts and ties in structures under load
Understanding Matter and Energy: Forces causing movement
- Assess the effects of the action of forces in nature (natural phenomena) on the natural and built environment, and identify ways in which human activities can reduce or enhance this impact
- Assess the impact of safety devices that minimize the effects of forces in various human activities
- Investigate forces that cause an object to start moving, stop moving, or change direction
- Determine the effects of increasing or decreasing the amount of force applied to an object
- Design and build devices that use forces to create controlled movement
- Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including push, pull, load, distance, and speed,
- Identify a force as a push or a pull that causes an object to move
- Identify different kinds of forces
- Describe how different forces applied to an object at rest can cause the object to start, stop, attract, repel, or change direction
- Explain how forces are exerted through direct contact or through interaction at a distance
- Identify ways in which forces are used in their daily lives
Understanding Earth and Space Systems: Soils in the environment
- Assess the impact of soils on society and the environment, and suggest ways in which humans can enhance positive effects and/or lessen or prevent harmful effects
- Assess the impact of human action on soils, and suggest ways in which humans can affect soils positively and/or lessen or prevent harmful effects on soils
- Investigate the components of soil, the condition of soil, and additives found in soil, using a variety of soil samples from different local environments, and explain how the different amounts of these components in a soil sample determine how the soil can be used
- Investigate the process of composting, and explain some advantages and disadvantages of composting
- Use appropriate science and technology vocabulary, including clay, sand, loam, pebbles, earth materials, and soil
- Identify and describe the different types of soils
- Identify additives that might be in soil but that cannot always be seen
- Describe the interdependence between the living and non-living things that make up soil
- Describe ways in which the components of various soils enable the soil to provide shelter/ homes and/or nutrients for different kinds of living things
