3rd Grade Science: What Happens

In third grade, science moves out from the wings. Third grade science can be divided into two broad categories: science processes and science concepts. Some science processes include evidence, models, measurement, form and function, and explanation. Science concepts your child will learn this year include simple systems and subsystems; how sound is produced and how it travels; the characteristics, basic needs, and habitats of organisms; and forces that change the earth, such as earthquakes and glaciers.

Curriculum varies from state-to-state, but there are some key concepts commonly studied in third grade. Students working at the standard level at the beginning of third grade:

• Observe and measure objects, organisms, and/or events

• Classify objects, organisms, and/or events

• Interpret graphs, charts, and tables

• Plan and conduct a simple investigation

• Communicate the results of a simple investigation

Students working at the standard level at the end of third grade:

• Observe, record, and communicate changes

• Measure length in centimeters, mass in grams, and temperature in degrees Celsius

• Classify objects and organisms

• Understand systems and subsystems

• Explain how sound is produced and travels

• Know the characteristics, basic needs, and habitats of organisms

• Know how organisms fit together in a food chain

• Understand how forces such as earthquakes, glaciers, volcanoes, and erosion change the earth

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