SCIENCE  🦋
GRADE 3 STEELS curriculum framework

LIFE CYCLES

STANDARD 3.1.3.A

• Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death. 

BIG IDEA

• Organisms have characteristic structures, functions, and behaviors that allow them to grow, reproduce, and die. 

CORE IDEAS

• Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles.

PATTERNS

• Patterns of change can be used to make predictions

HEREDITY, SURVIVAL & SELECTION

STANDARD 3.1.3.B

• Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive.

BIG IDEA

• Many species, live in groups which  can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their relatives.  

CORE IDEAS

• Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes. Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. 

HEREDITY, SURVIVAL & SELECTION

STANDARD 3.1.3.C

• Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.   

STANDARD 3.1.3.D

• Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. 

BIG IDEA

• Offspring resemble, but are not identical to, their parents due to traits being passed from one generation to the next via genes. 

CORE IDEAS

• Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents. 

• Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information.

• Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning.  Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment.

• The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops. 

PATTERNS

• Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify natural phenomena.

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. 

FOSSILS & CHANGING ENVIRONMENTS

STANDARD 3.1.3.E

• Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. 

BIG IDEA

• Comparisons between species provide evidence that species evolved from common ancestors which explains the similarities and differences between species.  

CORE IDEAS

• Some kinds of plants and animals that once lived on Earth are no longer found anywhere. Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments.  

SCALE, PROPORTION & QUANTITY

• Observable phenomena exist from very short to very long time periods. 

HEREDITY, SURVIVAL & SELECTION

STANDARD 3.1.3.F

• Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

BIG IDEA

• In any particular environment individuals with particular traits may be more likely than others to survive and produce offspring. 

CORE IDEAS

• Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. 

HEREDITY, SURVIVAL & SELECTION

STANDARD 3.1.3.G

• Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 

BIG IDEA

• When the environment changes, some individuals in a population may have traits that provide a reproductive advantage which over many generations can change the make-up of a population. 

CORE IDEAS

• For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. 

HEREDITY, SURVIVAL & SELECTION

STANDARD 3.1.3.H

• Make a claim supported by evidence about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. 

BIG IDEA

• Humans depend on biodiversity, the variety of species and ecosystems, for resources and human actions can impact the diversity of species. 

CORE IDEAS

• When the environment changes in ways that affect a place’s physical characteristics, temperature, or availability of resources, some organisms survive and reproduce, others move to new locations. 

• Populations live in a variety of habitats and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there. 

SYSTEMS & SYSTEM MODELS

• A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. 

Forces and MOTION

STANDARD 3.2.3.A

• Make and communicate observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion.

STANDARD 3.2.3.B

• Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object. 

BIG IDEA

• A change in motion of interacting objects can be explained and predicted by forces.  

CORE IDEAS

• The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can be predicted from it. 

• Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction. An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object.  Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object’s speed or direction of motion. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified.

Forces, MOTION & MAGNETS

STANDARD 3.2.3.C

• Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. 

STANDARD 3.2.3.D

• Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets. 

BIG IDEA

• A change in motion of interacting objects can be explained and predicted by forces.  

CORE IDEAS

• The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can be predicted from it. 

• Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction. An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give zero net force on the object.  Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes in the object’s speed or direction of motion. 

INTERDEPENDENCE OF SCIENCE, ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

• Scientific discoveries about the natural world can often lead to new and improved technologies, which are developed through the engineering design process.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

STANDARD 3.3.3.A

• Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season. 

STANDARD 3.3.3.B

• Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

BIG IDEA

• Weather and climate are shaped by complex interactions involving sunlight, the ocean, the atmosphere, ice, landforms, and living things.  

CORE IDEAS

• Scientists record patterns of the weather across different times and areas so that they can make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next. 

•  Climate describes a range of an area’s typical weather conditions and the extent to which those conditions vary over years. 

PATTERNS

• Patterns of change can be used to make predictions.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

STANDARD 3.3.3.C

• Make a claim supported by evidence about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard. 

BIG IDEA

• Natural processes can cause sudden or gradual changes to Earth’s systems, some of which may adversely affect humans.  

CORE IDEAS

• A variety of natural hazards result from natural processes. Humans cannot eliminate natural hazards but can take steps to reduce their impacts. 

CAUSE & EFFECT

• Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified, tested, and used to explain change. 

INFLUENCE OF ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY & SCIENCE

• Engineers improve existing technologies or develop new ones to increase their benefits (e.g., better artificial limbs), decrease known risks (e.g., seatbelts in cars), and meet societal demands (e.g., cell phones)

SCIENCE IS A HUMAN ENDEAVOR

• Science affects everyday life.