Name Allison Parker Projected Map for: 3 rd grade science Month Essential questions Content Skills Assessment Resources September What questions do scientists ask? What skills do scientists use? How do scientists answer questions? How do scientists communicate? How do scientists use tools and stay safe? The Nature of Science *Define vocabulary terms: infer, scientist, model, investigate, procedure, inquiry, unit of measure, chart, bar graph, tool *Generate questions scientists might ask. *Make observations of scientific pictures, then make predictions. *Explore how models have limitations. *Name ways scientists investigate and communicate results. *Use scientific equipment to measure length, mass, temperature, volume, and observe items. Textbook chapter 1 October What is technology? What is the design process? Technology and the Design Process *Define the terms technology, research, prototype, design process. *Design a parachute that will slow the fall of a metal washer. *Name technologies and how they change lives. *Explore the design process by deciding which design transfers sound the best and what makes a bridge stronger. *Infer how the design process can help someone invent something. Textbook chapter 2 and 4
November How can you classify animals? How are offspring like their parents? What are the life cycles of some animals? Plants Living things *Define arthropod, trait, inherit, vertebrate, instinct, invertebrate, larva, pupa, metamorphosis *Classify shells and compare to other groups. *Make a model of a backbone. *Name characteristics of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. *Compare and contrast the groups of vertebrates. *Explain the difference between inherited trait and acquired traits as well as inherited and acquired behaviors *Give examples of traits that help animals and examples that can harm them. *Describe how a mammal s life cycle differs from a frog or butterfly. *Follow a procedure to classify leaves. Textbook chapter 4
December What is an ecosystem? How do living things get energy? How do ecosystems change? Ecosystems *Define community, ecosystem, producer, habitat, consumer, population, decomposer, food chain, adaptation, herbivore, omnivore, and carnivore *Describe how different animals interact with living and nonliving things. *Classify plants and animals as producer, consumer, or decomposer. *Explore what yeast uses for energy. *Classify animals as herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore. *Compare and contrast food chains and food webs. *Explain how living things interact in a food chain. *Explain how food webs can change. *Explore how pollution affects organisms. *Explain how ecosystems can change and what causes it. *Use the scientific method to answer how plants survive in the desert. Life cycle poster Textbook chapter 5
January What is the water cycle? What are weather and climate? What are minerals and rocks? What is soil? What are weathering and erosion? Earth and weather *Define condensation, evaporation, water cycle, precipitation, weather, climate, atmosphere, humidity, rock, mineral, igneous rock, metamorphic rock, sedimentary rock, soil, loam, landform, lava, weathering, erosion *Sequence the steps in the water cycle. *Explore how an anemometer works. *Describe factors that affect climate. *Explain how the wind affects the ocean s heat. *Contrast weather and climate. *Differentiate between thunderstorms, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, tornadoes, and blizzards. *Define and explain the effects of warm and cold fronts. *Name tools used to measure weather and their purposes. *Compare and contrast rocks and minerals. *List properties used to identify a mineral. *Explain the different rock groups and how they can change. *Identify what is found in soil and why it is important. *Describe what weathering does to rocks. *Explain how weathering and erosion are different. *Investigate how rocks can crack. Textbook chapter 6
February What is a star? What do you know about our solar system? What are Earth s patterns? What is known about the moon? Earth and our Universe *Define star, light year, planet, solar system, axis, rotation, revolution, moon phase, crater. *Explain how stars are different. *Build a model of the solar system to show distances from the sun. *Compare and contrast the planets. *List the planets in order from the sun. *Compare and contrast asteroids and comets. *Explain the difference between rotation and revolution and their effects on the Earth. *Explain why the moon is so bright. *Explain the moon phases. *Explain the characteristics of the moon. Textbook chapter 7 March What is matter? What are states of matter? How is matter measured? Matter *Define matter, property, texture, hardness, states of matter, freeze, melt, boil, evaporation, condensation, volume, mass *Classify objects by sound. *Compare and contrast two types of matter. *Use properties to describe matter. *Describe changes to water when it is cooled and heated. *Measure the length, mass and volume of matter using the correct metric unit. Textbook chapter 8
April What are some forms of energy? How does energy change form? How do light and matter interact? What are heat and light energy? What is sound energy? What is electrical energy? Energy and its forms *Define energy, electrical energy, sound energy, potential energy, kinetic energy, wave, light energy, reflect, refract, absorb, thermal energy, volume, pitch, closed circuit, open circuit *List common forms of energy in school. *List ways many different types of energy are used in daily living. *Draw waves that carry more or less energy than a given picture. *Explore what happens when light is reflected in many ways. *Explain the difference between reflection and refraction. *Explain how the length and direction of shadows changes during the day. *List two ways heat can be produced. *Explore what affects the sound a rubber band can make. *Illustrate how sound spreads out as it moves away from its source. *Explain how light switches work. *Classify conductors. Textbook chapter 9
May What is motion? How does force affect motion? What is gravity? Forces and motion *Define position, motion, speed, force, friction, magnetism, gravity *Explore what magnetic force can move. *Describe three examples of motion you might see on a playground. *Explore how mass affects motion. *Explain gravity s effects on everyday activities. *Use the scientific method to discover how energy affects the distance a toy car travels. Textbook chapter 10