Grade 3 Science

Below is a simplified list of the Science curricular units and core competencies for Grade 3. 

The Alberta curriculum is complex and lengthy and in order to present a coherent and understandable document, I have omitted many of the non-content specific skills and attitudes discussed in the original curricular documents.

Table of Contents (CORE SUBJECTS Grade 3)

Science

1. Rocks and Minerals
2. Building with a Variety of Materials
3. Testing Materials & Designs
4. Hearing & Sound
5. Animal Life Cycles

SCIENCE (Colour Coded by Unit)

Grade 3  

Understandings - Topic A: Rocks & Minerals

Students learn about materials found on Earth's surface-rocks, minerals and soil. By closely examining sample rocks, students discover similarities and differences and explore these, using simple tests and tools. Students learn that each kind of rock has a set of characteristics and that these characteristics can be used in classifying and identifying rocks. In studies of soil, students discover that the component materials include rock fragments and remains of living things, and that different soils have different compositions. Students learn that the characteristics of rock and soil are important to their use within the community.

General Learner Expectations

Students will:

3-5 Demonstrate knowledge of materials that comprise Earth's crust, and demonstrate skill in classifying these materials.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:

1. Compare samples of various kinds of rock, and identify similarities and differences.
2. Given a description of the properties of a particular rock or mineral, identify a sample rock or mineral that matches those properties. Properties that students should be able to describe and interpret include:
• colour
• lustre or "shininess"; e.g., shiny, dull, glassy, metallic, earthy
• texture; e.g., rough, smooth, uneven
• hardness, based on scratch tests with available materials
• presence of carbonates. Note that the presence of carbonates can be tested with vinegar or another mild acid
• crystal shape for minerals, or overall pattern of rocks.
3. Describe and classify a group of rocks and minerals, based upon the above properties.
4. Recognize that rocks are composed of a variety of materials; and given a course grained rock and magnifier, describe some of the component materials.
5. Recognize and describe the various components within a sample of soil; e.g., clay, sand, pebbles, decaying plants; and describe differences between two different soil samples.
6. Describe ways in which rocks break down to become soil, and demonstrate one or more of these ways; e.g., by shaking a group of small, soft rocks in a jar of water; by striking rocks together. Note: Safety goggles should be used.
7. Describe some common uses of rocks and minerals; and identify examples of those uses within the school, home or local community.

Understandings - Topic B: Building with a Variety of Materials

Students use a variety of tools and simple techniques to build things for specific purposes. Their tasks may require that a bridge be built between two desks, a model lookout tower be constructed, or a water container be made, all from available materials. Through these projects, students learn the value of safety and good workmanship and that different materials and designs can be used to obtain the same result. They learn that working together on a common task is easier when ideas and materials are shared.

General Learner Expectations

Students will:

3-6 Use, safely, a variety of tools, techniques and materials in construction activities.

3-7 Construct structures, using a variety of materials and designs, and compare the effectiveness of the various materials and designs for their intended purposes.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:

1. Using a variety of materials and techniques, design, construct and test structures that are intended to:
• support objects
• span gaps
• serve as containers
• serve as models of particular living things, objects or buildings.
2. Select appropriate materials for use in construction tasks, and explain the choice of materials. Students should demonstrate familiarity with a variety of materials, such as papers, woods, plastics, clay and metals.
3. Select tools that are suitable to particular tasks and materials, and use them safely and effectively.
4. Understand and use a variety of methods to join or fasten materials.
5. Identify the intended purpose and use of structures to be built, and explain how knowing the intended purpose and use helps guide decisions regarding materials and design.
6. Understand that simple designs are often as effective as more complex ones, as well as being easier and cheaper to build, and illustrate this understanding with a practical example.
7. Recognize the importance of good workmanship, and demonstrate growth toward good workmanship.
8. Maintain and store materials and tools safely and properly.
9. Apply skills of listening, speaking and cooperative decision making in working with other students on a construction project.

Understandings - Topic C: Testing Materials & Designs

Students study the materials and designs used in construction tasks. They compare paper, clay, cardboard, styrofoam or other available materials to see which are the strongest-which ones resist bending, crushing or tearing-and which are most easily shaped and joined. They test different shapes and thicknesses to find out what makes a structure strong and stable and to find out how much material is needed. Throughout the topic, students learn that many things are considered when materials and designs are selected and that different tasks may require different materials and designs.

General Learner Expectations

3-8 Evaluate the suitability of different materials and designs for their use in a building task.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:

1. Recognize that functional structures must be sufficiently strong and stable and that unstable or weak structures are often unsafe to use.
2. Compare and evaluate the strength and stability of different models or objects constructed.
3. Describe the distinctive properties of some common solids, such as wood, paper or plastic, that make them suitable for use as building materials.
4. Apply procedures to test the strength of construction materials, in particular, different stocks of papers, plastics or wood.
5. Apply procedures to test different designs.
6. Apply procedures to test the strength of different methods of joining.
7. Identify and apply methods for making a structure stronger and more stable; e.g., by adding or joining parts to form triangles.

Understandings - Topic D: Hearing & Sound

Students explore the nature of sound, its sources, its qualities and what it is. They learn that sound is vibration and that changes in vibration can affect the loudness, pitch and quality of sound. They learn about sound travel by studying what things carry sound, what things make it louder or softer, and what happens to sound when it reaches their ears. The sensitivity of human ears and those of other animals is examined, as students learn about the safe use of this valuable sense.

General Learner Expectations

3-9 Describe the nature of sound, and demonstrate methods for producing and controlling sound.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:

1. Identify examples of vibration.
2. Recognize that sound is the result of vibration; and demonstrate that the larger the vibration, the louder the sound.
3. Recognize that there are ways of measuring the loudness of sounds and that loud sounds pose a danger to the ear.
4. Recognize that pitch is the result of differences in the rate of vibration, and predict how a change in the rate of vibration will affect a sound.
5. Demonstrate a variety of ways of producing sounds; e.g., by striking an empty glass, by blowing air into a bottle, by constructing and using a device that involves vibrating strings.
6. Use sound-producing devices that the student has constructed to demonstrate methods for controlling the loudness, pitch and quality of sound produced.
7. Identify examples that show that sound can travel through a variety of materials, including solids, liquids and air, and that sound travels in all directions.
8. Describe how the human ear senses vibrations.
9. Compare the range of hearing in humans to that in other animals; e.g., dogs and bats.
10. Recognize that certain sounds have characteristics that cause them to be interpreted as pleasant or unpleasant, and identify these characteristics.
11. Describe changes in hearing that result from continued exposure to loud noise and from the natural process of aging.
12. Construct and evaluate different kinds of soundproofing and sound-amplifying devices.
13. Explain the role that sound plays in communication.

Understandings - Topic E: Animal Life Cycles

Students learn about the growth and development of animals and discover that different animals have different life cycles. By observing the life cycle of one small animal from its earliest stage to adulthood, students acquire a reference point for the study of other animals and come to appreciate the beauty and fragility of life. Students learn that the egg, larva, pupa and adult stages that are characteristic of many insects represent a different life story from that of the egg, young, adult life cycle that is common to most vertebrate animals. In studying these animals, students learn about the changes in needs of the young as they grow and develop and about the changing relationship between these animals and their environment.

General Learner Expectations

Students will:

3-10 Describe the appearances and life cycles of some common animals, and identify their adaptations to different environments.

3-11 Identify requirements for animal care.

Specific Learner Expectations

Students will:

1. Classify a variety of animals, based on observable characteristics; e.g., limbs, teeth, body covering, overall shape, backbone.
2. Observe and describe the growth and development of at least one living animal, as the animal develops from early to more advanced stages. The animal(s) should be from one or more of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects. Suggested examples include: gerbils, guppies, mealworms, tadpoles, worms, butterflies/moths. Additional examples from other animal groups might also be included: brine shrimp, isopods, spiders.
3. Predict the next stages in the growth and development of at least one animal from each of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects; and identify similarities and differences in their developmental sequences. Identify the food needs of at least one animal from each of the following groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects; and describe changes in how each animal obtains food through different stages of its life.
4. Demonstrate awareness that parental care is characteristic of some animals and not of others, and identify examples of different forms of parental care.
5. Demonstrate awareness that animals require different habitats in order to meet their basic needs of food, water, shelter and space.
6. Recognize adaptations of a young animal to its environment, and identify changes in its relationship to its environment as it goes through life; e.g., tadpoles are adapted for life in an aquatic environment; adult frogs show adaptations to both terrestrial and aquatic environments.
7. Identify examples of environmental conditions that may threaten animal survival, and identify examples of extinct animals. Recognize that habitat preservation can help maintain animal populations, and identify ways that student actions can assist habitat preservation.
8. Demonstrate knowledge of the needs of animals studied, and demonstrate skills for their care.