California Science Content Standards, Grade Three

Physical Sciences

Energy and matter have multiple forms and can be changed from one form to another. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Students know energy comes from the Sun to Earth in the form of light.

EXP-Colors and Heat
EXP-The Magnifying Glass
EOW-65. Looking for Rainbows - spectrum, reflection, refraction
EOW-102. Solar Power - light, refraction, reflection, energy, Sun

Students know sources of stored energy take many forms, such as food, fuel, and batteries.

EXP-Why Paper Burns
EOW-92. Taking a Marshmallow Apart - energy in food

Students know machines and living things convert stored energy to motion and heat.

Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves and sound waves, by electric current, and by moving objects.

EOW-2. High Bounce - potential and kinetic energy, transfer of energy
EOW-46. About Microwaves - electromagnetic waves, polar and nonpolar molecules
EOW-73. Microwave Chocolate - electromagnetic waves
EOW-74. Light Speed Chocolate - electromagnetic waves, speed of light, math
EOW-38. Doppler Effect - sound waves, frequency
EOW-31. The Singing Glass - vibration, friction, pitch
EOW-34. Grass Whistle - vibration
EOW-47. Bottle Tones and 48. Bottle Tones, Part 2 - pitch, vibration, scientific thought
EOW-52. Noisy String - vibration, resonance
EOW-93. The Bullroarer - sound, vibration, pitch
EOW-57. Why Things Go Bang - sound waves, properties of gases

Students know matter has three forms: solid, liquid, and gas.

EOW-5. Crushed Can - Atmospheric pressure, states of matter
EOW-70. Ice Cream Science - states of matter, heat
EOW-56. Ice and String - states of matter, energy, change of state
EOW-29. Why We Sweat - energy, states of matter, evaporation

Students know evaporation and melting are changes that occur when the objects are heated.

EOW-29. Why We Sweat - energy, states of matter, evaporation
BCIS-Water Cycle - states of matter, evaporation, condensation, weather
EOW-5. Crushed Can - Atmospheric pressure, states of matter

Students know that when two or more substances are combined, a new substance may be formed with properties that are different from those of the original materials.

EOW-92. Taking a Marshmallow Apart - energy in food

Students know all matter is made of small particles called atoms, too small to see with the naked eye.

Students know people once thought that earth, wind, fire, and water were the basic elements that made up all matter.

Science science-experiments show that there are more than 100 different types of atoms, which are presented on the periodic table of the elements.

Light has a source and travels in a direction. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Students know sunlight can be blocked to create shadows.

EOW-9. Finding Your Way - Rotation of the Earth

Students know light is reflected from mirrors and other surfaces.

EOW-65. Looking for Rainbows - spectrum, reflection, refraction
EXP-The Magnifying Glass
EXP-Bouncing Remotes
EOW-101. White Foam - light, color
EOW-102. Solar Power - light, refraction, reflection, energy, Sun

Students know the color of light striking an object affects the way the object is seen.

EOW-79. White Balance - vision, light, brain
EOW-101. White Foam - light, color

Students know an object is seen when light traveling from the object enters the eye.

EOW-71. The Waterfall Effect - vision, illusions
EOW-27. Got the Red Green Blues - additive and subtractive colors
EOW-37. Emergency Glasses - lenses, pinhole optics
EOW-62. Is That a Color Photo? - vision, light, illusions
EOW-79. White Balance - vision, light, brain
EOW-109. Two Coins - vision, brain, illusion

Life Sciences

Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival.

EOW-59. Nature Watching - animal behavior, processes of science

As a basis for understanding this concept:

Students know plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.

EOW-12. Seed Search - seed dispersal

Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are beneficial.

BCIS-Erosion - forces of erosion, origin of soil

BCIS-Recycle - energy resources, natural resources

Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

Students know that some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared and that some of those resembled others that are alive today.

Earth Sciences

Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. As a basis for understanding this concept:

Students know the patterns of stars stay the same, although they appear to move across the sky nightly, and different stars can be seen in different seasons.

Students know the way in which the Moon's appearance changes during the four-week lunar cycle.

Students know telescopes magnify the appearance of some distant objects in the sky, including the Moon and the planets. The number of stars that can be seen through telescopes is dramatically greater than the number that can be seen by the unaided eye.

Students know that Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits Earth.

EOW-50. Planets and Pennies - comparing planets, gravity
EXP-Scale Model of the Solar System
EXP-How Far is That Planet?
EOW-9. Finding Your Way - transmission of light

Students know the position of the Sun in the sky changes during the course of the day and from season to season.

EOW-9. Finding Your Way - transmission of light

Investigation and Science-Experimentation

Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.

EOW-33. The Right Answer - getting the right answer
EOW-43. Candles in a Jar and 44. Candles in a Jar, Part 2 - combustion, density, scientific thought
EOW-47. Bottle Tones and 48. Bottle Tones, Part 2 - pitch, vibration, scientific thought
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 1 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 2 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 3 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-82. Science Fair Panic, part 4 - scientific method, science fair projects
EOW-68. Oxygen? No! - combustion, composition of air, properties of gases
EOW-86. The Hottest Part of a Flame - scientific observation, combustion, energy

Students will:

Repeat observations to improve accuracy and know that the results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation.

Differentiate evidence from opinion and know that scientists do not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed.

Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.

Predict the outcome of a simple investigation and compare the result with the prediction.

Collect data in an investigation and analyze those data to develop a logical conclusion.