2. Differenttypes of plants and animals inhabit the earth. As a basis for understandingthis concept, students know:
2a. how to observe and describe similartiesand differences in the appearance and behavior of plants and of animals(e.g., seed-bearing plants, birds, fish and insects).
2c. how to identify major structures of commonplants and animals (e.g., stems, leaves, roots, arms, wings, legs).
4. Scientificprogress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting carefulinvestigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and toaddress the content in the other three strands, students should developtheir own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
4a. observe common objects using the fivesenses.
4b. describe the properties of common objects.
4c. describe the relative position of objectsusing one reference (e.g. above or below).
4e. communicate observations orally and indrawings.
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conductingcareful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept,and to address the content in the other three strands, students shoulddevelop their own questions and perform investigations. Studentswill:
4a. make predictionsbased on patters of observation rather than random guessing.
4d. write ordraw descriptions of a sequence of steps, events, and observations.
4e. constructbar graphs to record data using appropriately labeled axes.
4g. follow verbal instructions for a scientificinvestigation.
GRADE3 STANDARDS (Please see Standards-Based Instruction Sheet for sample project)
3: Adaptationsin physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance forsurvival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
3a: plants and animals have structures thatserve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
3c: living things cause changes in the environmentwhere they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organismor other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.
3d: when theenvironment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, andothers die or move to new locations.
5.Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conductingcareful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept,and to address the content of the other three strands, students shoulddevelop their own questions and perform investigations. Studentswill:
5a: repeat observations to improve accuracy,and know that the results of similar scientific investigations seldom turnout exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated,methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation.
5c: use numerical data in describing and comparingobjects, events and measurements.
5d: predict the outcome of a simple investigation,and compare the result to the prediction.
5e: collect data in an investigation and analyzethem to develop a logical conclusion.
3:Living organisms depend on one another and on their environment for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
3b: For any particular environment, some kindsof plants and animals survive well; some survive less well, and some cannotsurvive at all.
6:Scientific progress is made by asking meaningfulquestions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understandingthis concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, thestudents should develop their own questions and perform investigations. The students will:
6a: Differentiate observation from inference(interpretation), and know that scientists' explanations come partly fromwhat they observe and partly from how they interpret their observations.
6d: Conduct multiple trials to test a predictionand draw conclusions about the relationships between results and predictions.
6e: Construct and interpret graphs from measurements.
6f: Follow a set of written instructions fora specific investigation.
6. Scientificprogress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting carefulinvestigations. AS a basis for understanding this concept, and toaddress the content of the other three strands, students should developtheir own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
6a: Classify objects (e.g., rocks, plants,leaves) based on appropriate criteria.
6b: Develop a testable question.
6c: Plan andconduct a simple investigation based on a student-developed question, andwrite instructions others can follow to carry out the procedure.
6e: Identify a single independent variablein a scientific investigation and explain what will be learned by collectingdata on this variable.
6f: Select appropriate tools (e.g.,thermometers, meter sticks, balances, and graduated cylinders) and makequantitative observations.
6g: Record datausing appropriate graphic representation (including charts, graphs, andlabeled diagrams), and make inferences based on those data.
6h: draw conclusions based on scientific evidenceand indicate whether further information is needed to support a specificconclusion.
6i: write a report of an investigationthat includes tests conducted, data collected or evidence examined, andconclusions drawn.