This parent guide supports parents in helping their child at home with the 3rd grade Science content.

This resource accompanies our Rethink 3rd Grade Science course. It includes ideas for use, ways to support exceptional children, ways to extend learning, digital resources and tools, tips for supporting English Language Learners and students with visual and hearing impairments. There are also ideas for offline learning. 

In this activity students compare plant growth under two conditions. Through the activity students will observe the life cycle of seed plants and determine in which conditions plants grow well. Students will also collect data such as number of days to germination for each plant and daily plant height.

In this lesson, students dig in and participate in each step of planting a tree. They learn about the things a tree needs to grow, research and choose the right tree for the right site, and plant a tree.

The purpose of this lesson is to demonstrate understanding of the lifecycle of a tree and its importance in the forest ecosystem. Through digital photography students will identify and document the various stages of the lifecycle of a tree. Students will work cooperatively to create a multimedia presentation using Movie Maker, Powerpoint, or i-Movie to share their discoveries and learning.

In this lesson, students investigate the effects of air temperature on seed germination. Students will prepare seeds for germination and place them in locations of varying temperatures. Students will monitor and record data concerning the temperatures and length of the germination process and develop a chart using the data to show the results.

In this activity, students experiment with water, temperature, and light to see what makes a seed come out of its shell.

In this lesson, students identify plant parts, where seeds come from and how they grow. They will also determine what plants need to survive.

This content resource builds students' knowledge and conceptual understanding about plants through interactive activities, printable worksheets, and hands-on explorations. There are six investigation cases for students to complete; each case examines a different aspect of plant life, including plant structures, life cycles and reproduction, proper environmental conditions for growth, and ecological importance. Supplemental background information and a teacher's guide with suggestions for using the materials in the classroom are also provided. A Spanish version of the web site is available.

Through this mini research lesson, students will choose a plant to research and write about. Using Pink is for Blobfish by Jess Keating as a model book, students will create a class book titled 'Green is For...' with their final drafts. 

In this lesson, students investigate different growth mediums for a lima bean seed. Students will ggrow a ima bean in a moist paper towel and grow a second lima bean in a paper cup with soil. The student will then document the growth by journaling it in a booklet one time a week, recognizing the stages of growth and idenitifying the key components necessary for growth - water, sunlight, and food.

In this activity, students grow plants hydroponically in the classroom in order to better understand the basic growth needs of plants.

This is a supplemental resource for the lesson: "Investigating Inherited Traits and Learned Behavior." In this activity, students sort five pictures to show the correct order of the tomato plant's life cycle from seed to adult plant.

This is a supplemental resource for the lesson: "Investigating Inherited Traits and Learned Behavior." This is the answer key for the "Tomato Life Cycle" activity.

Students will read a prompt and probing questions in order to write to respond to the prompt. Students will then draw a picture to accompany their writing. This resource supports English language development for English language learners.

This resource supports the English language development of English language learners. Students help Detective LePlant to solve the mystery of plant life and will identify the different parts of plants, what each part does, and how plants grow. The case has a case brief, facts, a quiz, and activities. This is available in Spanish, also.

This resource supports English language development for English language learners. Students help Detective LePlant to solve the mystery of seeds, what is needed for germination and seed growth, differences in seeds and how they survive, describe nonflowering plants that produce seed-like structures, describe a seed's structure, and list seeds that are used for food. When students click vocabulary words, a window opens to define the word in English with a Spanish option. The case has a case brief, facts, a quiz, and activities. Available in Spanish, also.

In this lesson, students will understand the growing requirements of a tree and begin to grow a tree from seed.

In this short video and accompanying activity and readings, students learn about Longleaf Pine Ecosystems by exploring Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve in North Carolina.

This lesson introduces students to the natural resources that help plants grow. Students will work in small groups to explore natural resource items and discuss their importance to humans. The teacher then shares with students a booklet about the natural environment, which provides information via a series of concept maps and allows recording of students' experiences and thoughts through both writing and drawing. Students will also read, discuss, and illustrate booklets about seeds and plants.

Students will learn about the life cycle of plants working in stations to make observations about seeds, vegetation, flowers, and fruits.

In this lesson, students compare and contrast a variety of flower, friut, and tree seeds. They will plant three flower seeds and observe changes by keeping a log book to note these changes as it grows over a period of 8-10 weeks.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 3rd Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 3rd Grade Science.

In this video, students learn about a type of seed. Angiosperm plants reproduce by producing seeds inside a fruit. Students will learn that the pits in cherries from cherry trees are seeds. Several other examples of angiosperm plants are shared.

In this video, students learn about another example of plants seeds. Gymnosperms are the oldest seed-baring plant. Students learn about their distinct appearance and life cycle.

In this video, students learn that plants produce seeds in order to reproduce. When a seed is fertilized, with the right conditions, it will germinate, starting the life of a new plant. Students will see different seeds in the video.

Through this website students can learn about seeds and how they grow by conducting their own plant investigation and sharing their thoughts with other kids.

In this three-month project, students investigate the best conditions for growing plants. Students create a problem statement, develop a study plan, test their ideas and use construction technology and computer technology as tools for research, planning, recording data and communicating.

Students use stick puppets to explain the various methods plants use to disperse their seeds.

In this lesson, students will become familiar with the parts of the plant and methods of seed dispersal. In addition, students will serve as a vector to pick up seeds and analyze the variety of items accumulated in the process.

Students will test different types of soil to determine which is best for growing plants.

Students will use a thermometer to measure the air temperature in several places around the school and then return to the classroom to graph the data. In addition, students will grow three plants in different amounts of sunlight and record their growth.

In this lesson, students review the three main parts of a tree. They complete a worksheet to learn the parts of a tree that are used in identification. Students play a game and act out how a tree meets its basic needs. They then label and put in order the life stages of a tree. As a conclusion, students draw their own tree, label it, and write a paragraph about how that tree is identified.