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. 

This lesson plan includes two activities designed to demonstrate the effects of acid rain on physical structures such as rocks, buildings, and statues and on living organisms (plants). In the first activity students will make observations after dropping samples of water and vinegar on chalk. In the second activity students will plant bean seeds to produce three separate bean plants. One plant will be given only water; one plant will be given only vinegar; one plant will be given a 50/50 water/vinegar solution. Students will form hypotheses, and then make observations and collect and graph height data as the plants grow.

In this activity, students will invent crazy plants as they put together new combinations of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. They will be amazed when you introduce real living plants that have adaptations as bizarre as the ones they have created. Then they will create their own alien plants. Students will recognize that invasive species are equipped with adaptations that give them competitive advantages over native species.

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.

In this lesson, students learn that plants need sunlight and make observations of what happens when they do not receive the sunlight they need.

Students will create experimental conditions in terrariums in order to study what plants need to live. Students will record the growth of radish plants as well as the observations of the water cycle in the terrariums.

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.

Students will build a model for studying the effects of contaminants on plant growth, identify two way pollutants can enter the ecosystem, and identify the effects of pollutants on terrestrial and aquatic plants.

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

Students will learn about the importance of water and the problems surrounding water globally and locally. Students will compare usability of fresh water and salt water. Students will research and promote water conservation. This lesson was developed by Julie Johnson as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

This article provides information about the adaptation of cacti to drought and protection, as well as basic facts about age, distribution, and varieties. Pictures support the text that is written for native speakers age 8 and up.

This article starts with interesting facts about corn. The two next sections focus on the history of corn as a cultivated plant and the multitude of corn varieties and adaptations. The text is written for native speakers age 8 and up.

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 lesson, students examine soil and determine which soil will be the best for plant growth. The students will also investigate the effect of sunlight on plants and the importance of sunlight in producing chlorophyll.

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