NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs) The student will:

Unit 9: Weather In this unit, students will observe, measure and record weather changes

6-7

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 9: Weather (6-7 lessons) 3.8A observe, measure, record, and compare day-to-day weather changes in different locations at the same time that include air temperature, wind direction, and precipitation SPIRAL- 3.2C construct maps, graphic organizers, simple tables, charts, and bar graphs using tools and current technology to organize, examine, and evaluate measured data

Sample Test Item 3.8 Weather

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to use tools to measure weather conditions.

• Students should understand that weather changes each day and we can measure those changes.

• Students might think that temperature is the only weather condition that is easily measured, but remind students that other conditions, such as rainfall and wind direction, can be measured using scientific tools. Although temperature in the laboratory is measured in degrees Celsius, weather reports in the United States typically report temperature in degrees Fahrenheit.

Academic Vocabulary

rain gauge wind vane thermometer weather precipitation

change compare location record measure

Vertical Alignment 2nd Grade 2.8A measure, record, and graph weather information including temperature, wind conditions, precipitation, and cloud coverage in order to identify patterns in the data

Before After

4th Grade 4.8A measure and record changes in weather and make predictions using weather maps, weather symbols, and a map key

Science Background Information

The Sun heats Earth unevenly, which causes different weather conditions at different locations at the same time. For example, a warm, humid air mass can bring rain to one area while a colder, drier air mass might bring sunny weather to a city 50 miles away. Winds shifts from one area to the next so that weather changes daily.

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

The amount of rainfall is measured by a rain gauge, read in hundredths of an inch. The water level is read at the bottom of the meniscus (curved surface of water in a tube). Most rain gauges have numbers divided into tenths of inches. If the rain gauge is filled to the 0.50 line that means that 0.5 of one inch or one-half inch of rain has fallen. Larger lines are inches, so if the line reads 0.50 above the 1-inch line, then one and a half inches of rain has fallen. Wind vanes show wind direction. Wind is caused by differences in air pressure. Cool air is heavier than hot air. A lot of cool air will create an area of high-pressure. A lot of hot air will create an area of low-pressure. Air moves from a high pressure area to a low pressure area. This creates wind. The larger the difference in temperatures between the two areas of pressure, the faster the wind will blow. The rotation of Earth also causes the air masses to move from west to east. Meteorologists use anemometers made of spinning cups to record wind speed. Temperature is measured with a Celsius or Fahrenheit thermometer. Although Celsius temperature is used in the laboratory, traditionally Fahrenheit temperature is reported on weather maps in the United States. The Teacher Toolbox (in Stemscopes) has a helpful section on how to read and use both Celsius and Fahrenheit thermometers in the classroom. Students will use charts, tables, and a class-made wind vane to measure and record the wind direction over the course of several days. In addition, precipitation and temperature are recorded. Students are asked to compare weather changes over a period of five days.

Essential Questions

• What observations and comparisons can we make about day to day weather conditions?

• What tools can we use to gather weather information?

• How can we record weather data?

—Inquiry Questions—

• If it is raining in the morning, does that mean it will rain all day?

• Does it always rain when clouds are in the sky?

• Why does weather change?

Key Science Concepts

• Weather conditions can vary and change from day to day.

• We can use tools such as rain gauges, wind vanes, and thermometers to gather weather information.

• We can use charts, tables, and graphs for recording and comparing weather data.

Science Websites

• http://www.weatherwizkids.com/

• https://weather.com/

• https://eo.ucar.edu/webweather/

• http://sciencespot.net/Pages/kdzearthscience.html (see weather section)

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs) The student will:

Unit 10: Soil Formation In this unit, students will explore and record how soils are

formed.

5-6

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 10: Soil Formation (5-6 lessons) 3.7A explore and record how soils are formed by weathering of rock and the decomposition of plant and animal remains. SPIRAL- 3.5D explore and recognize that a mixture is created when two materials are combined such as gravel and sand and metal and plastic paper clips

Sample Test Item 3.7A Soil Formation

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to examine many different soil samples during hands-on labs.

• Students should understand that soils are made up of a variety of natural materials and that it is not just dirt.

• Students might think that dead plants and animals are not part of the formation of soil, but, in fact, decomposed remains allow nutrient cycling to occur and are a part of soil formation.

Academic Vocabulary

humus clay silt compost size

soil subsoil topsoil weathering rock

bedrock organic remains component decomposition

Vertical Alignment 2nd Grade 2.7A observe and describe rocks by size, texture, and color

Before After

4th Grade 4.7A examine properties of soils, including color and texture, capacity to retain water, and ability to support the growth of plants

Science Background Information

All soils initially come from rocks, called “parent material”. Weathering agents, such as water, waves, wind, ice, temperature changes, plant and animal activity, and chemical processes, break the parent material into smaller pieces, and erosion carries the sediments to new locations. Water seeps into the cracks in rocks and breaks them apart. Temperature changes expand and crack the rocks further. Acidic water also seeps into rocks and breaks them down even more. Below the surface growing plant roots can split rocks, too. On the surface, blowing wind and rushing water constantly weather and erode rock into smaller pieces.

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Soil is made of four materials: small pieces of weathered rock or minerals (rock, sand, clay, and silt), air, water, and organic material (matter from dead plants and animals). There are thousands of soil types, but all soils are some combination of sand, silt, and clay particles. Of the particles, sand is the largest, silt is the middle-sized particle, and clay is the smallest. The texture of these three particles can be felt by rubbing the soil between the fingers. Sandy soil feels gritty, silt soil feels floury or silky; and clay soil feels slick and sticky. There are four major types of soil. Sandy soil is made of quartz grains that appear light brown. When you roll slightly wet, sandy soil in your palm, usually no ball forms and it crumbles. Sand particles are the largest of the three rock particles and create large spaces between the grains. This causes water to flow too quickly through the soil, washing away important nutrients. Sandy soil, without humus, cannot retain water or nutrients essential to seedlings, which is not good for growing crops. Sandy soils are found in deserts and near coastal areas. Silt soil is also made of quartz minerals, but is grey in color, with grains that are much smaller than sand, and feel silky smooth. Small spaces between sediments allow water and nutrient retention. Silt soils that have some humus are found in the flood plains surrounding rivers and are considered good for farming. Clay soil particles appear red, are much smaller than silt, are sticky when wet, and have very little pore space to let water flow, but do retain plant nutrients. When wet clay soil dries, it shrinks and cracks. Clay can also become dense, hard, and brittle, making it difficult for plant roots to penetrate. Wet clay soil easily forms a sticky ball in the hand. Loamy soil is an ideal soil that appears dark brown or black from rich organic materials and has a balance of all three particle sizes: sand, clay, and silt. Loamy soil, also known as topsoil is preferred for farming.

Soil is actually made of four materials: small pieces of weathered rock or minerals (rock, sand, clay, and silt), air, water, and organic material (matter from dead plants and animals). When plants and animals die and decompose (decay), this organic matter makes nutrient-rich material called humus, which mixes with inorganic material (rock particles, minerals, and water) to form soil. The humus layer of soil is usually the dark rich top soil. Soil micro-organisms (e.g., bacteria and fungi) are responsible for this decomposition, which breaks down animal and vegetable material into nutrient elements that can be used by growing plants.

Landforms, climate, rainfall, plants, and animal activity affect the soil found in a particular regions of the United States. Forest soil is rich in topsoil and humus where decayed plant and animal material help retain water and nutrients that allow forest trees, other plant life, and animals to flourish. Desert soil, however, lacks topsoil and humus due to sandy particles that do not retain water or nutrients. Only specially adapted plants, such as cactus and sagebrush, are suited to this sandy soil. Prairie soil of the Midwestern United States is a fertile, dark, loamy soil consisting of a balanced mixture of the three particle sizes. A variety of weathered materials eroded into this basin represent the diverse parent material that contributed to the rich soil that supports American farmlands. Southern soil is dominated by red clay. The red color results from the iron minerals that have rusted into iron oxides in the warm, damp climate of the South.

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Essential Questions

• What is weathering?

• What is soil made of?

• How are soils different in different areas?

—Inquiry Questions—

• Which soil samples have the largest particles? Smallest particles?

• Are all soils the same color? What could make soils have different colors?

• Which soil do you think is best for growing plants? Why?

Key Science Concepts

• Weathering is the process that breaks down Earth’s rocks into smaller and smaller pieces over time.

• Soils are made up of small pieces of weathered rock.

• Soil contains many substances including decomposed plant and animal remains.

• The materials in soil, or soil type, are different in different areas.

Science Websites

• http://archive.fieldmuseum.org/undergroundadventure/

• http://www.kidsgeo.com/geology-for-kids/0002-the-earths-soil.php

• http://idahoptv.org/sciencetrek/topics/soil/games.cfm

• http://www.thescienceofsoil.com/

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs). The student will:

Unit 11: Landforms 1 In this unit, students will investigate how the Earth’s surface can change rapidly.

6-7

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 11: Landforms 1

Ⓢ 3.7B investigate rapid changes on Earth's surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides (6-7 lessons) SPIRAL- 3.3C represent the natural world using models such as volcanoes or Sun, Earth, and Moon system and identify their limitations, including size, properties, and materials

Sample Test Item 3.7B Rapid Changes

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to look at the effects of these rapid changes to the Earth’s surface.

• Students should understand that not all changes to Earth’s surface happen quickly.

• Students might think that these rapid changes are always disasters, but remind students they are a natural part of Earth’s cycles, and sometimes make way for other environments or organisms to establish in a new area.

Academic Vocabulary

earthquake eruption landslide rapid volcano

fault lava seismograph flood magma

surface mudslide tsunami investigate

Vertical Alignment 2nd Grade None

Before After

4th Grade 4.7B observe and identify slow changes to the Earth’s surface caused by weathering, erosion and deposition from water, wind, and ice

Science Background Information

Most features on Earth’s surface, such as mountains, valleys, and plains, are created over hundreds or thousands of years. However, some events, such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides, occur very rapidly and can completely change the surface within just hours or days. These slow and rapid changes create different landforms because of natural forces that work above and below the ground. Earth is made of three basic layers: the crust, the mantle, and the core. The crust and the rigid upper part of the mantle move together on top of soft molten rock deeper in the mantle (caused by tremendous internal heat of Earth).

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Instead of one giant layer, the crust and upper mantle move very slowly together as broken puzzle pieces called plates. This slow movement is caused by the molten rock beneath sliding past the enormous plates above. Two of the three large forces that change the surface rapidly, volcanoes and earthquakes, begin below the surface of Earth along boundaries where these plates collide. The third large force, landslides, occurs above the surface.

Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes are natures pressure valves. Along plates bordering the Pacific Ocean, magma (molten rock) is forced up through cracks to the surface releasing pressure in volcanic eruptions. Numerous volcanoes and earthquakes occur along this Pacific Ring of Fire.

Volcanoes erupt when magma reaches the surface as lava. Lava flows down the sides of the volcano and hardens. Ash, cinders, and gases are also released. The largest volcanoes release slow, continuous lava flows to create wide, volcanic mountains. Some volcanoes erupt violently with pyroclastic flow (deadly avalanche of superheated fragments, ash, and gas) that destroys landscape and lives in its path. Some volcanoes form on the ocean floor over hot spots, and after repeated eruptions, build up enough lava to form islands like the Hawaiian Islands. Volcanoes both destroy and create landscape. When volcanic lava rock erodes after many years, soil often collects in the crevices, allowing plant growth to take root and animal life to develop. Many volcanoes are no longer active, such as those that formed the Davis Mountains in Texas but serve as reminders of how the very forces that destroy are the same forces that can create new land and new life. When rough blocks of rock along plate boundaries move against each other and get stuck, pressure builds. Finally, the blocks move, which suddenly releases energy in the form of shaking vibrations called earthquakes that radiate outward like ripples in a pond. These vibrations, or seismic waves, are felt many miles away in two ways. The first set stretches the rock in a back-and-forth motion. The second set produces side-to-side shaking. Together, these vibrations can create massive damage to landforms, buildings, roads, bridges, power lines, and take the lives of the people and animals caught in the collapse. If the earthquake occurs on the ocean floor, the vibrations can cause enormous waves called tsunamis that crash into coastal areas, destroying and flooding miles inland. Landslides occur where the earth collapses suddenly. This can be caused by seismic vibrations or when the earth has become too saturated with water and slumps downward. Landslides and other inevitable rapid changes to Earth’s surface have led to a special interest in creating infrastructures (building, roads, etc.) that can withstand these strong forces of nature.

Essential Questions

• What are some forces that can cause rapid changes to the Earth’s surface?

• What are the effects of rapid changes to the Earth’s surface?

—Inquiry Questions—

• What types of evidence prove that Earth’s surface has changed?

• Can natural disasters be prevented?

• How do models help scientists learn about natural disasters?

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Key Science Concepts

• Large forces can change the Earth’s surface rapidly.

• Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes can cause rapid changes on Earth’s surface such as creating new land, making cracks in the crust, or changing landforms.

• Landslides can cause rapid change to Earth’s surface such as rocks and debris falling from a rock face.

Science Websites

• http://interactivesites.weebly.com/severe-weather-and-natural-disasters.html

• http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/geology.html

• https://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/kids/

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs). The student will:

Unit 12: Landforms 2 In this unit, students will investigate and construct models of common landforms and identify how they change rapidly.

6

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 12: Landforms 2 3.7C identify and compare different landforms, including mountains, hills, valleys, and plains (6 lessons) SPIRAL- 3.7B investigate rapid changes on Earth's surface such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides

Sample Test Item 3.7C Landforms

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to examine more than one type of landform.

• Students should understand that there are similarities and differences between the different types of landforms.

• Students might think that all landforms are static but remind students these landforms are always undergoing some sort of change, even if it’s a gradual one.

Academic Vocabulary landforms hills mountains plains compare

valleys characteristic elevation canyons buttes

sand dunes deltas mesas peninsulas

2nd Grade None

Before After

4th Grade None

Science Background Information

Earth is constantly changing from forces that act above and below its surface. Students have explored rapid changes to geography, such as earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. The forces, however, that formed mountains, hills, valleys, and plains took millions of years to sculpt the surface of the Earth, which is still changing today. Features on Earth range in elevation from the highest mountains, which tower over lower hills, down to the sea level plains. Valleys also range in elevation from glacier-formed U-shaped valleys in the highest mountains and young river-formed V-shaped valleys between mountains, down to flat, older sea-level river valleys. Mountains are very large rock formations with a peak at the top. Generally, mountains are structures taller than 1000 feet high and many form in rows called ranges. Some peaks are so high they reach into the clouds and are

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

covered in snow. In West Texas, the Guadalupe Mountains have the tallest peak in the state. The Rocky Mountains in the West and the Appalachian Mountains in the East are two major mountain ranges in the United States. Hills are large land formations of rocks, dirt, and grass that have a rounded top. Hills are smaller than mountains with elevations generally lower than 1000 feet and do not have jagged peak tops. The Texas Hill Country is an example of the limestone, rolling hills that are part of Central Texas. Mounds that are higher than the surrounding flat area are also considered hills but are the lowest type of hill. Valleys are the areas between two mountains or two hills. A low area of land between mountains or hills often has a river or stream running along the valley bottom. Rapid, young rivers cut through mountains leaving a V-shaped valley. In some alpine mountains, glaciers gouge out the sides of mountains leaving a U-shaped valley. Older rivers can run down the middle of flood plains, such as the Rio Grande Valley or the Red River Valley in Texas. Valleys also run among the Texas Hill Country formations. A plain is a large, flat area of land with no mountains, hills, or valleys. The Great Plains in the United States span from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains where broad, flat areas stretch for thousands of miles offering prime farmland. Texas plains are in the Panhandle and along coastal areas.

Mountains form from slow-acting forces deep within Earth that push sections of the crust upward over millions of years into folded or block mountains. The Rocky Mountains were uplifted over 200 million years ago. The Guadalupe Mountains were formed by uplift 25 million years ago. Once mountains have formed, usually river water that collects and starts to flow downward begins to weather and erode the mountainsides into V-shaped valleys. Glaciers in alpine areas can weather and erode mountainsides into a U-shaped valley. After hundreds of thousands of years, the constant erosion wears down the sides of the mountain, and rivers slow down leaving deposits in wide valleys on either side. The broad valleys of older rivers, such as the Mississippi or Rio Grande, are the results of eons of erosion and deposition. Hills also are folded parts of Earth’s crust, but represent

mountain tops that have been eroded slowly over a long period of time leaving behind the mounds or hills as remnants of former tall peaks. The Great Plains were formed from uplift after an ancient sea that covered central North America long ago evaporated. So, uplift, weathering, erosion, and deposition are three common processes that change Earth’s surface dramatically, but the resulting landforms can look very different.

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Students are challenged to compare mountains, hills, valleys, and plains based on the characteristics summarized above. This reference table that offers some basic comparisons students might propose:

Essential Questions

• What is a landform?

• What are examples of landforms and the processes that created them?

• What are some characteristics we can use to compare landforms?

—Inquiry Questions—

• How are mountains and hills similar and different?

• What are other landforms besides mountains, hills, valleys, and plains?

• Can landforms change? How?

• What landforms are found in different parts of the United States?

Key Science Concepts

• A landform is a natural geographic structure on the Earth’s surface.

• Landforms, including mountains, hills, valleys, and plains, have specific characteristics.

• Landforms can look very different but can be formed by similar processes.

• We can compare different landforms based on their characteristics.

Science Websites

• https://jr.brainpop.com/science/land/landforms/

• http://geography.pppst.com/landforms.html

• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/mapping-landforms/

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs) The student will:

Unit 13: Natural Resources In this unit, students will explore the usefulness of natural resources

5

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Unit 13: Natural Resources 3.7D explore the characteristics of natural resources that make them useful in products and materials such as clothing and furniture and how resources may be conserved. (5 lessons) SPIRAL- 3.1B make informed choices in the use and conservation of natural resources by recycling or reusing materials such as paper, aluminum cans, and plastics

Sample Test Item 3.7D Resources

Notes to Teacher • Students should be given opportunities to identify tangible ways to conserve resources.

• Students should understand that natural resources originate from the Earth, rather than from a factory.

• Students might think that not all resources are worth conserving but remind students that it is wise to conserve all resources.

Academic Vocabulary

natural natural resources product solution conservation

green conserve characteristics

2nd Grade 2.7C distinguish between natural and manmade resources.

Before After

4th Grade 4.7C identify and classify the Earth’s renewable resources including air, plants, water, and animals, and nonrenewable resources including coal, oil, natural gas; and the importance of conservation

Science Background Information

Humans have always been dependent on Earth for water for drinking, irrigation of crops, cleaning, transporting boats, and for recreation. We need air for breathing and for blowing blades of windmills, electric turbine blades, and for air conditioners or furnaces to bring coolness and warmth. Plants and animals provide food for the human race and by-products for building, medicines, paper, clothing, etc. The ground provides soil for farming, land to build on, minerals, metals, and coal and oil. All products made by humans depend on natural resources from the Earth that supply the raw materials needed to manufacture the object.

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Matter has properties that describe mass, dimensions, texture, relative density, temperature, magnetism, the ability to conduct heat and electricity, etc. Humans have discovered natural resources with specific properties that lend themselves to specific uses. Solid materials, such as metals that conduct heat or electricity well, are used in the manufacture of cooking pots and electric wire. Metals, such as iron, steel, and other alloys are very strong and are, therefore, useful in construction of tall buildings, vehicles, trains, and ships that need to hold a lot of weight and last a long time. Metals that are light and flexible, such as aluminum or titanium, are useful for foil, eyeglasses, and airplane coverings where the least amount of weight is an advantage. Cotton fibers are perfect for woven cloth that is durable and versatile in clothing and upholstery. Wood can be carved, sawed, nailed, sanded, or combined in unique ways to build strong furniture, homes, and shipping crates, or ground up to be pressed into paper. Because wood is lightweight, it is also used for boats and musical instruments. Because oil and coal are flammable, these natural resources popular fuels are burned to produce energy. Oil and coal are versatile natural resources which, chemists have learned to convert into thousands of useful products, such as plastics or lubricants. Each natural resource with its unique set of properties has infinite uses limited only by human imagination and, quite often, the finite availability of that resource. The 3 Rs of conservation are reduce (use less), reuse (use again), and recycle (use for a different purpose). Beginning conservation efforts at home and school help students understand how business, industry, and the global community can be more responsible toward protecting natural resources. Environmentally Friendly, Eco-Friendly, Going Green, and Sustainable are terms students are not held responsible for, but are frequently encountered when students explore conservation issues. Environmentally friendly or eco-friendly are general terms that mean the manufacturing or use of the product is safe for the environment, does not pollute the environment, nor does it deplete the natural resource. The term green is a specific term that means the actual use of the product does not cause pollution. For example, gasoline-powered cars are not considered green because when you use a car the exhaust fumes pollute the air. However, electric-powered cars are considered green because they do not have exhaust to pollute the air. Sustainable is a specific term that means the manufacturing of the product did not use fossil fuels, did not harm the environment, or deplete natural resources. Sustainable products can be reused or recycled. These terms can be misleading on commercial packaging. For example, paper towels that are made from recycled paper are green (doesn’t pollute when you use it), but are possibly not sustainable (made from cutting down trees which can harm the environment, if new trees are not planted). A more eco-friendly towel would be a fiber towel that is not thrown away, but is reusable. Below are examples of conservation efforts that reduce, recycle, and reuse natural resources. Reduce waste by donating unwanted items (clothing, toys, etc.). Reduce packing that ends up in landfills by buying in bulk. Reduce water use by taking shorter showers, not letting the water run when brushing teeth, and resetting sprinkler systems not to run on rainy days. Use native plants or ground cover that needs less watering. Reduce energy

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Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

use by turning lights and electronics off when not in use. Wash clothes in cold water. Replace regular light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. Walk or bike when possible instead of driving to conserve fuel. Buy more fuel-efficient cars. Carpool or use public transportation. Use alternative energy resources, such as solar or wind power energy. When natural resources are recycled, they are put to a new use. Recycling paper saves trees, eliminates the oil or coal used to power the plants that manufacture the paper, eliminates the landfill space need for waste paper, and eliminates the air pollution created from cutting the trees and manufacturing the new paper product. Place recycle bins at home, school, and businesses to recycle glass, aluminum, newspapers, cardboard, etc. Create compost piles to recycle food wastes as fertilizer. Use disposable items as craft materials or use them creatively as another product instead of throwing the item away. Repurpose old furniture or fabric. Buy reusable products instead of single-use items, such as rechargeable batteries or reusable water bottles. Carry groceries in reusable fabric bags. Instead of throwing away old clothes, restyle them with different accessories, or cut them up for rags or cleaning cloths. Check out resale stores, thrift shops, or garage sales to find reusable items. Reuse glass jars from purchased products for storing homemade jams, jellies, or pickled food. Old toothbrushes make great scrubbers for cleaning small areas. Donate old books to a local library or school. Baby food jars make great holders for buttons, seeds, or spices. Cut up old jeans to make potholders or a jean purse bag.

Essential Questions

• What are some natural resources that come from the Earth?

• What characteristics of natural resources make them useful to us?

• How can natural resources be conserved?

—Inquiry Questions—

• What characteristics do fabrics have that make them a good choice for clothing?

• What natural resources are used in electronic devices (precious metals)?

Key Science Concepts

• Natural resources, such as oil, coal, metals, rocks, soil, air, water, plants, and animals, come from the Earth.

• Characteristics of natural resources make them useful such as the fibers of cotton to produce cloth or the strength of wood to make furniture.

• Natural resources can be conserved by using less, by recycling, and by reusing.

Science Websites

• https://www.epa.gov/students

• https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ia/communities/?cid=nrcs142p2_011809

• http://interactivesites.weebly.com/earth-day1.html

NIA|

Elementary Curriculum Guide We Make Good Students Great!

2017-2018

Science- Grade 3

Cycle 3 43 Days The recommended number of days/lessons is less than the number of

days in the grading cycle to accommodate differentiated instruction, extended learning time, and assessments days. Jan 8-Mar 9, 2018

Unit # of Days/Lessons

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills/Student Expectations (TEKS/SEs) The student will:

Review

Assess

Reteach

Extend

50-minute lessons

Suggested Pacing:

________-________

Review//Assess//Reteach//Extend Spiral back to all previous taught TEKS from the 1st-3rd Nine Weeks

Past Assessments 1st Nine Weeks Assessment 2nd Nine Weeks Assessment