In third grade, students learn about the invisible forces of static electricity and magnetism, the different ecosystems and the species in them among other concepts. As students learn scientific facts, they are expanding their vocabulary and strengthening their reading fluency and comprehension skills.
Third graders start to develop the ability to ask scientific questions, plan and carry out simple experiments and start to develop hypotheses based on their observations.
Although science standards will vary by state, some of the concepts you can expect to see in any third grade science curriculum include:
Changes in motion caused by forces (gravity, friction)
Electricity and magnetism (conductors, insulators)
Forms of energy (heat, light, sound)
Weather and climate
Ecology (food chains, ecosystems, balance of nature, adaptations)
What Science Should a 3rd Grade Know?
3rd Grade Science Goals/Objective
Making sure your third grader accomplishes their learning objectives for science is a must to set them up for success for advancing concepts in upcoming years. Since homeschooling laws vary based on where you live, be sure to find out what your state’s homeschool requirements are when it comes to third grade science objectives.
Typically, you’ll find that science objectives for third grade include the following:
Makes inferences about their observations, collects data and records information
Understands life cycles of both plants and animals
Knows the different processes (weathering, erosion) that shape Earth’s features
Understands how different organisms interact with their environment
This year, students will get hands on with third grade science as they observe, investigate and experiment. Not only will they learn new concepts, but they will also dive into more complex studies on material from previous years such as Earth/space, life science, and physical science.
Learn more about how IMEZ-Academy’s third grade science curriculum can help your child understand and appreciate the world around them.
3rd Grade Science Scope & Sequence
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Chapter 1: “Number Sense”Lesson 1: Read Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Ordinal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Count Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Compare with Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Count by Twos and Fives – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Odd and Even Numbers – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Number Sense
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Chapter 2: “Fractions”Lesson 1: Equal and Unequal Parts – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Halves and Fourths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Thirds – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Equal Fractions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Fractions
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Chapter 3: “Operations”Lesson 1: Adding and Subtracting – 4 Activities Lesson 2: Place Value – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Equal Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 4: One-digit Addition – 2 Activities Lesson 5: One-digit Subtraction – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Sum of Three Addends – 6 Activities Lesson 7: Two-digit Addition – 6 Activities Lesson 8: Zero as a Placeholder – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Addition and Subtraction Strategies – 7 Activities Lesson 10: One-Digit Word Problems – 2 Activities Lesson 11: Problem Solving Strategies – 2 Activities Lesson 12: Estimation Language – 2 Activities Lesson 13: Estimate – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Operations
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Chapter 4: “Money”Lesson 1: Coin Values – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Count Money – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Model Money Amounts – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Add and Subtract Money – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Money
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Chapter 5: “Patterns”Lesson 1: Sort Using One Attribute – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Sort Using Two Attributes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Rules for Sorting – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Build Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Classify Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Picture and Number Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Repeating and Growing Patterns – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Patterns on a Hundreds Chart – 2 Activities Lesson 9: Skip Counting – 2 Activities Lesson 10: Extend Number Patterns – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Patterns
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Chapter 6: “Algebra”Lesson 1: Order Property – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Add and Subtract Numbers – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Fact Families – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Number Sentences – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Equal and Unequal – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Greater Than and Less Than – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Solve for Unknown Numbers – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Algebra
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Chapter 7: “Shapes”Lesson 1: Straight and Curved Lines – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Open and Closed Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Plane and Solid Shapes – 4 Activities Lesson 4: Special Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Attributes of Plane Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Name Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 7: Attributes of Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 8: Congruent Shapes – 3 Activities Chapter Test: Shapes
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Chapter 8: “Positions”Lesson 1: Positions of Objects – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Direction Words – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Position Words – 2 Activities Lesson 4: The Number Line – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Positions
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Chapter 9: “Using Shapes”Lesson 1: Slides and Turns – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Congruent Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Symmetry – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Shapes
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Chapter 10: “Spatial Sense”Lesson 1: Build Shapes – 6 Activities Lesson 2: Plane and Solid Shapes – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Perimeter and Area – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Shapes Around Us – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Pattern Blocks – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Spatial Sense
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Chapter 11: “Time”Lesson 1: Calendar – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Passage of Time – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Tools for Telling Time – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Time to the Hour and Half-hour – 2 Activities Lesson 6: Elapsed Time – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Time
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Chapter 12: “Length”Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Lengths – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Tools and Units – 2 Activities Lesson 5: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Length
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Chapter 13: “Weight”Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Weights – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 3 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Weight
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Chapter 14: “Capacity”Lesson 1: Non-standard Units – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Capacity – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Customary Units – 2 Activities Lesson 4: Metric Units – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Capacity
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Chapter 15: “Temperature”Lesson 1: Measure Temperature – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Compare Temperature – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Temperature
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Chapter 16: “Graphing”Lesson 1: Tally Table – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Pictographs – 2 Activities Lesson 3: Bar Graphs – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Graphing
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Chapter 17: “Using Data”Lesson 1: Compare Data – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Make Predictions – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Using Data
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Chapter 18: “Probability”Lesson 1: Certain or Impossible – 2 Activities Lesson 2: Most and Least Likely – 2 Activities Chapter Test: Probability