Third-Grade Common Core Science
VS.
Enhanced Whale Watching Program
Life Sciences
 Students learn about Earth’s different habitats or biomes and are able to describe the
characteristics of some of the plants and animals living in each. Students consider the effects of
environmental changes on organisms. They learn that living organisms, including humans,
inevitably cause changes (both minor and major) in the environment as the organisms compete
for food, shelter, light, and water, and that both plants and animals may be adversely affected
by some environmental changes.
How: During the cruise students consider the effects of environmental changes on tiny
plankton, and how that essentially affects the entire food web in the ocean.
3.3.c. 3.3.d. Students know living things cause changes in the environment in which they live: some of
these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, and some are beneficial.
Physical Sciences (Energy and Matter)
 Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival. As
a basis for understanding this concept.
How: Whale watching cruises allow us to show specialized adaptations and explain how these
cetaceans are supremely adapted to their ocean environments.
 Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans,
deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a
basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
 Differentiate evidence from opinion and know that scientists do not rely on claims or
conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed.
How: During our Sea Lion Debate we describe opinions vs facts and ask students to formulate an
opinion based on facts about sea lions in the Newport Beach harbor.
 Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events, and measurements.
How: Throughout the Enhanced Whale Watching trip, students are collecting numerical data,
and monitoring the marine mammals and birds during the trip.
 Collect data in an investigation and analyze those data to develop a logical conclusion.
How: Throughout the Enhanced Whale Watching trip, students are collecting numerical data,
and monitoring the marine mammals and birds during the trip.