Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Quarter 4
Core Curriculum Map—3rd Grade Science
Life Science
Concept
Animal Needs
Objective
3C1: Define the basic
needs of animals (food,
shelter, water, air,
space).
[3]SC1.2
Essential
Vocabulary
Survive
Instructional Material

FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 3,
Part 2
FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 5,
Part 1
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
Project Wild:
Awareness and
Appreciation, Section
One**


FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Life in Los Angeles”
(p.45-48)


FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 1-3,
5


Bloom’s Taxonomy- Knowledge


Change in
Organisms
Over Time
3C2: Discuss how kinds Organism
of organisms that once
lived on Earth have
completely disappeared
and some of those
resembled others that are
alive today.
[3]SC1
Assessment


Teacher
Activities/Reflections
Objective Scoring
Guide p. 23
FOSS Structures of
Life: Assessment
Chart for
Investigation 4, Part 2
adapted for Crayfish
and Bess Beetles
FOSS Structures of
Life: End-of-Module
Assessment (#14change “land snail” to
“bess beetle,” and
#21) and
Performance
Assessment: Animal
Observations
Objective Scoring
Guide p. 24
Bloom’s TaxonomyComprehension
Sort
Organisms
Structure
3C3: Sort plants based
on observable structures. Classify
Sort animals based on
observable structures.
Revised June 6, 2008
Developed by MSBSD Science Writing Team

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 25
FOSS Structures of
Page 1 of 5
**Indicates suggested supplemental materials
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Quarter 4

(e.g., leaves, beaks)
[3]SC 1.1
Bloom’s Taxonomy-Analysis

Compare and
Contrast
Animals
3C4: Compare and
contrast animals based
on appearance and
behavior.
[3]SC 2.1
Vertebrate
Invertebrate


Bloom’s Taxonomy-Analysis




Structures of
Plants and
Animals
3C5: Observe and
identify external
structure of plants.
Observe and identify
external structure of
animals. Discuss the
function of each
Revised June 6, 2008
Adaptation
Camouflage
Deciduous
Conifer


National Geographic
Reading Expedition:
Classifying Living
Things**
Project Learning
Tree**
FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 3,
Part 3
FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 5,
Part 2
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Crayfish, Snails, and
Kids” (p.41-42)
National Geographic
Reading Expedition:
Classifying Living
Things**
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
Project Wild:
Awareness and
Appreciation, Section
One**
FOSS Structures of
Life: Investigation 1-3,
5
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Answering Kids’
Questions: Crayfish,
Developed by MSBSD Science Writing Team
Life: End-of-Module
for Structures of Life
Performance
Assessment: Seed
Properties







Objective Scoring
Guide p. 26
FOSS Structures of
Life: Response Sheet
– Meet the Crayfish
(No.15)
FOSS Structures of
Life: Response Sheet
– Comparing Beetles
and Crayfish (No.33)
FOSS Structures of
Life: Formative
Assessment Chart for
Investigation 3, 5
Objective Scoring
Guide p. 27
FOSS Structures of
Life: Formative
Assessment Chart for
Investigation 2, 3
FOSS Structures of
Page 2 of 5
**Indicates suggested supplemental materials
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
structure.
[3]SC2.2
Quarter 4

Bloom’s TaxonomyComprehension



Living vs Nonliving
Interdependence
3C6: Identify examples
of living and non-living
things in the local
environment. Discuss the
dependence of living
things on non-living
things.
[3]SC3.1
Bloom’s Taxonomy-Analysis




Food Chains
3C7: Assemble a simple
food chain of familiar
plants and animals.
[3]SC3.2
Bloom’s Taxonomy-Synthesis
Revised June 6, 2008
Predator
Prey


Crawfish, Crawdaddy”
(p.17-19)
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Crayfish, Snails, and
Kids” (p.41-42)
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
A World of Plants **
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
Project Learning
Tree**
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Life on Earth” (p.2234)
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
A World of Plants **
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
Project Learning
Tree**
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“The Food Web” (p.43)
FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life –
“Answering Kids’
Questions: Crayfish,
Developed by MSBSD Science Writing Team
Life: End-of-Module
for Structures of Life

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 28

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 29
Page 3 of 5
**Indicates suggested supplemental materials
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Living Things
Change Their
Environment
3C8: Discuss how living
things cause changes in
the environment; some of
these changes are
detrimental to
organisms, and some are
beneficial.
[3]SC3.1
Bloom’s TaxonomyComprehension
Environmental
Change
3C9: Discuss that when
the environment changes,
some plants and animals
survive and reproduce;
others die or move to
new locations.
[3]SC3.2
Bloom’s TaxonomyComprehension
Revised June 6, 2008
Quarter 4
Crawfish, Crawdaddy”
(p.17-19)
 National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
A World of Plants **
 Project Wild**
 FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life – “A
Change in the
Environment?
 Project Wild:
Awareness and
Appreciation, Section
One**
 Project Wild:
Responsible Human
Actions, Section
Seven**
 FOSS Science Stories:
Structure of Life – “A
Change in the
Environment”
 National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
 National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
A World of Plants **
 Internet resources (such
as, Food Chain/
Pesticides
www.eelsinc.org/ld62.html)
 Project Wild:
Responsible Human
Developed by MSBSD Science Writing Team

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 30

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 31
Page 4 of 5
**Indicates suggested supplemental materials
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District
Plant and
Animal
Survival
Quarter 4
3C10: Observe and
discuss local conditions
that determine which
plants / animals survive.
[3] SA 3.1


Bloom’s TaxonomyComprehension

Revised June 6, 2008
Actions (Section 7)**
Go outside
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
Animals and their
Adaptations
National Geographic
Reading Expeditions:
A World of Plants **
Developed by MSBSD Science Writing Team

Objective Scoring
Guide p. 32
Page 5 of 5
**Indicates suggested supplemental materials