Olivia Taylor
Curriculum Map
3rd Grade Science
Unit
Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
Time
5 Weeks
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
3-LS4-3: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular
habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and
some cannot survive at all.
21st Century Skills – Science
Creativity and Innovation
ISTE Standards
ISTE Student Standard 1: Creativity and Innovation
ISTE Student Standard 3: Research and Information Fluency
ISTE Student Standard 6: Technology Operations and Concepts
Essential Question
What do we need to survive? Do all plants and animals have the same needs?
Content
During this learning segment, students will discover five habitats. As a class,
we will focus on one habitat each week. Content vocabulary includes the terms
desert, tundra, rainforest, wetlands, grasslands, habitat, climate, weather,
plants, animals, and vegetation. For each habitat, students will focus on the
weather, words that describe the habitat, and plants and animals that call the
habitat home.
Skills
Students will work with a partner and choose one of the following habitats to
research: desert, tundra, rainforest, wetlands, grasslands. Resourcing websites
provided on the class website, the students will identify seven animals that live
in their habitat. They will list eight words that describe their habitat. They will
also list three interesting facts about their habitat. Finally, students will
illustrate their habitat. Students will create a Blabber as a summative
assessment of what they’ve learned.
Instructional Strategies
 Focus on one habitat each week
 PowerPoint presentations about each habitat’s climate, plants, and animals
 Library books about each habitat
 Students take notes from PowerPoints and record facts about each habitat
Assessment
Students will present their findings using Blabberize.com to record a script of
the above information. They will work with a partner to record their script and
upload a photo of any animal native to their chosen habitat. They will use
Blabberize to make the photo of their animal “talk out” their script for them.
Resources
 Various library books about each habitat
 http://blabberize.com
Desert Biome




http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/desert_biome.php
http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/desert.html
http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/terres/desert/animals.htm
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/de
sert-profile/
 http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/desert.html
Tundra Biome
 http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/tundra.html
 http://www.kidcyber.com.au/topics/biometundra.htm
 http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/tu
ndra-profile/
 http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/tundra_biome.php
 http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/tundra/tundra.shtml
Rainforest Biome
 http://kids.mongabay.com/
 http://resources.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/homework/Grainforest.html
 http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/earth/rainforests.html
 http://factsforkids.net/rainforest-facts-for-kids/
 http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/kids
Wetlands Biome
 http://www.defenders.org/wetlands/basic-facts
 http://www.nwf.org/Kids/Ranger-Rick/Animals/Mixture-ofSpecies/What-Is-A-Wetland.aspx
 http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/freshwaterwetlands.html
 http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/encyclopedia/wetl
and/?ar_a=1
 http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season6/wetlands/facts.cfm
Wetlands Biome
 http://kids.nceas.ucsb.edu/biomes/grassland.html
 http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/gra
ssland-profile/
 http://www.ducksters.com/science/ecosystems/grasslands_biome.php
 http://www.defenders.org/grasslands/basic-facts
 http://www.kidzworld.com/article/2092-biomes-of-the-worldgrasslands