Welcome!
After you are comfortable…
• Make a name tag
• Move a magnet on the capacity matrix to
indicate your experience with 3rd grade
science
Third Grade Science Training
NC Essential Standards
Glad you’re here!
• Thank you
• Code of Cooperation
• Housekeeping
• Agenda and Resources
• Capacity Matrix review
Road Signs
• How does your road sign relate to science
education or education in general?
• Be creative!
Today’s Training
• Introduction
- Structure of 3rd Grade Science
- Explore Teacher Guides
- 5E Learning Cycle
- NCES Domains
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
• Wrap Up
Structure of 3rd Grade Science
• Guided Inquiry; Teacher facilitates, students
construct
• Big Idea: Understanding Systems
• Prior knowledge from K-2 is utilized
• Transition to upper elementary science
• Assessment
STC, FOSS, and Tracks
STC
• Changes
• Plant Growth & Development
• Soils (selected lessons during PG&D)
FOSS
• Human Body
Tracks
• Investigating Objects in the Sky
Take just a few moments to explore and compare the
structure of the manuals with your table group
What Did You Notice?
Tracks
FOSS
STC
The Cycle of Learning
Engage
Expand
Evaluate
Explain
Explore
Learning Cycle Component
Notebook Entries
Engage
• Focus Question
• Prediction
• Record class question
• I think/predict ___ because…”
Explore
• Plan
• Observation & Data
• Record materials and procedures
• Record observations and data
Explain (Making Meaning)
• Share data, group analysis
• Claims & Evidence
• Vocabulary & Content
• Conclusion
• “I claim ___ because …”
• Record or paste in notebook
• “I learned …”
Expand
• Apply
• Next Steps or New Questions
• “If ___ then ___”
• “I wonder …” or “What about…?”
Evaluate
• Formative assessment, quick write,
exit ticket, teacher review of entries
Physical Science Domain
Grade
Level
Force and
Motion
Matter: Properties &
Change
Energy:
Conservation &
Transfer
Interactions of
Energy & Matter
K
Animals 2x2*
Investigating
Properties
x
x
*Relative position
1
Balance & Motion
Comparing &
Measuring
x
x
2
Sound
Air & Weather; Solids
& Liquids
x
x
3
Human Body and
Objects in the Sky
Changes and Soils
Changes and
Objects in the Sky
x
x
4
Magnetism &
Electricity
Magnetism &
Electricity and Earth
Materials
Magnetism &
Electricity
5
Motion & Design
Motion & Design, Inv.
Weather
Inv. Weather and
Ecosystems
x
Life Science Domain
Grade
Level
Structure and
Functions
Ecosystems
Evolution &
Genetics
Molecular Biology
K
Animals 2 x 2
x
x
x
1
x
Organisms
x
Organisms
2
Life cycle of
Butterflies
x
Life cycle of
Butterflies
x
3
Human Body
Plant Growth &
Development
x
x
4
x
Animal Studies
x
Animal Studies
5
Human Body
Systems
Ecosystems
Human Body
Systems
x
Earth Science Domain
Grade
Level
Earth in the Universe
Earth Systems,
Structures & Processes
Earth History
K
x
Weather
x
1
x
Pebbles, Sand & Silt
x
2
Air & Weather*
Air & Weather
x
*Moon Observations
3
Objects in the Sky
Objects in the Sky and
Soils
x
4
x
x
Earth Materials and
Landforms
5
x
Inv. Weather
x
Today’s Training
• Introduction
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
- Tracks Investigating Objects in the Sky
- STC Plant Growth & Development/Soils
- STC Changes
- FOSS Human Body
• Wrap Up
Objects in the Sky
Misconception Probe
• Objects
in the Sky
Student Misconceptions
• In spite of common depiction, the Sun-centered system
seriously conflicts with common intuition.
• When considering the Earth, Sun, or Moon, young
children suggest 2-dimensional or non-spherical, 3dimensional shapes, while older children suggest
spheres.
Student Misconceptions
• Common words and phrases, such as sunrise
and sunset or sundown may lead to incorrect
ideas about the day/night cycle.
• Today’s students are not personally connected
to the sky as people in the past were.
Adult Misconceptions
Of a sample of university students:
• 65 % had no knowledge of the phases of the
Moon
• 23 % only fragmentary knowledge of the phases
of the Moon
• 8% had an “alternative eclipse” notion
• 6 % held the correct notion
-Making Sense of Secondary Science
Driver, Squires, Rushworth, and Wood-Robinson
Earth Science Content Blast
Earth’s orbit
• Revolves around the Sun in one year’s time (approx.)
Earth’s rotation
• Rotates on its axis every 24 hours
Moon phases
• Eight named phases
• Same face every night (synchronous rotation)
• Moon rotates once for every revolution around the Earth
• Moon goes through phases because of the relative positions of the Earth,
Moon, and Sun
The reason for the seasons
• Tilt of the Earth (23.5 degrees)
• Direct and indirect light
Earth/Moon/Sun
Patterns and Cycles
• Sun’s daily cycle or length
of day - changes over time
according to Earth’s shape,
rotation and Earth’s tilt
• Seasonal cycles- sun’s
path in the sky changes,
angle of incoming sun light
and proximity to large
bodies of water is
connected to daily
temperature changes
• Lunar cycles - affect tidal
changes over time
Earth’s Tilt
Vertical Alignment
• In Kindergarten, students make observations of daily
weather to build an understanding of changes and
observable weather patterns.
• In 2nd, students begin making observations of the
Moon and recognize its changes follow a pattern.
• In 5th, students conduct investigating to build an
understanding of weather systems and variables that
affect weather including such as proximity to the
Equator or location in a particular hemisphere.
NC Essential Standards
3.E.1 Recognize the major components and patterns
observed in the earth/moon/sun system.
4.P.3 Recognize that energy takes various forms that
may be grouped based on their interaction with
matter.
3.E.2 Compare the structures of the Earth’s surface
using models or three-dimensional diagrams.
Clarifying Objectives
3.E.1.1 Recognize that the earth is part of a system called
the solar system that includes the sun (a star), planets,
and many moons and the Earth is the third planet from
the sun in our solar system.
3.E.1.2 Recognize the changes in the length or direction of
an object’s shadow indicate the apparent changing
position of the sun during the day although the patterns
of the stars in the sky, to include the sun, stay the same.
Clarifying Objectives
4.P.3.2 Recognize that light travels in a straight line until it
strikes an object or travels from one medium to another,
and that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
Clarifying Objectives
3.E.2.1 Compare Earth’s saltwater and freshwater features
(including oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams,
and glaciers).
3.E.2.2 Compare Earth’s land features (including
volcanoes, mountains, valleys, canyons, caverns, and
islands) by using models, pictures, diagrams, and maps.
Essential Question for the Unit
How do the Earth, Moon, and Sun move in the sky,
and in relation to each other?
Shadow Tracing
• Work in pairs
• One partner stands in position
• The other will trace around partner’s feet and
shadow
• Record the time
Making the Constellations
• Overhead method vs. flashlight method
Unit Resources
•
•
•
•
Misconception Probes
Tracks Investigating Objects in the Sky TG
Supplemental Lessons on CMAPP
Elementary Science Wiki
- Concept Storyline
- Unpacked Content
- Additional Online Resources
Plan Ahead!
• Which source will be used to monitor and verify the
current Moon phase?
• Prepare calendar on chart paper to record Moon phases
• Large, open paved area in the sun most of the day
• Check batteries and flashlights!
• Solicit donations of empty coffee cans and soup cans
• WCPSS Starlab
Quick Write
•
•
•
•
What resonated with you?
What are your next steps?
What big ideas did you take away?
How will this new knowledge or experience
assist you in the classroom?
Today’s Training
• Introduction
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
- Tracks Investigating Objects in the Sky
- STC Plant Growth & Development/Soils
- STC Changes
- FOSS Human Body
• Wrap Up
Plant Growth & Development and Soil
Misconception Probe
• What’s in Soil?
• Plants in the Dark and Light
Student Misconceptions
• Many children aged 11-13 don’t believe that a
tree is a plant.
• Some children don’t believe that seeds are living
and are classified as plants.
• Only 4 out of 39 15-year old students
categorized pictures of animals and non-animals
as a biologist would .
• Some children suggest soil is dinosaur manure.
Making Sense of Secondary Science
Driver, Squires, Rushworth, and Wood-Robinson
Vertical Alignment
• In Kindergarten, students observe, describe, and sort
various objects based on their observable properties.
• In 1st, students observed the properties of various Earth
materials to build an understanding of their uses.
• In 2nd, students conducted investigations to build an
understanding of the properties of air, a mixture of
gases. They also observe properties of solids and
liquids and conduct tests to discover additional
properties.
Vertical Alignment
• In 3rd, students conduct investigations to build an
understanding of the properties of soil such a color,
texture, and capacity to hold water.
• In 4th, students conduct investigations to build an
understanding of the properties of rocks and minerals
such as color, luster, hardness, and streak. They also
investigate erosion, weathering, and rapid changes to
Earth’s surface.
NC Essential Standards
3.L.2 Understand how plants survive in their
environments.
Clarifying Objectives
3.L.2.1 Remember the function of the following plant structures
as it relates to the survival of plants in their environment:
Roots –absorb nutrients
Stems –provide support
Leaves – synthesize food
Flowers – attract pollinators and produce seed for reproduction
3.L.2.2 Explain how environmental conditions determine how
well plants survive and grow.
3.L.2.3 Summarize the distinct stages of the life cycle of seed
plants.
Clarifying Objectives
3.L.2.4 Explain how the basic properties (texture and
capacity to hold water) and components (sand, clay and
humus) of soil determine the ability of soil to support
growth and survival of many plants.
Essential Questions for the Unit
• What is the life cycle of a plant, and what affects
plant growth?
• What properties can be identified and described
in soils?
Kit Inventory Lesson
• What color is it?
• Where have you seen it
before OR what does it
remind you of?
• How do you think
we will use it in science?
Imagine that you’re outside playing in the
dirt. How would you describe the soil?
Engage
Focus Question
What will you find in the soil sample?
Prediction
I think/predict the soil sample will have ___ in it
because…
Engage
• Make careful observations.
• Record findings.
• Label drawings.
Explore
• What did you find in your soil sample?
• What surprised you the most?
• What did you find out that you didn’t already
know?
Explain
Claims & Evidence
I claim ___ because …
I know ___ because …
Conclusion
I learned…
Explain
Application
If ___, then ___
Next Steps or New Questions
What about…?
I wonder…
Expand
• Were students able to generate a prediction?
• Did students use hand lenses correctly?
• Did students make careful observations?
• Were observations recorded and labeled?
• How about claims and evidence statements?
Evaluate
Where do dead plants go?
How can we find out?
•
•
•
•
•
Compost Bags
Soil cycle
Care of red worms
Materials
Classroom logistics
Soil: Earth’s Solid Membrane
How Much Soil Is There?
Pretend that this apple is the planet Earth, round, beautiful, and full
of good things. Notice its skin, hugging and protecting the surface.
Water covers approximately 75% of the surface.
http://www.farmland.org/images/flash/apple.swf
How Much Soil Is There?
Soil Forming Factors
•
•
•
•
•
Parent Material
Climate
Topography
Biota
Time
These five factors work
together to create a
unique soil profile
made of layers called
horizons.
Carolina Clay
• North Carolina is home to the
only continuing pottery
tradition in the United States
outside the Native American
tradition of the Southwest.
Noted for this rich tradition
from Seagrove to Pisgah,
work produced here has
earned the attention of
collectors, artists, and visitors
from around the globe.
Unit Resources
•
•
•
•
•
Misconception Probes
STC Plant Growth & Development TG
STC Soils TG
Lessons posted to CMAPP
Elementary Science Wiki
- Concept Storyline
- Unpacked Content
- Additional Online Resources
• Premium Content
- www.carolinacurriculum.com
- Log in with: wakecounty@carolina.com
- Password: wakecounty
Plan Ahead!
• Consider when you will teach each lesson. Remember to
accommodate for an appropriate amount of light and
temperature for your plants.
• A grow box can be purchased from Carolina Biological
for this purpose.
• Make sure seeds are still viable. When were they
purchased?
• Seeds can be kept in the refrigerator to promote
freshness.
• Where will you store plants and grow light?
• Soil sampling on school grounds.
• Class compost vs. individual compost bag
Quick Write
•
•
•
•
What resonated with you?
What are your next steps?
What big ideas did you take away?
How will this new knowledge or experience
assist you in the classroom?
Today’s Training
• Introduction
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
- Tracks Investigating Objects in the Sky
- STC Plant Growth & Development/Soils
- STC Changes
- FOSS Human Body
• Wrap Up
Changes
Misconception Probe
• Where Did the Water Come From?
Student Misconceptions
• Young children (aged 5-13) regarded rigid
materials as solid, any powder as a liquid and
any non-rigid material as intermediate between
a solid and a liquid.
• In a child’s view, the exemplary liquid is water,
all liquids may be regarded as watery or made of
water. As a result, children may be confused
when they classify liquids such as honey, paste,
or tomato sauce.
Making Sense of Secondary Science
Driver, Squires, Rushworth, and Wood-Robinson
Vertical Alignment
• In Kindergarten, students observe, describe, and sort
various objects based on their properties.
• In 1st, students observe, describe, and sort Earth
materials based on properties such as size, color, and
texture.
• In 2nd, students observe, describe, and sort various
objects based on their properties and conduct
investigations to build an understanding of basic
properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
Vertical Alignment
• In 3rd, students conduct investigations to build an understanding of
change in state such as liquid to solid (freezing) or liquid to gas
(evaporation). They also describe soil based on properties such a
color, texture, and ability to hold water.
• In 4th, students conduct investigations to build an understanding of
the properties of rocks and minerals. They also explore additional
properties such as the ability to conduct electricity or reactions to
water.
• In 5th, students build an understanding of the water cycle and
conduct investigations to explore properties of soil and water
which lead to phenomena such as land and sea breezes
(convection).
NC Essential Standards
2.P.2 Understand properties of solids and liquids and
the changes they undergo.
3.P.2 Understand the structure and properties of matter
before and after they undergo a change.
3.P.3 Recognize how energy can be transferred from
one object to another.
Clarifying Objectives
2.P.2.1 Give examples of matter that change from a solid to
a liquid and from a liquid to a solid by heating and
cooling.
2.P.2.2 Compare the amount (volume and weight) of water
in a container before and after freezing.
2.P.2.3 Compare what happens to water left in an open
container over time as to water left in a closed container.
Clarifying Objectives
3.P.2.3 Summarize changes that occur to the observable
properties of materials when different degrees of heat
are applied to them, such as melting ice or ice cream,
boiling water or an egg, or freezing water.
3.P.3.1 Recognize that energy can be transferred from one
object to another by rubbing them against each other.
3.P.3.2 Recognize that energy can be transferred from a
warmer object to a cooler one by contact or at a distance
and the cooler object gets warmer.
Essential Question for the Unit
• How can we observe and investigate changes in
properties?
Thinking About How Things Change
Students will:
• Access prior knowledge - What things around
you change?
• Examine pictures on change cards and identify
stages of matter, chart ideas
Thinking About How Things Change
Questions to Consider:
• How did the tablet and water change when you
mixed them?
• Did anything surprise you?
Freezing and Melting
• Student pairs design and implement a method
for melting an ice cube in the shortest time
possible.
• Some melt water will be transferred to a petri
dish to observe evaporation
• Be purposeful about having covered and
uncovered dishes
Where Did the Water Go?
condensation
warm
cool
• Water can exist as a gas
• Change from liquid to gaseous state
Mixing & Separating Solids
• Gravel and salt are observed then mixed
together
• Mixture is separated using a sieve
• Student directions & modeling
Mixing Solids & Liquids
Properties
Before
Mixing with Water
Properties
While
Mixed with
Water
gravel
Small pieces, brown,
hard
Small pieces, brown,
hard
toilet tissue
White, soft, small
pieces
White, shredded pieces,
clumped together
salt
White grains
disappeared
Solid
• Observe properties of each before and during mixing with water
• Guide students from disappeared to dissolved
Separating Solid & Liquid Mixtures
Properties
Before
Mixing with
Water
Properties
While
Mixed with
Water
Properties
When
Separated from
Water
gravel
Small pieces,
brown, hard
Small pieces,
brown, hard
Small pieces, brown,
hard
toilet tissue
White, soft, small
pieces
White, shredded
pieces, clumped
together
White pieces clumped
together, stiff
salt
White grains
Disappeared
?
Solid
• Prior experience with sieve; introduce filter
• Gravel and tissue separate easily, but salt passes through filter
• Place salt & water mixture in petri dish for observation in Lesson 9!
Separating Mixtures of Color
Questions to Consider:
• How did the black ink change? Green ink?
• What colors were mixed to make black ink?
• Did anything surprise you?
• How might the Art specialist support this
investigation?
Unit Resources
•
•
•
•
Misconception Probe
STC Changes TG
Lessons on CMAPP
Elementary Science Wiki
- Concept Storyline
- Unpacked Content
- Additional Online Resources
• Premium Content
- www.carolinacurriculum.com
- Log in with: wakecounty@carolina.com
- Password: wakecounty
Plan Ahead!
• Accessibility to ice cubes and warm water
• Prepare a materials center for students to use in
Lessons 15 & 16
• Solicit donations of Alka Seltzer tablets, sugar
packets, sugar cubes, and coffee filters
• Consider hosting an ice cream or pancake
making learning experience as a culminating
activity
Quick Write
•
•
•
•
What resonated with you?
What are your next steps?
What big ideas did you take away?
How will this new knowledge or experience
assist you in the classroom?
Today’s Training
• Introduction
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
- Tracks Investigating Objects in the Sky
- STC Plant Growth & Development/Soils
- STC Changes
- FOSS Human Body
• Wrap Up
Shadow Tracing, part 2
• Let’s step outside and conduct another shadow
tracing
• Choose a different color piece of chalk
• Record time and note similarities/differences
Claims and Evidence
• Write down at least 2 claims and evidence
statements. Remember, these claims must
be based on your data.
• I claim that _________ because ______.
• I know that _________ because ______.
Human Body
Misconception Probe
• Is
It a System?
Student Misconceptions
• Young children only express the static,
supporting function of the skeleton.
• Older children recognized that the skeleton is
necessary for movement, but only 20 percent
could draw muscles appropriately.
• Verbal discussion and manual tasks with models
revealed better understandings than drawings
did.
Making Sense of Secondary Science
Driver, Squires, Rushworth, and Wood-Robinson
Vertical Alignment
• In Kindergarten, students observe the position and
motion of animals to build an understanding of relative
position.
• In 1st, student observe the position and motion of
objects to build an understanding of relative position.
They also conduct investigations to explore balanced
and unbalanced forces as well as pushes and pulls.
• In 2nd, students conduct investigations to build an
understanding that vibrations cause sound.
Vertical Alignment
• In 4th, students conduct investigations to build an
understanding of magnetic force and electricity.
• In 5th, students conduct investigations to build an
understanding of human body systems (circulatory,
digestive, muscular, respiratory, skeletal) and their
functions necessary for life.
NC Essential Standards
3.L.1 Understand human body systems and how they
are essential for life: protection, movement and
support.
3.P.1 Understand motion and factors that affect motion.
Clarifying Objectives
3.L.1.1 Compare the different functions of the
skeletal and muscular systems.
3.L.1.2 Explain why skin is necessary for
protection and for the body to remain healthy.
Clarifying Objectives
3.P.1.1 Infer changes in speed or direction
resulting from forces acting on an object.
3.P.1.2 Compare the relative speeds (faster or
slower) of objects that travel the same distance
in different amounts of time.
3.P.1.3 Explain the effect of Earth’s gravity on the
motion of any object on or near the Earth.
Essential Questions for the Unit
• How do the bones, joints, and muscles work
together?
• What is the role of skin?
Investigation 1
• Part 1, Counting the Bones
• Part 2, Mr. Bones Puzzle
• Part 3, Owl Pellets
Owl Pellets
• Student sensitivity to fur
• Use spray mister to keep airborne fur to a
minimum
• Virtual owl pellet dissection at
www.kidwings.com
Joints
• How important are thumbs for doing
everyday activities?
• What tasks are difficult to do without
thumbs?
• Are all joints in the human skeleton the
same?
• What are the three main types of joints
that allow movement?
Team Work
•
•
•
•
Work in pairs (A & B)
Partner A: Stiff Thumbs
Partner B: Stiff Fingers
Jigsaw: Complete 2 of the 8 tasks
Muscles
• Leg, thumb, and arm models
• Muscles, tendons, ligaments
Coordination Tasks
• Coordination, stimulus, response
Extensions include:
• Bean bag tossing or juggling
• Jacks
• Ball-on-a-string and paddle games
• Tee ball and kick ball
• Foot and knee dribbling with hacky sacks or
soccer balls
• Hula hoops – waist, arms, neck
• Races & Obstacle courses
Unit Resources
•
•
•
•
•
Misconception Probe
FOSS Human Body TG
FOSS Science Stories
Supplemental Lessons on CMAPP
Elementary Science Wiki
- Concept Storyline
- Unpacked Content
- Additional Online Resources
• www.fossweb.com
- Teacher Prep Videos
- Online Nonfiction Readers Audio
Plan Ahead!
• Order owl pellets!
• Prepare a model of thumb, leg, and arm in
advance
• Send home parent newsletter
• Paint Mr. Bones pieces with a wash of
watercolor before punching them out.
• How might the PE specialist support this unit?
Quick Write
•
•
•
•
What resonated with you?
What are your next steps?
What big ideas did you take away?
How will this new knowledge or experience
assist you in the classroom?
Today’s Training
• Introduction
• Unifying Themes in 3rd Grade Science
• Wrap Up
- Questions
- Reflection
- Leave Forms!
Please be in touch!
Walter Harris
Elementary Science CT
wharris@wcpss.net