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Science / Grade 3

Grade 3 Science

41 lessons in 9 units. Built on the Texas TEKS, strand by strand.

41 lessons19 TAC §112.560 percent hands on
Open the textbookSyllabusYear at a glance

Every lesson, in order

The units

Unit 1 · TEKS strand 1 to 4

The Scientist’s Toolkit

Safety, tools, questions, data and sharing. The habits every other unit leans on.

  1. Safe ScientistsThe rules that keep every investigation fun. · TEKS 3.1C
  2. Tools in Your HandHand lens, ruler, thermometer, scale and timer. Pick the right one. · TEKS 3.1D, 3.1E
  3. Ask a Question, Then LookStart with a thing you noticed. Plan a way to find out. · TEKS 3.1A, 3.1B
  4. Tables and GraphsPut what you found in order so the pattern shows. · TEKS 3.1F, 3.2B, 3.2C
  5. Models and Their LimitsA model helps you see. A model also leaves things out. · TEKS 3.1G, 3.2A
  6. Share What You FoundExplain with evidence. Listen well. Disagree kindly. · TEKS 3.3A, 3.3B, 3.3C
  7. Inventors, Helpers and Science JobsHow discoveries change life, and who does this work. · TEKS 3.4A, 3.4B

Unit 2 · TEKS strand 6

Stuff and What It Is Like

Measure it, sort it, melt it, boil it, and build with it.

  1. How Warm? How Heavy?Measure temperature and mass and write the numbers down. · TEKS 3.6A
  2. Magnets and SinkersWhich things stick to a magnet? Which sink or float? · TEKS 3.6A
  3. Solid, Liquid or GasThree states. One test for each. · TEKS 3.6B
  4. Melting and FreezingHeat it and watch. Cool it and watch. · TEKS 3.6C
  5. Boiling and CondensingWhere does the water on a cold glass come from? · TEKS 3.6C
  6. Build with the Right StuffPick materials for their properties. Say why. · TEKS 3.6D, 3.1G, 3.2D

Unit 3 · TEKS strand 7

Pushes, Pulls and Magnets

Forces start motion, stop motion and change motion.

  1. Pushes and PullsForces you can feel and forces you can see. · TEKS 3.7A
  2. Magnets Reach OutA force that works across a gap. · TEKS 3.7A
  3. Gravity Pulls DownWhy everything falls the same way. · TEKS 3.7A
  4. Change the MotionSwings, balls and wagons. Push harder and see. · TEKS 3.7B
  5. Design a Ramp RunPlan a fair test of how far a car rolls. · TEKS 3.7B, 3.1B

Unit 4 · TEKS strand 8

Energy All Around

Light, sound, heat and motion. Spot them everywhere.

  1. Light and SoundTwo kinds of energy you sense every minute. · TEKS 3.8A
  2. Heat and MotionThermal and mechanical energy at work. · TEKS 3.8A
  3. Faster Means More EnergyHow an object’s speed changes what it can do. · TEKS 3.8B
  4. Energy DetectiveFind the energy in a room, a yard, a kitchen. · TEKS 3.8A, 3.8B

Unit 5 · TEKS strand 9

Sun, Earth and Moon

Who goes around whom, and the order of the planets.

  1. Sun, Earth and Moon OrbitsEarth circles the Sun. The Moon circles Earth. · TEKS 3.9A
  2. Model the OrbitsBuild the three-body dance with a lamp and two balls. · TEKS 3.9A, 3.1G
  3. The Planets in OrderEight planets, one order, one memory trick. · TEKS 3.9B

Unit 6 · TEKS strand 10

Weather and a Changing Earth

Weather in different places, soil from broken rock, and fast changes.

  1. Weather in Two PlacesCompare temperature, wind and rain at the same time. · TEKS 3.10A
  2. Weather ToolsThermometer, wind vane and rain gauge. · TEKS 3.10A, 3.1D
  3. Where Soil Comes FromBroken rock plus old plants and animals. · TEKS 3.10B
  4. Volcanoes and EarthquakesFast changes that rebuild the land. · TEKS 3.10C
  5. LandslidesModel how a hillside lets go. · TEKS 3.10C, 3.1G

Unit 7 · TEKS strand 11

What the Earth Gives Us

How we use natural resources and how we make them last.

  1. Resources We UseBuilding, farming, moving and making. · TEKS 3.11A
  2. Why We ConserveWhat happens when a resource runs low. · TEKS 3.11B
  3. Reduce, Reuse, RecycleThree small habits with big results. · TEKS 3.11C

Unit 8 · TEKS strand 12

Living Things and Where They Live

Weather, food chains, floods, droughts and fossils.

  1. Weather and AnimalsMigration and hibernation. · TEKS 3.12A
  2. Weather and PlantsDormancy and the seasons. · TEKS 3.12A
  3. Food ChainsFollow the energy. Then remove a link. · TEKS 3.12B
  4. Floods and DroughtsWho wins and who loses. · TEKS 3.12C
  5. Fossils Tell the PastTexas fossils and what they show. · TEKS 3.12D

Unit 9 · TEKS strand 13

Animal Bodies and Life Cycles

Outside structures and how living things grow and change.

  1. Outside StructuresGiraffe necks and duck feet. · TEKS 3.13A
  2. Insect Life CyclesBeetles and crickets compared. · TEKS 3.13B
  3. Plant Life CyclesRadishes and lima beans, seed to seed. · TEKS 3.13B