Grade 3 Science: Teacher Guide
Download the printable teacher guide | Student text | Practice and assessment
Supervise investigations, distinguish models from observations and accept accurate alternatives. Record observations honestly and advance according to mastery.
Lesson 1: Life Cycles and Living Things
1. What does a life cycle describe? Stages in an organism’s life.
2. Can different organisms have different life cycles? Yes.
3. Name a possible early stage of a flowering plant. Seed or seedling.
4. What can some adult flowering plants produce? Flowers and seeds.
5. Must an individual reproduce to be alive? No.
6. Record one actual observation or say you used a picture. Answers vary; do not invent an observation.
Extension guidance: A model represents stages; seeing the diagram does not mean the student observed those events.
Lesson 2: Flowering Plant Stages
1. What can a seed do under suitable conditions? Germinate or begin to grow.
2. What is a young plant called? A seedling.
3. What can an adult bean plant produce? Flowers and pods containing seeds.
4. Will every seed necessarily germinate? No.
5. Record one actual observation or state that your drawing is a model. Answers vary; no invented result.
6. Why record observation dates? To show when changes were observed.
Extension guidance: Answers vary; propose a measurable question and a relevant controlled condition.
Lesson 3: Frog and Butterfly Life Cycles
1. What hatches from a butterfly egg? A caterpillar or larva.
2. What stage follows the caterpillar? A chrysalis or pupa.
3. What emerges from the chrysalis? An adult butterfly.
4. What hatches from a frog egg? A tadpole, in the common frog life cycle described.
5. Name one way the two cycles differ. A butterfly has a caterpillar and chrysalis; a frog has a tadpole.
6. Does every individual necessarily survive each stage? No.
Extension guidance: Diagrams show sequence, not exact duration; conditions and species vary.
Lesson 4: Inherited Traits and Variation
1. What is a trait? A characteristic of an organism.
2. Do offspring often resemble their parents? Yes.
3. Are offspring always identical to parents? No.
4. Can individuals of the same kind vary? Yes.
5. Name one feature you can compare in leaves. Shape, size or color.
6. Can one picture prove why a leaf is larger? No.
Extension guidance: Answers vary; compare multiple plants, record measurements and identify controlled conditions and limits.
Lesson 5: Environment and Evidence
1. What factor changes in the plan? Amount of light.
2. Name two conditions to keep similar. Plant type, soil, container or water.
3. What can be measured? Plant height over time.
4. Why record dates? To relate each measurement to an observation time.
5. Does the plan itself prove what will happen? No.
6. Why use more than one plant in each group? To help see variation and avoid relying on one unusual plant.
Extension guidance: Plants can differ initially; light or water may be difficult to keep consistent; other factors may affect results.
Independent Chapter Check: Answers
1. Name an early stage of a flowering plant. Seed or seedling.
2. Name the butterfly stage after caterpillar. Chrysalis or pupa.
3. What is a tadpole associated with in this chapter? A frog life cycle.
4. Do all individuals survive to reproduce? No.
5. What is a trait? A characteristic of an organism.
6. Are offspring always identical to their parents? No.
7. In a fair light comparison, name one condition to keep similar. Plant type, soil, container or water.
8. Why should experimental observations not be invented? Invented results do not show what happened and cannot support a trustworthy conclusion.