Grade 3 Science Chapter 9: Teacher Guide and Answers
Student lessons | Practice | Teacher guide | Grade 3
Look for observations, cautious explanations, and limits of the evidence. Fictional records are not research data. Accept accurate equivalent responses.
Day 1: Groups and Survival
- Possible benefits include noticing danger, finding food, staying warm, or caring for young.
- Possible cost: animals may compete for limited food or space.
- Several individuals were observed resting close together.
- Other explanations are possible; more evidence is needed to test why they grouped.
Day 2: Northern Bobwhite Coveys
- A covey.
- Birds rest close together in an outward-facing circle.
- It may help conserve heat or keep birds alert to danger.
- The explanation is likely or supported but is not a guarantee about every situation.
Day 3: Prairie Dog Warning Calls
- Vocal warning calls.
- They may pause, look for danger, or seek shelter in burrows.
- It can alert a neighbor to a possible threat sooner.
- A warning does not guarantee escape; conditions and responses vary.
Day 4: Meerkat Lookouts and Evidence
- An animal acting as a lookout for danger.
- 4 of 5 periods.
- A lookout was visible during four specified observation periods on one day.
- Possible evidence includes repeated observations of threats, warnings, and group responses across different conditions; do not disturb wildlife.
Day 5: Independent Evidence Check
- One animal called on each occasion.
- They paused and looked around.
- Calls may alert neighbors to a possible threat.
- The record does not show whether a predator was present or whether any animal survived because of the calls.
Assessment and Reteaching
Use Day 5 independently. Check for the recorded call and response, a cautious explanation, and a clear limit. Reteach with a fresh observation before reassessment. One short chapter does not establish full-year mastery.
Sources
National Park Service: Northern Bobwhite | National Park Service: Prairie Dogs | Smithsonian: Meerkat