Third grade science is SO much fun. The experiments, the hands-on activities… the LEARNING! Setting students up for success is so important in science. Students will have the skills necessary to make hands-on science SO successful with a few targeted lessons. These back to school science lessons are key for the beginning of Third Grade. 

What is a Scientist?

This is one of the first science questions we should be asking our students at the beginning of the year. A scientist is a person who conducts research to further knowledge in a particular area. I sometimes get the sense that our students might think scientists are people who only blow things up and only do science experiments.

So we teach them the importance of research when it comes to doing science. It’s not all “fun and games”(ie. Explosions and experiments). There is a research and observation component as well. 

I also like to touch on the idea of peer-review when it comes to scientific research. Peer review is the process that scientific discoveries and research go through. Other scientists check or recreate the experiments or research to see if they can verify the discoveries. I like teaching this aspect because it gives students a better idea of the entire research process.

In this post, I break down some of the most engaging ways to introduce students to the scientists behind the most important discoveries in the world. Plus, it has a FREE ‘Science Trading Card’ activity that’s just so much fun.

How to Label a Diagram

Diagrams are so helpful for illustrating things in science. And there are a few key components of a scientific diagram, such as a title, labels, and label lines. There are ways to do each of these things in order to meet the specifications of a scientific diagram. 

Diagram labeling will involve both quantitative and qualitative observations, so we will also have to teach students to distinguish between these two types of observations.

Explicitly teaching our students how to make observations and create a scientific diagram will set them up for success, both in third-grade science and upper-level science. Just think about how impressed their high school science teachers will be!

How to Successfully Complete a STEM Challenge

STEM Challenges are so fun to do in third grade and are a great way to challenge students to use their creative and critical thinking to solve problems! But, we can’t expect them to know exactly what to do without some explicit teaching. So at the beginning of third grade, I always teach students how to successfully complete a STEM challenge. 

I’ve outlined my process for teaching STEM Challenges here, and you can also read about my 4 favorite STEM activities that use few or inexpensive supplies.

Teaching the Scientific Method

Science experiments are such an important part of any science class, and any experiment or STEM challenge is rooted in the scientific method. It is so important that students understand the steps in the scientific method so that they are ready to conduct scientific inquiries in and out of the classroom.

Taking time to teach terminology like hypothesis, procedure, results, conclusion, etc. will give students the vocabulary they need in any science classroom.

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Science has the ability to create wonder and excitement in the classroom. So let’s set our students up for success by teaching these introductory science lessons before delving into the curricular topics.

Have you ever stopped to think about all the things we explicitly teach our students throughout the school year? At the beginning of the year, we review classroom routines. We also teach academics like math and writing. We make sure our students have problem-solving strategies and interpersonal skills. There is so much that goes on in our classroom! One of the science lessons I always teach my students is HOW to complete a STEM Challenge. STEM challenges are such a big part of our classroom, but I want to make sure that students have the tools to complete them successfully.

Why do we have to teach kids to complete a STEM challenge?

Well, for starters, we need to teach our students this skill so they know the expectations of STEM activities. How many times have we given our students an activity that we think will take thirty minutes and two students come to you after thirty SECONDS saying they're done! 

I realized pretty quickly that stating my expectations goes a long way so students can complete activities more successfully. Also, I find teaching students this skill helps my more timid learners come out of their shells. They are able to picture what to do because they saw a demonstration, so they don’t feel as anxious about doing something “wrong” when doing a STEM challenge for themselves.

First: Model a Stem Challenge

A Force and Motion STEM challenge

The very first STEM challenge of each year is done as a teacher-led challenge that we complete as a group. (Then we move on to student-led learning!)

I model each step for the students and I verbalize my thinking so my students can get a better sense of my problem-solving and creativity as the STEM challenge unfolds.

Hmmm… what is this challenge asking me?

What materials do I have? Let’s be specific when I write them down

WAIT! I should stop and write down what I’m doing right now.

Yikes! This didn’t work, what should we try next?

It’s important to show students my thought process behind how I problem solve and critically think about the challenge. This is also a great time to model how to complete any reflection or worksheet pages that go along with your STEM challenges.

reading carefully

It’s important to teach students how to read instructions carefully. Are they sure they know what they are doing? Are they sure they know what the challenge is? What materials are being used? I model how to check back on the instructions periodically throughout the challenge. I want my students to feel comfortable with double-checking what they are to be doing.

Wow! I think this worked. Let’s check back to the instructions to make sure we didn’t miss anything.

take good notes

Teaching students to take good notes is essential. This means teaching students how to take notes as they go - not just taking notes at the beginning or at the end.

Okay, we have our materials out. Let’s write them down before we move on to the next step!

This includes writing in full sentences and making quantitative observations. Quantitative observations involve number measurements, like height, temperature, width, etc. Scientific notes should be specific enough that anyone can repeat the challenge just by reading our notes!

Hmm, I wrote down “add some water” but that isn’t specific enough. How will anyone know how much water to use! I’ll change it to ‘add 5mL of water’ so everyone knows exactly what to do.

Teach how to label a diagram

LINK to DIAGRAM BLOG and pic from diagram blog

We also need to model and teach our students how to correctly label a diagram. Again, this includes using quantitative AND qualitative observations. Qualitative observations use the five senses, so they might include things like texture, shape, and smell. Teaching how to label a diagram also includes explicitly teaching how to title, label and annotate, draw lines, and add a scale (if you want to get really fancy). You can read more about how to teach students to label a diagram here.

expect failure

All of these above teaching points are important, but I also think we need to expect failure. And not only that, we need to teach our students to expect failure. Some of the greatest scientists failed all the time. Thomas Edison, maybe one of the most well-known inventors/scientists, had over a thousand failed attempts before successfully inventing the lightbulb! And one of his most famous sayings is “Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

The goal of a STEM challenge or science experiment is not to find the “right answer” every time. Students will OFTEN have to change something and try again. Having a growth mindset is incredibly important in science. 

growth mindset books that are perfect for science:

• Rosie Revere Engineer by Andrea Beaty

• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

• The Book of Mistakes by Corinna Luyken

• What Do You Do With a Chance? by Kobi Yamada

So, when it comes to teaching, there are many things that we aim to teach our students: critical thinking, problem-solving, organization, reading fluency….the list is always growing. And I’d venture to say that explicitly teaching our students how to complete STEM challenges is important as well. There are several things to teach when it comes to completing STEM challenges. So let’s set our students up for better success by modeling, demonstrating and explicitly teaching this skill.

In Science, we have the opportunity to teach our students many things: how to conduct an experiment using the scientific method, how to research, how to make hypotheses, and how to form scientific questions. Another thing we have the opportunity to teach is how to properly create and label a scientific diagram. There are many opportunities to use scientific diagrams in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade, so let’s set our students up for success and teach them how to properly create a scientific diagram.

SO much of science needs a diagram to help illustrate an idea. You might need to create a proper diagram in situations like…

• Learning life cycles of animals and plants

• Illustrating the water cycle

• Completing a STEM activities

• Labeling diagrams about animals or plants

Creating a diagram is such an important skill to teach at the beginning of the year so that students are ready to add more details as the year progresses. 

Why do we need to teach students to create diagrams for science?

Explicitly teaching our students different skills in science is important because not everything will come intuitively. Science involves accurate observations and this can be tricky to capture in a diagram, so it’s best that we teach our students how to create diagrams so they know exactly what the expectations are.

What Should a Scientific Diagram Include?

There are a few key components of a scientific diagram. You will need:

• A title at the top center of the page with a description of what is in the drawing. 

  • For example, if you are drawing a pumpkin seed, do not simply write “Seed”, write “Pumpkin Seed”. If you are drawing a picture of the Water Cycle, do not write “Water” write “Water Cycle”

• A clear, colored picture of the item

• Labels and annotations 

  • Generally, the labels go on the right-hand side of the diagram, but there can be exceptions to this rule

• Label lines without arrows

  • Make sure to use a ruler when creating your label lines so all the lines are straight

  • The lines should not cross over each other

• Scale

  • This is if you are drawing something larger than it is in real life (if you want to get really fancy with your elementary school students)

facts vs. opinions

Knowing the difference between a fact and an opinion can really help with creating a diagram.“The plant looks pretty” is an opinion. This isn’t something that we can measure and it might change from person to person.

qualitative vs. quantitative observations

Types of Observations reference guide - available as a free download on this page.

One of the first steps is to teach our students the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations. Qualitative observations and things that we use our senses to observe.

• The coffee feels hot. The coffee is dark brown. The coffee tastes bitter.

These are things we use the senses to observe.

Quantitative, on the other hand, are observations that include numerical measurements.

• There are 10 ounces of coffee in the mug. The coffee is 195F degrees. 

Teaching Qualitative Observations

When teaching qualitative observations, it’s time to do a solid review of the five senses. I love making popcorn when reviewing the senses because making popcorn involves all the senses: smell, sight, hearing, touch and taste! But we also need to get more specific when teaching about qualitative observations. Here are some things we can teach:

• Texture

• Shape

• Color

• Temperature (If you are describing temperature using adjectives like hot and cold, and not describing it using a thermometer number)

Teaching Quantitative Observations (Numerical Measurements)

This is where measuring skills really come in handy. First, we need to give our students practice in how to measure things using a ruler. Then we should give them practice with how to weigh things on various types of scales. These two things lend themselves naturally to some great hands-on lessons! Who doesn’t love measuring and weighing classroom objects!

Teach students different types of quantitative measurements:

• Height

• Width

• Weight/Mass

• Number of specific parts (ie 2 eyes, 8 petals, 4 leaves, etc)

Labeling the Diagram

Now that our students know what kinds of things we should be observing for our scientific diagram, it’s time to start creating diagrams. Together, label an example and a non-example of the same object. This is a great way to teach students expectations for when they create their own diagrams. 

Next, have students practice their observation skills. They can create diagrams of classroom objects and toys! 

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Science provides so many opportunities to create diagrams. Let’s set our students up for success by teaching them how to properly create and label these diagrams. Their upper grade teachers will be impressed when they come to class already having had ample practice with the concept!

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself or your students “What is a scientist? What characteristics and skills does a scientist need?” It’s an important conversation to have with our students. Why do we need to teach them the qualities of a scientist? All students can be scientists, but what do scientists do? Let’s take a closer look at what a scientist is and how we can create scientists in our classrooms.

in simple words, what is a scientist?

Nonfiction reading: “What is a Scientist?” - available as a free download!

A scientist is a person who conducts research to gain more knowledge in a particular area.

There are scientists in a variety of fields: biology, physics, marine biology, zoology, you name it! Scientists are NOT someone who just “knows” things or “guesses” answers. Scientists research!

why is peer-review so important?

Scientific discoveries and research go through a process called peer-review. This is when other scientists check or recreate the experiments and research that was done. Peer-review is a great way to ensure that the discoveries and research are correct.

Imagine that you conducted an experiment where you roll a ball down the hallway to see the path it takes. Your ball curves towards the left. You determine that all balls curve to the left when they are rolled down hallways.

THIS is where the peer-review process will come in. A group of scientists will try to replicate your findings and poke holes in your method. Eventually, they will see that balls don’t only roll to the left…I think you get the picture.

Scientists play an important role when it comes to discoveries and research. Scientists discovered the concept of gravity, they investigated space, and they invented the internet. Scientists also discover new medications and healthcare technology. Scientists study animal behavior and research the best ways to care for the environment. Scientists are researching and making discoveries on a regular basis. They play an important role in our society.

Ideas for Teaching Students about Scientists

We should be teaching our students what a scientist is, so they don’t have misconceptions moving forward. Learning about scientists is also a great way to expose students to the different careers they could have in STEM fields. Maybe one of our students will make the next greatest scientific discovery when they get older!

So here are some ideas to help teach our students about scientists:

Brainstorm About Scientists

It’s always fun to brainstorm with students about what they already know. A classic KWL (Know, Wonder, Learn) chart is a great way to start. Have students discuss and brainstorm what they already know. Then look up what they think they know to make sure it’s correct. This will help to demonstrate the research and “peer-review” aspect of science!

Research a Scientist

Have students research famous scientists (both from history and current scientists). Each student can do a little research on a specific scientist and create a ‘Scientist Trading Card’ to share with the class. This is such a great way to expose students to the many different people who have made a BIG difference in our world.

Here are some ideas of scientists your students could research:

• Isaac Newton

• Thomas Edison

• Albert Einstein

• Marie Curie

• Charles Darwin

• Stephen Hawking

• Rachel Carson

• Jane Goodall 

• Mary Anning 

• Bill Gates

• George Washington Carver 

These are just a few names of famous scientists. There are lists upon lists of famous scientists that can be found on the internet, just a short Google Search away.

Build on students’ curiosities

After doing some introductory work about what a scientist is, you can have your students put their new knowledge into practice. This might be a great time to introduce Genius Hour. Have students pick a topic they are interested in and let them research and explore the topic!

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Learning about scientists and the characteristics of a scientist might just be a key to helping our students better connect with science. Maybe one of our students will be the next to uncover something amazing in the scientific world!

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