I’ve spent most of my teaching career in grade three. I have a soft spot for grade three students. There’s something about the way that they are not-quite preteens, but no longer little kids that is the perfect sweet spot for learning. Teaching grade 3 science lessons are a lot of fun, we explore atoms and molecules, look at landforms around us, get outside with biodiversity, and even grow our own plants to see life cycles in person!
Text: Science Lesson for Grade Three
Image: A student examines a beaker with a magnifying glass.
Not teaching in BC? You might be looking for NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards) aligned lessons and ideas for 3rd grade. That’s over in this post: 3rd Grade Science Topics
how do you teach science in grade 3?
When it comes to teaching science lessons in grade 3, I’ve always taken the hands-on approach. I love how invested third graders are in project-based learning, and how willing they are to try an inquiry-based investigation. Grade 3 science is perfect for lessons like these!
But don’t be mistaken, I don’t hand students a project-based learning activity and walk away. There is so much scaffolding that goes into hands-on projects. I start every single science unit with teacher-led learning to give students at least a little background information on our new topic. We learn new vocabulary, read informational texts to build a knowledge base, and then set off on student-led learning. I find that this approach makes our project-based and inquiry-based learning way more successful.
what are the topics in grade 3 science?
In BC, our science curriculum is mainly guided by the BC big ideas. The BC Big ideas for Grade 3 science are:
Living things are diverse, can be grouped, and interact in their ecosystems
All matter is made of particles
Thermal energy can be produced and transferred
Wind, water, and ice change the shape of the land
When teaching these as topics, I teach these ideas in 5 distinct topics: Landforms, Matter, Thermal Energy, Biodiversity, Plants. To read an in-depth post on each topic be sure to click through!
Teaching Local Landforms
I’ve always been a big believer that science lessons can (and should!) be made as relevant to your students as possible. When we study landforms I try my best to connect each landform to ones in our local community or ones that may be familiar to my students. Mountains? I’ll choose the one we can see from our classroom. River? The local summer swimming spot. Lake? The one we visit during our last field trip of the year. The more I can connect our landforms unit to our local community the better. This post has my absolute favorite landforms projects and activities.
States of Matter Activities
The three states of matter is a topic that our curriculum (here in BC) circles back to again and again… and with the right activities and lessons, it’s just so much fun! In Grade 3, we look at how all matter is made up of atoms, and what the atoms look like in a solid, liquid, and gas. We’ll build the particles out of classroom materials, act it out with our bodies, and get hands-on with experiments that show all three states. This post lays out how I introduce what matter is (and isn’t!) and some simple activities to get you started.
How is Thermal Energy Transferred? Science for Kids
We learn about Thermal Energy after Matter so that students already have a good understanding of atoms and how particles move. I have always chosen to study thermal energy in the winter so that we can use hot cocoa to see conduction in action (as our hands warm-up) and try out various materials as insulators against the cold. There are so many fun thermal energy activities to try in your classroom!
Biodiversity Science Lessons
In our biodiversity unit students discover that biodiversity is literally ALL around us. This is a great unit for getting outside of the classroom. Kids love this unit because it looks so closely at plants and animals… and anything to do with animals is always a hit in grade 3. After we look at just how diverse our own local ecosystems are, I send students off to explore local biodiversity and choose a single plant or animal to research in greater detail.
Inquiry Based Science: How do Plants Grow?
I have found my plants unit to be the most successful as the final unit of the year. By this point in the year, students are capable of planting and tending to a small bean plant completely independently. They can also observe and document plant growth with little assistance from a teacher. I’ve usually conducted this unit as inquiry-based learning, and it’s always such a hit. These inquiry-based plant experiments are such great science lessons for grade 3.
