Science Curriculum

3rd Grade

Science/Unit Roles of Living Things (Unit E)

Unifying Theme: To survive, living things must adapt to changes in their environment.

Unit Concepts
Essential needs of living things
Relationship among living things
Classifying animals by what they eat
Food chain (flow of energy)
Food web (flow of energy)
Adapting to Environment
Topics to Review
Living vs. nonliving
Habitats and environments
Characteristics of carnivore, herbivore, omnivore (teeth)
Content Learning Goals / Assessment of Content Learning Goals
  • Students know the basic needs of living things (Unit E, chapter 1)
  • Students know that living things get their energy in various ways such as the sun, plants, other animals (Unit E, chapter 1)
  • Students can classify different kinds of living things such as predator, prey, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore (Unit E, chapter 1)
  • Students identify the key components of a food chain and explain the flow of energy that begins with the sun (Unit E, chapter 1)
  • Students identify the key components of a food web and explain the flow of energy that begins with the sun (Unit E, chapter 1)
  • Students know that living things have structural and behavioral adaptation that allow them to survive in their environments (adaptations for food, protection, and environmental changes) (Unit E, chapter 2)
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  • Students list the basic needs of living things
  • Students identify the sources of energy for various living things such as sun, plants, and other animals
  • Given pictures of living things, students classify them into groups of predators, prey, herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.
  • Students diagram a food chain including producers, consumers, decomposers, and identify the flow of energy starting from the sun.
  • Students combine multiple food chains into a food web and identify the flow of energy starting from the sun.
  • Given a list of adaptations, students categorize these into the following categories: food, protection, behavior or environmental change.

Process Learning Goals / Assessment of Process Learning Goals
Academic Vocabulary / Content / Skills
Habitat
Environment
Producers
Consumers
Carnivores
Herbivores
Omnivores
Decomposers
Extinction
Food chain
Predators
Prey
Food web
Community
Adaptation
Camouflage
Nutrients
Mammal
Behaviors
Parasite
Possible Misconceptions
Not all food chains start with a producer
A food chain and food web are the same thing
Adaptations occur quickly
All adaptations are helpful
Standard/Benchmark/Assessment Objectives
3.1.a, 3.1.b, 3.2.b, 3.4.a, 3.4.b
Standard 1 and 5 Resources
Activity: Needs of Plants Pgs. E6-7 (1.1.a, 1.1.b, 1.1.c, 1.1.d, 1.1.1e, 5.2.a)
Activity: A Pill Bug’s Home Pgs. E8-9 (1.1.a, 1.1.b, 1.1.c, 1.1.d, 1.1.1e, 5.2.a)
Activity: Menu for Molds Pg. E15 (1.1.c, 1.1.c, 1.1.d, 5.2.a)
Activity: Making a Food Chain Mobile Pgs. E22-23 (5.2.a)
Activity: More Links in the Food Chain Pgs. E24-25 (5.2.a)
Activity: Right Beak for the Job Pgs. E38-39 (1.1.c, 1.1.d, 1.1e, 5.2.a)
Activity: Blending In Pgs. E46-47 (5.2.a)