What does a student learn in StateNew Jersey,GradeGrade 3,SubjectScience?

Students ask questions about how things work and figure out what problem they are actually trying to solve before running a test or building something new.

Students build or draw a model (a diagram, a map, or a physical object) to show how something in nature works or how a design solves a problem.

Students plan a test, gather information, and check whether their idea holds up. This is how science actually works, not just reading about it.

Students look at data from a science investigation and explain what it shows. They spot patterns, like which plant grew tallest or which material got hottest, and use those patterns to draw a conclusion.

Students use counting, measuring, and simple math to help explain what they observe in science. A measurement or number makes a science idea clearer than words alone.

Students take what they observed or measured and use it to explain why something happened. The explanation has to be backed by evidence, not just a guess.

Students look at two possible explanations or solutions, then use observations and data to argue which one holds up better. The goal is to back a claim with evidence, not just an opinion.

Students read science texts, diagrams, and videos to gather facts, then decide which information is trustworthy and share what they learned with others.

Students learn that all objects are made of tiny building blocks called atoms and molecules. Understanding how those pieces connect and interact explains why matter looks, feels, or behaves the way it does.

Students explore how things start moving, stop, or change direction by pushing or pulling them. They learn patterns in how forces affect motion, like why a heavier object takes more force to move than a lighter one.

Students explore how energy moves from one place to another and changes form, like heat turning into light or motion. They learn that energy is not lost, just passed along.

Students learn how waves move energy from place to place and how people use waves to send information. Think radio signals, sound, and light.

Students examine the parts that make up living things, from the tiny cells inside a plant or animal all the way up to the larger systems those cells form together.

Students study how living things in a habitat eat, grow, and break down over time, and how those same materials cycle back into the ecosystem. They also look at how plants, animals, and other organisms depend on or compete with each other to survive.

Students study how traits like eye color or height pass from parents to offspring, and why children look similar to, but not exactly like, their parents.

Students look at how living things are alike and how they differ, and explore why those differences matter for survival. This builds toward understanding how species change over generations.

Students study where Earth sits in the solar system and how the sun, moon, and planets move in predictable patterns. They also look at clues in rocks and landscapes that reveal Earth's long history.

Students study how Earth's land, water, air, and living things connect and affect each other. They look at what happens when one part changes, like how rain shapes the ground or how plants slow erosion.

Students look at how things like farming, building, and pollution change the land, water, and air. They also study how earthquakes, floods, and wildfires affect the people living nearby.

Students identify a problem, sketch or build possible solutions, then test and improve their designs based on what they observe.

Students explore how inventions change everyday life and how people's needs shape what engineers build next.