What does a student learn in StateVermont,GradeGrade 3,SubjectScience?

Students come up with questions that can be tested with an experiment, or spot a problem that could be fixed by designing or building something.

Students draw or build a model (a diagram, a labeled sketch, or a simple structure) to show how something in nature works or how a design solves a problem.

Students plan simple tests and collect data to check whether an idea holds up. The investigation answers a real question, not just a worksheet prompt.

Students look at charts, graphs, or tables collected from an experiment and find patterns in the numbers. They explain what those patterns mean and draw a conclusion from what they found.

Students use counting, measuring, or simple math to help explain what they observed in a science activity. A graph or number makes the reasoning 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 different explanations or solutions, then use what they observed or measured to argue which one holds up better. The focus is on the evidence, not just the opinion.

Students read science texts, pictures, and data, then decide what information is trustworthy and share what they learned with others.

Students examine what everyday materials are made of and why they behave the way they do, like why ice melts or why some things dissolve in water. The focus is on building explanations from what they observe, not just memorizing facts.

Students explore why things speed up, slow down, or stay still by pushing, pulling, and testing objects. They learn the basic rules that explain how forces cause movement and what keeps things balanced.

Students explore how energy shows up in everyday forms like light, heat, and sound, and how it moves from one object to another. They also learn that energy is never lost, just changed or passed along.

Students explore how waves like sound and light carry energy and information from one place to another. They test how waves move, how far they travel, and how people use them to send messages or signals.

Students look at how living things are built and how they work, from the tiny cells inside a leaf or a finger all the way up to whole body systems like digestion or breathing.

Students trace where food energy comes from and where it goes, following the path from plants to animals to decomposers. They also look at how living things in the same place depend on and affect each other.

Students look at how traits like eye color or height get passed from parents to offspring, and notice that each new generation is similar to but not an exact copy of its parents.

Students look at how living things are alike and how they differ, then explore why those differences matter for survival. This builds toward understanding why some traits get passed on and others fade out.

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

Students learn how land, water, air, and living things work together on Earth. They look at how each one affects the others, like how rain shapes the ground or how soil supports plants.

Students look at how things people do (like building roads or burning fuel) change the land, water, and air around them. They also study how earthquakes, floods, and storms affect where and how people live.

Students identify a problem, sketch or build a solution, then test it and improve it based on what they find out. The goal is a design that works better after each round of changes.

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