• During this year-long sequence of 3rd grade science units, students will engage in applying the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts to the following life science, physical science and engineering design core ideas.

    Structures of Life - Big Idea: Plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. Seeds have different structures and properties. Plants continue their growth cycle. Animals (snails and beetles) have specific structures and behaviors (adaptations) to improve their chances of survival in their environments.

    Sound - Big Idea: Sound is one of the tools most living things use to understand the world. A variety of sounds are present in our environment; each of these sounds has a source. Sound has different characteristics, including pitch and volume. Sounds are caused by vibrations; different-size vibrations produce different sounds. The size of a vibrating object affects the pitch it makes. When more force is used to make a sound, the volume increases. Air and a variety of other materials can transmit sound; Sound (waves) can travel through some materials better than others.

    EIE: Designing Bridges - To Get to the Other Side - Big Idea: Civil engineers apply the properties of building materials, the connections between force, balance and stability, and the engineering design process to design strong and stable bridges. Engineers must consider criteria and constraints when solving design problems. Forces act on structures in many different directions. Two equivalent forces acting on a structure in opposite directions will balance one another. Different bridge types with unique shapes can support different amounts of weight. Materials can be made in different ways to solve different design tasks. Engineers use the Engineering Design Process to design solutions to problems.

    Throughout these units, students will apply the following NGSS Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts:

    • NGSS Science and Engineering Practices: Asking Questions and Defining Problems, Developing and Using Models, Planning and Carrying Out Investigations, Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions, Analyzing and Interpreting Data, Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking, Engaging in Argument from Evidence
    • NGSS Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, Cause and Effect, Structure and Function, Systems and System Models, Energy and Matter, Stability and Change, Influence of engineering, technology and science on society