Scope and sequence · Science
Grade 3 Life Science: Plants and Animals Together
A year of true stories about living things and how they depend on one another, from George Washington Carver’s peanuts and Maria Sibylla Merian’s painted caterpillars to the yucca moth, the barn owl’s pellet, the porcupine’s quills and Mary Anning’s sea dragon on the beach at Lyme Regis, each one watched closely, measured carefully and drawn in a nature notebook of the student’s own.
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What to cover
32 of 36 lessons are MUST COVER. They are tested on the unit tests and exams, or are skills the SAT/ACT relies on. OPTIONAL lessons are enrichment. Do them if time allows. The course is complete when the MUST COVER lessons are done.
Unit 1: Plant Parts
- MUST COVER 1.1 Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.2 Celery in Colored Water · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.3 Leaf Shapes · unit test
- MUST COVER 1.4 Carver and the Peanut · unit test
Unit 2: Seeds and Growth
- MUST COVER 2.1 The Germination Jar ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.2 Seeds That Fly, Float and Hitch · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.3 The Light Experiment · unit test
- MUST COVER 2.4 “Whatsoever a Man Soweth” (Galatians 6:7) · unit test
Unit 3: Pollinators
- MUST COVER 3.1 Bees ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.2 Butterflies and Moths ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.3 Hummingbirds and Bats · unit test
- MUST COVER 3.4 The Yucca Moth Partnership · unit test
Unit 4: Food Chains
- MUST COVER 4.1 Who Eats Whom ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.2 Producers and Consumers · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.3 Owl Pellet Dissection · unit test
- MUST COVER 4.4 Decomposers · unit test
Unit 5: Habitats
- MUST COVER 5.1 Prairie ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.2 Rainforest ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.3 Coral Reef · unit test
- MUST COVER 5.4 My Backyard Survey · unit test
Unit 6: Animal Defenses
- MUST COVER 6.1 Porcupine Quills ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.2 Skunk Spray · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.3 Armadillo Armor · unit test
- MUST COVER 6.4 The Bombardier Beetle · unit test
Unit 7: Sea Monsters and Flying Reptiles
- MUST COVER 7.1 Plesiosaurs: Mary Anning’s Great Find (1823) ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.2 Mosasaurs: The Great Lizard of the Meuse · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.3 Pterosaurs: Wings of Skin · unit test
- MUST COVER 7.4 Leviathan: The Great Creature of Job 41 · unit test
Unit 8: Nature Journal
- MUST COVER 8.1 Drawing What I See ★ · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.2 Labeling Parts · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.3 Dating Entries and Recording Weather · unit test
- MUST COVER 8.4 Sharing My Journal · unit test
Unit 9: Bonus: Nature Lab OPTIONAL unit
- OPTIONAL 9.1 Nature Journal Walk
- OPTIONAL 9.2 Backyard Survey by Day and by Night
- OPTIONAL 9.3 Zoo, Farm or Museum Visit
- OPTIONAL 9.4 Specimen Collection
36-week pacing calendar
From the course’s own 36-week pacing guide, with catch-up and review weeks added to fill a 36-week (180-day) year.
| Week | Plan | Done | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | Session 1: Lesson 1.1 Root, Stem, Leaf, Flower: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 2 | Session 1: Lesson 1.2 Celery in Colored Water: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 3 | Session 1: Lesson 1.3 Leaf Shapes: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 4 | Session 1: Lesson 1.4 Carver and the Peanut: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 1.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 1 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 5 | Session 1: Lesson 2.1 The Germination Jar: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 6 | Session 1: Lesson 2.2 Seeds That Fly, Float and Hitch: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 7 | Session 1: Lesson 2.3 The Light Experiment: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 8 | Session 1: Lesson 2.4 “Whatsoever a Man Soweth” (Galatians 6:7): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 2.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 2 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 9 | Session 1: Lesson 3.1 Bees: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 10 | Session 1: Lesson 3.2 Butterflies and Moths: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 11 | Session 1: Lesson 3.3 Hummingbirds and Bats: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 12 | Session 1: Lesson 3.4 The Yucca Moth Partnership: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 3.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 3 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 13 | Session 1: Lesson 4.1 Who Eats Whom: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 14 | Session 1: Lesson 4.2 Producers and Consumers: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 15 | Session 1: Lesson 4.3 Owl Pellet Dissection: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 16 | Session 1: Lesson 4.4 Decomposers: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 4.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 4 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 17 | Session 1: Lesson 5.1 Prairie: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 18 | Session 1: Lesson 5.2 Rainforest: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 19 | Session 1: Lesson 5.3 Coral Reef: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 20 | Session 1: Lesson 5.4 My Backyard Survey: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 5.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 5 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 21 | Session 1: Lesson 6.1 Porcupine Quills: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 22 | Session 1: Lesson 6.2 Skunk Spray: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 23 | Session 1: Lesson 6.3 Armadillo Armor: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 24 | Session 1: Lesson 6.4 The Bombardier Beetle: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 6.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 6 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 25 | Session 1: Lesson 7.1 Plesiosaurs: Mary Anning’s Great Find (1823): warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 26 | Session 1: Lesson 7.2 Mosasaurs: The Great Lizard of the Meuse: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 27 | Session 1: Lesson 7.3 Pterosaurs: Wings of Skin: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 28 | Session 1: Lesson 7.4 Leviathan: The Great Creature of Job 41: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 7.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 7 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 29 | Session 1: Lesson 8.1 Drawing What I See: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 30 | Session 1: Lesson 8.2 Labeling Parts: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 31 | Session 1: Lesson 8.3 Dating Entries and Recording Weather: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 32 | Session 1: Lesson 8.4 Sharing My Journal: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 8.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 8 review and unit project | ||
| Wk 33 | Session 1: Lesson 9.1 Nature Journal Walk: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.1 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 34 | Session 1: Lesson 9.2 Backyard Survey by Day and by Night: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.2 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 35 | Session 1: Lesson 9.3 Zoo, Farm or Museum Visit: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.3 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook | ||
| Wk 36 | Session 1: Lesson 9.4 Specimen Collection: warm-up, video, teaching and picture study Session 2: Lesson 9.4 experiment, worked examples, practice and notebook Session 3: Unit 9 review and unit project |
Grading: Experiments (a guess, a fair test, careful measuring and a sentence about what happened) 35%, Nature notebook (dated pages, weather, labeled drawings, honest records) 25%, Unit quizzes (40 points each) 20%, Unit projects 20%. Scale: A 90–100, B 80–89, C 70–79, D 60–69. Below 60: redo the experiment or review with help.