Grade 03 Science - EC: S3.A.3.1.1

Continuum of Activities

The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.

This continuum of activities offers:

Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
Questions/activities that grow in complexity
Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance

Grade Levels

3rd Grade

Course, Subject

Science

Related Academic Standards / Eligible Content

S3.A.3.1.1 S3.A.3.1.1

Classify systems as either human-made or natural (e.g., human-made systems [balancing systems, tops, wheel and axle systems, pencil sharpeners from manual to electric]; natural systems [plants, animals, water cycle, stream]).

Activities

Identify a natural system.
Identify a human-made system.

Many things changed with the invention of the wheel. What are some of the possible effects of this invention?

In the water cycle, water is recycled back into the Earth. Draw conclusions on what would happen if pollutants get into the Earth’s water supply.
Predict what would be different in our lives today if one of our human-made systems did not exist.

Answer Key/Rubric

Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

Water cycle

Photosynthesis

Streams

Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

Wheel and axle

Pencil sharpener

Bicycle

Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

Effect: Travel becomes more efficient.

Effect: New inventions are made using the wheel.

Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

If pollutants get into water, then all of our water may become dirty.

The dirty water coming back down to Earth could hurt our plants and animals.

Humans could also get sick from water with pollutants.

Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:

Student needs to correctly identify a human-made system and make reasonable predictions as to what would be different.

Example: Wheel and axle system

If the wheel were not invented, we would not have other inventions like the pencil sharpener or bicycle.

Humans would have a difficult time transporting from place to place.

Many inventions we rely on today would not be possible.