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

Students come up with questions that can be tested by an experiment or a problem that could be solved by building something. This is how science and engineering both get started.

Students build or draw models, like diagrams or labeled sketches, to show how something in nature works or how a design solves a problem.

Students plan a simple test, collect data from it, and use what they find to check whether their idea holds up.

Students look at information collected from an experiment or observation and find patterns in it. They then explain what those patterns mean.

Students use counting, measuring, and simple math to back up what they observe in science. A number or measurement makes an idea easier to explain and check.

Students use observations and data to explain why something happened or how something works. They back up each explanation with evidence from what they actually saw or measured.

Students look at two possible explanations or solutions, then use data or observations to argue which one holds up better. The focus is on the evidence, not on who has the stronger opinion.

Students read simple science texts, decide what information matters, and explain what they learned in their own words or with a drawing, chart, or diagram.

Students examine what everyday objects are made of and explore how tiny particles interact to explain why things look, feel, or behave the way they do.

Students test how pushes and pulls change the way objects move, and what it takes to keep something still or balanced. This builds the foundation for understanding why heavier objects need more force to get moving.

Students explore how energy shows up in different forms, like heat, light, and sound, and trace what happens when it moves from one object to another. Nothing is lost; energy just changes or shifts.

Students explore how waves move energy from place to place, like sound traveling across a room or light carrying a signal. They look at how people use waves to send information.

Students look at how living things are built and how they work, from the tiny cells inside them to the bigger systems those cells form, like a digestive system or a root system.

Students explore how living things in a habitat depend on each other for food and energy. They look at what happens when one plant or animal changes and how that ripples through the other creatures sharing the same space.

Students look at physical traits like eye color, ear shape, or fur patterns and figure out which ones get passed from parents to offspring. They also notice that siblings can share some traits but differ in others.

Students look at how living things are alike and different, and start to explore why species change over time. They compare animals and plants to find patterns in how life on Earth is connected.

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

Students explore how land, water, air, and living things work together on Earth. They look at what happens when one of those parts changes and how it affects the others.

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

Students pick a problem to solve, sketch out a few possible fixes, then test their ideas and improve them based on what works. The goal is a design that does the job better than the first try.

Students explore how inventions shape daily life and how the needs of people shape what engineers build. A new tool can change how a community works, and a community's problems can spark the next invention.