What does a student learn in StateDistrict of Columbia,GradeGrade 3,SubjectScience?

Students practice turning curiosity into a testable question or a real problem worth solving. They learn to tell the difference between a question science can investigate and one it can't.

Students build or draw a model (a diagram, a map, or a simple sketch) to show how something in nature works or how a design they made is put together.

Students plan a test, gather information, and use what they find to check whether their idea holds up. This is the core of doing science: trying something on purpose to see what actually happens.

Students look at data from an experiment, find patterns in the numbers or results, and explain what those patterns mean.

Students use counting, measuring, and simple math to back up what they notice in science. A measurement or number helps explain why something happens, not just that it did.

Students build written explanations for what they observe, then back up those explanations with evidence from their investigations. The reasoning has to connect to what actually happened, not just what they guessed.

Students look at two different explanations or solutions, then use evidence to argue which one holds up better. Think of it as a science debate where the data does the talking.

Students read, compare, and share science information, deciding which sources are trustworthy and which details matter. They practice turning what they find into clear explanations others can understand.

Students learn what everyday materials are made of and how their tiny building blocks behave. That knowledge explains why ice melts, why oil and water separate, and why some things bend while others break.

Students test how pushes and pulls change the way objects move, and explore why some things stay still while others speed up, slow down, or change direction.

Students explore how energy shows up in different forms, like heat, light, and motion, and how it moves from one object to another. Energy doesn't disappear; it just changes form or location.

Students explore how waves move energy from place to place and how that movement can carry information, like sound traveling through the air or light through a fiber.

Students learn how living things are built and how they work, from the tiny cells inside them to the larger systems those cells form. They look at real organisms to see how structure and function connect.

Students trace how energy from the sun and nutrients from the soil move through living things in an ecosystem. They also look at how plants, animals, and other organisms depend on and affect each other.

Students look at plants or animals across generations to see which traits get passed from parents to offspring and which traits vary. A puppy might share its mother's coat color but differ in size.

Students look at how living things are alike and how they differ, then explore why those differences help some survive and others struggle.

Students learn where Earth sits in the solar system and how the sun, moon, and planets move in predictable patterns. They also look at how Earth itself has changed over a very long time.

Students learn how land, water, air, and living things work together on Earth. They look at how changes in one part, like a flood or a drought, can affect the others.

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

Students identify a real problem, come up with possible fixes, then test and adjust their designs until one works better than the rest.

Students explore how inventions shape daily life and how the needs of people shape what engineers build next.