I have found that students often fail to connect their studies to what is happening out in the "real world."
Science Standards - 3rd Grade
Life Sciences
3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism's chance for survival.
As a basis for understanding this concept, students know:
a. plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
b. examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
c. living things cause changes in the environment where they live; some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or other organisms, whereas others are beneficial.
d. when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce, and others die or move to new locations.
e. some kinds of organisms that once lived on Earth have completely disappeared; some of these resembled others that are alive today
5. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations. Students will:
a. repeat observations to improve accuracy, and know that the results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation.
b. differentiate evidence from opinion, and know that scientists do not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed.
c. use numerical data in describing and comparing objects, events and measurements.
d. predict the outcome of a simple investigation, and compare the result to the prediction.
e. collect data in an investigation and analyze them to develop a logical conclusion.
