Third Grade - Science

Priority Standards Link to this section

What students will know, what students will do, and what thinking skills students will develop to apply and transfer scientific understandings that endure within the discipline, leverage deeper understandings, and/or support readiness for success at the next grade level. These are the standards that should anchor and drive instruction.

In third grade, focus on these critical areas:

Instruction: Signature Elements Link to this section

Below are signature elements of SFUSD Science instruction that students should experience regularly throughout third grade as they develop as scientists.

Materials

Every third-grade classroom has a set of four science kits that are SFUSD curricular materials to teach science. Each kit has:

Fall

Fall/Winter

Winter

Spring

Physical Science (PS):

Balancing Forces

 

1 bin: large 

Materials List (link)

Life Science (LS):

Inheritance & Traits

 

1 bin: large

Materials List (link)

Life Science (LS):

Environments & Survival

 

2 bins: large

Materials List (link)

Earth Science (ES):

Weather & Climate

 

2 bins: 1 large & 1 small 

Materials List (link)

Each kit has: (1) a set of consumable items for student use that will be all used up during the unit. The consumable materials are replaced yearly through a spring ‘Refill Pack’ order process, and (2) a set of permanent items that are the kit's contents that remain with the kit and are only replaced if they are missing or broken. In addition, every classroom teacher has additional essential teaching materials through the Amplify digital platform. The Amplify digital platform can be accessed from the SFUSD Science Portal.

If you are missing anything from the list, please first contact your site administrator or designated support. If they are unable to resolve the issue promptly, please contact Renee Marcy from the SFUSD Science Team.

Budget permitting, the Science Department will replace science materials annually for each kit through an order process. Contact your Science Lead for more information.

If you are missing materials, refer to the Materials FAQ for guidance.


The thirdigrade Science Core Curriculum consists of 3 resources

  • The SFUSD K-5 Science Portal

The Science Portal is a great first stop to get oriented before beginning any science unit.              It contains: 

  • All SFUSD-created resources to support the implementation of each unit.
  • A quick link to the Amplify Science digital platform for each unit 
  • Up-to-date professional learning opportunities
  • Four Amplify Science Kits
 

Each of the 4 third grade Amplify kits includes:

  • Hands-on materials*
  • 5-6 different texts: 18 student copies of each title
  • Classroom wall and other print materials
  • 1 Student Investigation Notebook (for making copies)
  • Printed Teacher’s Guide
  • Spanish versions of all student-facing print materials for all Spanish bilingual classrooms
 

*materials lists for each kit are linked in the table below

  • The Amplify Science Digital Platform

The Amplify digital platform includes instructional resources for each Amplify unit in English and Spanish:

  • a digital version of the teacher’s guide
  • lesson slide decks
  • a digital student library of all student books
  • many additional instructional supports
     

** the Amplify digital platform can be accessed from the SFUSD Science Portal


 

Units

The opening science unit, Launch Unit 0, is five short lessons that support students to begin to build science identities and to use a science notebook. The four subsequent science units are intended to engage second graders in 45 minutes of science instruction four times a week. Each unit has 22 lessons that follow a single storyline. (Sometimes a lesson may take place over a few days.) Students build on their science identities and expand content knowledge in the life science, physical science, and Earth & space science units. Click on the videos below for a six-minute unit overview, or access the unit resources and documents in the unit links column.

Additional science unit materials and resources are available on the SFUSD Science Portal.

Unit Description Video

Unit 0:

What Makes Me a Scientist?

The opening science unit, Launch Unit 0, is five short lessons that support students to begin to build science identities and a science community,  and to use a science notebook.  

Unit 1:

Balancing Forces

Students take on the role of consulting scientists to Mayor London Breed. Students learn that floating (mag-lev) trains move faster and produce less pollution than CalTrain. They are tasked with explaining the science behind the “floating” nature of the train to Mayor Breed.

Unit 2:

Inheritance & Traits

Students play the role of wildlife biologists working in Graystone National Park. They study two wolf packs and are challenged to figure out why Wolf 44, an adopted wolf, has certain traits. Students investigate inherited traits and those that result from the environment to explain how Wolf 44 acquired certain traits.

Unit 3:

Environments & Survival

Students take on the role of biomimicry engineers to study how a population of grove snails’ traits influence their survival in a changing environment.

Unit 4:

Weather & Climate

In the role of meteorologists working for the fictional Wildlife Protection Organization (WPO), students investigate weather patterns as they figure out where to establish an orangutan reserve.

 

Planning Guide

The Science Team suggests trying to stay as close to this schedule and teaching science 4 days a week for 45-60 minutes, or teach 5 days a week to allow more time for three alternating History/Social Studies units.

 

Fall

Fall/Winter

Winter

Spring

Unit 0

 

Physical Science (PS):

Balancing Forces

Life Science (LS):

Inheritance & Traits

Life Science (LS):

Environments & Survival

Earth Science (ES):

Weather & Climate

(5 lessons) (21 lessons) (22 lessons) (22 lessons) (22 lessons)

Reflection Questions Link to this section

  1. How are students' developmental needs, communities, and experiences being reflected and honored, or how could they be?
  2. What opportunities do you see for developing equitable access & demand, inquiry, collaboration, and assessment for learning?
  3. What are the implications for your own practice? What strengths can you build upon? What will you do first?

Want More?

Standards

More Resources

  • Check out the many resources for each of the Third-Grade Science Units on the SFUSD Science Portal

Contact the Science Team

This page was last updated on January 31, 2024