Grade 3 Science
10 units matched to the Ontario Curriculum.
Overall expectations
- A1 STEM Investigation and Communication Skills: Use a scientific research process, a scientific experimentation process, and an engineering design process to conduct investigations, following appropriate health and safety procedures
- A2 Coding and Emerging Technologies: Use coding in investigations and to model concepts, and assess the impact of coding and of emerging technologies on everyday life
- A3 Applications, Connections, and Contributions: Demonstrate an understanding of the practical applications of science and technology, and of contributions to science and technology from people with diverse lived experiences
- B1 Relating Science and Technology to Our Changing World: Assess ways in which plants are beneficial to society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats
- B2 Exploring and Understanding Concepts: Demonstrate an understanding of characteristics and uses of plants and of plants’ responses to the natural environment
- C1 Relating Science and Technology to Our Changing World: Assess the impacts of various forces on society and the environment
- C2 Exploring and Understanding Concepts: Demonstrate an understanding of how forces cause motion and changes in motion
- D1 Relating Science and Technology to Our Changing World: Assess the importance of form, function, strength, and stability in structures to society and the environment
- D2 Exploring and Understanding Concepts: Demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of strength and stability as they relate to structures with various forms and functions, and of the factors that affect structures’ strength and stability
- E1 Relating Science and Technology to Our Changing World: Assess the importance of soils for society and the environment, and the impact of human activity on soils
- E2 Exploring and Understanding Concepts: Demonstrate an understanding of the composition of soils, of different types of soils, and of processes and practices that can affect the health of soil
Units
Unit 1
Plant Parts & Needs
Roots, stems, leaves, flowers (with the stamen and pistil), fruit, seeds and cones, plus what plants need to live: air, water, light, heat, nutrients and space.
Expectation: B2.1, B2.2 · the basic needs of plants, and the parts of plants and what each part does
Unit 2
How Plants Grow & Change
From seed to flower and back to seed, how seeds travel, how plants react to light and seasons, and how they use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make food and release oxygen.
Expectation: B2.3, B2.4, B2.5 · life cycles, how plants adapt and react to their surroundings, and photosynthesis
Unit 3
Plants & People
How people and animals depend on plants for food, shelter, clothing and medicine, including plants grown and harvested by First Nations in Ontario today, local food, and simple ways to protect native plants.
Expectation: B1.1–B1.3, B2.6–B2.8 · how people use plants, local and Indigenous plant foods, and how people can protect plants and plant habitats
Unit 4
Pushes, Pulls & Forces
Forces as pushes and pulls, contact and non-contact forces (gravity, magnetism, static electricity), friction, how bigger forces change motion more, and helmets and seat belts as safety devices.
Expectation: C1.1, C1.2, C2.1–C2.4 · contact and non-contact forces, how forces change motion and shape, and how safety devices reduce harm
Unit 5
Structures & Their Jobs
What makes something a structure, how its shape fits its job (a bowl-shaped nest, a sloped roof), structures built by animals and by people, and how they change the environment.
Expectation: D1.1, D1.2, D2.1, D2.2 · structures in nature and the built world, form and function, and how structures affect society and the environment
Unit 6
Strong & Stable
Strength as holding a load and stability as staying balanced, how shape, a wide base and materials help, and how struts (pushed) and ties (pulled) work in a frame.
Expectation: D2.3–D2.7 · strength and stability, materials, forces on structures, and struts and ties
Unit 7
What Soil Is Made Of
Living and non-living parts of soil, humus and topsoil, sandy, clay and loam soils and how fast water drains through them, and how soils across Ontario suit different crops.
Expectation: E1.1, E2.1, E2.3 · the living and non-living parts of soil, healthy soil, and soil types in Ontario
Unit 8
Caring for Soil
Composting, how fertilizer and road salt affect soil, how erosion happens and how plants, windbreaks and cover crops protect soil.
Expectation: E1.1, E1.2, E2.2, E2.4–E2.6 · things added to soil, erosion, composting, and ways to keep soil healthy in Ontario
Unit 9
Wind, Water & Ice
How wind, water and ice break rock down (weathering) and carry it away (erosion), slowly changing the shape of the land, and how plants and windbreaks protect soil.
Expectation: E2.4 · erosion by wind, water and ice, and how plants help protect soil
Unit 10
Science Skills & Safety
Making predictions and observations, running a fair test that changes one thing, using simple tools safely, the engineering design steps, debugging a simple program, and how science helps solve real problems.
Expectation: A1.1–A1.5, A2.1, A2.2, A3.1–A3.3 · investigating, safety, the design process, coding and debugging, and science in everyday life
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