Fresno Unified School District

Third Grade Science Curriculum Guide

Third Grade Science

The California Science Content Standards include Earth Science, Life Science, and Physical Science. The scientific process skills of observation, measuring, and classification serve as focal points for the third grade. Students develop a conceptual understanding of matter; the forces of interaction; and the properties of light and how light affects the perception of direction, shadow. They draw inferences from simple experiments and study the physical and chemical changes of matter. Third grade students also learn about different environments and the types of organisms adapted to live in each. Students examine results of technology and explore careers in science as well as scientific contributions from a diversity of cultures.

Please refer to specific pages in the Harcourt Science Teachers' Edition and e-Planner on CD for detailed information needed for lesson plan development. These resources will also provide references for recommended best practices and effective strategies to attain mastery of the California Science Content Standards in Third Grade Science. 

Grade 3 Science Kit Contents - Click here to download printable pdf file

Recommended minutes of instruction: 100 per week.