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  • 3rd Grade

    Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. 3-LS4-4

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • RI.3.1 - Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers. (3-LS4-4)
  • RI.3.2 - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. (3-LS4-4)
  • RI.3.3 - Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. (3-LS4-4)
  • SL.3.4 - Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace. (3-LS4-4)
  • W.3.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. (3-LS4-4)
  • W.3.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (3-LS4-4)

Mathematics

  • MP.2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (3-LS4-4)
  • MP.4 - Model with mathematics. (3-LS4-4)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • Why Do Animals Go There? by Jonathan Rosen

    Students read or listen to an illustrated book that describes why animals migrate (to find warmer climates, find food and water, lay eggs, etc.). They learn about different types of animals that migrate, such as different types of birds, insects, mam ...

  • Island: A Story of the Galapagos

    This picture book documents the history of the Galapagos Islands, from its volcanic beginnings six million years ago. It shows how the environment of the islands changed over time, resulting in changes in the types of plants and animals that live the ...

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Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.