***In January we will begin a special project in conjunction with college students from Lafayette College called Project CARE, which stands for Creating Awareness and Respect for our Environment. Please click on the link to see what it is all about!
PROJECT CARE 
Click here for some helpful links to reinforce science and health concepts.
Click here for the FOSS website where you will find an abundance of information and a variety of activities linked to each unit.
In third grade, Science and Health become a much more integral part of the curriculum. We will be covering a variety of topics and subjects in these areas and the students will be assessed in the material that we cover. For Science, we use a curriculum called FOSS, which is an inquiry-based, hands-on approach. The students will not be using a Science textbook, but they will have a notebook in which important information will be recorded. This will be a very important resource for studying. Please check with your child to see which topic we are currently covering.
If you or someone you know has some expertise (and I mean any knowledge that you could share…you don’t have to know everything!) in any of these areas that we will be talking about, we would love to have you come into our class to share your knowledge and experiences with us. Please contact me and we will arrange a time that will fit our schedules.
Science Topics:
Unit 1: Structures of Life
The Structures of Life Module consists of four sequential investigations dealing with observable characteristics of organisms. Students observe, compare, categorize, and care for a selection of organisms, and in so doing they learn to identify properties of plants and animals and to sort and group organisms on the basis of observable properties. Students investigate structures of the organisms and learn how some of the structures function in growth and survival.
In this module, FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO
- Develop an attitude of respect for life.
- Gain experience with organisms, both plants and animals.
- Observe and compare properties of seeds and fruits.
- Investigate the effect of water on seeds.
- Observe, describe, and record properties of germinated seeds.
- Compare different kinds of germinated seeds.
- Grow plants hydroponically and observe the life cycle of a bean plant.
- Observe and record crayfish and land snail structures and behavior.
- Use knowledge of crayfish and snail life requirements to maintain the organisms in the classroom.
- Organize data about crayfish territorial behavior.
- Develop responsibility for the care of organisms.
- Exercise language, art, social studies, and math skills in the context of life science.
- Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, and organizing.
Unit 2: Physics of Sound
The Physics of Sound Module consists of four sequential investigations, each designed to expose a specific set of concepts. Students learn to discriminate between sounds generated by dropped objects, how sounds can be made louder or softer and higher or lower, how sounds travel through a variety of materials, and how sounds get from a source to a receiver. The investigations provide opportunities for students to explore the natural and humanmade worlds by observing and manipulating materials in focused settings using simple tools .
FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO
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Observe and compare sounds to develop discrimination ability.
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Communicate with others using a drop code.
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Learn that sound originates from a source that is vibrating and is detected at a receiver such as the human ear.
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Understand the relationship between the pitch of a sound and the physical properties of the sound source (i.e. length of vibrating object, frequency of vibrations, and tension of vibrating string).
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Compare methods to amplify sound at the source and at the receiver.
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Observe and compare how sound travels through solids, liquids, and air.
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Use knowledge of the physics of sound to solve simple sound challenges.
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Acquire vocabulary associated with the physics of sound.
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Exercise language, social studies, and math skills in the context of the physics of sound.
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Develop and refine the manipulative skills required for investigating sound.
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Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, and organizing.
Unit 3: Life Science
The Earth Materials Module consists of four sequential investigations dealing with observable characteristics of solid materials from the earth—rocks and minerals. The focus is on taking materials apart to find what they are made of and putting materials together to better understand their properties. The module introduces fundamental concepts in earth science and takes advantage of the students' intrinsic interest in the subject matter and in the physical world around them.
FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO
- Develop an interest in earth materials.
- Gain experiences with rocks and minerals.
- Understand the process of taking apart and putting together to find out about materials.
- Use measuring tools to gather data about rocks.
- Collect and organize data about rocks.
- Observe, describe, and record properties of minerals.
- Organize minerals on the basis of the property of hardness.
- Investigate the effect of vinegar (acid) on a specific mineral, calcite.
- Use evaporation to investigate rock composition.
- Learn that rocks are composed of minerals and that minerals cannot be physically separated into other materials.
- Compare their activities to the work of a geologist.
- Acquire vocabulary used in earth science.
- Exercise language and math skills in the context of science.
- Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, and organizing.
Unit 4: Ideas and Inventions
The Ideas and Inventions Module consists of four sequential investigations that promote student creativity and inventiveness. Each investigation provides valuable science content while introducing a conventional technique for revealing the unseen.
FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO
- Use techniques to see details about the world that would otherwise be difficult to observe.
- Explore the techniques of chromatography, rubbing, carbon printing, and mirror imagery.
- Solve problems using the techniques of chromatography and carbon printing.
- Record and compare patterns observed in leaf veins, fingerprints, and ink pigments.
- Gain experience with texture and pattern in a variety of materials.
- Express individual and group creativity through open-ended discoveries and inventions.
- Invent applications to extend the use of specific techniques.
- Acquire the vocabulary associated with texture and patterns of materials and exercise language in the context of science.
- Use scientific thinking processes to conduct investigations and build explanations: observing, communicating, comparing, and organizing.
Health
Chapter 1 – You and Other People (relating to family and friends)
Chapter 2 – You Are Growing (growing inside and outside, individual differences)
Chapter 3 – Taking Care of Yourself (staying clean and healthy, rest, caring for teeth and gums)
Chapter 4 – Food and Food Choices
Chapter 5 – Exercising for Fun and Health
Chapter 6 – Learning About Illness
Chapter 7 – Drugs and Your Health
Chapter 8 – Home, School and Travel Safety
Chapter 9 – Your Health and Your Community
