The Standards

3rd Grade

Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 3-LS4-3

Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.

Assessment Boundary: none

Science and Engineering Practices

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Engaging in argument from evidence in 3–5 builds on K–2 experiences and progresses to critiquing the scientific explanations or solutions proposed by peers by citing relevant evidence about the natural and designed world(s).

Construct an argument with evidence. (3-LS4-3)

Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS4.C: Adaptation

For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. (3-LS4-3)

Crosscutting Concepts

Cause and Effect

Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified and used to explain change. (3-LS4-3)

Planning

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-LS4-3)
RI.3.2 - Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how they support the main idea. (3-LS4-3)
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-LS4-3)
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-LS4-3)
W.3.1 - Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. (3-LS4-3)
W.3.2 - Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. (3-LS4-3)

Mathematics

3.MD.B.3 - Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled bar graphs. (3-LS4-3)
MP.2 - Reason abstractly and quantitatively. (3-LS4-3)
MP.4 - Model with mathematics. (3-LS4-3)