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3rd grade · Science · Unit 6 of 8

Surviving in a Habitat

Groups, traits and habitats that help animals survive.

What your child practices

Practices why some animals live in groups, how small differences in traits can help some individuals survive, and why some organisms do well in a habitat while others cannot survive there.

Alaska content standards learning standard: 3-LS2-1; 3-LS4-2; 3-LS4-3 · living in groups, trait differences that help survival, and how well organisms survive in a habitat

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Some animals live in groups to survive: bees in a colony, fish in schools.
  2. Groups help find food, share jobs and stay safe from predators.
  3. Small trait differences help some animals survive better in a habitat.

Example: Why do fish swim in schools? Many fish together confuse a predator. Answer: it is harder for predators to catch one

Surviving in a Habitat in Alaska

In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 6 of 8 in 3rd grade Science, after Traits & Variation and before Weather Hazards & Solutions.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Why do geese fly in a V shape?

    • To spell a word
    • To find snow
    • To scare clouds
    • It saves energy for the group

  2. Question 2

    Penguins huddle together to…

    • get cooler
    • fly
    • stay warm
    • hide from the sun

  3. Question 3

    A cactus would NOT survive well in…

    • a sandy place
    • a desert
    • a swamp
    • a dry hillside

  4. Question 4

    A plant that needs lots of water lives in a dry place. It will…

    • become a cactus
    • grow best
    • make more seeds
    • survive poorly or not at all

  5. Question 5

    Which animal survives best in a hot desert?

    • A penguin
    • A polar bear
    • A camel
    • A walrus

  6. Question 6

    In a cold winter, which deer is more likely to survive?

    • One that never eats
    • One with a thinner coat
    • One with a thicker coat
    • One with no coat

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