Subscribe

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.

Maine Learning Results 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 Maine

In the Maine Learning Results, 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: Maine Department of Education

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

    Which animal survives best in a hot desert?

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

  2. Question 2

    Why do fish swim in schools?

    • To dig holes
    • It is harder for predators to catch one
    • To stay warm
    • To find sunlight

  3. Question 3

    Musk oxen form a circle around their young. Why?

    • To play a game
    • To protect them
    • To keep cool
    • To find food

  4. Question 4

    Which habitat suits a salmon?

    • A treetop
    • A cold river and the ocean
    • A hot desert
    • A dry field

  5. Question 5

    A white rabbit in a snowy place is…

    • hard to see
    • easy to see
    • always hungry
    • always hot

  6. Question 6

    Some trees in a forest have thicker bark and survive a fire. Why?

    • Thick bark protects them
    • Fire likes thick bark
    • Bark makes fire
    • Thin bark is stronger

More 3rd grade