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3rd grade · Science · Unit 6 of 12

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.

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: 3.13(A) · how animals' external structures and functions help them survive

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 Texas

In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 6 of 12 in 3rd grade Science, after Basic Needs & Life Cycles and before Food Chains & Webs.

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: Texas Education Agency (TEA)

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 camel
    • A polar bear
    • A penguin
    • A walrus

  2. Question 2

    A white rabbit in a snowy place is…

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

  3. Question 3

    Which habitat suits a salmon?

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

  4. Question 4

    A brown rabbit in snow is more likely to…

    • find more food
    • hide well
    • be seen by a predator
    • stay warmer

  5. Question 5

    Why do fish swim in schools?

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

  6. Question 6

    Two beetle colors: green and brown, on green leaves. Which survives better?

    • Both the same always
    • Green
    • Brown
    • Neither ever

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