Grade 3 Science: how to help at home
What your child learns in Grade 3 science in the Saskatchewan Curriculum, and simple things to try at home.
The Big Ideas this year
- Life Science: Plant Growth and Changes (PL3.1–PL3.2): Investigate the growth and development of plants, including the conditions necessary for germination. Analyze the interdependence among plants, individuals, society, and the environment.
- Physical Science: Structures and Materials (SM3.1–SM3.2): Investigate properties of materials and methods of joinery used in structures. Assess the function and characteristics of strong, stable, and balanced natural and human-built structures.
- Physical Science: Magnetism and Static Electricity (ME3.1–ME3.2): Investigate the characteristics of contact (e.g., push, pull, and friction) and non-contact (e.g., magnetic and… Assess effects of practical applications of magnetic and static electric forces on individuals and society.
- Earth and Space Science: Exploring Soils (ES3.1–ES3.2): Investigate the characteristics, including soil composition and ability to absorb water, of different types of… Analyze the interdependence between soil and living things, including the importance of soil for individuals…
Easy ways to practise science at home
- Try a kitchen experiment, such as what dissolves in water and what floats or sinks.
- Keep a simple weather or moon log for a month.
- Ask “What do you think will happen?” and then test it.
- Visit a park, beach or creek and look for living things and their habitats.
What each unit covers
Plant Parts & Needs
Roots, stems, leaves, flowers (with the stamen and pistil), fruit, seeds and cones, plus what plants need to live: air, water, light, heat, nutrients and space.
How Plants Grow & Change
From seed to flower and back to seed, how seeds travel, how plants react to light and seasons, and how they use sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to make food and release oxygen.
Structures & Their Jobs
What makes something a structure, how its shape fits its job (a bowl-shaped nest, a sloped roof), structures built by animals and by people, and how they change the environment.
Strong & Stable
Strength as holding a load and stability as staying balanced, how shape, a wide base and materials help, and how struts (pushed) and ties (pulled) work in a frame.
Pushes, Pulls & Forces
Forces as pushes and pulls, contact and non-contact forces (gravity, magnetism, static electricity), friction, how bigger forces change motion more, and helmets and seat belts as safety devices.
Types of Soil
What soil is made of (rock bits, humus, air, water), how sand, silt, clay and loam look, feel and drain, how to sort and test samples fairly, and why dark prairie topsoil suits crops.
Soil and Living Things
How plants, worms and other animals depend on soil, how soil depends on them, farming and compost on the prairies, and ways to protect soil from wind and water.
What the report card levels look like at home
- Beginning
- Just getting started with this idea. Short, regular practice with lots of support helps most.
- Approaching
- Understands parts of it and is building confidence. Keep practising the tricky parts.
- Meeting
- Has it! Meeting is the goal for every outcome. Mixed review now and then keeps it strong.
- Exemplary
- Applies it confidently, even in new or harder situations. Try challenge mode and real-life problems.
Your child’s teacher decides the level on the report card. Read the Saskatchewan report card guide.
Common questions
How can I help my Grade 3 child with science?
Try a kitchen experiment, such as what dissolves in water and what floats or sinks. Keep a simple weather or moon log for a month. Keep sessions short, about 10 to 15 minutes, and stop on a success.
What does my child learn in Grade 3 science in Saskatchewan?
The Saskatchewan Curriculum Grade 3 science units include plant parts & needs, how plants grow & change, structures & their jobs, strong & stable, pushes, pulls & forces, types of soil.
Free printable Grade 3 science practice sheet
Questions from every unit, with an answer key.