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3rd Grade Program
Your 3rd grade class will spend half their day studying plants and trees. We’ll hike a trail together discovering how environmental factors affect plant growth. We’ll also play some games to simulate seed dispersal and flower pollination.
For the other half of the day, students will learn about soil. They'll compost part of their lunch and conduct their very own soil tests before taking an even closer look with student microscopes to see what’s living under our feet!
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Program Activities
1. Stump Examination (Learning Objectives 1.02, 1.03)
Students examine various tree stumps in different stages of decay and discuss the history of a tree including how environmental conditions affect growth and the distinct stages of the tree’s life cycle.
2. Discovery Hike (Learning Objectives 1.01, 1.02)
Students examine trees and plants while hiking through the woods, observing how environmental factors affect plant growth.
3. Seed Need (Learning Objectives 1.03, 1.04)
Students simulate how animals play an important role in seed dispersal and discuss variables which determine the number of seeds a plant produces.
4. Pollination Power (Learning Objective 1.05)
Students simulate and discuss how bees pollinate flowers
5. Eco-Enrichers (Learning Objectives 2.05, 2.06)
Students experience composting first hand with soil and earthworms to determine how discarded plant and animal material can be recycled and the relationship between heat and decaying plant matter in a compost pile.
6. Soil Test (Learning Objectives 2.03, 2.04)
Students collect soil samples of sand, clay, and humus from various locations and test the pH level of each sample to determine soil quality.
7. Soil Soak (Learning Objectives 2.01, 2.02)
Students conduct a hands-on experiment to compare and contrast the water-holding ability of topsoil, clay, and sand.
8. Soil Field Trip (Learning Objectives 2.01, 2.03, 2.04)
Students spend several minutes examining one square yard of ground space making observations of the 3 soil components and evaluating the quality of the soil.
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Competency Goals Covered:
1. The learner will conduct investigations and build an understanding of plant growth and adaptations.
2. The learner will conduct investigations to build understanding of soil properties.
Learning Objectives Covered:
1.01 Observe and measure how the quantities and qualities of nutrients, light, and water in the environment affect plant growth.
1.02 Observe and describe how environmental conditions determine how well plants survive and grow in a particular environment.
1.03 Investigate and describe how plants pass through distinct stages in their life cycle including: Growth, Survival, and Reproduction
1.04 Explain why the number of seeds a plant produces depends on variables such as light, water, nutrients, and pollination.
1.05 Observe and discuss how bees pollinate flowers.
2.01 Observe and describe the properties of soil: color, texture, and capacity to hold water.
2.02 Investigate and observe that different soils absorb water at different rates.
2.03 Determine the ability of soil to support the growth of many plants, including those important to our food supply.
2.04 Identify the basic components of soil: Sand. Clay. Humus.
2.05 Determine how composting can be used to recycle discarded plant and animal material.
2.06 Determine the relationship between heat and decaying plant matter in a compost pile.
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