1. Science, Technology, and Engineering
Grade 3
Science, Technology, and Engineering
Welcome to the Grade 3 Overview for Science, Technology, and Engineering in Curriculum All of the content in grade 3 is fully aligned to the Maryland State Curriculum Standards and incorporates some of the key considerations from the Next Generation Science Standards and Ready, Set, Science!. The engineering and technology standards included in Curriculum 2.0 come from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association Standards and Benchmarks. The content has been sequenced purposefully to maximize connections to the assigned Thinking and Academic Success Skills for each marking period and connections with other content areas.

2. MCPS STEM Vision
All students achieve full science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) literacy through seamlessly integrated instruction that is project/problem and standards-based. STEM literate students are critical thinkers who are able to solve non-routine problems in a globally competitive society.
In MCPS we expect that all PreK-12 students are engaged in hands- and minds-on science and engineering inquiry, that is both problem- and standards-based in an effort to achieve full science, technology, engineering, and math literacy.

3. 5E’s Instructional Cycle
Inquiry learning requires environments and experiences where students can confront new ideas, deepen their understandings, and learn to think logically and critically. Five essential features of inquiry-based science, technology, and engineering classrooms include:
Learners are engaged by scientifically oriented questions. Helping students to change their “why” questions into “how” questions narrows the inquiry into a “testable” question.
Learners value evidence, and develop and evaluate explanations that address scientifically oriented questions. Scientific explanations about how the natural world works can be inferred from data that can be validated by other scientists – empirical evidence. Explanations based on myths, personal beliefs, or authority may be personally useful and socially relevant, but they are not scientific.
Learners formulate explanations from evidence. Learners create a set of logical explanations, a conceptual framework, using the collected empirical evidence to address their question.
Learners evaluate their explanations in light of alternative explanations, particularly those reflecting scientific understanding. One explanation is selected and alternate explanations rejected through an evaluation process. The best explanations are consistent with evidence.
Learners communicate and justify their proposed explanations. Explanations are communicated to interested others for skeptical review and assessment.

4. Marking Period 1
In Marking Period 1, students explore forces and motion. Enduring understandings include that changes in position and motion can be observed and measured and that a force is required for any change in motion. Specifically, students describe the motion of objects using position and speed and explain how forces, such as push, pull, gravity, and friction affect the motion of objects. Students will identify how materials, tools, and techniques are used to carry out a task or address a problem. Then, they will apply this knowledge and use the Elementary Engineering Design Process to design a tire based on the needs of the vehicle.

5. Marking Period 2
In marking period 2, students explore the properties of matter. The enduring understanding for this marking period is that materials react to changes in temperature and other physical processes. Specifically, students describe the effect that changes in temperature have on the properties of materials, investigate actions that can be taken to change the properties of materials, such as breaking, reshaping, heating, cutting, and wetting. Engineering and technology are woven into this marking period as students explore and discuss the scope of technology, how technology influences humans, and how humans influence technology.

6. Marking Period 3
The focus in marking period 3 is on heat energy. The enduring understanding for the marking period is that changes in temperature are based on the amount of heat energy produced and transferred. Specifically, students should be able to identify ways in which heat is produced (burning, friction, and electricity), and recognize that heat is transferred between objects of different temperatures. Students will apply this knowledge and use the Elementary Engineering Design Process to design an insulated container to keep cold items cold and hot items hot.

7. Marking Period 4
The focus of this marking period is ecology. The enduring understandings for marking period 4 include that living things impact the availability of Earth’s natural resources, that living things depend on the accessibility of Earth’s natural resources, and that living and non-living materials may change form but all materials continue to exist. Specifically, students will be able to explain how natural resources are used to meet human needs, recognize that materials continue to exist even when they change from one form to another, and explain that organisms can grow and survive in many different habitats. Ways in which humans and technology impact natural resources, such as the costs and benefits of using fossil fuels, will be explored as well.

8. Taylor Science Materials Center 19501 White Ground Road
Taylor Science Materials Center
19501 White Ground Road
Boyds, MD 20841
MCPS Science Kits will be provided each semester. Teachers will have access to these kits during those two marking periods. Materials in the kits are intended to support student learning of the indicators and objectives in science, technology, and engineering. Teachers should provide opportunities for students to examine the materials in the kits and determine how they might best use those materials to explore the STE content for the marking period and investigate solutions to their questions or design challenges. If specific materials from the kits are necessary in individual sample learning tasks, they will be noted within the task or in the note to teacher. Some tasks are purposefully more open-ended and a variety of materials are provided in the kits to allow flexibility in the way students investigate and learn the content. For more information on using science kits with Curriculum 2.0, see the presentation titled Using the New MCPS EIC Science Kit, featured on the Science Content Planner Page under Subject Materials.
All questions regarding MCPS Science Kit materials, including information about deliveries and pickups, should be directed to the Taylor Science Center. Please use the web link to read more about the Taylor Science Materials Center, or call or Tom DuMars or Tammy Acton on Outlook with further questions.