In many school districts, 3rd graders are learning about life cycles, interdependent relationships in ecosystems, water and weather. What's more, this is the year that many students learn much about their state or province, an opportunity for your students to learn about the place where they may be growing roots. Does it make sense that we stay in the classroom for all that?
Here are some examples of activities that reinforce your curriculum expectations. Curriculum expectations are based on the Ontario Ministry of
Expectations. Many of the activities will reinforce, rather than teach,
those expectations. As such, no assessment ideas or rubrics are
included.
Understanding Life Systems: Growth and Changes in Plants Understanding Matter and Energy: Forces Causing Movement Understanding Earth and Space: Soil in the Environment
Overall Expectations:
- assess ways in which plants have an impact on society and the environment, and ways in which human activity has an impact on plants and plant habitats;
- investigate similarities and differences in the characteristics of various plants, and ways in which the characteristics of plants relate to the environment in which they grow;
- demonstrate an understanding that plants grow and change and have distinct characteristics.
- assess the impact of various forces on society and the environment;
- investigate devices that use forces to create controlled movement;
- demonstrate an understanding of how forces cause movement and changes in movement.
- assess the impact of soils on society and the environment, and of society and the environment on soils;
- investigate the composition and characteristics of different soils;
- demonstrate an understanding of the composition of soils, the types of soils, and the relationship between soils and other living things.
Square Meter Study*
For this activity, get chaperones as you would for a field trip. Equip students with clipboards or a notebook and pencils.
Students and adults are going to do a “square meter" or "quadrant" study in the school yard. Tell students that they are going to do what scientists do: collect data. Show them where they will record what they find. Make a string square in the grass in a sunny location during a dry week, and observe what you see in it. Collect trowels or a shovel ahead of time and dig up a slice of soil in the string square. Put the 'slices' of soil on a piece of cardboard or a large sheet. Count the amount of insects you see in the circle and the soil.
Do the same thing in a shady location. What differences do you notice and what might be some reasons for that?
Do the same activity again a day after it has rained. Discuss the differences again.
The class can even dig a hole a couple of feet deep, with straight vertical sides, in order to see the different soil stratas: darker soil with organic matter, lighter soil with roots visible, different soil structures and particles. Watch how water travels through the layers. Detailed, easily printed, instructions for this 'field trip' can be found here.
(Fun fact: did you know that a sow bug is not an insect? They are related instead to shrimp and crabs. In fact, they have gills! They need to stay moist in order to stay alive.)
Corridors
Students can also go for a walk into the neighborhood, and observe the school yard and the school's neighboring properties. Introduce the idea of corridors: A habitat corridor, wildlife corridor or green corridor is an area of habitat that connect wildlife populations separated by human development or structures. For example, fence rows can be corridors between two woodlots.
Are there green spaces around our school? What can we do to make our school yard part of a habitat corridor?
Water and Weather
On a hike outside after a storm, students can observe and be amazed at the power of forces of nature. Heavy rains and water run-off naturally erode soil. When soil is lost on farmlands, farmers cannot grow as many crops. Depleted soil produces crops that provide less nourishment to people. What action can humans take to help prevent erosion?
You and your students can go outside to do 'puddle science', an activity that I found here. With just string, science, and a measuring tape, students will be able to learn about evaporation by observing puddles. After a rainfall, head outside to a puddle that you can return to throughout the day. Why is the puddle in that spot? Measure the length and width of it. Then frame the outline of the puddle with the string. Take a picture. Ask your students what they think they will observe two hours from that time. Leave the string. Come back at that time and discuss what they see (probably a smaller puddle). Why is the puddle smaller? Surround the new puddle with string, and take a picture. Repeat every two hours to observe and experience evaporation.
Students can make a weather station outside. Hang on a
fence large weather instruments such as a barometer, a thermometer, an
anemometer. Invite second grade to add some of their pinwheels. If no
fence is available, buy a couple of prefabricated sections of picket
fence, and attach them at an angle to some iron rods that you tapped
into the ground. Cost: less than $100.
Understanding Structures and Mechanisms: Strong and Stable Structures
Overall Expectations: - assess the importance of form, function, strength, and stability in structures through time;
- investigate strong and stable structures to determine how their design and materials enable them to perform their load-bearing function;
- demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of structure, strength, and stability and the factors that affect them.
Schoolyard Scale
This activity requires collecting quite a few materials, but then it offers the opportunity for great hands-on learning. Students can do a building project in the school yard with chaperones. They can build balance scales for everyone to play with at recess. The instructions can be found here.
For more ready-made science lessons for outside, with age-appropriate worksheets, click here.
*lesson from Teaching in the Outdoors, Fifth ed. Donald Hammerman, William M Hammerman, Elizabeth L. Hammerman
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