These materials are designed to meet the Life Sciences Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in the United States. The materials here follow the 5E instructional model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) for an inquiry based approach to learning. You can read more about this approach here or watch a video here.

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NGSS 3rd Grade Life Science Lesson Plans

SCIENCE STANDARDS IN THIS LESSON 3-LS1-1
​Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PRACTICES (SEP)
Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoning
DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS (DCI)
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants & animals have unique & diverse lifecycles
CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS (CCC)
Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify natural phenomena

 You can access ALL teacher directions and activity worksheets in a single document or by activity below. 

5E ELEMENT	ELEMENT DESCRIPTION	STUDENT ACTIVITY	SUPPORTING MATERIALS
ENGAGE	- always first, should be something cool & unique - should excite your student's curiosity and get them      personally/emotionally involved in the lesson  - should raise questions & get them curious - should NOT contain answer or explanations	​Activity 1: What’s in the bag? Activity 2: What’s happening to this bird?	​Teacher directions Activity 1 worksheet Activity 2 worksheet
EXPLORE	​- gives students a chance to practice new knowledge  - gives students a common bases of experience - prompts sharing and communication - will identify/develop concepts & skills around the learning goal - hands-on, trial & error exploration - allows students to discover possible answers & solutions first, before ‘correct’ answer is shared	​Activity 3: Observe a bug Activity 4: Predict offspring	Teacher directions Activity 3 worksheet Activity 4 worksheet
EXPLAIN	​- usually the teacher-led phase  - gives student opportunities to communicate their understanding between peers through a reflective process - provides teachers opportunity to introduce formal terms, definitions, and explanations - opportunity for teacher to correct misunderstandings	​Activity 5: Milkweed bug, plant, & butterfly readings Activity 6: Life cycle card sort	Teacher directions Activity 5 worksheet Activity 6 worksheet
ELABORATE	- allows students to practice what they have learned - allows students to make connections to previous learnings	Activity 7:Other life cycles or 'Please don't bite me!' book	Teacher directions Activity 7 worksheet
EVALUATE	​- opportunity for learners AND teachers to review their learning - can be a separate activity or imbedded in previous activities	Activity8: Design your own insect	Activity 8 worksheet

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SCIENCE STANDARDS IN THIS LESSON 3-LS3-1
​Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms

SCIENCE & ENGINEERING PRACTICES (SEP)
Analyze and interpret data to make sense of phenomena using logical reasoninG
DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS (DCI)
Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents
Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information
CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS (CCC)
Similarities and differences in patterns can be used to sort and classify natural phenomena

MATERIALS COMING SOON

5E ELEMENT	STUDENT ACTIVTY	SUPPORTING MATERIALS
ENGAGE
EXPLORE
EXPLAIN
ELABORATE
EVALUATE

The materials found here are adaptations of materials produced in collaboration with the Alameda County Office of Education and more resources like these are available at the Elementary Science Partnership. ​If you need editable versions of these documents please contact me.

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