Virginia

Force, Motion, and Energy

• 3.2 The student will investigate and understand that the direction and size of force affects the motion of an object. Key ideas include:

  • 3.2.a multiple forces may act on an object

    • Identify pushes and pulls (3-G.1)
    • How do balanced and unbalanced forces affect motion? (3-G.2)
    • How do mass and force affect motion? (3-G.3)

  • 3.2.b the net force on an object determines how an object moves

    • How do balanced and unbalanced forces affect motion? (3-G.2)
    • How do mass and force affect motion? (3-G.3)
    • Compare strengths of magnetic forces (3-I.3)

  • 3.2.c simple machines increase or change the direction of a force

  • 3.2.d simple and compound machines have many applications

Matter

• 3.3 The student will investigate and understand how materials interact with water. Key ideas include:

  • 3.3.a solids and liquids mix with water in different ways

  • 3.3.b many solids dissolve more easily in hot water than in cold water

Living Systems and Processes

• 3.4 The student will investigate and understand that adaptations allow organisms to satisfy life needs and respond to the environment. Key ideas include:

  • 3.4.a populations may adapt over time

    • Introduction to adaptations (3-N.1)

  • 3.4.b adaptations may be behavioral or physical

    • Animal adaptations: beaks, mouths, and necks (3-N.2)
    • Animal adaptations: feet and limbs (3-N.3)
    • Animal adaptations: skins and body coverings (3-N.4)

  • 3.4.c fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago as well as the nature of their environments

    • Introduction to fossils (3-R.1)
    • Compare fossils to modern organisms (3-R.2)
    • Compare ancient and modern organisms: use observations to support a hypothesis (3-R.3)

• 3.5 The student will investigate and understand that aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems support a diversity of organisms. Key ideas include:

  • 3.5.a ecosystems are made of living and nonliving components of the environment

    • Identify ecosystems (3-P.1)
    • Describe ecosystems (3-P.2)

  • 3.5.b relationships exist among organisms in an ecosystem

    • Identify roles in food chains (3-P.3)
    • How does matter move in food chains? (3-P.4)
    • Interpret food webs (3-P.5)

Earth and Space Systems

• 3.6 The student will investigate and understand that soil is important in ecosystems. Key ideas include:

  • 3.6.a soil, with its different components, is important to organisms

  • 3.6.b soil provides support and nutrients necessary for plant growth

• 3.7 The student will investigate and understand that there is a water cycle and water is important to life on Earth. Key ideas include:

  • 3.7.a there are many reservoirs of water on Earth

    • Water on Earth (3-T.1)

  • 3.7.b the energy from the sun drives the water cycle

  • 3.7.c the water cycle involves specific processes

Earth Resources

• 3.8 The student will investigate and understand that natural events and humans influence ecosystems. Key ideas include:

  • 3.8.a human activity affects the quality of air, water, and habitats

  • 3.8.b water is limited and needs to be conserved

  • 3.8.c fire, flood, disease, and erosion affect ecosystems

    • Changes to Earth's surface: erosion (3-U.6)

  • 3.8.d soil is a natural resource and should be conserved