Download I Can Statements - Gobles Elementary Science Resources

3rd Grade “I Can Statements”
Unit One: Changes in Motion
Gravity
I can identify that gravity is the force that pulls objects down toward Earth.
Force
I can describe push moves an object away from another object.
I can describe a pull moves an object toward another object.
I can demonstrate how friction can slow down or stop and object.
I can explain that lighter objects need less force.
I can explain that heavier objects need more force.
I can recognize that more than one force can act upon an object.
Speed
I can explain motion is movement from one place to another.
I can demonstrate speedingup and slowing down.
I can demonstrate changes in direction using north, south, east, west, right,
left, up, and down.
I can describe speed as how fast an object travels.
I can describe that distance is how far an object travels.
Unit Two: Light and Sound
Forms of Energy
I can identify that energy is the ability to cause change.
I can identify that light energy comes from the sun.
I can identify that sound energy comes from waves.
Light Properties
I can demonstrate Shadows are made when an object is placed in the path
of light.
I can explain that light travels in a straight path until it hits something.
I can explain what refraction.
Sound
I can explain that vibrations make sound.
I can demonstrate that plucking, striking, or hitting an object will produce
sound.
I can explain that sound can travel through matter.
I can distinguish between a low and high pitch.
Conductive and Reflective Properties
I can explain when light is reflected or bounces off an object, the light
travels in
straight lines until it reaches the eye.
Unit Three: Structures and Functions of Living Things
Structures and Functions
I can describe how flowers produce seeds.
I can describe how stemscarry water and nutrients from the roots to the
leaves.
I can describe how stems provide support to the plant and allow the leaves
to reach sunlight.
I can describe how roots provide support by anchoring the plant.
I can describe how roots absorb water and nutrients needed for growth.
I can describe how leaves make food in green plants.
I can recognize that body coverings (fur, feathers, skin, and hair) help
control body temperature.
I can recognize that skeletons and exoskeletons provide support.
I can recognize that limbs, wings, fins and muscles help animals move.
I can recognize that animals use jaws, teeth, claws, and beaks for getting
food.
I can recognize that animals use exoskeletons, scales, shells, claws, teeth,
beaks, legs and wings for protection.
Classifications
I can sort plants based on physical characteristics I can see such as roots,
leaves, stems, and flowers.
I can sort seed plants by evergreens or broad-leafed.
I can distinguish between root systems as taproots or branching.
I can organize plants by leaf type, leaf shape, and veins.
I can sort plants by woody stems and green, non-woody stems.
I can sort plants by the type of flower color, shape, and number of petals.
I can arrange animals based on physical characteristics I can see such as
backbone, body covering, and limbs.
I can sort animals into two broad categories: animals with backbones
(vertebrate - internal skeleton) and animals without backbones (invertebrate
- external skeleton/exoskeleton or no skeletal system).
I can classify animals with backbones based on body covering and other
characteristics I can see.
I can recognize fish by their scales and gills.
I can recognize amphibians by their smooth, wet skin.
I can recognize reptiles by their rough, dry skin.
I can recognize birds by their wings, two feet, and feathers.
I can recognize mammals because they have hair and feed their young milk.
Environmental Adaptation
I can relate characteristics of plants such as leaf shape, thorns, odor, and/or
color that help them survive in their environment.
I can relate characteristics of animals such as sharp teeth, claws, odor,
and/or body coverings that help them survive in their environment.
Unit Four: Earth Materials, Change, and Resources
Natural Resources
I can identify natural resources as naturally occurring materials including
metals, fuels, fresh water, soil, and forests.
I can explain that natural resources come from living organisms (forests) or
from nonliving things (fuels, metals, fresh water).
I can classify natural resources as renewable and non-renewable based on
whether the resource can be replaced by nature in a human lifetime (or a
reasonable amount of time).
I can define and give an example of renewable resources as resources that
can be used again, made again by people or nature, or will never run out
(for example, water, forests, plants, animals, sunlight, wind).
I can define and give examples of non-renewable resources as one that
cannot be made again by nature or people (for example, oil, gas, minerals).
Most come from the ground.
I can tell or write how important it is for people to protect non-renewable
resources (because they will run out) and renewable resources (because
they can be killed off, overused, or polluted to the point of becoming
unusable).
I can define recycling as collecting and returning materials to be
manufactured into new products.
I can give examples of some materials that can be recycled: glass, some
plastics, paper, aluminum, cardboard, and steel.
I can define reusing as using an item again or finding new uses for them
instead of throwing them away.
I can give examples of some materials that can be reused: paper bags,
plastic jugs, jars, coffee mugs, plastic containers, etc.
I can define reducing as producing less waste by choosing to buy fewer
products or buying less wasteful products to conserve natural resources.
I can give examples of reducing: turning out the lights, using less water,
reusing grocery bags, riding bikes, carpooling, using mass transportation,
and buying products in bulk or with less packaging.
I can give examples of renewing resources: replanting, reforesting, and
composting.
I can recognize that many everyday materials can be recycled.
Human Impact
I can describe how humans depend on their natural environment for clean
air, clean water, forests, food, and earth materials such as soil, sand, rocks,
and minerals.
I can describe how humans depend on their constructed environments
(including homes, neighborhoods, shopping malls, factories, and industry) to
meet their basic needs for shelter, work, and recreation.
I can explain that changes that people make to their environment can have
helpful or harmful effects.
I can describe some examples of harmful effects that people have on the
environment as garbage, habitat destruction, poor use of resources, and
pollution.
I can describe some examples of helpful effects that people have on the
environment as land management and the management of non-renewable
and renewable resources (reduce, reuse, recycle, renew).
Earth Materials
I can recognize that minerals, rock, clay, boulders, gravel, sand, and soil are
different types of earth materials.
I can explain that most rocks are made of two or more minerals.
I can explain that the solid material of the earth's crust is rock.
I can explain that when natural processes (like weathering and breakage)
break down the earth's crust (rock), it forms earth materials including
boulders, gravel, sand, silt, and clay.
I can describe clay as a naturally occurring material composed of finegrained minerals which becomes hardened when dried or fired.
I can describe soil as a combination of dead, decomposed plants and
animals; minerals; different sized rock materials (sand, silt, clay); and
nutrients.
I can explain that soils have different properties such as color, texture, and
particle size based on their composition.
I can explain that minerals are natural solid substances with a crystalline
structure that are found in the earth's crust.
I can explain that rocks are made of two or more minerals that add color,
hardness, and sparkle.
Surface Changes
I can identify natural causes of change in the earth's surface. Some happen
rapidly and dramatically, and some take millions of years.
I can describe weathering as breaking or wearing away rocks and erosion as
the movement of weathered material by wind, water, or ice.
I can describe erosion as a slow, gradual process (like the formation of the
Grand Canyon), or it can be as rapid as rainwater running down a steep
slope.
I can describe the erosion due to glaciers as a slow process which can move
trees, soil, and rock and leave behind soil and rock (like in the state of
Michigan).
I can describe volcanoes as an opening in the earth's surface through which
lava, volcanic ash, and other materials erupt. This process usually happens
quickly.
I can describe landslides as the movement of a large amount of rock, soil,
and other materials down a slope. Landslides are an example of a rapid
process which can begin with an earthquake, volcano, rainfall, or a manmade activity.
I can describe earthquakes as a very rapid, destructive natural event which
causes the earth to tremble and shake, sometimes violently.
Using Earth Materials
I can recognize that bricks are made from a variety of earth materials
including clay and rock.
I can recognize that earth materials such as rock and sand are used in
building construction.
I can recognize that sand and rock are used in concrete and asphalt for road
construction.
I can recognize that sand is used to make glass and glass products.
I can recognize that materials taken from the earth can be used as fuels.
I can describe fuels taken from the earth include oil, natural gas, and coal.
I can explain that different fuels are used for transportation (cars, trains,
airplanes), heating and cooling buildings, and construction.