Maine State Standards for Science: Grade 3

ME.A. Classifying Life Forms: Students will understand that there are similarities within the diversity of all living things.

A.1. Students will be able to group the same organisms in different ways using different characteristics. 62
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.1.

A.2. Students will be able to design and describe a classification system for organisms. 62
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.2.

A.3. Students will be able to describe the different living things within a given habitat. 54
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.3.

A.4. Students will be able to compare and contrast the life cycles, behavior, and structure of different organisms. 113
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard A.4.

ME.B. Ecology: Students will understand how living things depend on one another and on non-living aspects of the environment.

B.1. Students will be able to describe a food web and the relationships within a given ecosystem. 15
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.1.

B.2. Students will be able to explain the difference between producers (e.g., green plants), consumers (e.g., those that eat green plants), and decomposers (e.g., bacteria that break down the 'consumers' when they die), and identify examples of each. 15
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.2.

B.3. Students will be able to compare and contrast physical and living components of different biomes - i.e., regions characterized by their climate and plant life - (e.g., tundra, rain forest, ocean, desert). 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.3.

B.4. Students will be able to investigate the connection between major living and non-living components of a local ecosystem. 8
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard B.4.

ME.C. Cells: Students will understand that cells are the basic units of life.

C.1. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding that a cell is the basic unit of living organisms. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.1.

C.2. Students will be able to describe how single-celled organisms exist. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.2.

C.3. Students will be able to explore how the use of a microscope allows one to see cells in a variety of organisms. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.3.

C.4. Students will be able to describe the functions of the major human organ systems. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard C.4.

ME.D. Continuity and Change: Students will understand the basis for all life and that all living things change over time.

D.1. Students will be able to identify present day organisms that have not always existed, and past life forms that have become extinct. 9
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.1.

D.2. Students will be able to describe how fossils form. 12
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.2.

D.3. Students will be able to explain how adaptations, in response to change over time, may increase a species' chances of survival. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.3.

D.4. Students will be able to describe ways in which organisms may be similar to and different from their parents and explore the possible reasons for this. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard D.4.

ME.E. Structure of Matter: Students will understand the structure of matter and the changes it can undergo.

E.1. Students will be able to describe how the physical properties of objects sometimes change when one object chemically combines with another. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard E.1.

E.2. Students will be able to explain how matter changes in both chemical and physical ways.

ME.F. The Earth: Students will gain knowledge about the earth and the processes that change it.

F.1. Students will be able to describe the change in position of the continents over time. 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.1.

F.2. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding that many things about the earth (e.g., climate) occur in cycles that vary in length and frequency. 6
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.2.

F.3. Students will be able to describe differences among minerals, rocks, and soils. 22
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.3.

F.4. Students will be able to illustrate how water and other substances go through a cyclic process of change in the environment. 13
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard F.4.

ME.G. The Universe: Students will gain knowledge about the universe and how humans have learned about it, and about the principles upon which it operates.

G.1. Students will be able to illustrate the relative positions of the sun, moon, and planets. 29
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.1.

G.2. Students will be able to trace the sources of earth's heat and light energy to the sun. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.2.

G.3. Students will be able to describe earth's rotation on its axis and its revolution around the sun. 1
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.3.

G.4. Students will be able to explore the relationship between the earth and its moon. 10
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard G.4.

ME.H. Energy: Students will understand concepts of energy.

H.1. Students will be able to identify different forms of energy (e.g., light, sound, heat). 13
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.1.

H.2. Students will be able to explain ways different forms of energy can be produced. 13
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard H.2.

ME.I. Motion: Students will understand the motion of objects and how forces can change that motion.

I.1. Students will be able to describe the effects of different types of forces (e.g., mechanical, electrical, magnetic) on motion. 19
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.1.

I.2. Students will be able to draw conclusions about how the amount of force affects the motion of more massive and less massive objects. 11
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.2.

I.3. Students will be able to generate examples illustrating that when something is pushed or pulled, it exerts a reaction force. 11
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard I.3.

ME.J. Inquiry and Problem Solving: Students will apply inquiry and problem-solving approaches in science and technology.

J.1. Students will be able to make accurate observations using appropriate tools and units of measure. 3
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.1.

J.2. Students will be able to conduct scientific investigations: make observations, collect and analyze data, and do experiments. 32
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.2.

J.3. Students will be able to use results in a purposeful way: design fair tests, make predictions based on observed patterns, and interpret data to make further predictions. 32
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.3.

J.4. Students will be able to design and build an invention. 32
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.4.

J.5. Students will be able to explain how differences in time, place, or experimenter can lead to different data. 32
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.5.

J.6. Students will be able to explain how different conclusions can be derived from the same data. 32
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard J.6.

ME.K. Scientific Reasoning: Students will learn to formulate and justify ideas and to make informed decisions.

K.1. Students will be able to give alternative explanations for observed phenomena. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.1.

K.2. Students will be able to describe how feelings can distort reasoning. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.2.

K.3. Students will be able to draw conclusions about observations. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.3.

K.4. Students will be able to use various types of evidence (e.g., logical, quantitative) to support a claim. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.4.

K.5. Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding that ideas are more believable when supported by good reasons. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.5.

K.6. Students will be able to practice and apply simple logic, intuitive thinking, and brainstorming. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard K.6.

ME.L. Communication: Students will communicate effectively in the application of science and technology.

L.1. Students will be able to record results of experiments or activities (e.g., interviews, discussions, field work) and summarize and communicate what they have learned. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.1.

L.2. Students will be able to ask clarifying and extending questions. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.2.

L.3. Students will be able to reflect on work in science and technology using such activities as discussions, journals, and self-assessment. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.3.

L.4. Students will be able to make and/or use sketches, tables, graphs, physical representations, and manipulatives to explain procedures and ideas. 31
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.4.

L.5. Students will be able to gather and effectively present information, using a variety of media including computers (e.g., spreadsheets, word processing, programming, graphics, modeling). 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.5.

L.6. Students will be able to cite examples of bias in information sources and question the validity of information from varied sources. 7
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.6.

L.7. Students will be able to function effectively in groups within various assigned roles (e.g., reader, recorder). 10
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard L.7.

ME.M. Implications of Science and Technology: Students will understand the historical, social, economic, environmental, and ethical implications of science and technology.

M.1. Students will be able to explore how cultures have found different technological solutions to deal with similar needs or problems (e.g., construction, clothing, agricultural tools and methods). 2
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.1.

M.2. Students will be able to investigate and describe the role of scientists and inventors. 14
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.2.

M.3. Students will be able to explore how technology (e.g., transportation, irrigation) has altered human settlement. 5
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.3.

M.4. Students will be able to explain practices for conservation in daily life, based on a recognition that renewable and non-renewable resources have limits. 8
Suggested Titles for Maine Science State Standard M.4.