Year 3 Science

Chapters to explore

Roots take up water and minerals. Stems transport water and support the plant. Leaves use light to make food. Flowers are involved in reproduction in flowering plants. Pollination transfers pollen; seed dispersal moves seeds away from the parent plant.

Try it: Compare two seeds and suggest how their structures may help dispersal.

Animals obtain nutrients from food. A balanced variety helps provide different nutrients. Many animals, including humans, have internal skeletons that support and protect the body. Muscles pull on bones to move joints; muscles do not push bones back directly.

Try it: Make a simple model of a moving joint with adult help or describe how a pair of muscles works.

Rocks differ in properties such as grain size, hardness and permeability. Fossils are preserved remains or traces of past organisms. Soil is a mixture that can include mineral particles, organic matter, water, air and living organisms. Not every rock contains fossils.

Try it: Observe soil through a sealed clear container and draw the components you can identify.

We see objects when light from them or reflected by them enters our eyes. Darkness is the absence of sufficient light. An opaque object blocks light and casts a shadow. Moving the light or object can change the shadow. Never look directly at the Sun.

Try it: Investigate shadows with a torch and safe objects. Keep the torch away from eyes.

A force is a push or pull. Friction can oppose motion between surfaces. Magnetic forces can act without contact. Magnets attract some materials, including iron, but not every metal. Like magnetic poles repel; unlike poles attract.

Try it: With an adult and safe magnets, test materials and record predictions separately from results.

Choose observations that answer your question. Use suitable units and equipment. In a comparison, change the factor you are investigating while keeping relevant other conditions similar. A prediction is an expectation, not a result that must come true.

Try it: Plan a safe comparison and label what changes, what stays similar and what you measure.

Many flowering plants reproduce through flowers and seeds. Pollination moves pollen to a suitable part of a flower; fertilisation and seed formation are different stages. Seeds may disperse through wind, water or animals. Different plants use different strategies.

Try it: Observe safe seed examples and compare dispersal features.

In humans, bones support and protect parts of the body. Muscles contract and act through joints to produce movement. Different animals have different body structures. A model simplifies these relationships and should not be used to diagnose a health problem.

Try it: Make an adult-approved simple movement model.

Friction is a contact force that resists relative motion between surfaces. It can help grip and can slow movement. Compare surfaces using the same object and starting conditions. Results depend on the materials and how the test is performed.

Try it: Plan a gentle adult-supervised surface comparison.

Learning together

Each chapter brings together teaching, an example, practice and a practical discovery. Use the material with discussion and suitable offline activities. Choose a comfortable starting point and revisit explanations as needed.