Standards Map

Science and Technology/Engineering > Grade 3 > Life Science
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Science and Technology/Engineering | Grade : 3

Discipline - Life Science

Core Idea - Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

[3.LS.3.1] - Provide evidence, including through the analysis of data, that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in a group of similar organisms.Clarification Statements: Examples of inherited traits that vary can include the color of fur, shape of leaves, length of legs, and size of flowers; Focus should be on non-human examples. State Assessment Boundary: Genetic mechanisms of inheritance or prediction of traits are not expected in state assessment.

Resources:

Predecessor Standards:

  • 2.MD.A.1
    Measure the length of an object by selecting and using appropriate tools such as rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, and measuring tapes.
  • 2.MD.A.3
    Estimate lengths using units of inches, feet, centimeters, and meters.
  • 2.MD.A.4
    Measure to determine how much longer one object is than another, expressing the length difference in terms of a standard length unit.
  • 1.LS.3.1
    Use information from observations (first-hand and from media) to identify similarities and differences among individual plants or animals of the same kind. Clarification Statements: Examples of observations could include that leaves from the same kind of plant are the same shape but can differ in size; Inheritance, animals that undergo metamorphosis, or hybrids are not expected.

Successor Standards:

  • 8.LS.3.3
    Communicate through writing and in diagrams that chromosomes contain many distinct genes and that each gene holds the instructions for the production of specific proteins, which in turn affects the traits of an individual. State Assessment Boundary: Specific changes at the molecular level or mechanisms for protein synthesis are not expected in state assessment.
  • 8.LS.4.5
    Synthesize and communicate information about artificial selection, or the ways in which humans have changed the inheritance of desired traits in organisms. Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the influence of humans on genetic outcomes in artificial selection (such as genetic modification, animal husbandry, and gene therapy).

Same Level Standards:

  • RI.3.7
    Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words, numbers, and symbols in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
  • RI.3.9
    Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in two texts on the same topic.
  • 3.MD.B.4
    Generate measurement data by measuring lengths of objects using rulers marked with halves and fourths of an inch. Record and show the data by making a line plot (dot plot), where the horizontal scale is marked off in appropriate units—whole numbers, halves, or fourths. (See Glossary for example.)
  • 3.LS.3.2
    Distinguish between inherited characteristics and those characteristics that result from a direct interaction with the environment. Give examples of characteristics of living organisms that are influenced by both inheritance and the environment. Clarification Statements: Examples of the environment affecting a characteristic could include normally tall plants stunted because they were grown with insufficient water or light, a lizard missing a tail due to a predator, and a pet dog becoming overweight because it is given too much food and little exercise; Focus should be on non-human examples.
  • 3.LS.4.2
    Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals within the same species may provide advantages to these individuals in their survival and reproduction. Clarification Statements: Examples can include rose bushes of the same species, one with slightly longer thorns than the other which may prevent its predation by deer, and color variation within a species that may provide advantages so one organism may be more likely to survive and therefore more likely to produce offspring; Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved.