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Recognize that plants use energy from the Sun, air, and water to make their own food.
Standard #: SC.3.L.17.2
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 3
Body of Knowledge: Life Science
Idea: Level 1: Recall
Big Idea: Interdependence -

A. Plants and animals, including humans, interact with and depend upon each other and their environment to satisfy their basic needs.

B. Both human activities and natural events can have major impacts on the environment.

C. Energy flows from the sun through producers to consumers.
Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Content Complexity Rating: Level 1: Recall - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved
Assessed: Yes
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Lesson Plans
  • Feeding the Community # Students analyze various proposed sites to determine which site would be best for a group of volunteers to construct and maintain a community garden in this model eliciting activity. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.
  • If You Build It, It Will Grow! # In this project students are challenged to build a greenhouse and plant seeds using the Engineering Design Process. They will measure plant growth over time and assess the quality of their greenhouses according to the results. Through this process students will gain an understanding of how plants respond to stimuli (heat, light, gravity) and will understand that plants need energy from the sun to make their own food. By designing and testing their greenhouses students will understand that using different materials can result in different outcomes. Students will observe different plant growth patterns and record their results. By doing this, students will see the importance of accurate note taking and be able to participate in group discussions by providing their evidence organized in graphs and tables.
  • Plant Cycles: Photosynthesis and Transpiration # Students examine the effects of light and air on green plants, learning the processes of photosynthesis and transpiration.
  • Plant Package # The Plant Package MEA provides students with an engineering problem in which they are asked to rank different plant containers using recycled materials. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
Original Student Tutorial
  • The Sugar Factory # Explore the process of photosynthesis and the role the Sun, air and water all play in the process with this interactive tutorial.
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
  • Plant Package # The Plant Package MEA provides students with an engineering problem in which they are asked to rank different plant containers using recycled materials. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8
  • The Sugar Factory # Explore the process of photosynthesis and the role the Sun, air and water all play in the process with this interactive tutorial.
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