Third Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 36)

How Can Life Survive on a Planet with Extreme Tidal Locking?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered what life might look like on other planets? Life might need to survive conditions that would seem very extreme to us. Such conditions likely exist on planets that orbit abundant red dwarf stars. These planets can undergo tidal locking, which means one side is a perpetual, freezing night and the other is a perpetual, scorching day! How does life stand a chance? In this science project, you will test what extreme temperatures microscopic life can survive to model some of… Read more

How Do Melting Polar Ice Caps Affect Sea Levels?

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

86 reviews

Have you ever noticed that if you leave an ice cube out on the kitchen counter and come back to check on it in a while, you find a puddle? The same thing happens to ice in nature — if the temperature gets warm enough, the ice melts. In this science activity, you will explore what happens to sea levels if the ice at the North Pole melts, or if the ice at the South Pole melts. Does melting ice at either cap contribute to a rise in sea levels? It is an especially important question for… Read more

How do Self-Driving Cars Know What to Do?

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

238 reviews

How do driverless cars know what to do at an intersection? How do they know when they should stop and when it is their turn to go? What about yielding to pedestrians? In this activity, you will write your own algorithm, or list of steps, for a driverless car to follow when navigating through various road scenarios like stop signs, traffic lights, and roundabouts (traffic circles). Read more

How Do Viruses React To Soap?

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

67 reviews

Have you ever wondered why we wash our hands with water and soap to get rid of bacteria and viruses? Good hand hygiene becomes especially important during viral outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic! The CDC (Center for Disease Control) recommendations for handwashing say to scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds with water and soap. But how does soap kill viruses such as SARS-COV-2? In this activity, you will find out by experimenting with models of different virus types to see how they… Read more

How Does Packaging Affect the Ripening of Fruit?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Why do different types of fruits come packaged in different ways? In this project, you will experiment with different ways of packaging fruit to see if it has an effect on the freshness of the fruit. Will a different kind of packaging allow the fruit to stay fresh longer? Read more

How Sailboats Stay Upright

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever seen a tall sailboat and wondered how they don't flip over when it's windy? Try this project and learn about the physics behind how sailboats stay upright. Read more

How Tails Help a Kite to Fly

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

58 reviews

Have you ever tried to build your own kite? Kites have been a source of entertainment for centuries for kids around the world. How do some features of a kite, such as its tail, affect how it flies? In this activity you will have a chance to build your very own kite, a simple sled kite, and use it to investigate how tails help kites fly. How well will your kite fly? Read more

How to Harvest Water from Fog

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

44 reviews

How long do you think you could survive without drinking any water? Only three to four days! Your body needs water to function properly. We also rely on water for cooking, cleaning and many other activities. You might not think about getting enough water if you can get it easily by turning on your faucet. But what about areas that don't have a reliable water supply? In this activity you will learn about one creative way to collect water—from the air! Read more

Lifting with a Lever

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

1

2

3

4

5

5 reviews

Can your students lift a book off the floor with just one finger? Find out and learn about simple machines in this fun lesson plan about levers. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Make a Hygrometer to Measure Humidity

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

30 reviews

Does your hair go frizzy during "April showers," when the weather turns damp? Strands of hair can relax and lengthen when the humidity (or the amount of water vapor in the air) increases, and then contract again when the humidity decreases. In fact, the rate of change in the length of hair strands is so dependable that they can actually be used as the basis for a hygrometer, a device that measures the humidity level in the air. Read more

Third Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (665 results)

Explore Our Science Videos