How energy moves through and changes matter, from heat and light to energy in living systems.
3.6 Matter and energy: measurable physical properties of matter and how they are used to identify, sort, change, and put matter to use
3.6A Record results from measuring and testing matter's physical properties, namely temperature, mass, magnetism, and whether it sinks or floats in water
3.6B Describe and sort samples of matter into solids, liquids, and gases, and show that solids hold a definite shape whereas liquids and gases conform to their containers
3.6C Predict, watch, and record changes in states of matter due to heating or cooling in various substances, for example ice melting to liquid water, a glass collecting condensation, or liquid water heated until it becomes water vapor (gas)
3.6D Show that combining materials chosen for their physical properties can build or modify objects, for example a tower, or clay added to sand for a sturdier brick, and justify those material choices
Force, Motion, and Energy
How forces change motion, and how energy is transferred, transformed and conserved.
3.7 Force, motion, and energy: how forces work and the patterns they follow when they interact
3.7A Describe and demonstrate forces acting on an object touching it or from a distance, including pushes and pulls, gravity, and magnetism
3.7B Plan and carry out a descriptive investigation showing and explaining how pushing and pulling objects, for example swings, balls, and wagons, can change their position and motion
3.8 Force, motion, and energy: energy is all around and shows up in cycles, patterns, and systems
3.8A Name common examples of energy in daily life, including mechanical, thermal, sound, and light energy
3.8B Plan and carry out investigations showing how an object's speed relates to its mechanical energy
Earth and Space
Earth's materials and processes, weather and climate, and the sun, moon and other objects in space.
3.9 Earth and space: noticeable objects and patterns in the solar system of Earth
3.9A Build models and explain how the Sun, Earth, and Moon move in relation to one another, with Earth orbiting the Sun and the Moon orbiting Earth
3.9B Give the order of planets, outward from the Sun, in Earth's solar system
3.10 Earth and space: identifiable processes that reshape Earth as time passes
3.10A Compare and describe daily weather in several places at once, including precipitation, wind direction, and air temperature
3.10B Investigate and explain how soils, for example sand and clay, form through rock weathering and through decomposing remains of plants and animals
3.10C Model and describe fast changes to Earth's surface, for example volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and landslides
3.11 Earth and space: why natural resources matter and how people can manage them
3.11A Explore and explain how people use natural resources, for example in construction, agriculture, transportation, and making products
3.11C Name ways of saving natural resources by recycling, reusing, or reducing use
Organisms and Environments
How living things meet their needs, interact with each other and their surroundings, and change over time.
3.12 Organisms and environments: patterns, cycles, systems, and relationships found within environments
3.12A Explain how temperature and precipitation shape animal growth and behavior (hibernation and migration) and plant responses (dormancy)
3.12B Identify and describe energy flow within a food chain, and predict ecosystem effects of changes to it, for example frogs removed from a pond or bees removed from a field
3.12C Describe how natural environmental changes, for example floods and droughts, help some organisms thrive while others die or relocate
3.12D Recognize fossils as evidence of earlier organisms and habitats of the past, including common Texas fossils
3.13 Organisms and environments: living things go through similar life processes and have body structures that help them survive in their surroundings
3.13A Explore and explain how outer body parts and their functions in animals, for example a giraffe's neck or a duck's webbed feet, help them survive in their habitat
3.13B Compare life cycles of organisms through exploration and illustration, for example lima beans, radishes, crickets, or beetles
Recurring Themes and Concepts
Big ideas, like patterns, cause and effect, systems and models, that connect every area of science.
3.5 Recurring themes and concepts: using big ideas that cut across science disciplines to make connections between them
3.5A Recognize and apply patterns in explaining scientific phenomena or designing solutions
3.5B Recognize and examine cause-and-effect relationships to account for scientific phenomena or to study problems
3.5C Apply scale, proportion, and quantity when describing, comparing, or modeling different systems
3.5D Examine and model a system's parts and how they depend on each other for the system to work
3.5E Investigate how energy moves through systems and how matter cycles within them
3.5F Explain how the structure of objects, organisms, and systems relates to their function
3.5G Explain how factors or conditions affect change and stability in objects, organisms, and systems
Scientific and Engineering Practices
The ways students do science at every level: asking questions, investigating safely, using evidence and communicating explanations.
3.1 Scientific and engineering practices: asking questions, identifying problems, and safely planning and carrying out classroom, lab, and field investigations with suitable tools and models in order to answer questions, account for phenomena, or design solutions
3.1A Ask questions and define problems that come from observations, readings, phenomena, models, or investigations
3.1B Plan and carry out descriptive investigations using scientific practices, and design solutions to problems using engineering practices
3.1C Follow safe procedures and use safety equipment in classroom and field investigations, following the safety standards approved by the Texas Education Agency
3.1D Observe, measure, test, and analyze data using hand lenses, metric rulers and meter sticks, Celsius thermometers, wind vanes and rain gauges, beakers and graduated cylinders, digital scales, hot plates, magnets, notebooks, timing devices, and Sun-Earth-Moon system models, along with materials for observing organisms' habitats, for example collecting nets, terrariums, and aquariums, and materials for collecting digital data, for example computers, tablets, and cameras
3.1E Gather observations and measurements to serve as evidence
3.1F Create graphic organizers suited to the data being gathered, including input-output tables showing cause and effect, flow charts or sequence maps, Venn diagrams, concept maps, tree maps, line graphs, bar graphs, and tables
3.1G Develop and use models standing in for phenomena, objects, and processes, or construct a prototype of a solution to a problem
3.2 Scientific and engineering practices: interpreting and analyzing data to find meaning, patterns, and relationships, building evidence-based arguments or judging designs
3.2A Identify the benefits and drawbacks of models, for example in terms of size, scale, properties, and materials
3.2B Analyze data by finding significant features, patterns, and error sources
3.2C Use mathematical computations to compare relationships and patterns
3.2D Evaluate a design or object against a set of criteria
3.3 Scientific and engineering practices: building evidence-based explanations and sharing findings, conclusions, and proposed solutions
3.3A Develop explanations and propose solutions backed by data and models
3.3B Share explanations and solutions alone and with others, in many settings and formats
3.3C Listen carefully to the explanations of others to spot relevant evidence, and take part respectfully in scientific discussion
3.4 Scientific and engineering practices: recognizing what scientists have contributed and why scientific research and innovation matter to society
3.4A Explain how scientific discoveries and inventive solutions to problems affect science and society
3.4B Explore and research resources, for example private companies, online platforms, mentors working in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields, libraries, museums, and professional organizations, to learn about careers in those fields
How many 3rd Grade TEKS Science Standards are there?
There are 45 3rd Grade TEKS Science Standards on this page, in 6 strands: Matter and Energy, Force, Motion, and Energy, Earth and Space, Organisms and Environments, Recurring Themes and Concepts, and Scientific and Engineering Practices.
How do I write an assessment for a 3rd Grade TEKS Science standard?
Pick a standard on this page and choose Make a quiz or Make an exit ticket. AssessmentWiz opens the generator with the standard's code and text filled in, so every question targets that standard.
What does a code like 3.6A mean?
TEKS science codes read grade, knowledge and skills statement, student expectation. In 3.6A, the first number is the grade (K for kindergarten), the next number is the knowledge and skills statement, and the letter is the student expectation under it.