What are living things?
Living things are plants, animals and single-celled life forms that grow, reproduce, take in and use energy, excrete waste, and respond to the environment around them. In early elementary school, kids learn about the basics of animals and plants, such as their classifications, life cycles, inherited traits and adaptations.
Grade 3 living things curriculum
In grade 3 life sciences, students learn:
- How animals and plants have unique and diverse life cycles, but also have birth, growth, reproduction and death in common.
- How animals form groups that help members survive.
- That plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exist in a group of similar animals or plants.
- How traits can be influenced by the environment.
- How in particular habitats some animals and plants can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
Grade 3 life science worksheets
We have created a section of living things worksheets for grade 3 students to practice what they learn.
Parts of a plant
Students label and describe the functions of different plant parts in these worksheets.
Plant life cycles
In these worksheets, students examine the stages in a plant’s life cycle.
Animal life cycles
Similar to the above worksheets, students work on the life cycles of animals. The worksheets cover the life cycle of a moth, a frog and a jellyfish.
Comparing life cycles
These worksheets ask students to compare the life cycles of different animals.
Inherited traits
In these worksheets students work on how traits are passed on from parents to their offspring.
Inherited vs. acquired traits
Students are asked to classify inherited and acquired traits in these worksheets.
Animal adaptations
Students cover how and why animals adapt to their environments.
Behavioral adaptations
Students make the distinction between structural and behavioral adaptations in these worksheets.
