The Labeling Force and Motion Worksheet has 3rd graders label six pictures with push, pull, gravity, friction, fast, and slow from a word bank. Includes an answer key for easy, no-prep science practice.
This drawing friction worksheet lets 3rd graders explore force and motion by answering questions and drawing arrows to show which way friction pushes. Answer key included for quick, no-prep science practice.
A ten-word Energy Wordsearch Worksheet that helps 3rd graders name the forms and sources of energy, then use one in a sentence of their own. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science review.
This Drawing Heat Energy Worksheet gives 3rd Grade students four picture cards for tracing where heat energy comes from and where it goes, plus an answer key, so heat transfer practice is ready to print.
This Sound Pitch Worksheet helps 3rd grade students use sound waves and real instruments to tell whether a vibration makes a high or low pitch. An answer key is included, so science practice takes minutes to set up.
A shadows drawing worksheet where 3rd graders study four light sources, draw the shadow each object casts, and explain why it falls where it does. Answer key included for quick, no-prep science practice.
This friction drawing worksheet sends 3rd graders hunting for four real places where surfaces rub together. They sketch each one and write about it, turning an abstract force into something they can point to.
This Conductors and Insulators Heat Energy Worksheet helps 3rd grade students sort everyday objects, answer applied questions, and explain their thinking. Answer key included, so checking work takes seconds.
This Is it Magnetic Worksheet has 3rd Grade students sort six classroom objects by the material they are made of, then explain two predictions in writing. Answer key included, so checking work takes seconds.
This shadows movement worksheet asks 3rd graders to sort eight light positions into longer and shorter shadows, then name what the light and the shadow did. Answer key included for no-prep science practice.
This magnetism experiment worksheet has 3rd graders sort eight objects by material, decide whether magnet poles attract or repel, and explain why steel is pulled and plastic is not. Answer key included for fast, no-prep science practice.
Heat, light, sound and motion, oh my!
Third graders learn that energy comes in different forms they can sense every day: heat from the Sun, light that makes shadows, sound from things that vibrate, and the energy of things in motion. They test which materials let heat pass through easily (conductors like metal) and which slow it down (insulators like wool). They discover that a faster vibration makes a higher pitch, and that shadows change as the light source moves. Many classes pair this with forces, friction and magnets. The click comes when kids realize energy is everywhere, they just have to notice it.
Energy is invisible, so third graders need to feel it, hear it and see what it does.
Put a metal spoon, a plastic spoon and a wooden spoon in a cup of warm water and have kids feel the handles after a minute. The metal one warms up fastest! Then they sort materials into conductors and insulators. Feeling it first makes the vocabulary stick.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withConductors and Insulators Heat Energy WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Show a quick picture, like a campfire, a drum or a rolling wagon, and ask, "What forms of energy do you see?" Kids answer on a whiteboard. Fast daily checks keep all the forms fresh.
Why it works: researchers who compared ten study methods found practice testing is one of the two that work best (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withDrawing Heat Energy WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Trace a shadow on the playground in the morning, at lunch and before home time. Kids see it move and change size as the Sun moves. Coming back to it across the day shows energy changing over time.
Why it works: the brain holds on to what it meets again and again over time; spaced practice was rated among the very best methods (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withShadows Drawing WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Third graders learn best when science gets a little noisy.
WorksheetsStretch rubber bands over a box and pluck. Tighter bands vibrate faster and sound higher!
Open Sound Pitch Worksheet →
ActivitiesRoll cars down ramps of different heights and measure how far they travel.
Open Motion Activity →
WorksheetsFind and circle energy words, then use three of them to describe something at home.
Open Energy Wordsearch Worksheet →Teacher favorites right now: Labeling Force and Motion Worksheet, Drawing Friction Worksheet and Energy Wordsearch Worksheet.
Third graders usually study heat, light, sound and motion energy. Many classes also explore forces, friction and magnets in the same unit.
A conductor lets heat or electricity move through it easily, like metal. An insulator slows heat down, like wood, plastic or wool. That is why pot handles are often plastic.
Sound happens when something vibrates, or shakes back and forth very fast. Those vibrations travel through the air to your ears. Faster vibrations make higher sounds.
Place metal, plastic and wooden spoons in warm water and feel which handle heats up first. It shows conductors and insulators in about two minutes.
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