Prism Curricula: Grade 3
You may download individual lessons or even entire units by visiting each curriculum page. View students in action and samples of student work. See the standards addressed with each unit and concept maps of each unit. Some of the units address specific ecosystems while others focus on key concepts. Check it out!
Please note that all curricula currently available are drafts that will be updated periodically. Please feel free to send suggestions via email to Colby McNaughton .
On this page:
Hawaiʻi's Ocean Grazers - 3rd Grade
The Ocean Grazers units incorporates activities using wana and sea urchins, ʻopihi, pipipi snails, honu (green sea turtles), and herbivorous ʻia (fishes) to demonstrate the variety of marine grazers that feed on limu (seaweed). The main focus is on the connection between structure and function, and the relationship between plants and animals.
Hawaiʻi's Invasive Animals - 3rd Grade
Feral pig
Invasive animals are those species that are introduced to native Hawaiʻi environments by humans. They negatively impact the native and endemic plants and animals by disrupting the trophic levels of communities. In doing so, invasive animals decimate the biodiversity of terrestrial environments. It is difficult to control invasive animals because of their defense mechanisms against island organisms and their rapid proliferation. Humans are the root cause of invasive animal impact and they are able to develop means of control for the benefit of the island’s native species. This curriculum utilizes inquiry-based activities to introduce the need to maintain natural environments and cultivate social responsibility.