Ireland · NCCA Curriculum Specifications
3rd Year Exploring Our World: Scientific Inquiry and Discovery
A comprehensive science program for Year 3 students that emphasizes hands-on investigation and critical thinking. Students explore the interconnectedness of living things, the properties of materials, and the physical forces that shape our environment.
The Living World: Plants and Animals
Students investigate the life cycles, habitats, and survival needs of diverse organisms in their local environment.
Exploring how seeds transform into mature plants and the essential conditions required for healthy growth.
Examining how animals are suited to their environments and the relationships within local ecosystems.
An introduction to the skeletal and muscular systems and how they facilitate movement and protection.
Materials and Their Properties
An exploration of the physical characteristics of materials and how they can be changed through heating, cooling, or force.
Identifying and grouping materials based on observable properties such as hardness, flexibility, and transparency.
Investigating how solids, liquids, and gases change state when temperature is manipulated.
Exploring what happens when materials are combined and how they can be retrieved.
Forces and Motion
Students investigate the invisible forces of gravity, friction, and magnetism that influence how objects move.
Understanding how forces start, stop, or change the direction of an object's motion.
Investigating how different surfaces affect the movement of objects.
Exploring the properties of magnets and their ability to act at a distance.
Light and Sound
An investigation into the sources of light and sound and how they travel through different mediums.
Exploring how light travels and how shadows are formed when light is blocked.
Investigating how sounds are produced by vibrations and how they reach our ears.
Understanding the sensory organs that allow us to perceive light and sound.
Earth and Space
Students examine the relationship between the Earth, Sun, and Moon, and the composition of the Earth's surface.
Exploring how the rotation of the Earth creates day and night.
Investigating the different types of rocks and how soil is formed from organic and inorganic matter.
Observing and recording the changing appearance of the moon over a month.
Environmental Care and Engineering
Applying scientific knowledge to solve environmental problems and design sustainable solutions.
Analyzing how human actions affect local habitats and global systems.
An introduction to how we can harness energy from the wind, sun, and water.
Using the engineering design process to create a solution for a specific environmental need.