3-5-ETS1-3 lessons
Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered, to find parts of a model or prototype that can be improved.
The Next Generation Science Standards code 3-5-ETS1-3 asks students to: “Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered, to find parts of a model or prototype that can be improved.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Build It, Launch It Grades K–5
- Can you drop an egg without breaking it? 60 min
Kids design an egg protector on a materials budget, test it from a low height first and work up, and fix what fails. They finish able to explain why a soft, slow stop saves the egg.
- What makes a paper plane fly farthest? 45 min
Kids fold two different paper planes and run a fair test, changing one thing at a time: first the design, then the throw. They measure three throws each and explain the flight using lift, drag, thrust and gravity.
Evidence Lab Grade 4
- Why do scientists repeat their tests? 45–60 min
Students build two paper helicopters, one with long wings and one with short wings, and time each one falling five times. They find that the same drop never gives exactly the same time, and use their repeated trials to decide whether the wing change really made a difference.
How Your Body Works Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- Where do germs hide? 45–60 min
Students put glitter gel 'germs' on one hand, shake hands down a line and count how far the glitter travels. Then they run a fair test of handwashing (water only, soap for 5 seconds, soap for 20 seconds) and score each hand by counting the glitter that is left, to find what really gets germs off.
Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- Which wrap keeps a drink coldest? 50–60 min
Teams wrap jars of chilled water in wool, cotton, foil or nothing, and read a thermometer every 5 minutes to see which lets heat in slowest. Then they explain what a wrap really does, and why 'cold' doesn't leak in or out.
- Can you build a cool box that beats the heat? 75–90 min, or build in one session and test in the next
Teams design and build a cool box from recycled materials, test it against a plain tub with the same ice, and measure the meltwater after 40 minutes. They find the weak spots, explain how insulation slows heat, and plan one improvement.
Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- Which mitten keeps a hand warmest? 50–60 min
Teams wrap jars of warm water in wool, cotton, foil or nothing, and read a thermometer every 5 minutes to see which loses heat slowest. Then they explain what a mitten really does, and why it doesn't make any heat of its own.
- Can snow keep things warm? 60–75 min, including about 40 min outdoors
Teams build a 'den' for a jar of warm water, leave one on top of the snow and bury one underneath, and compare temperatures after 30 minutes. They also probe the snow with thermometers, then explain why voles, grouse and bears spend winter under the snow. A no-snow version uses a freezer and a snow stand-in.
Test the Claim: Science Facts, Myths and AI Answers Grades 5–7 · partly supports this standard
- Does salt make water boil faster? 45–60 min
Students test two kitchen claims at once: that a watched pot never boils, and an AI-style answer saying salt makes water boil faster. They time plain and salted water in a teacher-run kettle, then write a claim, evidence and reasoning about what really happened.
- Is that AI answer true? 50–60 min
Students get three printed AI chatbot answers to science questions, write a test for each, and run the two that fit in one class: dropping a full and an empty bottle, and melting ice in fresh and salty water. They grade each answer and explain why a confident answer still has to be checked.
- Which source should we trust? 50–60 min
Students compare four sources making the same claim about a paper towel: a study summary, an ad, a forum post and an AI chatbot answer. They rate the evidence behind each, then run a fair absorbency test to settle the question with their own data.
Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe Grades 5–6
- How does a felt yurt keep a family warm at −30 °C? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams wrap jars of warm water in felt, cotton, foil and paper, measure how fast each one cools, and graph the class results. Then they use the evidence to design a winter wall for a kiiz üy.
Living with Water: Salt, Rice and the Mekong Grades 4–5
- How do salt farmers turn the sea into salt? 60 min, plus a 10-minute check the next day
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams paint salt water on dark paper to find the salt hiding in sea water, then set out wide and narrow dishes in sun and shade to see what makes water leave fastest. They use the evidence to advise a salt farm in Khánh Hòa.
- How do rice terraces stop a mountain washing away? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams make model hillsides from soil in trays: a bare slope, a terraced slope and a slope with plant cover. They pour the same storm of rain on each, measure the muddy water that runs off, and use the evidence to advise a mountain village in northern Vietnam.
- How can a house stay dry when the Mekong floods? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams design and build a model house on stilts or on a floating base, then test it as the teacher raises the water in a tub and makes waves. They use their results to advise a village in the Mekong Delta.
Monsoon Science: Rain, Sun and the Nón Lá Grades 3–4
- How does a nón lá keep a rice farmer dry? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods
Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams build paper cone hats of three shapes, test them under 'monsoon rain' and 'midday sun', and measure how far each one sends the water and how much shade it makes. Then they design the best hat for a rice farmer.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code 3-5-ETS1-3 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for Grades 3–5
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