COLORADOTHE CENTENNIAL STATE
Colorado Grade 3 Science Online Center
Colorado tests science in grades 5, 8, and 11, not in grade 3, so third grade is the year to build the ideas CMAS Science will ask about later. Practice tests, skill quizzes, flashcards, and every Colorado science standard for this grade, free.
Standards source: Standards and Instructional Support, Colorado Department of Education.
✔Every answer explained
No login required
Trusted by students across Colorado
Colorado Science by Grade
Every Colorado science center, grade 1 through grade 8.
Start With a Practice Test
Six full, timed grade 3 science practice tests, 25 questions each, instant scoring, and a written explanation for every question. Colorado does not test science this year, so use these to find gaps early. Each one opens right here.
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 1
A full diagnostic across every science area for this grade.
Start test 1 →
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 2
Fresh questions and new phenomena to build accuracy.
Start test 2 →
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 3
New problems that push reading of data, models, and evidence.
Start test 3 →
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 4
Another complete, timed exam to build pacing and stamina.
Start test 4 →
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 5
A brand-new mixed set to test how ready you are.
Start test 5 →
Colorado Grade 3 Science Practice Test 6
A final full-length simulation to confirm you are ready.
Start test 6 →
Grade 3 Science Skill Quizzes
Pick one science area, answer 10 questions, and see exactly where the idea broke down. Each quiz opens right here.
Matter and Its Properties
A quick 10-question check on matter and its properties, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Forces and Motion
A quick 10-question check on forces and motion, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Energy
A quick 10-question check on energy, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Waves and Information
A quick 10-question check on waves and information, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Cells, Structures and Life Processes
A quick 10-question check on cells, structures and life processes, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Ecosystems and Heredity
A quick 10-question check on ecosystems and heredity, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Evolution, Fossils and Adaptation
A quick 10-question check on evolution, fossils and adaptation, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Earth and Space Systems
A quick 10-question check on earth and space systems, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Earth, Human Activity and Engineering
A quick 10-question check on earth, human activity and engineering, with instant scoring and a full explanation for every answer.
Start quiz →
Grade 3 Science Study Tools
A few minutes of review between practice tests. Both open right here.
Grade 3 Science Flashcards
All 145 terms this grade is expected to know. Search the deck, filter by science area, star the hard ones, and mark off what you have down.
Start flashcards →
Grade 3 Science Quick Review
Every must-know idea for this grade on one page, grouped by science area, with the vocabulary for each one.
Open quick review →
Study with a clearer next step
This Colorado grade 3 science center is part of the Effortless Math library. Practice tests, skill quizzes, flashcards, and the state's own standards are connected so a student always has a clear next step instead of a wall of links.
Effortless Math is an independent educational publisher. Test names, state exams, standards names, and trademarks are used only to identify the relevant study topic; their owners do not sponsor, endorse, or approve this page.
Colorado Grade 3 Science Snapshot
Colorado Grade 3 Science Topics
These are the 15 science standards Colorado sets for grade 3, from the Colorado Academic Standards: Science, grouped and ordered exactly the way the state's own standards document groups them. Each one is tagged with its official code so you can trace it straight back to the state document.
Colorado standard codes
3.1 Physical Science
- 3.1.1.a3.1.2.aForces, Motion, and Interactions
- 3.1.1.bScientific Questions, Investigations, and Evidence
- 3.1.2.bSimple Problem Solved Applying Scientific Ideas About Magnets
3.2 Life Science
- 3.2.1.a3.2.2.a3.2.3.a3.2.4.a3.2.5.a3.2.5.bOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life Cycles
- 3.2.3.bCells, Body Systems, and Genetics
- 3.2.4.bEvidence Explanation Variations Characteristics Among Individuals Same Species
3.3 Earth and Space Science
- 3.3.1.a3.3.1.bWater Cycle, Weather, Climate, and Atmosphere
- 3.3.2.aEngineering Design and Solution Evaluation
Grouped and ordered from the state's own standards document.
Colorado Grade 3 Science Standards
The full text of every grade 3 science standard in the Colorado Academic Standards: Science. If your Colorado classroom or report card mentions a code, you will find it here.
3.1 Physical Science
- 3.1.1.aForces, Motion, and InteractionsPlan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object
- 3.1.1.bScientific Questions, Investigations, and EvidenceMake observations and/or measurements of an object's motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion
- 3.1.2.aForces, Motion, and InteractionsAsk questions to determine cause-and-effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other
- 3.1.2.bSimple Problem Solved Applying Scientific Ideas About MagnetsDefine a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets
3.2 Life Science
- 3.2.1.aOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesDevelop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction and death
- 3.2.2.aOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesConstruct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive
- 3.2.3.aOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesAnalyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms
- 3.2.3.bCells, Body Systems, and GeneticsUse evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment
- 3.2.4.aOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesAnalyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago
- 3.2.4.bEvidence Explanation Variations Characteristics Among Individuals Same SpeciesUse evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates and reproducing
- 3.2.5.aOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesConstruct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well and some cannot survive at all
- 3.2.5.bOrganism Needs, Structures, and Life CyclesMake a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change
3.3 Earth and Space Science
- 3.3.1.aWater Cycle, Weather, Climate, and AtmosphereRepresent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season
- 3.3.1.bWater Cycle, Weather, Climate, and AtmosphereObtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world
- 3.3.2.aEngineering Design and Solution EvaluationMake a claim about the merit of a design solution that reduces the impacts of a weather-related hazard
Source: Colorado Academic Standards. Always check the current official document before relying on a code for placement or reporting.
Colorado Grade 3: Math and English Too
Science is one of three Colorado grade 3 centers. Same format, same standards-first approach, for the other two subjects.
Colorado Grade 3 Math
Six full practice tests, printable worksheets, step-by-step lessons, and every Colorado grade 3 math standard.
Colorado Grade 3 English
Reading, writing, and language standards for Colorado grade 3, broken into short skill targets with practice for each one.
Colorado Grade 3 Science FAQ
Does Colorado test science in grade 3?
No. Colorado gives CMAS Science in grades 5, 8, and 11, so grade 3 students do not sit a state science test this year. The standards on this page are still the ones grade 3 teachers teach, and they are what the next science test builds on.
Which standards does grade 3 science in Colorado follow?
Colorado follows the Colorado Academic Standards: Science, published by the Colorado Department of Education. All 15 of this grade's standards are listed further down the page with their official codes.
How long are the practice tests?
Each of the six practice tests has 25 questions and a 45-minute timer. The timer auto-submits at zero and you get your score, a breakdown by science area, and a written explanation for every question.
Is any of this free?
Yes, every practice test, quiz, and flashcard set on this page is free and needs no login. Your progress is saved in your own browser and nowhere else.
What is the fastest way to use this page?
Take practice test 1 cold. Look at the topic breakdown, pick the weakest science area, and do that skill quiz. Then read the quick review for that area and come back for practice test 2.
Grade 3 Science in Other States
Standards, practice tests, and quizzes for grade 3 science in every state and Washington, D.C.
Start With One Practice Test
Grade 3 is a building year for science in Colorado. Take a timed test, see which area is thinnest, and fix that one before it compounds.