Mississippi Science FSL.3A.3
The Standard
- FSL.3A
- Students will apply science and engineering practices and skills to scientific investigations.
Demonstrate the proper use of safety procedures and scientific laboratory equipment. Select and use appropriate tools and instruments to collect qualitative and quantitative data.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Nature of Science
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students choose tools that fit the job, such as a graduated cylinder for volume and a thermometer for temperature. They use equipment safely and record measurements with units alongside observations in words.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student checks glassware for cracks, wears goggles, and reads the bottom of the meniscus at eye level. They record a volume and temperature with units, describe what the sample looks like, and report spills or broken glass.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may read the top of the meniscus, use a beaker for a precise volume, or leave units off a measurement. Some call “clear” a number or think they should pick up broken glass themselves.
How to Assess It
- Set out water, a beaker, a graduated cylinder, a thermometer, and goggles. Ask students to choose tools, measure and record 30 mL of water and its temperature, note one visible property, and say what they would do if glass broke.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Give pairs goggles, water, a graduated cylinder, and a thermometer; have them check the equipment, measure volume and temperature, and describe the water.
Show a photo of someone reading a graduated cylinder from above; ask, “What could make this measurement wrong, and how would you fix it?”
Make cards for a thermometer, balance, beaker, and graduated cylinder; teams match each tool to a measurement and explain their choice.
Give students an ice-packed lunch cooler and a thermometer; they record its temperature and compare it with a food safety chart.
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Printable FSL.3A.3 Worksheet
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