Virginia SOL 3.1.b.v

Science3rd GradeScientific and Engineering Practices

The Standard

measure elapsed time

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science · The student will demonstrate an understanding of scientific and engineering practices by

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students choose when to start and stop a timer during an investigation. They record how long an event lasts using suitable units, such as seconds or minutes.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students use a stopwatch correctly and record repeated trials in a data table. They label units and can compare the recorded durations accurately.
Common Misconceptions: Students may confuse elapsed time with the clock time shown when an event ends. They may start or stop the timer late, omit units, or mix seconds and minutes.
How to Assess It: Have each student time a ball rolling down a ramp for three trials, then record the results in seconds and circle the longest trial.

Lesson moves

Time three toy cars traveling down the same ramp, then record each result in a labeled data table.
Ask students to write when a timer should start and stop during an ice-melting investigation.
Play Timer Match by pairing event cards, such as blinking or sharpening a pencil, with reasonable elapsed times.
Time classroom routines, such as lining up or packing bags, and compare results across several days.

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