In Your Child's Classroom

Learning science thinking skills
Science is not just a body of knowledge. It is also a way of acquiring knowledge. From the earliest years, elementary science should involve children in investigating the material and living world around them.

What to look for when you visit Books about the seasons, plants, animals, the earth and human body Hands-on areas that encourage experimentation and might include water tables, models and skeletons Safety glasses, thermometer, magnifying glass, mirror, bar magnets and rulers An area where children can learn the life cycle of animals and plants, such as plant tables and aquariums Experts invited into the classroom from museums, zoos and botanical gardens to share their knowledge

While children learn concepts and vocabulary from investigations, they also develop the ability to ask a scientific question, plan experiments to try to answer the question, and develop reasonable explanations based on their observations.

The topics children investigate at a particular grade level differ widely across the country, but the science thinking skills are universal. While a student will study sound, electricity, plants, animals, and solids, liquids and gases during their elementary years, each state has its own sequence of topics for each grade level. The National Science Education Standards — the jumping-off point many states used to develop their standards — lists important topics and thinking skills for grades K-4 without determining which topic aligns with a particular grade.

The lists of topics below are examples taken from many states, and your state may require a different list in your child's grade. What's important is that the topics are used to develop scientific thinking. To learn topics your state does include at each grade level, you can look up your state's science education standards.

What science concepts will my kindergartner learn?
Your kindergartner will learn about the world around him both by observation and experimentation. Some or all of the following concepts will be introduced in kindergarten:

• Plants and animals and their life cycles: The similarities and differences in plants and animals and their identifying characteristics (e.g. birds have feathers, plants have roots). The life cycle of a butterfly or a frog may be examined.
• Seasons and weather: Weather changes from day to day and across the seasons.
• The human body: The parts of the body and the five senses.
• Measurement and motion: The push and pull of magnets, and comparison of objects by weight and size.

What types of science instruction will my kindergartner get?
Kindergarten teachers typically teach students to do experiments and record observations.

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Your child's class might plant seeds in a "see-through" container and watch the plants grow or make a weather vane to see which way the wind blows. Throughout the experiments, children should be encouraged to observe and communicate the changes that they notice.

They might also learn about famous scientists like George Washington Carver, Jane Goodall and the Wright brothers.

Getting acquainted with the physical world
Children should be encouraged to notice and wonder about what they experience through their senses. A kindergartner would not be expected to read a thermometer to learn the temperature outside. Instead, your child might be asked whether it is hot or cold and which seasons typically have hot or cold weather. Likewise, a teacher might discuss the food and water needs of a plant, and ask your child to compare them to his own nutrition needs.

A teacher who encourages your child to interact with materials and communicate observations plays a large role in helping her become a successful explorer.

The environment should encourage your child to do the following:

• Look closely at living and non-living objects and describe what he notices
• Ask questions about nature and seek answers
• Collect rocks, leaves or sticks
• Count and measure items and make observations
• Organize his collections and observations and discuss findings

Skills are more important than facts at this stage
More important than the scientific facts at this stage is your child's ability to develop skills, such as making observations and recording them,often through drawings.The teacher might also ask your child to take a bite of an apple and talk about what she observed through each of her five senses.

Updated August 2007