Pre-Kindergarten Science

Inquiry Skills

Students will conduct investigations using the processes of scientific inquiry. Students will:

• Begin to access information from a variety of reliable sources
• Select and use tools to collect and record data, measure data, and make observations
• Begin to design and conduct observational investigations to solve a problem or answer a question
• Ask questions about phenomena
• Classify objects
• Begin to verbally or pictorially interpret observations
• Begin to construct representative models of phenomena
• Provide explanations for an observation

Physical Science

Students will study the properties of objects and materials. Students will:

• Begin to describe objects using physical characteristics such as size, color, shape, smell, and texture
• Have the opportunity to use senses to identify objects

Students will explore the position and motion of objects. Students will:

• Begin to explore how objects can be moved by forces pushing and pulling
• Begin to describe and compare the position and movement of objects relative to the surroundings (examples: fast and slow)

Life Science

Students will identify characteristics of organisms. Students will:

• Begin to compare characteristics of animals (examples: size, color, covering, movements )
• Begin to describe ways that animals satisfy their need for food, water, and shelter
• Discover living things in the school's outdoor environment

Students will describe how living things grow and change. Students will:

• Begin to recognize that all organisms grow, change, and eventually die
• Grow living plants and describe changes that occur during the life cycle

Students will study how organisms survive in their environments. Students will:

• Begin to describe, in broad concepts, how the immediate environment changes during the year and identify how these changes affect plants and animals

Earth and Space Science

Students will identify the properties of Earth materials. Students will:

• Explore properties of water, soil, and sand

Students will describe objects observed in the sky. Students will:

• Observe objects in the sky and describe their characteristics verbally or in drawings
• Compare characteristics of day and night

Students will observe and describe changes in Earth and sky. Students will:

• Observe changes in the weather over time
• Begin to relate patterns in our daily activities to changes in the environment

Science and Technology

Students will identify tools and technologies. Students will:

• Begin to identify tools that help humans do work and solve problems

Students will demonstrate abilities in technical design. Students will:

• Design and build structures from sand, blocks, and other materials

Science in Personal and Social Perspective

Students will practice safety. Students will:

• Demonstrate personal and group safety when engaging in science activities

Students will describe populations and how they change. Students will:

• Begin to identify different populations within the school and know that the learner is a member of more than one population
• Begin to identify various attributes of the classroom population

Students will conserve resources. Students will:

• Demonstrate use of limited classroom materials, supplies, and time (examples: sharing supplies, reduce waste, recycling)

Students will observe changes in the environment. Students will:

• Observe changes in the classroom environment
• Practice ways to improve the environment

History and Nature of Science

Students will know that science is a human endeavor. Students will:

• Recognize that science is an activity that students can do in the classroom
• Identify how parents and neighbors use science and technology in their work