Science: Pre-Kindergarten Expectations

1.Asks questions and makes predictions based on observations and manipulation of things and events in the environment. 

a) Uses senses to gather, explore, and interpret information. 

b) Manipulates and observes objects in his or her surroundings to develop conclusions. 

c) Makes observations and describes changes in objects, living things, and natural events in the environment. 

d) Organizes his or her observations of objects and events by identifying, classifying, etc. 

e) Asks “why,” “how,” and “what if” questions and seeks answers through experimentation and investigation.

  f) Makes predictions based on background knowledge, previous scientific experiences, and observations of objects and events in the world. 

2. Tests predictions through exploration and experimentation. 

a) Gives oral, written or graphic explanations of what he/she wants to learn. 

b) Uses a variety of tools and materials to test predictions through active experimentation (child uses magnifying glass to examine pine needles; child puts large paper clip on water to see if it floats.) 

c) Replicates or changes the experimental approach. 

d) Records and organizes data using graphs, charts, science journals, or other means of recording. 

3. Generates explanations and communicates conclusions regarding experiments and explorations. 

a) Compares and contrasts attributes of objects, living things, and events in the environment to organize what they have learned. 

b) Identifies cause and effect relationships. 

c) Verifies predictions by explaining “how” and “why.” 

d) Makes age appropriate, logical conclusions about investigations. 

e) Shares ideas about objects, living things and other natural events in the environments through words, pictures, and other representations. 

Earth and Space: Observes and describes characteristics of earth and space. 

a) Investigates and identifies properties of soil, rocks, and minerals. 

b) Investigates and identifies physical properties and characteristics of water (solid, liquid, and gas). 

c) Makes simple observations of the characteristics and movements of sun, moon, stars, and clouds. 

d) Observes and discusses changes in weather and seasons using common weather related vocabulary (e.g., rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, cloudy, etc.). 

e) Expresses ways the environment provides natural resources that are needed by people (e.g., wood for lumber to build shelter, water for drinking). 

f) Demonstrates ways that each person is responsible for protecting our planet (e.g., recycling plastic, glass, and cardboard, reusing a plastic container sandwich box, mending clothing rather than throwing away, etc.). 

 Living Things: Observes and describes characteristics of living things. 

a) Observes and discusses similarities, differences, and categories of plants and animals. 

b) Identifies things as living or non-living based on characteristics, such as breathes, moves by itself, grows. 

  c) Explains why plants and animals need water and food. 

d) Observes and discusses similarities, differences, and categories of plants and animals. 

e) Identifies things as living or non-living based on characteristics, such as breathes, moves by itself, grows. 

f) Explains why plants and animals need water and food. 

g) Describes simple life cycles of plants and animals. 

h) Describes and identifies the different structures of familiar plants and animals. (Plants have stems, roots, leaves; animals have eyes, mouths, ears, etc.) 

i) Recognizes that plants and animals have some characteristics of their “parents.”

 j) Observes, describes, and compares the habitats of plants and animals. 

k) Observes, records, and explains how plants and animals respond to changes in the environment and changes in season. 

Physical Science: Acquires knowledge about the physical properties of the world. 

a) Describes, compares, and categorizes objects based on their properties. 

b) Uses senses to explore different environments (classroom, playground, field trips). 

c) Recognizes and describes the effect of his/her own actions on objects. 

d) Describes tools and their specific functions (e.g., hammer for pounding nails). 

e) Uses a variety of tools to explore the world and learn how things work (such as magnifiers and balance scales). 

f) Investigates common interactions between matter and energy (butter melting in cooking activities; cream turning to butter; peanuts becoming peanut butter, etc.) 

g) Describes and compares the effects of common forces (pushes and pulls) on objects, such as those caused by gravity, magnetism, and mechanical forces. 

h) Explores and discusses simple chemical reactions with teacher assistance (e.g., baking soda and water, mixing oil and water).