Science

The kindergarten science program provides students with opportunities to think and act like scientists. Science is organized into two disciplines: physical sciences and earth sciences. Students acquire science knowledge, practice science process skills, and apply science concepts through reading and observing, as well as by conducting investigations that have real-world applications.

Major Knowledge, Skills, and Concepts
By the end of kindergarten, students should be able to do the following:

• Compare living things and identify likenesses and differences.

• Collect and record data using observation and simple instruments.

• Describe how specific plant and animal parts help them survive.

• Explain what plants and animals need to survive.

• Classify living, nonliving, and once-was-living objects.

• Investigate the needs of living things.

• Gather information about themselves and others.

• Describe ways people are the same and ways people are different.

• Describe ways people stay the same and ways people change over time.

• Use nonstandard units* of measurement for length and width.

• Discuss,communicate,andanalyzeideas.

• Observe, describe, and record data on physical properties.

• Describe the different ways objects move.

• Demonstrate that objects move differently on different surfaces.

• Investigate the premise that the different properties of balls will affect how they roll.