TK: Science and Engineering

Lessons and pupil materials

• Test an idea
• Notice growth and weather
• Make a plan and improve it

Learning sequence

Begin with careful noticing and the words used to describe an observation. Ask a question that classroom materials can help answer. Predict, investigate, record, compare, and revise. Distinguish what happened from what the child expected. Revisit physical science, life science, Earth and space, and engineering throughout the year. These strands follow the California PTKLF Science domain.

Materials and motion

Invite children to build a ramp from a board and blocks. Ask how a toy will move. Model describing the surface and release point. Release the same toy without pushing, observe where it stops, then change the surface. Children draw what happened and explain what changed. Ask, “What should stay the same so we can compare?” A child who pushes harder has changed another condition; demonstrate why this makes the comparison harder to interpret. Offer a hand-release support or a partner who follows the child's directions.

Living things

Grow a locally suitable classroom plant. Learn its care needs from a reliable species-specific reference. Children observe, draw, and date changes, measure with a consistent unit, and compare observations. Do not withhold necessary care to manufacture an experiment. Ask what evidence shows growth, and what the observations cannot tell us. Compare a living plant with a stone; avoid treating movement alone as the definition of life.

Earth, sky, and human action

Observe weather from an accessible safe location. Describe what is visible and felt, record it with symbols, and compare records. Discuss how water, shade, clothing, and shelter affect daily choices. Invite a question about the local environment, such as where rainwater goes. Use models and observation rather than direct exposure to hazards. Do not look at the sun.

Design and revise

Build a paper shelter for a toy. Children explain the need, draw a plan, make a model, test against a classroom-agreed condition, and revise. Ask how a structure or tool helps people, and who might find it difficult to use. A digital camera may document change, but is not required.

Advanced application and evidence

Ask children to distinguish observation, prediction, and explanation, and to show a fair comparison using actions or drawings. Save an initial prediction and a revised explanation. Do not require a formal scientific vocabulary before accepting sound reasoning. The pupil investigations and teacher plans provide recording pages and fresh comparison prompts.