What does a student learn in StateMassachusetts,GradeKindergarten,SubjectScience?

Students learn to ask "why" and "how" questions about the world around them, then figure out which ones can be tested or fixed. It is the starting point for all science and engineering work.

Students draw pictures or build simple objects to show how something works or what they observed. A model could be a sketch of a plant, a clay shape, or a diagram of the sun and rain.

Students pick a question, try something out to answer it, and watch what happens. That's the basic loop of science, starting in kindergarten.

Students look at simple observations collected as a class, such as a picture chart or a tally, and say what they notice. They point out patterns, like which item appeared most or least.

Students count, sort, and compare objects to answer questions about the natural world. Numbers help explain what they observe.

Students look at what they observed and use it to explain why something happened. They back up their answer with what they actually saw or found out.

Students look at simple evidence, like pictures or objects, and explain why one idea or solution works better than another. They practice backing up what they think with what they actually observed.

Students share what they notice about the world around them by drawing pictures, using words, or talking with classmates. They also look at what others have found and think about whether it makes sense.

Students touch, sort, and describe everyday objects to figure out what things are made of and how they behave. They learn that materials like wood, water, and cloth have different properties you can see and feel.

Students push, pull, and roll objects to see how things start moving, stop, or stay still. They learn that how hard you push changes how far something goes.

Students explore how light, sound, and heat move from one place to another. They notice that energy can change forms but doesn't disappear.

Students explore how waves move energy from place to place, like sound traveling from a drum to your ears. They look at simple examples of waves carrying information, such as light or sound signals.

Students look closely at living things, like plants and animals, to figure out how their body parts work and what those parts help them do.

Students observe how plants, animals, and soil depend on each other to survive. They look at what living things eat, where they get water, and how they fit into the world around them.

Students look at parents and their offspring to find traits that get passed down, like fur color or leaf shape, and notice how family members can still look a little different from one another.

Students sort plants and animals by what makes them alike and what makes them different, building an early sense of why living things come in so many shapes and sizes.

Students observe the sky, talk about the sun and moon, and notice patterns like day and night. It's an early look at where Earth sits in space and how things in the sky follow a regular rhythm.

Students look at how land, water, air, and living things work together on Earth. They notice how rain soaks into soil, how wind moves clouds, and how plants and animals depend on all of it.

Students look at how people change the land, water, and air around them, and what happens when storms, floods, or other natural events disrupt daily life.

Students pick a simple problem, think up a fix, build or draw their solution, and test whether it works. If it does not work, they try again with a new idea.

Students explore how tools people build change everyday life, and how the problems people face shape what gets built next.