Becoming a young scientist
Students learn how to ask questions, look closely, and stay safe while exploring. They practice using simple tools like magnifying glasses and rulers, and they share what they find by talking, drawing, and writing.
What does a student learn in
This is the year science becomes hands-on noticing. Students start asking questions about the world around them and looking for answers by watching closely, sorting objects, and using simple tools like a ruler or a magnifying glass. They learn the basics of weather, plants and animals, the sun and moon, and how a push or pull makes things move. By spring, students can describe what they observed and explain why it happened in their own words.
- Weather patterns
- Plants and animals
- Push and pull
- Sorting objects
- Sun and moon
- Asking questions
Year at a glance
How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.
- 1
- 2
Sorting and describing matter
Students look at everyday objects and describe them by color, size, shape, and texture. They sort items into groups and notice how things can change when heated, cooled, or mixed.
- 3
Pushes, pulls, and motion
Students roll balls, push toy cars, and watch what happens. They learn that pushes and pulls start, stop, and change motion, and they look for patterns in how things move.
- 4
Earth, weather, and sky
Students explore rocks, water, air, and living things as parts of Earth. They track daily weather, talk about the seasons, and notice patterns in the sun, moon, and stars.
- 5
Living things and their homes
Students study plants and animals and the places they live. They learn how body parts and behaviors help animals find food and stay safe, and how baby plants and animals grow to look like their parents.
Mastery Learning Standards
The required skills a student should display by the end of Kindergarten.
Scientific and Engineering Practices
Scientific and Engineering Practices
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Scientific Investigation
Students ask simple questions about the world and then test them out, using basic tools like magnifiers or rulers, while following safety rules the class sets together.
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Scientific and Engineering Practices
Students ask questions about the world around them, try out simple solutions, and look at results to figure out what happened. This is the basic cycle of science and engineering work that runs through every grade.
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Tools and Measurement
Students pick up simple tools like rulers, scales, and measuring cups to gather numbers about the world around them. They record what they find and look for patterns in the results.
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Communicate Findings
Students share what they found out from a science activity by drawing a picture, telling a classmate, or writing a sentence. The conclusion has to match what the data actually showed.
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Recurring Themes and Concepts
Students begin to notice that big ideas like patterns and cause-and-effect show up across science topics. Spotting the same idea in different places helps students connect what they learn about weather, animals, and the world around them.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific Investigation | Students ask simple questions about the world and then test them out, using basic tools like magnifiers or rulers, while following safety rules the class sets together. | TX-SCI.PRAC.K.1 |
| Scientific and Engineering Practices | Students ask questions about the world around them, try out simple solutions, and look at results to figure out what happened. This is the basic cycle of science and engineering work that runs through every grade. | TX-SCI.PRAC.K.2 |
| Tools and Measurement | Students pick up simple tools like rulers, scales, and measuring cups to gather numbers about the world around them. They record what they find and look for patterns in the results. | TX-SCI.PRAC.K.3 |
| Communicate Findings | Students share what they found out from a science activity by drawing a picture, telling a classmate, or writing a sentence. The conclusion has to match what the data actually showed. | TX-SCI.PRAC.K.4 |
| Recurring Themes and Concepts | Students begin to notice that big ideas like patterns and cause-and-effect show up across science topics. Spotting the same idea in different places helps students connect what they learn about weather, animals, and the world around them. | TX-SCI.PRAC.K.5 |
Matter and Energy
Matter and Energy
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Properties of Matter
Students learn that everything around them, solids, liquids, and gases, has physical properties like color, size, and texture that can be measured and compared.
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Energy Forms and Transfers
Energy makes things happen. Students explore how light warms objects, sound travels through the air, and motion passes from one object to another when they collide or interact.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Properties of Matter | Students learn that everything around them, solids, liquids, and gases, has physical properties like color, size, and texture that can be measured and compared. | TX-SCI.ME.K.1 |
| Energy Forms and Transfers | Energy makes things happen. Students explore how light warms objects, sound travels through the air, and motion passes from one object to another when they collide or interact. | TX-SCI.ME.K.2 |
Force, Motion, and Energy
Force, Motion, and Energy
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Forces and Motion
Pushing or pulling an object makes it move, stop, or change direction. Students explore how a harder push moves something farther, and how heavier objects need more force to get going.
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Patterns of Motion
Students watch how things move, like a rolling ball or a swinging toy, and look for patterns to guess what will happen next.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Forces and Motion | Pushing or pulling an object makes it move, stop, or change direction. Students explore how a harder push moves something farther, and how heavier objects need more force to get going. | TX-SCI.FME.K.1 |
| Patterns of Motion | Students watch how things move, like a rolling ball or a swinging toy, and look for patterns to guess what will happen next. | TX-SCI.FME.K.2 |
Earth and Space Sciences
Earth and Space Sciences
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Earth's Systems
Students look at the parts of Earth: land, water, air, and living things. They explore how each part works and how they affect one another.
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Weather and Climate
Students observe daily weather patterns, like rain, wind, and temperature changes, and begin to notice how human activity can affect the air and environment around them.
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Space and the Solar System
Students learn that the Sun, Moon, and stars follow patterns in the sky. They observe that the Sun rises and sets each day and that the Moon's shape seems to change over weeks.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Earth's Systems | Students look at the parts of Earth: land, water, air, and living things. They explore how each part works and how they affect one another. | TX-SCI.ESS.K.1 |
| Weather and Climate | Students observe daily weather patterns, like rain, wind, and temperature changes, and begin to notice how human activity can affect the air and environment around them. | TX-SCI.ESS.K.2 |
| Space and the Solar System | Students learn that the Sun, Moon, and stars follow patterns in the sky. They observe that the Sun rises and sets each day and that the Moon's shape seems to change over weeks. | TX-SCI.ESS.K.3 |
Organisms and Environments
Organisms and Environments
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Organisms and Environments
Students learn that living things, like plants and animals, have body parts and behaviors that help them survive where they live. A duck has webbed feet for swimming; a cactus has thick stems to store water.
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Ecosystems
Students learn where plants and animals get food and energy, and how living things in the same place depend on each other to survive.
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Heredity and Reproduction
Students learn that living things have offspring that look like their parents. A cat has kittens, a dog has puppies, and each baby gets its features from its parents.
| Standard | Definition | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Organisms and Environments | Students learn that living things, like plants and animals, have body parts and behaviors that help them survive where they live. A duck has webbed feet for swimming; a cactus has thick stems to store water. | TX-SCI.ORG.K.1 |
| Ecosystems | Students learn where plants and animals get food and energy, and how living things in the same place depend on each other to survive. | TX-SCI.ORG.K.2 |
| Heredity and Reproduction | Students learn that living things have offspring that look like their parents. A cat has kittens, a dog has puppies, and each baby gets its features from its parents. | TX-SCI.ORG.K.3 |
No state assessments at this grade
Students take their next one in Grade 4.
NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress)
Federally administered sample-based assessment in reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other subjects. NAEP results inform state-by-state comparisons rather than individual student or school accountability.
- When given:
- biennial in winter
- Frequency:
- every two years
Common Questions
What does kindergarten science actually cover?
Students explore the world by sorting objects, watching weather, looking at plants and animals, and pushing and pulling things to see what moves. Most learning happens through hands-on activities and simple questions about what they notice.
How can I help with science at home?
Go outside and name what you see. Sort laundry by color or size, watch the sky and talk about the weather, or roll toy cars down a ramp and ask why one went farther. Five minutes of noticing and asking why counts.
How should I sequence topics across the year?
Start with science practices like observing, sorting, and measuring so students build the habits before the content. Then move through matter, motion, weather and Earth, and finish with living things in spring when plants and bugs are easy to find outside.
Does a kindergartener need to memorize science vocabulary?
No. Students should be able to describe what they see in their own words, like saying a rock is heavy and rough. Fancy terms can wait. Clear observation matters more than the right label.
What does mastery look like by the end of the year?
Students can ask a question, try something safely, and say what happened using words, pictures, or simple charts. They can name basic patterns like day and night, hot and cold weather, and what plants and animals need to live.
Which topics usually need the most reteaching?
Cause and effect tends to be the hardest. Students often describe what happened without connecting it to why. Plan extra time for push and pull investigations and weather patterns, where the same idea shows up in different forms.
My child says science is just playing. Are they learning anything?
Yes. Stacking blocks, mixing water and dirt, and watching ants are how kindergarteners build real science thinking. The play is the practice. Ask what they noticed and what they want to try next to stretch it further.