Science - Kindergarten Core

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	Science - Kindergarten
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Course Description

Introduction
Science is a way of knowing, a process for gaining knowledge and understanding of the natural world. The Science Core Curriculum places emphasis on understanding and using skills. Students should be active learners. It is not enough for students to read about science; they must do science. They should observe, inquire, question, formulate and test hypotheses, analyze data, report, and evaluate findings. The students, as scientists, should have hands–on, active experiences throughout the instruction of the science curriculum.

The K‐2 Science Core describes what students should know and be able to do at the end of each of the K‐2 grade levels. It was developed, critiqued, piloted, and revised by a community of Utah science teachers, university science educators, and State Office of Education specialists. Core Standards are supported by material research on science literacy and essential learning standards. The core concepts included in the Standards are those that are central to a discipline of science (i.e. Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Life Science), that are accessible to students starting in kindergarten, and have potential for sustained exploration across grades K‐2 and beyond.

Literacy and Numeracy Connections
The K‐2 Science Core supports literacy and numeracy learning for all students. The Guidance section contains suggested strategies that are connected to language arts and mathematical topics. These connections assist teachers with activities of reading, writing, speaking, presenting, calculating, graphing, and measuring in their science teaching. Teachers may integrate these activities into literacy or mathematics instructional blocks, facilitating not only the teaching of science in a full instructional schedule, but also increasing the literacy learning of many students by including non‐fiction reading and writing in the literacy block. Science concepts can be taught in tandem with literacy skills through reading, speaking, and writing while students are involved in the scientific process. Mathematical understanding can also be enhanced by highlighting the application of mathematical concepts in scientific settings, such as using measurement concepts to weigh rocks or measure plants to investigate change over time.

Organization
The K‐2 Core is arranged to help teachers organize and deliver instruction as follows:

Instructional Framework:
Describes how the core is organized to assist teachers in understanding and teaching scientific concepts through process skills, utilizing big ideas, and making application to technology and society.

Standards:

Standard 1: Is the intended learning outcomes standard. It contains three objectives: Processes of Science, Communication of Science, and the Nature of Science. Standard 1 is not a stand‐alone piece of learning, but is designed to be integrated into the three content standards.

Standards 2, 3, and 4: Reflects the disciplines of science. These standards are consistent across all three grades. Each standard is further explicated by objectives and indicators.

Standard 2 is Earth and Space Science
Standard 3 is Physical Science
Standard 4 is Life Science

Science Content by Standard: Shows the learning progressions inherent in the core. The charts are organized by standard, each containing the objectives and indicators for each grade side by side.

Supplemental Materials: Includes a chart of supplemental materials for each objective within the core. The supplemental materials are color coded by standard: Earth and Space Science is green, Physical Science is blue, and Life Science is red. A guide for reading and using the materials with an explanation of each section of the sheet appears in Appendix B.

Appendices:

Appendix A: The Big Ideas for each standard organized by grade level.
Appendix B: What Students Should Understand, Do, and Know
Appendix C: How to read the supplemental materials charts.
Appendix D: Note, explanations, and research base.
Appendix E: References used in the development of the core.

Core Standards of the Course

Standard 1
The Processes of Science, Communication of Science, and the Nature of Science. Students will be able to apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas effectively, and understand the nature of science.

Objective 1
Generating Evidence: Using the processes of scientific investigation (i.e. framing questions, designing investigations, conducting investigations, collecting data, drawing conclusions)

Framing questions: Observe using senses, create a hypothesis, and focus a question that can lead to an investigation.

Designing investigations: Consider reasons that support ideas, identify ways to gather information that could test ideas, design fair tests, share designs with peers for input and refinement.

Conducting investigations: Observe, manipulate, measure, describe.

Collecting data: Deciding what data to collect and how to organize, record, and manipulate the data.

Drawing conclusions: Analyzing data, making conclusions connected to the data or the evidence gathered, identifying limitations or conclusions, identifying future questions to investigate.

Objective 2
Communicating Science: Communicating effectively using science language and reasoning

Developing social interaction skills with peers.

Sharing ideas with peers.

Connecting ideas with reasons (evidence).

Using multiple methods of communicating reasons/evidence (verbal, charts, graphs).

Objective 3
Knowing in Science: Understanding the nature of science

Ideas are supported by reasons.

There are limits to ideas in science (i.e. what can be observed, measured, and verified).

Differences in conclusions are best settled through additional observations and investigations.

Communication of ideas in science is important for helping to check the reasons for ideas.

Standard 2
Earth and Space Science. Students will gain an understanding of Earth and Space Science through the study of earth materials, celestial movement, and weather.

Objective 1
Investigate non‐living things.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Observe and record that big rocks break down into small rocks, e.g., boulders, rocks, pebbles, sand.

Demonstrate how water and wind move nonliving things.

Sort, group, and classify Earth materials, e.g., hard, smooth, rough, shiny, flat.

Objective 2
Observe and describe changes in day and night.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Compare and contrast light and dark in a daynight cycle and identify the changes as a pattern.

Investigate, interpret, and explain to others that the sun provides heat and light to Earth.

Examine what happens when you block the sun’s light. Explore shadows and temperature changes.

Objective 3
Compare changes in weather over time.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Observe and record that weather changes occur from day‐to‐day and weather patterns occur from season to season.

Communicate ways weather can affect individuals.

Describe, predict, and discuss daily weather conditions and how predicting the weather can improve our lives.

Standard 3
Physical Science. Students will gain an understanding of Physical Science through the study of the forces of motion and the properties of materials.

Objective 1
Identify how non‐living things move.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Observe and record how objects move in different ways, e.g., fast, slow, zigzag, round and round, up and down, straight line, back and forth, slide, roll, bounce, spin, swing, float, and glide.

Compare and contrast how physical properties of objects affect their movement, e.g., hard, soft, feathered, round, square, cone, geometric shapes.

Objective 2
Describe parts of non‐living things.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Describe how parts are used to build things and how things can be taken apart.

Explain why things may not work the same if some of the parts are missing.

Standard 4
Life Science. Students will gain an understanding of Life Science through the study of changes in organisms over time and the nature of living things.

Objective 1
Investigate living things.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Construct questions, give reasons, and share findings about all living things.

Compare and contrast young plants and animals with their parents.

Describe some changes in plants and animals that are so slow or so fast that they are hard to see (e.g., seasonal change, “fast” blooming flower, slow growth, hatching egg).

Objective 2
Describe the parts of living things.

Supplemental Materials (pdf)

Differentiate between the five senses and related body parts.

Identify major parts of plants, e.g., roots, stem, leaf, flower, trunk, branches.

Compare the parts of different animals, e.g., skin, fur, feathers, scales; hand, wing, flipper, fin.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Office of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Office of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.

For more information about this core curriculum, contact the USOE Specialist, Sarah Young or visit the Science - Elementary Home Page. For general questions about Utah's Core Curriculum, contact the USOE Curriculum Director, Sydnee Dickson . UEN Contact Info: 801-581-2999 | 800-866-5852 | Contact Us