Young Explorers: Investigating Our World · 2nd Year

Active learning ideas

Communicating Findings

Active learning works well for communicating findings because young scientists need opportunities to practice sharing their work aloud and visually. Collaborative tasks like gallery walks and pair shares build confidence and precision in describing observations, which research shows improves both science communication and content retention.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary - Working Scientifically

• 25–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 35 min · Pairs

Gallery Walk: Plant Discovery Posters

Students draw and label results from a plant growth experiment on posters, adding 2-3 sentences. Display around the room. Pairs circulate, noting one strength and one clarity suggestion on sticky notes.

Design a drawing to clearly show the results of an experiment.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, assign each student a specific poster to analyze first, ensuring everyone has a focused task during the activity.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple worksheet. Ask them to draw one observation from a recent plant experiment (e.g., a seed sprouting) and write one sentence describing what they drew. Collect these to check understanding of visual representation and simple description.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Pairs

Pair Share: Animal Observation Talks

Each pair draws key findings from animal watching, like bee movements. One student explains the drawing while the partner asks questions and suggests labels. Switch roles after 5 minutes.

Explain why it is important to share our scientific discoveries with others.

Facilitation Tip

During Pair Share, provide sentence stems like 'I noticed that your drawing shows...' to guide constructive feedback between partners.

What to look for

Have students share their experiment drawings with a partner. Ask them to use the following prompts: 'What did you observe in this drawing?' and 'What is one thing you could add to make it clearer?' This encourages constructive feedback on clarity.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Presentation Comparison

Groups create two formats for the same finding, such as a drawing versus a model. Practice presenting both to the group, discussing which works best for classmates versus parents.

Compare different ways to present scientific findings to an audience.

Facilitation Tip

For Presentation Comparison, ask groups to present their findings twice: once using only pictures and once with words, so students see how formats change clarity.

What to look for

During a class discussion about sharing findings, ask students: 'Why is it important for us to tell others what we discovered?' Call on a few students to share their ideas, listening for understanding of collaboration and knowledge building.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 45 min · Whole Class

Whole Class: Science Show and Tell

Students prepare a drawing and 2 sentences on a unit discovery. Take turns presenting to the class, with audience thumbs up or questions for feedback.

Design a drawing to clearly show the results of an experiment.

What to look for

Provide students with a simple worksheet. Ask them to draw one observation from a recent plant experiment (e.g., a seed sprouting) and write one sentence describing what they drew. Collect these to check understanding of visual representation and simple description.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model clear, labeled diagrams and short explanations before students begin. Avoid overwhelming students with too many tools at once; instead, focus on one format per activity. Research suggests that frequent, low-stakes sharing builds comfort and skill over time, so incorporate these activities regularly rather than as isolated events.

By the end of these activities, students will present their findings using labeled diagrams and simple sentences that others can understand. They will ask and answer questions about each other's work, showing they can connect visuals with written explanations and collaborate on next steps.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Gallery Walk, watch for students who skip reading others’ labels or skip sharing their own observations aloud.

  Ask students to spend 30 seconds silently reading one poster and writing down one label they noticed before discussing it with their partner. This ensures they engage with the details before speaking.

• During Pair Share, watch for students who treat the activity as a one-way report instead of a conversation.

  Give partners a shared clipboard with a checklist of questions to ask each other, such as 'What do you think caused this change?' to turn sharing into a dialogue.

• During Presentation Comparison, watch for students who assume the 'best' format is always the most detailed one.

  Have groups vote on which format (drawing, words, or both) best communicated their findings to the class, then discuss why simplicity sometimes works better for clarity.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk