Science · Kindergarten · The Senses and Scientific Inquiry · Weeks 28-36

Sharing Our Discoveries

Students communicate their observations, findings, and ideas to others.

• Common Core State Standards
• K-ETS1-1

About This Topic

Sharing scientific discoveries is the natural endpoint of inquiry, and it is also where comprehension deepens. When students explain what they found out, they must organize their thinking clearly enough for someone else to follow it. For kindergartners, this communication can take many forms: a drawing, a model, a demonstration, or a short oral explanation using a sentence frame. Aligned with K-ETS1-1, this topic builds the habit of explaining reasoning in a way that others can understand.

Science communication at this age is less about formal presentation and more about developing the habit of connecting claims to evidence. Even a thirty-second peer explanation, in which one student tells another that the car went farther on the smooth floor because there was less friction, is a high-value learning act. The student must recall the observation, make sense of it, and put it into words that make sense to someone who was not there.

Active learning formats like science talks, gallery walks, and peer critique push students to refine their communication rather than simply reporting facts. When a classmate asks how do you know, students must connect their claim back to what they actually observed. That back-and-forth produces more durable understanding than any written summary and builds the communication skills students will use throughout their science education.

Key Questions

1. Explain what you learned from your experiment to a friend.
2. Design a drawing or model to show your scientific discovery.
3. Critique how another student presented their findings.

Learning Objectives

• Explain observations from a simple experiment to a classmate using clear language.
• Design a drawing or model to represent a scientific discovery or finding.
• Critique a peer's explanation of their scientific findings, identifying strengths and areas for improvement.
• Identify the evidence that supports a scientific claim made by a classmate.

Before You Start

Making Observations

Why: Students need to be able to make careful observations using their senses before they can share them.

Asking Questions

Why: The ability to ask questions about the natural world is a precursor to conducting investigations and sharing findings.

Key Vocabulary

Observation	Noticing something using your senses, like seeing, hearing, or touching.
Discovery	Finding out something new or surprising through investigation.
Explain	To tell or show how or why something happens.
Evidence	Information gathered through observations that supports an idea or conclusion.
Model	A representation, like a drawing or a physical object, that shows how something works or looks.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Sharing your findings just means saying what happened.

What to Teach Instead

Students often treat reporting as simple narration: the ball rolled. Guide them to add the reason and the evidence: the ball rolled far because the floor was smooth, and we tested it three times. Sentence frames posted on the board scaffold this reasoning structure until it becomes automatic for students.

Common Misconception

If your result was different from your partner's, one of you made a mistake.

What to Teach Instead

Different results from different conditions are scientifically valuable, not signs of error. When students realize that a car rolls differently on different surfaces and both observations are accurate for that condition, they begin to understand that context is part of scientific communication and that comparison is itself informative.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Tell a Partner What You Found

After any investigation, each student uses the sentence frame 'We found out that ___ because ___' to explain results to a partner before sharing with the class. Partners give one piece of feedback using the frame 'I understood... but I wasn't sure about...' before the class share-out begins.

10 min·Pairs

Gallery Walk: Our Science Drawings

Students draw their experiment setup and result on a half-sheet and post it on the wall with a title. The class walks to view each display, and each student leaves a sticky note with one question on two different drawings. The class ends by reading the questions left on their own drawing.

25 min·Whole Class

Inquiry Circle: Show Me How It Worked

Pairs repeat their investigation in front of another pair to demonstrate their findings live. The observing pair uses the sentence frames 'I noticed that...' and 'I have a question about...' to give structured feedback after watching the demonstration.

20 min·Pairs

Peer Critique: What Makes a Clear Explanation?

Two volunteers share their science drawings with the class. Using posted sentence frames, students offer one specific observation about what they learned and one suggestion for what they could not tell from the drawing. The class builds a shared list of what a clear science explanation includes.

15 min·Whole Class

Real-World Connections

• Scientists in research labs share their findings with colleagues through presentations and written reports so others can build upon their work.
• Museum exhibit designers create models and interactive displays to help visitors understand scientific concepts, like how volcanoes erupt or how plants grow.
• Young children often share their discoveries with parents or caregivers, explaining what they found in the park or at school using words and drawings.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After a simple experiment (e.g., rolling balls down different ramps), ask students: 'Tell your partner one thing you learned from our experiment. What did you see that made you think that?' Listen for students connecting their statements to observations.

Peer Assessment

Students create a drawing of their experiment's results. Have students swap drawings with a partner. Ask: 'Can your partner understand your drawing? What is one thing you like about your partner's drawing? What is one question you have about their drawing?'

Quick Check

Provide students with a sentence frame like 'I learned that ______ because I saw ______.' Ask them to complete it orally or by drawing a picture to show their understanding after a short investigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I help kindergartners share science findings if they cannot write yet?

Prioritize drawings, gestures, and oral sentence frames. A labeled diagram with an arrow showing where the ball went, combined with a one-sentence oral explanation, is complete scientific communication for this age. Writing student words on sticky notes during sharing also models written communication without requiring it from students who are not yet ready.

How does peer critique work at the kindergarten level without becoming discouraging?

Focus feedback on the work rather than the person and keep it structural: 'In this drawing, I cannot tell which surface the car was on.' Sentence frames like 'I liked that you showed...' and 'I wonder if you could add...' keep the tone constructive. Model the language with two sample drawings before students give each other feedback.

How can a gallery walk replace a whole-class share-out?

A gallery walk lets all students share and receive feedback at the same time rather than waiting while one pair presents. Every student reads multiple explanations, leaves a response, and reads the responses to their own work. This parallel format is more efficient and gives quieter students a low-stakes way to contribute that a whole-class format often does not provide.

How does explaining findings to classmates support active learning goals for this topic?

Communication is itself a constructive process. When students must organize their observations clearly enough for a classmate to question them, they are building meaning rather than recalling facts. That constructive effort produces more durable retention than reviewing a teacher summary and develops habits of explanation that carry through every grade of science.