Science · Kindergarten

Active learning ideas

Sharing Our Discoveries

Active learning works for this topic because young scientists need repeated, low-stakes chances to explain their thinking out loud and in different formats. When students share discoveries through drawing, talking, and demonstrating, they practice organizing their thoughts in ways that make sense to others, which strengthens both their understanding and communication skills.

• Common Core State Standards
• K-ETS1-1

• 10–25 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Think-Pair-Share
• 10 min · Pairs

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.

Explain what you learned from your experiment to a friend.

Facilitation Tip

During Think-Pair-Share, circulate with the sentence frame cards and hold one up to remind students to include both the result and the reason in their explanation.

What to look for

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.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Whole Class

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.

Design a drawing or model to show your scientific discovery.

Facilitation Tip

For the Gallery Walk, assign roles like ‘Guide’ and ‘Listener’ to ensure everyone participates and practices clear communication.

What to look for

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?'

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

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 20 min · Pairs

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.

Critique how another student presented their findings.

Facilitation Tip

During Collaborative Investigation, give each pair exactly two minutes to plan their demonstration before they show the class how their investigation worked.

What to look for

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.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Stations Rotation
• 15 min · Whole Class

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.

Explain what you learned from your experiment to a friend.

Facilitation Tip

In Peer Critique, model how to give feedback first by thinking aloud about a sample explanation or drawing.

What to look for

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.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by making communication a habit, not an event. They use sentence frames and visual anchors to build students’ confidence in explaining step by step. They avoid rushing to correct every detail and instead focus on whether the explanation can be followed by others. Research suggests that frequent, short opportunities to share—even before full understanding—help students rehearse and refine their thinking over time.

Successful learning looks like students clearly connecting their observations to their ideas using evidence. They should explain their findings with increasing detail over time, using words, drawings, or actions to show how they know what they know. Partners and classmates should be able to follow along and ask thoughtful questions.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Think-Pair-Share, watch for students simply naming what happened without connecting it to evidence.

  Prompt them with the sentence frame on the board, ‘I learned that ______ because I saw ______,’ and give them 30 seconds to add the reason before they share with their partner.

• During Collaborative Investigation, watch for students assuming their result is wrong if it differs from a classmate’s.

  Ask them to point to the different surface or condition they used and say, ‘This car rolled differently because the floor here is bumpy. Both of us are right for our conditions.’

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Methods used in this brief

• Think-Pair-Share
• Gallery Walk
• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation