Massachusetts State Standards for Science: Kindergarten

MA.1. Earth and Space Science

1.1. Earth's Materials: Recognize that water, rocks, soil, and living organisms are found on the earth's surface. 6
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 1.1.

1.2. Earth's Materials: Understand that air is a mixture of gases that is all around us and that wind is moving air. 5
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 1.2.

1.3. Weather: Describe the weather changes from day to day and over the seasons. 30
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 1.3.

1.4. The Sun as a Source of Light and Heat: Recognize that the sun supplies heat and light to the earth and is necessary for life. 13
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 1.4.

1.5. Periodic Phenomena: Identify some events around us that have repeating patterns, including the seasons of the year, day and night. 1
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 1.5.

MA.2. Life Science

2.1. Characteristics of Living Things: Recognize that animals (including humans) and plants are living things that grow, reproduce, and need food, air, and water. 67
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.1.

2.2. Characteristics of Living Things: Differentiate between living and nonliving things. Group both living and nonliving things according to the characteristics that they share. 2
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.2.

2.3. Life Cycles: Recognize that plants and animals have life cycles, and that life cycles vary for different living things. 63
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.3.

2.4. Heredity: Describe ways in which many plants and animals closely resemble their parents in observed appearance. 130
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.4.

2.5. Evolution and Biodiversity: Recognize that fossils provide us with information about living things that inhabited the earth years ago. 5
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.5.

2.6. Living Things and Their Environment: Recognize that people and other animals interact with the environment through their senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. 48
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.6.

2.7. Living Things and Their Environment: Recognize changes in appearance that animals and plants go through as the seasons change. 72
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.7.

2.8. Living Things and Their Environment: Identify the ways in which an organism's habitat provides for its basic needs (plants require air, water, nutrients, and light; animals require food, water, air, and shelter). 30
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 2.8.

MA.3. Physical Sciences

3.1. Observable Properties of Objects: Sort objects by observable properties such as size, shape, color, weight, and texture. 18
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 3.1.

3.2. States of Matter: Identify objects and materials as solid, liquid, or gas. Recognize that solids have a definite shape and that liquids and gases take the shape of their container. 13
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 3.2.

3.3. Position and Motion of Objects: Describe the various ways that objects can move, such as in a straight line, zigzag, back-and-forth, round-and-round, fast, and slow. 3
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 3.3.

3.4. Position and Motion of Objects: Demonstrate that the way to change the motion of an object is to apply a force (give it a push or a pull). The greater the force, the greater the change in the motion of the object. 4
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 3.4.

3.5. Position and Motion of Objects: Recognize that under some conditions, objects can be balanced. 9
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 3.5.

MA.4. Technology/Engineering

4.1. Materials and Tools: Identify and describe characteristics of natural materials (e.g., wood, cotton, fur, wool) and human-made materials (e.g., plastic, Styrofoam). 7
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 4.1.

4.2. Materials and Tools: Identify and explain some possible uses for natural materials (e.g., wood, cotton, fur, wool) and human-made materials (e.g., plastic, Styrofoam). 7
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 4.2.

4.3. Materials and Tools: Identify and describe the safe and proper use of tools and materials (e.g., glue, scissors, tape, ruler, paper, toothpicks, straws, spools) to construct simple structures. 207
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 4.3.

4.4. Engineering Design: Identify tools and simple machines used for a specific purpose, e.g., ramp, wheel, pulley, lever. 14
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 4.4.

4.5. Engineering Design: Describe how human beings use parts of the body as tools (e.g., teeth for cutting, hands for grasping and catching), and compare their use with the ways in which animals use those parts of their bodies. 52
Suggested Titles for Massachusetts Science State Standard 4.5.