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Kindergarten · Science · Unit 8 of 9

Make It Work

Spot a problem, draw a plan, test two ideas.

What your child practices

Practices the first steps of engineering: noticing a problem to fix, seeing how an object's shape helps it do its job, and comparing two designs after a test.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: K-2-ETS1-1; K-2-ETS1-2; K-2-ETS1-3 · noticing a problem to solve, how an object's shape helps it work, and comparing two designs

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. First, spot a problem to fix.
  2. Draw a plan before you build.
  3. A shape helps a thing work. Round wheels roll.

Example: Which shape is best for a wheel? A wheel must roll. Circles roll. Answer: a circle

Make It Work in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 8 of 9 in Kindergarten Science, after Where Animals Live and before Solid or Liquid?.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Before you build, it helps to…

    • throw it away
    • go to sleep
    • draw a plan
    • hide the parts

  2. Question 2

    You want to keep rain off your head. What could you make?

    • A sock
    • A spoon
    • A hat
    • A ball

  3. Question 3

    Which is a problem people want to fix?

    • The sky is blue
    • Grass is green
    • A bike tire is flat
    • Birds sing

  4. Question 4

    Which shape is best for a wheel?

    • Star
    • Triangle
    • Circle
    • Square

  5. Question 5

    Your toy car keeps rolling off the table. That is a…

    • problem to fix
    • song
    • color
    • kind of weather

  6. Question 6

    A toy is hard to carry. What could you add?

    • A hole
    • More weight
    • A handle
    • Sand

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