Children's natural curiosity spurs cognitive and language development as they engage in hands-on activities, discover new relationships, and attempt to communicate their new knowledge. Such experiences are primary sources for children's learning at this age.

They make predictions, try to describe simple cause and effect relationships, and engage in conversations and explorations that allow them to answer questions of interest to them.

Preschoolers' experiences help them develop new understandings, think more flexibly, and become better problem solvers.

The ELS science item does not assess scientific content knowledge but rather the development of scientific process skills.

The ELS assesses this item across 3 strands. The next three pages will provide more detailed information about these strands.