Frog Street Pre-K - Criterion 2.5

Frog Street Pre-K Curriculum partially meet expectations for promoting the core ideas of life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology (2.5a). 

The materials provide some recurring opportunities to investigate life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology concepts through read-alouds, STEAM experiences that emphasize inquiry-based structures, outdoor activities, and science centers, as well as opportunities for inquiry and discussion. Vocabulary is supported across all themes through repetition, gestures, Vocabulary Cards, Photo Cards, and Total Physical Response (TPR) strategies. 

Life science concepts

• Life science topics include my body, my senses, eating well, living and nonliving things, crawling and flying critters, mammals, reptiles, sea life, and birds (Welcome Guide, p. 74).

• Theme 4, Week 1, (p. 9): Children sort picture cards (tree, child, goldfish, roller skate, hammer) into living and nonliving categories during Science Practice Centers.

• Theme 7, Week 3 (p. 70): During the read-aloud Monarchs, children investigate insect life cycles, supporting understanding of growth and change.

• Theme 3, Week 3: Children use their sense of smell to match aroma canisters in the Science Center, reinforcing observation and sensory exploration.

Physical science concepts

• Physical science topics include opposites, under construction, and tools (Welcome Guide, p. 74).

• Theme 1, Week 2 ( p. 36): Children explore force and motion by blowing cotton balls with straws during Science Practice Centers.

• Theme 7, Week 2 ( p. 34): Children catapult pom-poms in the Construction Center to investigate force and motion.

Earth and space science concepts

• Earth science topics include Earth Changes and Nurturing the Earth and appear only in Theme 9, the final unit (Welcome Guide, p. 74).

• Theme 9, Week 2 ( pp. 37; 42–43): Children investigate melting, freezing, mixing, dissolving, and create a cloud in a jar; they also engage in a read-aloud of What Is Weather?.

• Theme 9, Week 3 ( pp. 63; 68–69): Children examine shells for properties and patterns and learn about ecosystems and environmental protection through Nature’s Giants.

• Theme 9 Week 2 (pp. 44-45): Children discuss seasons, day/night with prompts to look at the stars

Engineering and technology learning

• Engineering and technology are addressed during STEAM lessons, and the Frog-E robot

• Theme 2, Week 2 (pp. 50–51): Children are introduced to the Frog-E robot and continue coding activities across themes to navigate grids and obstacle courses.

• STEAM lessons follow a consistent structure: problem introduction (Day 1), planning and testing (Days 2–4), and sharing discoveries (Day 5).

• Theme 5, Week 1 (pp. 24–25): Children design and construct a house while learning about architects, engineers, and builders.

• Theme 2, Week 1 (pp. 24–25): Children design a “just right” chair through a multi-day STEAM project focused on safety.

Overall, Frog Street Pre-K materials provide some meaningful opportunities for children to explore life science, physical science, earth and space science, and engineering and technology concepts through read-alouds, STEAM lessons, centers, and outdoor learning. Inquiry-based experiences are most clearly and consistently embedded within STEAM lessons, where structured opportunities for investigation, observation, and discussion support children’s exploration of concepts. Big ideas for Science provide a learning roadmap for the week; however, these could be further enhanced with guiding questions to promote a more inquiry-based approach for Science content. Vocabulary development is reinforced across themes through multiple strategies, and children engage with a range of developmentally appropriate science topics. While the curriculum provides a foundation across several science domains, experiences in physical science and earth and space science are less developed. Activities are structured and provide a foundation for learning, but could be strengthened to support deeper exploration and understanding.

Frog Street Pre-K materials partially meet expectations for supporting science and engineering through integrated and interdisciplinary learning experiences (2.5b). 

The Welcome Guide (pp. 74-80) provides some guidance for teachers on the integrated Science approach, hands-on experiences, and STEAM. Each theme includes designated STEAM activities that allow children to plan, design, create, and test solutions. Materials offer some opportunities for play-based activities with real-life connections and collaboration that leverage science content during practice centers and outside activities. The materials use a thematic approach to instruction and include some integrated experiences within practice centers, read-alouds, outdoor activities, and STEAM lessons.

• Theme 5 (pp. 8–11): An example of engineering-related skills can be found in Practice Centers aligned to the theme of building and construction:

  • Writer’s Corner: Children design building blueprints, supporting planning and visualization.

  • Creativity Station: Children create a cityscape using art materials.

  • Construction Area: Children build tall and short structures, fostering spatial awareness and early engineering thinking.

  • Math Center: Children construct frames from paper strips to explore geometry and measurement.

  • Sensory Area: Children excavate a pretend building site, supporting tactile exploration and fine motor skills.

  • Language and Literacy Center: Children sequence construction stages to support comprehension and storytelling.

  • Technology Center: Digital activities focus on recognizing shapes, angles, and letters (Cc, Ii, Rr, Ww), integrating literacy and math.

• Theme 7 (pp. 8–9): Children create an insect mural in Writer’s Corner and retell a story in the Language and Literacy Center, demonstrating age-appropriate integration aligned with the insect theme.

Materials include some connections to other disciplines and cross-cutting concepts. Some activities focus on weather patterns and the water cycle (Theme 9, pp 42-43). Children investigate building ramps and balancing a scale (TG Theme 5, pg. 35). Children have opportunities to learn about the functions of the Sun & Earth and how they relate to day/night (TG Theme 9, pg. 42).

• Theme 5 (pp. 42–43): A read-aloud introduces simple machines; children construct ramps in the Science Center and write about tools.

Overall, Frog Street Pre-K materials reflect integrated learning with connections across disciplines. Opportunities exist to further strengthen the materials by making connections between science concepts and skills more explicit and consistent across instructional components. Greater alignment among STEAM activities, practice centers, and small-group math instruction could reinforce science skills across contexts and support a more robust learning experience.