FTCE PreK–3 Science Exam Study Guide –
Latest Version 2026
Domain 1: Science Instruction and Assessment
1. A first-grade teacher wants to incorporate the science and engineering practice of "Planning
and Carrying Out Investigations." Which activity best aligns with this practice?
A. Reading a book about plant life cycles.
B. Watching a video of a volcanic eruption.
C. Designing a simple test to see which object sinks or floats in water. ✓
D. Labeling the parts of a plant on a worksheet.
Explanation: "Planning and Carrying Out Investigations" is an active process where students ask
questions and determine how to answer them through hands-on experimentation, which is
exemplified in option C.
2. The "5E" instructional model is a framework for science learning. What does the
"Elaborate" phase typically involve?
A. Piquing student curiosity and accessing prior knowledge.
B. Introducing new concepts and skills directly.
C. Applying the concept to a new, more complex situation. ✓
D. Assessing student understanding of the objective.
Explanation: The "Elaborate" phase challenges students to extend their conceptual
understanding and apply their skills to new contexts or problems.
3. Which of the following is the best example of a formative assessment in a kindergarten
science lesson on properties of objects?
A. A unit test at the end of the week.
B. A standardized district benchmark exam.
C. Observing and asking questions as students sort objects by texture. ✓
D. A final project displaying a collection of sorted objects.
Explanation: Formative assessment is informal, ongoing, and used to guide instruction.
Observing and questioning students during an activity provides immediate feedback.
4. A key goal of science education in early childhood is to foster scientific habits of mind.
Which student behavior best demonstrates this?
A. Memorizing all the planets in the solar system.
B. Persisting through multiple attempts to build a stable block tower. ✓
,C. Reciting the steps of the scientific method in order.
D. Correctly coloring a diagram of a food chain.
Explanation: Scientific habits of mind include persistence, curiosity, and flexibility in thinking,
which are shown when a student learns from failure and tries again.
5. When teaching about living things, a teacher provides students with caterpillars, an
aquarium with tadpoles, and seeds to plant. This approach best aligns with which principle?
A. Learning is enhanced by real-world, concrete experiences. ✓
B. Science should be integrated with mathematics.
C. Direct instruction is the most efficient teaching method.
D. Assessment should be performance-based.
Explanation: Young children learn science best through direct, hands-on interaction with real
phenomena and organisms.
Domain 2: The Physical Sciences
6. A kindergarten class is exploring pushes and pulls. Which activity directly investigates the
concept of a force?
A. Naming objects that are magnetic.
B. Rolling a ball hard and then softly against a wall and observing the difference. ✓
C. Sorting pictures of "heavy" and "light" objects.
D. Drawing the sun and the moon.
Explanation: A force is a push or a pull. Changing the strength of the push (rolling hard vs.
softly) directly investigates how force affects motion.
7. Three objects are placed in a tub of water: a metal key, a plastic toy, and a wooden block.
The key sinks, while the toy and block float. This demonstration is most appropriate for
introducing which concept?
A. Magnetic attraction
B. States of matter
C. Density and buoyancy ✓
D. Electrical conductivity
Explanation: Sinking and floating is a primary-grade introduction to the concept of density
relative to water (buoyancy).
8. A student sees condensation form on the outside of a cold glass of water on a hot day. This
is an example of:
A. Evaporation
B. Freezing
,C. Condensation ✓
D. Precipitation
Explanation: Condensation is the process where a gas (water vapor in the air) turns into a liquid
on a cooler surface.
9. Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?
A. Melting an ice cube.
B. Breaking a piece of chalk.
C. Burning a piece of paper. ✓
D. Dissolving sugar in water.
Explanation: Burning paper changes its chemical composition, producing new substances (ash,
smoke), which is a chemical change.
10. A teacher uses a tuning fork, a drum, and a whistle to help students understand that
sound is caused by:
A. Pitch
B. Volume
C. Vibration ✓
D. Echo
Explanation: All sounds are produced by vibrations that travel through a medium (air, water,
solids) to our ears.
11. When light hits a shiny, smooth surface like a mirror, it bounces off in a predictable way.
This process is called:
A. Refraction
B. Absorption
C. Reflection ✓
D. Transmission
Explanation: Reflection is when light bounces off a surface. A mirror is a classic example of a
reflective surface.
12. Which of the following best describes the energy transformation in a battery-powered
flashlight?
A. Chemical → Electrical → Light ✓
B. Electrical → Chemical → Light
C. Light → Chemical → Electrical
D. Thermal → Electrical → Light
Explanation: A battery stores chemical energy, which is converted to electrical energy, which is
then converted to light (and some heat) by the bulb.
, 13. A simple machine that consists of a rigid bar that pivots on a fulcrum is a:
A. Lever ✓
B. Pulley
C. Inclined plane
D. Wheel and axle
Explanation: This is the definition of a lever. A seesaw is a common example.
14. The property of a material that describes how easily heat or electricity moves through it is
called:
A. Density
B. Conductivity ✓
C. Magnetism
D. Solubility
Explanation: Conductivity is the measure of a material's ability to conduct heat or an electric
current.
15. An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force. This is a statement of:
A. Newton's First Law of Motion ✓
B. Newton's Second Law of Motion
C. Newton's Third Law of Motion
D. The Law of Conservation of Energy
Explanation: This is Newton's First Law, also known as the law of inertia.
Domain 3: The Earth and Space Sciences
16. A student observes that the appearance of the moon changes shape over the course of a
month. These changing shapes are called:
A. Moon phases ✓
B. Moon orbits
C. Solar eclipses
D. Lunar rotations
Explanation: The cyclical changes in the moon's appearance from Earth are known as its phases
(e.g., new moon, crescent, full moon).
17. The primary cause of the day and night cycle on Earth is:
A. The Earth's revolution around the Sun.
B. The Moon's revolution around the Earth.
Latest Version 2026
Domain 1: Science Instruction and Assessment
1. A first-grade teacher wants to incorporate the science and engineering practice of "Planning
and Carrying Out Investigations." Which activity best aligns with this practice?
A. Reading a book about plant life cycles.
B. Watching a video of a volcanic eruption.
C. Designing a simple test to see which object sinks or floats in water. ✓
D. Labeling the parts of a plant on a worksheet.
Explanation: "Planning and Carrying Out Investigations" is an active process where students ask
questions and determine how to answer them through hands-on experimentation, which is
exemplified in option C.
2. The "5E" instructional model is a framework for science learning. What does the
"Elaborate" phase typically involve?
A. Piquing student curiosity and accessing prior knowledge.
B. Introducing new concepts and skills directly.
C. Applying the concept to a new, more complex situation. ✓
D. Assessing student understanding of the objective.
Explanation: The "Elaborate" phase challenges students to extend their conceptual
understanding and apply their skills to new contexts or problems.
3. Which of the following is the best example of a formative assessment in a kindergarten
science lesson on properties of objects?
A. A unit test at the end of the week.
B. A standardized district benchmark exam.
C. Observing and asking questions as students sort objects by texture. ✓
D. A final project displaying a collection of sorted objects.
Explanation: Formative assessment is informal, ongoing, and used to guide instruction.
Observing and questioning students during an activity provides immediate feedback.
4. A key goal of science education in early childhood is to foster scientific habits of mind.
Which student behavior best demonstrates this?
A. Memorizing all the planets in the solar system.
B. Persisting through multiple attempts to build a stable block tower. ✓
,C. Reciting the steps of the scientific method in order.
D. Correctly coloring a diagram of a food chain.
Explanation: Scientific habits of mind include persistence, curiosity, and flexibility in thinking,
which are shown when a student learns from failure and tries again.
5. When teaching about living things, a teacher provides students with caterpillars, an
aquarium with tadpoles, and seeds to plant. This approach best aligns with which principle?
A. Learning is enhanced by real-world, concrete experiences. ✓
B. Science should be integrated with mathematics.
C. Direct instruction is the most efficient teaching method.
D. Assessment should be performance-based.
Explanation: Young children learn science best through direct, hands-on interaction with real
phenomena and organisms.
Domain 2: The Physical Sciences
6. A kindergarten class is exploring pushes and pulls. Which activity directly investigates the
concept of a force?
A. Naming objects that are magnetic.
B. Rolling a ball hard and then softly against a wall and observing the difference. ✓
C. Sorting pictures of "heavy" and "light" objects.
D. Drawing the sun and the moon.
Explanation: A force is a push or a pull. Changing the strength of the push (rolling hard vs.
softly) directly investigates how force affects motion.
7. Three objects are placed in a tub of water: a metal key, a plastic toy, and a wooden block.
The key sinks, while the toy and block float. This demonstration is most appropriate for
introducing which concept?
A. Magnetic attraction
B. States of matter
C. Density and buoyancy ✓
D. Electrical conductivity
Explanation: Sinking and floating is a primary-grade introduction to the concept of density
relative to water (buoyancy).
8. A student sees condensation form on the outside of a cold glass of water on a hot day. This
is an example of:
A. Evaporation
B. Freezing
,C. Condensation ✓
D. Precipitation
Explanation: Condensation is the process where a gas (water vapor in the air) turns into a liquid
on a cooler surface.
9. Which of the following is an example of a chemical change?
A. Melting an ice cube.
B. Breaking a piece of chalk.
C. Burning a piece of paper. ✓
D. Dissolving sugar in water.
Explanation: Burning paper changes its chemical composition, producing new substances (ash,
smoke), which is a chemical change.
10. A teacher uses a tuning fork, a drum, and a whistle to help students understand that
sound is caused by:
A. Pitch
B. Volume
C. Vibration ✓
D. Echo
Explanation: All sounds are produced by vibrations that travel through a medium (air, water,
solids) to our ears.
11. When light hits a shiny, smooth surface like a mirror, it bounces off in a predictable way.
This process is called:
A. Refraction
B. Absorption
C. Reflection ✓
D. Transmission
Explanation: Reflection is when light bounces off a surface. A mirror is a classic example of a
reflective surface.
12. Which of the following best describes the energy transformation in a battery-powered
flashlight?
A. Chemical → Electrical → Light ✓
B. Electrical → Chemical → Light
C. Light → Chemical → Electrical
D. Thermal → Electrical → Light
Explanation: A battery stores chemical energy, which is converted to electrical energy, which is
then converted to light (and some heat) by the bulb.
, 13. A simple machine that consists of a rigid bar that pivots on a fulcrum is a:
A. Lever ✓
B. Pulley
C. Inclined plane
D. Wheel and axle
Explanation: This is the definition of a lever. A seesaw is a common example.
14. The property of a material that describes how easily heat or electricity moves through it is
called:
A. Density
B. Conductivity ✓
C. Magnetism
D. Solubility
Explanation: Conductivity is the measure of a material's ability to conduct heat or an electric
current.
15. An object at rest will remain at rest, and an object in motion will remain in motion unless
acted upon by an unbalanced force. This is a statement of:
A. Newton's First Law of Motion ✓
B. Newton's Second Law of Motion
C. Newton's Third Law of Motion
D. The Law of Conservation of Energy
Explanation: This is Newton's First Law, also known as the law of inertia.
Domain 3: The Earth and Space Sciences
16. A student observes that the appearance of the moon changes shape over the course of a
month. These changing shapes are called:
A. Moon phases ✓
B. Moon orbits
C. Solar eclipses
D. Lunar rotations
Explanation: The cyclical changes in the moon's appearance from Earth are known as its phases
(e.g., new moon, crescent, full moon).
17. The primary cause of the day and night cycle on Earth is:
A. The Earth's revolution around the Sun.
B. The Moon's revolution around the Earth.
