Each lesson incorporates record pages and writing assignments through which teachers and students can assess their learning. In addition, the cooperative learning structure allows the teacher many opportunities to listen to students' conversations through which she or he can assess students' developing understanding. The majority of lessons and hands-on investigations in SFLL use simple, readily available materials that do not require elaborate storage or classroom space. The kits contain all those materials not readily available in the classroom or from students' homes. For example, the kits do not contain common classroom items, such as construction paper, glue, scissors and rulers, nor common household items, such as empty jars and shoeboxes, old newspapers and magazines or scraps of fabric, that would be cumbersome and expensive to ship in a kit.
Many investigations have procedures and directions written for students to follow.
However, on closer examination, the reader will find that the procedures help students determine what to do but not how to accomplish a task. The procedures in the student guide include the same types of instructions usually provided by the teacher in most hands-on programs. By having these procedures available in written form, teams of students can work independently from the teacher on a clearly identified task. The sets of procedures also ensure that students have common experiences from which they can compare results and the ways they arrived at their results.