Although it may seem natural to think that one sees change merely by looking, what we see is often guided by what we expect to see. Children are usually surprised that what they see, others may not see. The study of change relies upon agreement about the attributes or features of the organism that are changing. This agreement is essential for sharing information between observers. Defining attributes relies on particular ways of looking, often with specialized tools, like magnifiers. Moreover, evidence of change is important to consider explicitly. Claims are ideally anchored to data that others can also see and experience.

Children often expect that everyone else can readily see what they see. They also may not realize that scientific observation is different than regular sight. In order to be able to communicate to their peers about what they are observing, children need to verbally define the attribute they are describing well enough to be distinguishable.

Over a period of time, students create a common discourse for the class through this activity. By using a tool like a flexcam to magnify the image of the caterpillar, students are able to do more group observation and discussion. Students learn that the flexcam helped them see small things, although initially they struggle with the issue of scale and magnification.