What happens in a classroom that fosters the Harvard Project Zero teaching for understanding framework? That is the initial inquiry for this pilot ethnographic study of African American fifth graders in an urban public school. The study sets out to show how children are engaged in a class set up to understand science and mathematics. Themes emerging from fieldnotes suggest that children are more engaged when they are the presenter, when they work in cooperative groups, when they are solving open-ended problems, and when they play critical thinking games such as Project Zero's Starting Block. As the study unfolds, the theme of self-selected, science presentations stands out. When examined more closely, the self-selected presentations reveal four ways in which 5th grade presenters involve other children in their presentations. Thus, the study explores methods children use to involve their audiences. One implication of the findings is that kids teaching kids gives them another way of showing what they know and building new understanding. (Author/CCM)