Smile Zemi Adds Science, with Writing Coach, to Teach Kids to Back Up Their Answers New NGSS-aligned curriculum for Grades 1-5 uses hands-on simulations and the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning method to build scientific thinking
(TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 2, 2026) — Most learning apps are built to give kids the answer. The newest feature on Smile Zemi’s learning tablet is built to make them earn it. JUSTSYSTEMS AMERICA, INC., today announced that Smile Zemi will launch a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) aligned Science curriculum for Grades 1-5 on Nov. 30. Featuring a writing coach called Coachez, the program will read each child’s explanation to the questions and probe them further to back up their responses with additional evidence, without ever supplying the answer.
The Science module is included at no additional cost for all subscribers. With Math and English Language Arts also included, families now get all three core elementary subjects on one dedicated, closed tablet with no web browser, social media or outside apps, providing a more focused learning experience.
Good science learning is about more than facts and vocabulary. It teaches children to ask questions, test ideas and use evidence to explain what they find. Those skills are hard for parents to practice at home without lab materials or a science background. Smile Zemi Science is designed to fill that gap.
Three Key Features of Smile Zemi Science
Instead of watching videos, children work through interactive simulations on the tablet. They change variables and test predictions, learning not just what happens but why. This approach encourages them to think, explore and make connections as they develop their understanding of scientific concepts.
After each exploration, a dedicated Practice cycle has children apply what they learned to new questions. Repeating the skill in different situations helps it carry over to schoolwork and tests.
Each unit teaches the CER framework, a standard approach in science classrooms across the United States:
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Claim: the child's answer to the question
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Evidence: facts from observations, experiments or data
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Reasoning: how the evidence supports the claim
Children learn to structure their responses with those three components and write their explanations by hand with a stylus. Then, Coachez, the Guided Learning program that utilizes AI, provides users with individualized feedback. It flags a missing piece of evidence or a weak link in the reasoning and prompts the child to improve the answer, rather than supplying it. Children learn to communicate ideas and construct evidence-based explanations
Smile Zemi Science launches Nov. 30, 2026, for Grades 1–5 and is included in all Smile Zemi subscriptions at no additional cost. Smile Zemi costs $99.99 a month and offers a 21-day home trial. More information is available at www.smile-zemi.com.
"Smile Zemi" is a distance learning program that launched in Japan in 2012, designed for preschool, elementary, junior high, and high school students to study using a dedicated tablet. All courses offer high-quality learning through the concept of "learning by writing" similar to using paper and pencil, and "Interactive Learning" utilizing AI. Additionally, Smile Zemi provides learning materials aligned with school textbooks, allowing students to follow their school curriculum. In 2023, the Home Learning Service Smile Zemi for kindergarten and elementary school students was also launched in the United States.
JUSTSYSTEMS CORPORATION is headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, and is led by President and CEO Kyotaro Sekinada.
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