Activity 01
Sorting Game: Wonderings or Testable?
Prepare cards with 10 wonderings and scientific questions about everyday things like magnets or melting. In small groups, children sort cards into two piles and explain choices to the group. Follow with a class share-out to refine understanding.
Differentiate between a 'wondering' and a scientific question.
Facilitation TipDuring Sorting Game, circulate and ask each pair to explain one card’s placement before they glue it down.
What to look forProvide students with three cards: one with a 'wondering' (e.g., 'Why is the sky blue?'), one with a testable question (e.g., 'Does ice melt faster in salt water or plain water?'), and one with an untestable question (e.g., 'What is the best color?'). Ask students to label each card as either a 'wondering' or a 'scientific question' and explain their choice for one card.
RememberUnderstandAnalyzeSocial AwarenessSelf-AwarenessDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 02
Observation Hunt: Question Makers
Lead a short outdoor walk to spot natural phenomena like falling leaves or wet ground. Children note observations individually, then pair up to turn one into a scientific question. Collect and vote on the best class questions.
Construct a scientific question about an everyday observation.
What to look forShow students a picture of a plant wilting. Ask them to write down one scientific question they could investigate about why the plant is wilting. Circulate and check that questions are specific and could lead to an investigation.
RememberUnderstandAnalyzeSocial AwarenessSelf-AwarenessDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 03
Pair Refinement: Fix the Question
Give pairs a list of vague wonderings from pupils' prior ideas. They discuss and rewrite each as a testable scientific question, noting why it works now. Share one improved question per pair with the class.
Justify why some questions are easier to test than others.
What to look forPresent two questions: 'Does a ball bounce higher on carpet or wood?' and 'Which ball is the bounciest?'. Ask students: 'Which question is easier to test fairly? Why?' Guide them to discuss changing only one thing (the surface) versus changing multiple things (the ball and the surface).
RememberUnderstandAnalyzeSocial AwarenessSelf-AwarenessDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→· · ·
Activity 04
Class Question Board: Build and Choose
As a whole class, brainstorm questions from a demo like mixing colours. Write on a board, then vote and justify which ones can be tested next week. Display to track progress.
Differentiate between a 'wondering' and a scientific question.
What to look forProvide students with three cards: one with a 'wondering' (e.g., 'Why is the sky blue?'), one with a testable question (e.g., 'Does ice melt faster in salt water or plain water?'), and one with an untestable question (e.g., 'What is the best color?'). Ask students to label each card as either a 'wondering' or a 'scientific question' and explain their choice for one card.
RememberUnderstandAnalyzeSocial AwarenessSelf-AwarenessDecision-Making
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Teachers model the move from observation to question by narrating their own thinking aloud. Avoid over-correcting early attempts; instead, use pair refinement so children learn from each other. Research shows that immediate, specific feedback during question building strengthens conceptual understanding more than delayed marking.
Successful learning looks like children confidently turning simple observations into clear, testable questions and explaining why some questions work better for fair tests. You will see them using words like measure, change, and compare during discussions.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During Sorting Game, watch for pupils labeling all questions as scientific.
Hand each pair a red pencil and ask them to draw a line through any card they think is not testable, then discuss why with their partner before reshuffling.
During Observation Hunt, children write long, wordy questions.
Model how to underline only the key variables (e.g., light, water) and circle the question core (e.g., ‘Do seeds need...?’) so they see that brevity strengthens clarity.
During Class Question Board, some pupils argue that feelings or past events can never be investigated.
Place two columns on the board labeled ‘Testable now’ and ‘Testable with evidence’; let the class vote by moving post-its and discuss historical examples like ‘Did volcanoes erupt in Roman times?’ versus ‘Do volcanoes erupt today?’
Methods used in this brief