Asking Scientific Questions

Active learning works well for this topic because asking scientific questions requires students to practice critical thinking through discussion and hands-on tasks. When students sort, debate, and write, they engage with the abstract concepts of testability and falsifiability in ways that lectures cannot match.

• Year 5
• Science
• 4 activities
• 20 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify given questions as either scientific or non-scientific based on their testability.
2. Formulate a testable hypothesis for a given observation using an 'If...then...' structure.
3. Explain why a hypothesis must be falsifiable to enable scientific investigation.
4. Analyze an observation and generate a relevant scientific question that could be investigated.
5. Evaluate the suitability of a hypothesis for a given experiment, considering its falsifiability.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Sorting Game: Testable Questions

Prepare cards with 20 mixed questions about everyday phenomena. In small groups, students sort into 'testable' and 'non-testable' piles and write justifications for three choices each. Groups share one example with the class for whole-class vote.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between a scientific question and a general question.

Facilitation Tip: During the Sorting Game, circulate and ask guiding questions like 'How could you measure that?' to push students toward testability criteria.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Pairs Workshop: Observation to Hypothesis

Pairs observe simple setups like sinking objects or plant responses. They write one testable question and matching 'If... then...' hypothesis. Pairs swap with neighbours for feedback on testability.

Prepare & details

Construct a testable hypothesis for a given observation.

Facilitation Tip: For the Pairs Workshop, provide sentence stems for hypotheses to support students who need structure before moving to independent writing.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 35 min·Whole Class

Debate Circle: Falsifiable Hypotheses

Whole class sits in a circle. Present five sample hypotheses; students vote thumbs up or down on falsifiability and suggest tests. Rotate speaker roles to ensure all contribute.

Prepare & details

Justify why a hypothesis needs to be falsifiable.

Facilitation Tip: In the Debate Circle, assign roles such as 'skeptic' or 'supporter' to ensure all students contribute and engage with the concept of falsifiability.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 20 min·Small Groups

Chain Reaction: Question Relay

In small groups, one student observes a photo or object and states a question. Next adds a hypothesis; continue around group. Groups present strongest chain to class.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between a scientific question and a general question.

Facilitation Tip: In the Chain Reaction activity, model how to build on a peer’s question by adding 'How might we test this?' to encourage progression.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should avoid presenting scientific questions as a set of rules to memorize. Instead, use real-world examples and student-generated questions to build understanding. Research shows that students learn best when they grapple with the purpose behind testability and falsifiability, rather than just labeling questions as 'good' or 'bad.'

What to Expect

Students will confidently distinguish between general and testable questions, craft hypotheses from observations, and explain why hypotheses need to be falsifiable. They should support their ideas with evidence during discussions and justify their choices in writing activities.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Sorting Game, watch for students treating all natural-world questions as scientific.

What to Teach Instead

Pause the activity after the first round and ask groups to share how they decided if a question was testable. Highlight criteria like measurability and control of variables.

Common Misconception

During the Pairs Workshop, watch for students writing hypotheses that sound like random guesses.

What to Teach Instead

Provide a model hypothesis like 'If we add sugar to the water, then the plant will grow taller because sugar provides energy.' Have pairs compare their work to this structure.

Common Misconception

During the Debate Circle, watch for students assuming that a hypothesis must always be correct.

What to Teach Instead

Introduce the phrase 'disprove the hypothesis' and ask students to brainstorm what evidence would disprove their group’s hypothesis.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Sorting Game, provide students with three cards, each containing a question. One card has a scientific question, one has a general question, and one has a non-testable question. Ask students to sort the cards and write one sentence explaining their choice for the scientific question.

Quick Check

During the Pairs Workshop, present students with a simple observation, such as 'I noticed that my shadow is longer in the morning than in the afternoon.' Ask them to write a scientific question related to this observation and then formulate a testable hypothesis using the 'If...then...' structure.

Discussion Prompt

After the Debate Circle, pose the following scenario: 'A scientist hypothesizes that 'All birds can fly.' Ask students: 'Is this hypothesis falsifiable? Why or why not? What kind of evidence would you need to find to prove this hypothesis wrong?' Facilitate a class discussion on the importance of falsifiability in scientific inquiry.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to create a testable question and hypothesis about an everyday object, then trade with a partner to refine it.
• Scaffolding: Provide a word bank of measurable verbs (e.g., 'increase,' 'decrease,' 'compare') and units (e.g., 'centimeters,' 'seconds') for students to reference when forming hypotheses.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research a historical scientific question, such as 'What causes disease?' and trace how the question evolved from untestable to testable over time.

Key Vocabulary

Scientific Question	A question that can be answered through observation, experimentation, or measurement. It leads to a testable investigation.
Hypothesis	A testable prediction or proposed explanation for an observation, often written in an 'If...then...' format. It is an educated guess about the outcome of an experiment.
Testable	Able to be investigated through observation or experimentation. A testable question or hypothesis can be examined to see if it is likely to be true or false.
Falsifiable	Capable of being proven wrong through evidence or experimentation. A hypothesis must be falsifiable so that an experiment can potentially disprove it.
Observation	The act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way. Observations form the basis for scientific questions and hypotheses.