Science · Year 5

Active learning ideas

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.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• NC-KS2-Science-WorkingScientifically-Y5-2

• 20–35 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with three cards, each containing a question. One card has a scientific question (e.g., 'Does the temperature of water affect how fast an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolves?'), one has a general question (e.g., 'What is the best colour for a car?'), and one has a non-testable question (e.g., 'Are dogs happier than cats?'). Ask students to sort the cards and write one sentence explaining their choice for the scientific question.

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

Activity 02

• 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.

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.

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 03

• 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.

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.

What to look for

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.

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

Activity 04

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with three cards, each containing a question. One card has a scientific question (e.g., 'Does the temperature of water affect how fast an Alka-Seltzer tablet dissolves?'), one has a general question (e.g., 'What is the best colour for a car?'), and one has a non-testable question (e.g., 'Are dogs happier than cats?'). Ask students to sort the cards and write one sentence explaining their choice for the scientific question.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.'

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.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

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

  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.

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

  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.

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

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

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle