Science · Year 6

Active learning ideas

Formulating Testable Questions

Active learning works for this topic because students need to practice distinguishing vague curiosity from precise enquiry. Sorting, refining, and critiquing questions helps them internalize the structure of testable enquiry through repeated, scaffolded exposure.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS2: Science - Working scientifically

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 30 min · Pairs

Sorting Sort: Testable or Not?

Provide cards with 20 sample questions, half testable and half not. In pairs, students sort them into categories, then justify choices using criteria posters. Pairs share one example with the class for group vote.

Explain the characteristics of a good scientific question.

Facilitation Tip

For the Sorting Sort, prepare two labeled boxes and have students physically move question cards to model the decision process.

What to look for

Present students with three broad questions (e.g., 'Do animals sleep?', 'Is the sky blue?', 'Does exercise help?'). Ask them to choose one and rewrite it as a specific, testable question, identifying the independent and dependent variables.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 25 min · Small Groups

Question Relay Race: Refinement Chain

Teams line up; first pupil writes a broad question on a card, passes to next who refines it into testable form. Continue until testable, then teams present final versions and explain changes.

Critique examples of questions to determine if they are testable.

Facilitation Tip

During the Question Relay Race, set a visible timer and call out the next student only when the previous pair has agreed on a refined question.

What to look for

In pairs, students write a testable question about a given topic (e.g., 'dissolving substances'). They then swap questions and use a checklist to evaluate: Is it a question? Can it be investigated with a fair test? Are variables clear? They provide one suggestion for improvement.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 45 min · Small Groups

Gallery Critique Walk: Peer Review Stations

Students write one broad and one testable question on posters, place around room. Groups rotate, adding sticky notes with feedback on testability. Debrief as whole class on common improvements.

Construct a testable question from a general area of interest.

Facilitation Tip

At the Gallery Critique Walk, provide sticky notes so peers can leave specific, written feedback on each poster rather than verbal comments only.

What to look for

Provide students with a scenario describing a simple investigation (e.g., testing which paper airplane flies furthest). Ask them to write down the testable question the investigation is trying to answer and explain why it is a good scientific question.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Carousel Brainstorm
• 20 min · Individual

Personal Enquiry Builder: From Wonder to Test

Individually, pupils list three interests, then convert one to a testable question using a worksheet template. Share in pairs for quick peer check before class discussion.

Explain the characteristics of a good scientific question.

Facilitation Tip

In the Personal Enquiry Builder, give each student a planning sheet with three columns: wonder, testable question, and variables, to scaffold their thinking step-by-step.

What to look for

Present students with three broad questions (e.g., 'Do animals sleep?', 'Is the sky blue?', 'Does exercise help?'). Ask them to choose one and rewrite it as a specific, testable question, identifying the independent and dependent variables.

• Remember
• Understand
• Analyze
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should model the process explicitly by thinking aloud as they reword a broad question into a testable one. Avoid rushing to the ‘right answer’; instead, allow students to struggle with wording and revise. Research suggests that repeated cycles of drafting, peer critique, and revision build stronger enquiry skills than single-step corrections.

By the end of the activities, students will confidently transform broad questions into specific, fair-test hypotheses with clear variables. They will also be able to justify their choices using scientific language and peer feedback.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Sorting Sort, watch for students assuming any question starting with ‘why’ is testable.

  Have students highlight the verb in each question and ask, ‘Can we measure the answer to this?’ If not, prompt them to reword it as a ‘how’ or ‘does’ question using the provided examples.

• During Question Relay Race, watch for students believing that testable questions require advanced equipment.

  Ask teams to list the materials they would use and identify which are everyday items, then discuss how fair testing depends on control, not complexity.

• During Gallery Critique Walk, watch for students labeling all interesting questions as scientific.

  Provide a checklist at each station that asks peers to mark whether the question can be answered with data; if not, students must suggest a rephrasing together.

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Methods used in this brief

• Carousel Brainstorm