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Setting up a good question is a critical first step in inquiry science. The entire inquiry process revolves around a good question, so taking time to support students to ask a good question is important! Asking questions captures students’ attention and interests and can motivate them to want to learn more. This is an opportunity for creative brainstorming sparked by curiosity and connected to what students know or wonder. Then, the inquiry question can be narrowed, focused, and made to be testable.
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🔎 What's on this page?
Coaching Tip!
Coaching Tip!
Work with teachers to support students as they develop their inquiry question. Because there are different types of scientific inquiry, discussing the level of inquiry of an investigation can support students at this “Ask Questions” stage.
Tip: Spark curiosity
Tip: Spark curiosity
This student-centered phase should be a motivational period that can create a desire to learn more about the upcoming topic.
(Learn more about the 5E Model)
Use a current event, demonstration, video clip, or visit to a location to spark interest.
Use novel questions, discrepant events, or a powerful visual to engage students.
Consider historical significance, social justice, epic phenomena, and everyday occurrences.
UDL Move:
Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity.
UDL Move:
Optimize relevance, value, and authenticity.
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💡Expand for More Inspiration & Resources
Use a hook: Start with a dramatic or compelling story, video, or image. For example, this video of a domino cascade might get students interested in energy transfer, while this view of a collapsing beach house demonstrates erosion.
Spark curiosity: Share a demonstration or share a powerful visual to spark curiosity. For example, why are some strawberries blue?
Tip: Brainstorm what learners already know
Tip: Brainstorm what learners already know
Provide context for learners to assess what they already know, uncover possible misconceptions, and surface what they are wondering or interested in.
Strive for quantity and make this about generating lots of ideas.
Brainstorm interests, wonders, or curiosities about the topic
Provide supportive questions like, “What do I already know about this topic?” and “What do I hope or want to learn about this?”
Celebrate different ways students express their ideas, such as on Post-its, verbally, images, or digital options.
UDL Move:
Connect prior knowledge to new learning.
UDL Move:
Connect prior knowledge to new learning.
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💡Expand for More Inspiration & Resources
Use graphic organizers. A KWL chart asks students to brainstorm and record what they Know, Want to know, and (eventually) have Learned about the topic. The KWL chart is used to pre-assess prior knowledge and is often referred to throughout the lesson.
Try the Bubbles in the Bathtub activity to find out what students already know
Tip: Narrow down meaningful questions
Tip: Narrow down meaningful questions
Support students to ask a meaningful question, or something they want to learn more about. These are sometimes called the driving question or anchoring event.
Discuss which questions from the brainstorm are engaging for students. What do they want to research?
Depending on the level of science inquiry, ideas could be for the entire class to investigate, or for small groups, partners, or individuals.
Try asking “what do you notice” or “what do you wonder” to narrow down ideas.
Support students to do "pre-search" (quick initial research) about their potential question to see if there is relevant information available.
UDL Move:
Highlight and explore patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships.
UDL Move:
Highlight and explore patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships.
Tip: Make the question testable
Tip: Make the question testable
Learning to ask good questions is challenging and needs continual practice. Students should be encouraged to ask “big questions” regularly and then recognize which questions are scientific.
(Learn more “The 5 Features of Science Inquiry: What Questions Do You Have?”)
Testable questions can be answered through inquiry and observation. They are about specific events that happen under specific conditions (i.e., one variable tested in certain situations) and cannot be answered with a yes or no response.
Non-testable questions are opinions or can be answered differently by different people. For example, opinions or “why” questions tend not to be testable.
Ask students,
“What will you observe or measure?”
This makes sure the question can be answered using evidence.“What is the one thing that will change in your question?”
This is the variable, the independent variable, and is typically graphed along the x-axis.“What will you measure or describe as a result of the change?”
This is the dependent variable, which is typically graphed along the y-axis.
For example, “Why doesn’t the snowman melt when I put a coat and hat on it?” is a great question that might be relevant and interesting to students, but it is not testable. It can become testable by focusing on what will change and what will be measured. If we support students to ask, “How does the temperature change when a snowman has a coat on?” there is a variable (coat on/coat off) and something to measure (temperature).
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Refer to this list of Testable Questions for Science Fair Projects to spark ideas or use in your teaching.
Testable or Non-Testable Question checker: With this tool, students list possible questions they are interested in. Then they check whether questions are testable or not.
To make a testable question, use this template: "What is the effect of [blank] on [blank]?" Example: "What is the effect of soil type on plant height?"
Tip: Set up a science notebook
Tip: Set up a science notebook
Science notebooks are places for students to brainstorm and make their thinking visible. It is an important tool to document their thinking, build on their understanding, and gather data.
(Learn more at Project Zero)
Encourage multiple means of expression, such as Post-its, Foldables, different writing and drawing tools, or digital tools.
Ensure ample space for students to brainstorm their initial ideas about the question they are going to investigate.
Recognize that early models will have misunderstandings or missing information. These are areas students can build upon as they learn.
As students progress in the investigation, encourage them to revisit their models to add new ideas and make changes based on what they are learning.
Use graphic organizers and share key vocabulary that students should start to understand.
Help students organize their science notebooks, such as having a table of contents.
UDL Move:
Use multiple media for communication.
UDL Move:
Use multiple media for communication.
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💡Expand for More Inspiration & Resources
Review this article, Models and Modeling: An Introduction to help students revisit their models as they learn more.
Use these Tips on Designing Model Scaffolds from Ambitious Science Teaching
Support students in keeping their science notebooks organized by using a table of contents.
Help students establish a connection with their notebook. If students view their science notebook as their own, it is more likely to become a tool for recording observations, reflections, and other thinking around science.
Using SNUDLE: Question Phase
Using SNUDLE: Question Phase
In SNUDLE, students have the question, big idea, and key vocabulary readily available so students can review the focus question, generate their initial ideas about the question, and review the important vocabulary.
Ready for more tips?
Ready for more tips?
Move on to the next of the 5 E's and the next phase of inquiry science!
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