Planning an Investigation: Question
Science: Year 5 & 6 National Curriculum, topic 11.3.1
Planning an Investigation: Question
When you want to find out something in science, you need to plan your investigation carefully.
Planning your question
- Think carefully about the question you want to answer. Ask yourself:
- Is it the kind of question that can be answered scientifically?
- Is the question clear enough to be answered?
Bad investigation questions
- ‘Which toy car is the best?’ is difficult to answer.
- We will have different ideas about what ‘best’ means. 'Best' is an opinion.
Good investigation questions
- ‘How does changing the weight of a toy car affect how far it travels after rolling down a slope?’ is a testable question.
- We can measure the results and agree on the measurement.
Test yourself on Planning an Investigation: Question
Which quality makes a good investigation question?
What is it important to do before you start an experiment?
When should you plan the investigation?
What are good scientific questions?