In this activity, the main learning comes from generating, discussing and improving questions. Natural materials and water act as a stimulus for curiosity, not as the focus of extended testing. Spend most of the time supporting pupils to pose questions, identify keywords and decide which questions are testable, rather than carrying out investigations.

Explore

Display the Presentation: Curiosity: What’s your question? Read through the slides with the class. For each question slide (slides 2–7), pause and discuss:

All pupils:

• What is the question keyword? (Which, what, does, is, how, why.)
• Can you improve the question? (Answers will vary.)

Key stage focus:

• KS1: What does the question help us find out?
• LKS2: Does this question help us explain something?
• UKS2: Could we test this question fairly?

Answers are included for interest only. Pupils are not expected to answer the questions; the focus is on how different question words shape scientific thinking.

Cover as a minimum:

• KS1: what and which.
• LKS2: what, which, does, is.
• UKS2: what, which, does, is, how, why.

All classes then move to an outdoor space to collect natural materials such as grass, leaves, twigs, stones, soil, sand, pinecones and conkers. If outdoor access is limited, collect materials from a garden or park in advance and place them around a large indoor space, such as a hall, for the children to collect.

Question

Children use the natural materials they have collected to generate their own questions. Each Key stage uses different question prompts to facilitate the development of posing question skills.

Assess

Pupils sort their questions by identifying keywords and deciding which questions can be investigated using their Super Science skills, also known as enquiry types (see the Resource: Super Science skills poster or the Resource: Scientific enquiry types poster and the Teacher video: Scientific enquiry types *subscription/free trial needed to view the video). They learn that scientists do not investigate every question but choose those that are testable, and discuss which enquiry types could be used to test selected questions.

The enquiry type used in an investigation is influenced by the question being asked, but it is also shaped by how pupils choose to explore that question. The same question can sometimes be explored in different ways, leading to different enquiry types.

What matters is:

• Which variables are changed or controlled.
• What is observed or measured.
• Whether results are compared fairly or analysed for patterns.

Therefore, pupils need to consider not only ‘What is our question?’ but also ‘How might we try to answer it?’

Focus question

All year groups then select a single question to be investigated:

• Year 1 and 2:  Which natural materials float and which sink?
• Year 3 and 4: Is there a pattern in the types of natural materials that float?
• Year 5 and 6: How does changing the shape of a natural object affect floating and sinking?

Test

Methodology varies depending on the question; see Resource: Teacher guide: British Science Week for more details.

Reflect

Pupils reflect on what they found out, how easy it was to investigate their question and what new questions their findings raise. They learn that in science, answering questions often leads to further questions.

Extend

The activity can be extended by selecting one of the example further questions to test or by writing up observations and conclusions (see Resource: Teacher guide: British Science Week for more details).

Key Vocabulary for KS1

Key Vocabulary for KS2