Section 1: What sort of questions can be investigated scientifically?
Children:
- suggest questions for investigation
- identify and explain which questions can be answered through scientific enquiry
- suggest and explain why a strategy is or is not appropriate for a particular question
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Section 2: Using and evaluating a way of finding out how much of an apple is water
Children:
- suggest an appropriate way of determining the dry mass of an apple,
eg through research or by carrying out preliminary work
- explain why each step in their technique is necessary
- use suitable apparatus,
eg an oven, digital balance, and carry out procedures safely
- calculate the percentage of water in an apple
- evaluate the accuracy of their technique
- explain why plants have a high percentage of water
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Section 3: Using a model and data from a fair test to find out why elephants throw water over themselves
Children:
- describe how they used preliminary work with a model to decide what to measure and the number of measurements to be taken
- read and record measurements accurately
- record data on a graph and draw an appropriate curve/line to fit data
- describe the patterns in the data,
eg by describing the similarities and differences in the two cooling curves
- evaluate the conclusions by considering how good the model and the data were
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Section 4: Carrying out a survey, using a suitable sample size, to find out how the moisture level in the soil affects the variety and abundance of plants on the school field
Children:
- suggest an approach which will allow them to collect enough data, in the time available, to consider the effect of moisture levels on the variety and abundance of plants on the school field
- identify other factors which might affect the variety and abundance of plants and say whether they were able to take these into account
- make relevant observations when collecting data
- record data clearly
- identify how strongly the results show a trend, making particular reference to sample size and effect of other factors
- interpret results using knowledge about competition for resources
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Section 5: Developing a classification system for a variety of plants that grow in and around water
Children:
- search for information and decide which sources of information have appropriate levels of detail to classify plants
- select features of different plants to develop a classification system
- apply a classification system
- explain results by identifying why plants in the same group or set share characteristics
- evaluate the quality of the classification system
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Section 6: Using secondary sources to develop and test hypotheses about factors that might affect the pH of rainwater
Children:
- suggest factors that might affect the pH of rainwater
- explain why it is appropriate to use secondary sources
- select appropriate data from appropriate sources
- search for patterns in data
- describe any patterns found
- present the evidence they used to identify patterns
- evaluate their data in terms of the quality of the source of information and the limitations of their own selection of evidence
- use their scientific knowledge to explain results
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Section 7: Concluding the unit on investigating scientific questions
Children:
- describe the different methods used to answer questions and recognise some similarities and differences in the methods used
- justify or challenge conclusions, taking into account the limitations of the evidence produced and the quality of the data or product
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