Key Resource: Tools for planning and carrying out investigations in Science

Step 1 - Brainstorming or getting ideas

Planning [1]
What could we investigate

What could we measure or observe?

This table is made available to the children. This may be put up on the wall as a poster or written on the board. The teacher then initiates a class discussion on the investigation topic.

Planning [1]
What could we investigate
light    temperature    quantity of medium
       acid rain       seed typecloseness of seeds
What could we measure or observe?
lightTemperaturevolume of water

This table is made available to the children. This may be put up on the wall as a poster or written on the board. The teacher then initiates a class discussion on the investigation topic.

Example: Investigation into factors that affect germination and growth.

The teacher may begin by reminding the children about what germination means, then pose the question: What affects germination? The purpose of the investigation is to discover if and how a particular factor affects germination in a particular plant, e.g. cress.

The children are asked to suggest any factor that might affect the germination of cress.

Step 2 - Choosing the variables