1.

WHAT IS SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION

Investigating in primary science means that you have to carry out a fair test, but
this is not the only element. There are many other important decisions which need
to be made as part of investigation:

Investigators make decision about:

What to change
What to measure
What to keep the same
How they collect data, particularly numerical data
How to observe or measure the effect of what has changed.
How to record data
How to make sense of the results
How believable or valid their data is.

2. DO I HAVE TO TEACH EVERYTHING THROUGH INVESTIGATION.

Investigation is just one type of activity in science, albeit a very important one.
However, there are a number of other activities which are also important to
primary science and these should not be neglected.

The central feature of investigation is that you always change something and
measure the effect that it has on something else.

3. WHAT ARE VARIABLES?

The key variables in an investigation are the things you decide to change and to
measure.

SCIENTIFIC TERMINOLOGY
a. Manipulated variables / Independent variables / What to change

Think of these;
What might affect the shadow?
What might affect the ice cube to melt fast?

b. Responding Variables / Dependent variables / What to measure

Think of these;
How the shadow might change
The time the ice cube takes to melt

c. Control variables / What to keep the same

What to keep the same to make it fair.
Something that can influence you experiment

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4. WHAT DOES O COMPLETE INVESTIGATION LOOK LIKE?
This example describes the decisions made during the torch investigation. By
following the key variables through the investigation you will see how they are a
central features of the process.

WHAT AFFECT THE SIZE OF THE SHADOW? [ More open]

THE DISTANCE OF THE OBJECT FROM THE LIGHT AFFECT THE SIZE
OF A SHADOW. [Close experiment] Manipulative and Responding Variables are
pre-defined

TORCH AND SHADOW

A. Deciding on key variables

What will you change? DISTANCE OF THE TORCH

FROM THE OBJECT

What will you measure? LENGTH OF THE SHADOW

B. Asking questions
DISTANCE OF THE TORCH
What will you find out? When I change the FROM THE OBJECT

…what will happen to the SIZE OF THE SHADOW

C. Predicting or hypothesising
THE SIZE OF THE SHADOW WILL BE
What do you think will happen?
BIGGER IF I PUT THE OBJECT CLOSE TO
THE TORCH
D. Planning and design the test
I will put the torch at these distances
What value will you give the
away from the object: 5cm, 10cm,
Manipulated variables?
15cm 20cm and 25cm

I will measure the length of the

What equipment will you use to?
shadow with a 30mcm ruler
measure the responding variables

How will you make it fair? I will keep the same:

I use the same object
I will keep the pencil the same position.
I will keep the torch the same angle
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 E. Recording the results

How will you show what happen? I will use a table of results

DISTANCE OF LENGTH OF THE

TORCH FROM SHADOW
OBJECT
5cm 13.2cm
10cm 12.3cm
15cm 11.1cm
20cm 10cm
25cm 9.9cm

F. Finding patterns in result LENGTH

OF SHADOW
14

13

12

11

10

5 10 15 20 25
DISTANCE OF THE
OBJECT FROM
HE TORCH

I noticed that as the DISTANCE OF THE TORCH

FROM THE OBJECT gets longer the LENGTH OF
THE SHADOW gets shorter

G Making sense of the result I think I was right and the further the torch from the
object, the shorter the length of the shadow because less
light blocked.

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6. As we have seen variables are central features of investigation. Helping children to
identify variables can also be the key to other aspects of an investigation such as the
use of tables and graphs. The following is a method used to highlight the role of
variables in an investigation. The blank box in the diagrams indicate the places on
which to stick a “post it” or piece of card with blue tack’ on which you can list the
manipulated and responding variables. These labels can then be moved easily from
poster to poster and the poster themselves re-used as often as you like.

Brainstorming Deciding what to do

Things I could change Things I could change

Things I could measure or observe

Things I could measure or observe

I will keep these the same

Asking a Question Table of result

When I change

What I change
What I change What I measure

What will happen to ?

What I measure

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 Graphs of result Finding patterns in result

What happened to?

What I measure What I measure

When I change ?

What I measure

What I change

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 TEACHING HOW TO INVESTIGATE

1. It is very important for pupils to have opportunities to combine all their skills
together in a complete investigation. It is therefore worth looking at each of the
skill and turn to see how they can be taught.

2. Good questioning is the most affective way of helping children learn how to
improve their skills. Therefore teachers needs to model effective questions.

3. RAISING QUESTIONS/ ENABLING QUESTION

WHY RAISE QUESTION?

Without a question, or an idea to test, there is no investigation, so finding ways to
help children raise their own questions is very important. When children test out
their own ideas they feel as if they own the investigation. This increases their
motivation.

a. Class room activities to help children learn how to raise questions.

Ask children to think up a set of question using one of these approaches.

Brainstorming.
Pin the questions on question board.
Create a set of question cards.
Make a list of question what I want to know.

b. It is often hard to find ways that help children make their own suggestions for
investigation. One way of getting started is for you to decide what is to be
measured and then ask tem to suggest the things could be change.

c. Begin with demonstration.

I have decided that the children should measure the distance traveled by a toy
Car so I ask this question:
HOW COULD YOU MAKE THIS TOY CAR GO FURTHER..

Possible answers: MAKE THE RAMP HIGHER.

TRY IT ON SMOOTHER SURFACE.

4. PREDICTING AND HYPOTHESISING.

It helps to focus on the key variables.

Give clues to the measurement that should be taken.

a. Classroom activities to help children learn to predict.

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 Work in group to write down 3-4 things they know about scientific context
they will be investigating. Ask them to swap the list with other group.
Example: Thing they know about melting of ice.

b. Write their predictions. How to make ice cube melt faster.

c. Give groups of children a list of control.

Provide them negative clues and let them think about it whether it is a fair test
or not.
Example: If you put a big spoon of sugar in glass and a small spoonful in
the other. Is it fair?

If you put the toy car in the middle of the ramp and then put it on the
top of the ramp. Is it fair?

5. MEASURING.

Why measure?
As you change something you must measure (or observe) what happen in order to
see the effect of the change.

a. You should encourage children to progress from direct comparison to non –

standard measurement to standard measurement.
b. Children need to be shown how to measure and how to read scales.
c. Discuss benefits of using standard measurement
d. Provide them with measurement apparatus and tell them how to use it.

6. CONSTRUCTING AND USING TABLES.

Why use tables?

Tables are great organizers.
Tables convey a lot of information with little writing

a. Classroom activities to help children to learn about tables.

Work backward from table to investigations.
Look at other ways of recording result.
Provide them with result and encourage pupils to put the result in table.

7. CONSTRUCTING AND USING GRAPH AND CHARTS.

Why use graph and charts?

Enable pupils to se how manipulated variable effect the responding variables.
Give pupils picture of information they have collected and help them to see
pattern.
Help them to develop their understanding by relating patterns and trends.

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 a. Classroom activities to help children to learn about graphs and charts.
Group brainstorming.
Work back from a graph/chart to the beginning of the investigation.
Transfer information from the table of result to graphs/charts.

8. EXPLAINING RESULT.

Why explain result?

Help pupil to make sense of an activity.
Enable pupils to see how their evidence related to their hypothesis.

a. Classroom activities to help children learn to explain their result

Good questioning helps children to think about their result.
Examples:
Is there Pattern in your result?
What do you think your result tell you?
What have you learned from you investigation?

b. Asking more specific questions from the graph.

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9. PLANNING USING A PLANNING BOARD.

Example of planning using a planning board.

SCINCETIFIC INVESTIGATION PLANNING BOARD

Partly prepare the question Our question When we change the size of the ice
leaving one blank cubes how long they take to melt.

This is the table

Partly prepare the table. Where we will Size of ice How long it takes
What to change put our result. cube to melt
What to measure small
medium
large

Advise suitable values for We will make it place In classroom

control variables Fair by keeping beaker
These the same

Beaker, ice cube, stops watch

Provide the with different We will use this
type of equipment and guide Equipment
them on what to use

The smaller ice cube will melt faster

Only ask pupils to predict This is what we then the bigger ice cube
what will happen when they thing will
happen
know the detail plan.

Either give them this This is the A bar chart

information to pupils or let graph we use
them use the chart to make
their decision

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10 REPORTING USING A REPORTING BOARD
SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATION REPORT

Our complete Size of ice cube How long does it takes to

result: melt
Small 4 min
Medium 10 min
Large 15 min

Our graph How long does

Result. it take to
melt. 1 5min

10 min

5 min

Small Medium Large

Size of ice cube

This is what The small ice cube melted faster then the bigger ice
our result tell us cube

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