Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to ask scientific questions and make predictions based on your observations.

Materials and Prep

• Pencil and paper
• A notebook or journal
• A computer or tablet with internet access (optional)

No prior knowledge or preparation is required for this lesson.

Activities

1. Observe and Question: Take a walk outside or find a comfortable spot near a window. Observe your surroundings and ask yourself questions about what you see. Write down at least five questions that come to mind. For example, you might wonder why leaves change color in the fall or why birds migrate.

2. Predict and Investigate: Choose one of the questions you wrote down and make a prediction about the answer. Think about what you already know and make an educated guess. Then, conduct research using books or the internet to find out the answer to your question. Write down your prediction and the actual answer.

3. Experiment and Predict: Think of a simple experiment you can conduct at home to test a hypothesis. For example, you could investigate whether plants grow better with or without sunlight by placing two identical plants in different locations. Make a prediction about the outcome of your experiment and write it down. Carry out the experiment and record your observations.

Talking Points

• Asking Scientific Questions: Science is all about curiosity and asking questions. By asking questions, we can explore the world around us and try to understand how things work. Remember, there are no silly questions in science!

• Making Predictions: Predictions are educated guesses about what we think will happen based on our observations and knowledge. They help guide our investigations and experiments.

• Researching and Investigating: When we have a question, it's important to investigate and gather information to find the answer. We can use books, articles, or reliable websites to conduct our research.

• Conducting Experiments: Experiments allow us to test our predictions and gather evidence to support or reject our hypotheses. Remember to keep your experiments fair and controlled, changing only one variable at a time.

• Recording and Observing: It's important to record our observations and findings during our investigations. This helps us keep track of what we've learned and compare our predictions to the actual outcomes.