ACARA v9 CONTENT DESCRIPTION “pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations”
Builds on earlier looking and wondering about the world. Now a wondering grows into a question you can explore, by spotting a pattern, asking about the relationship behind it, and predicting from what you have already seen.
From a pattern to a question you can explore
When you watch the world closely, you start to see patterns. Ice melts faster in a warm room than a cool one. A plant on the sunny windowsill grows taller than one in the dark corner. A pattern like this is the start of a good science question. The question asks about the relationship: does the warmer room really melt the ice faster? To explore it fairly, you change just one thing at a time, so you can tell what caused the change.
Frame the question: change only one thing
You saw ice melt faster on warm days. To explore that pattern fairly, keep everything the same except the one thing you are testing.
You put an ice cube in a warm room and an ice cube in a cool room to see which melts first. To explore the pattern fairly, hold the other things steady.
Variable being tested: How warm the room is (this one we change)
Both ice cubes are the same size
Both cubes sit on the same kind of plate
Not a fair test yet: more than one thing is changing, so you could not tell which change caused the result. Hold every other variable the same.
Predict from what you have seen
A prediction is more than a wild guess. It says what you expect, and it gives a reason based on a pattern you have already observed. You have seen ice melt faster when it is warmer. So a reasoned prediction is: the cube in the warm room will melt first. The experiment then checks whether that relationship really holds when you measure it.
Decide what to measure before you start
A good question also needs a clear thing to count or measure, chosen before you begin, so every trial gives you a number to compare.
To answer which room melts the ice faster, you must record the same thing every time, in the same way.
Variable being tested: How warm the room is (this one we change)
The number of minutes until each cube has fully melted
Not a fair test yet: more than one thing is changing, so you could not tell which change caused the result. Hold every other variable the same.
Look for the pattern in the readings
Once the question is clear and you know what to measure, you take readings and look for a pattern. Suppose you melt ice cubes in rooms that get warmer and warmer, and you measure how much water each cube made. A steady pattern would have more water as the room gets warmer. As you read the data, watch for any single reading that does not fit the rising pattern, because that is the one worth checking again before you trust it.
Spot the reading to check again
Ice cubes melted in rooms that got warmer and warmer. The amount of water each cube made was measured in millilitres. One reading does not fit the steady climb.
Click the point that does not fit the pattern of the others.
Does the evidence back the prediction?
A prediction is only worth keeping if the evidence supports it. The prediction was that a warmer room melts the ice faster. Sort each finding by whether it really tests that idea, or whether it is beside the point. Good questioning means telling real evidence apart from facts that sound related but do not check the prediction at all.
Weigh the evidence for the prediction
The prediction: a warmer room melts the ice faster. Decide which findings are evidence for it.
Claim: A warmer room melts the ice cube faster than a cooler room.
The cube in the 30 C room melted in less time than the cube in the 10 C room.
In the warmest room, the cube had fully melted while the cube in the coldest room was still mostly solid.
The cup holding the ice in the warm room was painted bright red.
Across every room, the warmer the room, the sooner the cube melted.
The experiment was done during the school lunch break.
Decide whether each statement is evidence for the claim, or not.
Why this matters
Every investigation starts with a question you can really explore. Learning to spot a pattern, to ask about the relationship behind it, and to predict from what you have seen turns everyday wondering into real science. It is the same first step a gardener, a cook or a scientist takes before any careful test.
Quick self-check
1. You notice ice melts faster on a warm day than a cool day. Which is a good science question to explore this?
2. To explore one pattern fairly, how many things should you change at a time?
3. What makes a prediction better than a plain guess?
4. Your readings climb steadily, then one reading is far too low. What should you do with that odd reading?