Skill companion: Asking Questions and Predicting (Year 3) -- reusable science scaffolds

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Skill companion · Year 3 Scienceseegongsik /au

Asking Questions and Predicting: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one science skill: pose a testable question and make a prediction with a reason. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you already teach.

AC9S3I01

pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations

What a skill companion is

Inquiry and human-endeavour skills grow inside Year 3 science topics such as living things, soils and rocks, heat and temperature, and solids and liquids. This pack is not a full term. It is three reusable scaffolds, a pairing map, and a short stand-alone lesson.

Start here: five minutes

Read the pairing map on the next page.
Print scaffolds 1 and 2 when a lesson needs this skill.
Cut out scaffold 3 cards once; reuse all year.
Open the free interactive unit when you want a worked example on the board.
Run the mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill on its own.

No science background needed

Written for the busy generalist teacher. Plain words, model answers, and look-fors are on the answer sheet.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. On screen, work through: “Frame the question: change only one thing”; “Decide what to measure before you start”; “Spot the reading to check again”; “Weigh the evidence for the prediction”; Each scaffold turns one of those moves into paper work.

seegongsik.com/au/y3/inquiry/AC9S3I01

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S3I01). Original material from seegongsik, not endorsed by ACARA. Descriptors (c) ACARA, CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

Where the skill fitsPairing map

Slot the skill into your science lessons

Fold this skill into the science you already teach. The map shows a pattern or need, a prompt, and which scaffold to reach for.

When you teach	Pattern or need	Prompt	Scaffold
Living and Non-living (AC9S3U01)	Some things grow and need food and water	Do all living things need water?	Planner + prediction
Heat and Temperature (AC9S3U03)	Warm things cool when heat leaves	Does ice melt faster on a sunny sill?	Planner + prediction
Solids and Liquids (AC9S3U04)	Ice melts when heat is added	Does chocolate melt faster in a warm hand?	Planner + prediction
Soils and Rocks (AC9S3U02)	Some soils hold more water	Does sandy soil drain faster than clay?	Planner + prediction

On-screen pictures that back the skill

“Frame the question: change only one thing”.
“Decide what to measure before you start”.
“Spot the reading to check again”.
“Weigh the evidence for the prediction”.

Scaffold 1 · Question plannerOne per child

Question planner

NameClassDate

I noticed... My question is... Use this sheet whenever the skill shows up in a science lesson.

What I notice or need

My plan or question

What I will keep the same / measure / say

Teacher note: collect one strong example for the word wall of science words.

Scaffold 2 · Prediction frameOne per child

Prediction frame

NameClassDate

I think... because I have seen...

Before

Draw it

After

Did it work as I thought?Yes □ Nearly □ No □

Scaffold 3 · Testable or not cardsReuse all year

Testable or not cards

Sort questions you can test from opinions Cut out and sort. Talk about why.

Does ice melt faster in the sun than in the shade?

Which colour is the prettiest?

Do all metal spoons feel cold at first touch?

Is a rainbow happy?

Does a plant grow taller with more light?

Which pet is the cutest?

Does warm water dissolve sugar faster than cold?

Does a heavier rock sink faster in water?

Which song is the best?

Answer key is on the answers sheet so cards stay uncluttered.

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

Question and prediction clinic

Teach the skill on its own before folding it into a science topic. About 30 minutes. Uses the three scaffolds in this pack.

We are learning to

pose a testable question and make a prediction with a reason,
use the pack scaffolds with a real science example,
say the idea in Year 3 words.

Success criteria

I can use one scaffold without copying a friend.
I can explain the skill in one short sentence.

You need

scaffolds 1-3 from this pack,
the free interactive unit on the board,
everyday materials named on the pairing map for your chosen topic.

Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)

5 min	Hook Open the board picture and name the skill in plain words. Ask: “What are we practising today, in one sentence?”
10 min	Scaffold 3 sort Tables sort the cut-out cards and justify two choices to a partner.
10 min	Scaffold 1 and 2 Each child fills scaffold 1, then scaffold 2, linked to one Year 3 science topic.
5 min	Exit sentence Write one sentence: Today I learned to... Ask: “Who will share a clear science sentence?”

Split into two 15-minute blocks if needed: sort first, then write.

On the board

Use “Frame the question: change only one thing” as the lead picture. Step through the other board pictures if time allows.

seegongsik.com/au/y3/inquiry/AC9S3I01

Watch for

Opinion dressed up as a test -- send them back to the cards.
Scaffold filled with no science word -- prompt heat, living, soil, solid as fits the topic.

Answers and look-fors

See the answers sheet for card keys and model responses.
Meeting the idea: a child can name the skill and point to evidence on their scaffold.

Answers · For the teacherModel responses

Answers and look-fors

Scaffold 3 cards

Card	Fit?	Why
Does ice melt faster in the sun than in the shade?	Yes	You can time two ice cubes in sun and shade.
Which colour is the prettiest?	No	Prettiest is an opinion.
Do all metal spoons feel cold at first touch?	Yes	You can touch many spoons and record how they feel.
Is a rainbow happy?	No	A rainbow does not have feelings.
Does a plant grow taller with more light?	Yes	You can grow plants with more or less light and measure.
Which pet is the cutest?	No	Cutest is an opinion.
Does warm water dissolve sugar faster than cold?	Yes	You can time sugar dissolving in warm and cold water.
Does a heavier rock sink faster in water?	Yes	You can drop two rocks of different mass and compare.
Which song is the best?	No	Best is an opinion.

Three levels

Idea	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Use the skill	needs heavy support	uses the scaffold with a science example	transfers the skill to a new topic unprompted
Evidence	guess only	links a claim to something observed or measured	compares two pieces of evidence
Science words	everyday words only	uses one or two unit words correctly	explains a word to a partner

Model exit sentence: “Today I learned to pose a testable question and make a prediction with a reason.”

Pair answers with the Year 3 U unit you folded the skill into that week.