Skill companion: Planning a Fair Test (Year 3) -- reusable science scaffolds

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Skill companion · Year 3 Scienceseegongsik /au

Planning a Fair Test: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one science skill: change one thing, keep the rest the same, and work safely. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you already teach.

AC9S3I02

use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment

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: “Plan the ice test: change one thing, keep the rest the same”; “Pick the safer way to warm the ice”; “Sort the actions for the bean plant test”; Each scaffold turns one of those moves into paper work.

seegongsik.com/au/y3/inquiry/AC9S3I02

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S3I02). 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
Heat and Temperature (AC9S3U03)	Ice lasts longer where less heat reaches it	Which place melts ice fastest?	Fair-test planner
Solids and Liquids (AC9S3U04)	Heat melts ice	Where does ice melt fastest?	Fair-test planner + safety
Living things (AC9S3U01)	Plants need light and water	Does more light change plant height?	Fair-test planner
Soils (AC9S3U02)	Soils hold water differently	Which soil drains fastest?	Fair-test planner

On-screen pictures that back the skill

“Plan the ice test: change one thing, keep the rest the same”.
“Pick the safer way to warm the ice”.
“Sort the actions for the bean plant test”.

Scaffold 1 · Fair-test plannerOne per child

Fair-test planner

NameClassDate

Change / keep the same / measure 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 · Safety checklistOne per child

Safety checklist

NameClassDate

Warm water only; adult pours; no flames

Before

Draw it

After

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

Scaffold 3 · Plan cardsReuse all year

Plan cards

Sort fair and unfair plans Cut out and sort. Talk about why.

Same size ice cubes in three places

One big cube and one small cube in the sun

Adult pours warm water; children watch

Children boil water on a hotplate

Same start time for every ice cube

One cube gets a head start

Same dishes for every sample

Different dishes of different colours

Wear closed shoes near spills

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

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

Plan a fair ice melt test

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

change one thing, keep the rest the same, and work safely,
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 “Plan the ice test: change one thing, keep the rest the same” as the lead picture. Step through the other board pictures if time allows.

seegongsik.com/au/y3/inquiry/AC9S3I02

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
Same size ice cubes in three places	Yes	Only the place changes.
One big cube and one small cube in the sun	No	Size also changes, so not fair.
Adult pours warm water; children watch	Yes	Safe heat source for Year 3.
Children boil water on a hotplate	No	Not safe; open heat not allowed.
Same start time for every ice cube	Yes	Keeps the test fair.
One cube gets a head start	No	Time is not the same.
Same dishes for every sample	Yes	Equipment is kept the same.
Different dishes of different colours	No	Extra variables sneak in.
Wear closed shoes near spills	Yes	Safety step.

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 change one thing, keep the rest the same, and work safely.”

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