Skill companion: Planning a Fair Test (Year 4)

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Skill companion · Year 4 Science Inquiryseegongsik /au

Planning a Fair Test: a skill companion

A small set of reusable sheets that grow one inquiry skill: planning a test with a provided scaffold, so that only one thing changes, everything else stays the same, and the materials and equipment are used safely, and then carrying the test out. Print the scaffolds once and slot them into the science lessons you are already teaching.

AC9S4I02

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 skills are not a topic of their own. They grow inside the science units a class teaches all year, such as Food Chains and Habitats, The Water Cycle, Forces, Friction and Magnets, and Properties of Materials. So this pack is not a full term of lessons. It is three reusable scaffolds, a map of where they fit, and a short stand-alone lesson for teaching the skill on its own first.

Start here: five minutes

Read the pairing map on the next page: it shows a test to plan in each Year 4 topic.
Print the fair-test planner and the safe set-up sheet, one each per group, whenever the class plans a test.
Cut out the plan cards once. They are reused all year, and the blank cards fit any topic.
Open the free interactive unit on your board when you want a worked example of the skill.
Run the one-page mini-lesson first if you want to teach the skill before folding it into a topic.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each scaffold explains itself in plain words, and the answer sheet gives the card key, a model plan, and a quick three-level guide. A fair test changes one thing on purpose, measures the result, and keeps everything else the same; in Year 4 children also plan for safety before they start.

On the board

This pack is the printable half of a free interactive unit. On screen, children press “Let it vary” until every line reads “Kept the same” in “Plan the ramp test: change one thing, keep the rest the same”, choose a way to set up the ramp in “Pick the safe way to set the ramp height”, and sort actions with “Belongs in the plan” and “Does not belong” in “Sort the actions for the ramp and car test”. Each scaffold in this pack turns one of those moves into something children do on paper.

seegongsik.com/au/y4/inquiry/AC9S4I02

Aligned to the Australian Curriculum V9 (AC9S4I02). This pack is original material from seegongsik, independently produced and not endorsed by ACARA. Curriculum content descriptors are (c) ACARA, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Free to print and use in class.

Where the skill fitsPairing map

Slot the skill into your science lessons

Every science unit has a test children can plan. This map gives one for each Year 4 topic, with what keeps it fair and what keeps it safe, and which scaffold to reach for. You do not run these as extra lessons; you fold them into the science you teach.

When you teach	A test to plan	Fair and safe	Scaffold to slot in
Food Chains and Habitats (AC9S4U01)	Do slaters move to damp soil or dry soil? (a tray with one damp end and one dry end)	Fair: the same tray, the same soil, the same number of slaters. Safe: handle them gently, put them back, wash hands	Planner, then the safe set-up sheet
The Water Cycle (AC9S4U02)	Does water evaporate faster in the sun or in the shade?	Fair: the same dishes and the same amount of water. Safe: carry with two hands, wipe spills	Planner, then the dish cards
Forces, Friction and Magnets (AC9S4U03)	Which surface lets a toy car roll furthest?	Fair: the same car, ramp height and start. Safe: a low ramp and a clear landing area	Planner, safe set-up sheet, then the ramp cards
Properties of Materials (AC9S4U04)	Which material soaks up the most water?	Fair: pieces of the same size, the same amount of water. Safe: care with scissors, wipe spills	Planner, then the safe set-up sheet
Any science topic	A question or prediction the class wants to test	Children name the one thing to change, what stays the same, and one risk	Planner first, then blank cards

The three moves, and the picture that backs each one

When you want a worked example on the board, open the interactive unit and use the picture that matches the move children are working on.

Change one thing and keep the rest the same: “Plan the ramp test: change one thing, keep the rest the same”.
Think about safety before you start: “Pick the safe way to set the ramp height”.
Tell actions that belong in the plan from ones beside the point: “Sort the actions for the ramp and car test”.

How the scaffolds build the skill

The fair-test planner is the provided scaffold the curriculum asks for: the question, the one thing to change, what to measure, what to keep the same, the equipment and the steps. The safe set-up sheet adds a risk check before the test and a results table for repeated trials during it. The plan cards sharpen the thinking behind both: which actions keep the test fair, which keep everyone safe, and which are beside the point.

Scaffold 1 · Fair-test plannerOne per group

Our fair-test plan

NameClassDate

Our question or prediction

The variables

The one thing we will change
What we will measure, and its unit
How we will measure it
Things we will keep the same

Equipment

Our steps

We will do each test this many times:

Does our plan change only one thing?Yes □Not yet □

Teacher note: a plan that changes two things at once (a new car and a new surface) cannot say which change made the difference. Ask the group which one they want to test, and keep the other the same.

Scaffold 2 · Safe set-up and resultsOne per group

Set up safely, then test

NameClassDate

A. Before we start: the safety check

Material or equipment	What could go wrong?	How we will keep safe
Example: a ramp on books	A steep ramp sends the car off the table	Rest it on one book, with a clear floor ahead

B. During the test: our results

What we changed	Trial 1	Trial 2	Trial 3	Unit

Did the three trials give about the same result?Yes □No □

A result we would test again, and why:

C. After the test

Did we keep everything the same except the one thing we changed?Yes □Not quite □

Next time we would:

Scaffold 3 · Plan cards (cut out)Reuse all year

Fair, safe, or beside the point?

Cut out the cards. Lay out the three pile cards, then a test card, and sort its action cards into the piles. Then do the same with the other test.

Keeps the test faironly the one thing changes

Keeps us safenobody and nothing gets hurt

Beside the pointneither fair nor safe

THE TESTWhich surface lets a toy car roll furthest: wood, carpet or sandpaper?Ramp

Pick a car in your favourite colour.Ramp

Use the same toy car on every surface.Ramp

Keep the landing area clear of bags and chairs.Ramp

Let the car go from the same spot each time, without pushing.Ramp

Rest the ramp on one book, not a tall stack of books.Ramp

Write another action:

Ramp

THE TESTDoes water evaporate faster from a dish in the sun or a dish in the shade?Dishes

Put the same amount of water in each dish.Dishes

Wipe up spilt water straight away so nobody slips.Dishes

Choose dishes with a pretty pattern.Dishes

Use two dishes of the same size and shape.Dishes

Carry each dish with two hands, and walk.Dishes

Write another action:

Dishes

Teacher note: the answer sheet lists each card’s pile, and why. Some actions help in two ways; accept a second pile when the child can explain it.

Mini-lesson · Teacher planAbout 30 minutes

Plan it, check it, test it

Use this stand-alone lesson to teach the skill on its own, before you fold it into a science topic. One quick question, “Which surface lets a toy car roll further: the floor or a towel?”, runs the three scaffolds in one block: plan with the planner, check safety and record trials on the set-up sheet, then sort the plan cards.

We are learning to

plan a test with a provided scaffold,
change one thing, measure the result and keep everything else the same,
think about the safe use of materials and equipment before we start.

Success criteria

I can name the one thing we change, what we measure and what we keep the same.
I can name a risk in our test and say how we will keep safe.

You need

a toy car, a stiff board for a ramp, one book, a towel and a tape measure,
the fair-test planner and the safe set-up sheet (scaffolds 1 and 2), one each per group,
the ramp cards from scaffold 3, one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
the free interactive unit on your board, if you have one (optional).

Lesson flow (about 30 minutes)

5 min	What makes it fair? Pose the question. Ask what would make the test unfair, and list the ideas. Ask: “If I push the car on the floor but only let it go on the towel, is that fair?”
10 min	Plan it Groups fill the fair-test planner. Show the board (see the box). Ask: “What will you keep the same? How will you measure how far it rolls?”
10 min	Check it, test it Groups fill Part A of the set-up sheet. Then one group runs three trials on each surface while everyone records Part B. Ask: “What could go wrong here? Who could get hurt, and how do we stop it?”
5 min	Sort the cards Tables sort the ramp cards into the three piles. Ask: “Does this action keep the test fair, keep us safe, or neither?”

Running it shorter? Stop after Plan it, and run the test with the set-up sheet in your next science lesson.

On the board

For a worked example, open the unit and press “Let it vary” on each line of “Plan the ramp test: change one thing, keep the rest the same” until all three read “Kept the same”. Then compare the three choices in “Pick the safe way to set the ramp height”: only one is both fair and safe.

seegongsik.com/au/y4/inquiry/AC9S4I02

Watch for these ideas

Changing two things at once, such as a new car and a new surface. Then nobody can tell which change made the difference.
Measuring a different way each time, or writing a number with no unit.
Thinking safety is only about the person doing the test, not the people nearby.

Make it easier, make it bigger

Easier: fill the planner together as a class, with the thing to change already named.
Bigger: plan the dish test from the plan cards, or a question of the group’s own, with a new risk to manage.

Answers and look-fors

The next sheet has the plan-card key, a model plan for the ramp test, and a quick three-level guide.

Answers · For the teacherModel responses

Answers and look-fors

Plan cards: which pile?

Ramp (Forces, Friction and Magnets): Which surface lets a toy car roll furthest: wood, carpet or sandpaper?

Action card	Pile	Why
Pick a car in your favourite colour.	Beside the point	The colour of the car does not change the test or keep anyone safe.
Use the same toy car on every surface.	Keeps the test fair	A different car could roll differently, so only the surface would not be the one thing changing.
Keep the landing area clear of bags and chairs.	Keeps us safe	Nobody trips chasing the car, and the car cannot hit anyone.
Let the car go from the same spot each time, without pushing.	Keeps the test fair	A push or a different start would change how far it rolls.
Rest the ramp on one book, not a tall stack of books.	Keeps us safe	A very steep ramp can launch the car off the table.

Dishes (The Water Cycle): Does water evaporate faster from a dish in the sun or a dish in the shade?

Action card	Pile	Why
Put the same amount of water in each dish.	Keeps the test fair	More water in one dish would take longer to evaporate whatever the place.
Wipe up spilt water straight away so nobody slips.	Keeps us safe	A wet floor is slippery.
Choose dishes with a pretty pattern.	Beside the point	The pattern on a dish does not change the test or keep anyone safe.
Use two dishes of the same size and shape.	Keeps the test fair	A wider dish lets water evaporate faster, so the dishes must match.
Carry each dish with two hands, and walk.	Keeps us safe	Running with a full dish can spill it or drop it.

Blank cards are marked the same way. An action can help in two ways, such as a low ramp that is safe and starts every roll alike; accept either pile with a reason.

Fair-test planner: a plan at standard (the ramp test)

Question	Which surface lets a toy car roll furthest: wood, carpet or sandpaper?
The one thing we change	The surface the car rolls onto
What we measure, and its unit	How far the car rolls past the bottom of the ramp, in centimetres
How we measure it	With a tape measure, from the bottom of the ramp to the front of the car
Things we keep the same	The car, the ramp height, the spot we let go from, letting go without a push
Safety	The ramp rests on one book; the landing area is clear; nobody stands in front of the car
Trials	Three rolls on each surface, so one odd roll does not decide the answer

Plans for other topics follow the same shape: the slater tray changes how damp the soil is and counts the slaters at each end; the dish test changes sun or shade and measures the water left; the soaking test changes the material and measures the water soaked up.

A quick three-level guide

Move	Working towards	At standard	Beyond
Plan with a scaffold	fills some boxes with help	fills the planner: question, change, measure, keep the same, steps	adds repeated trials and says why
Identify the elements of a fair test	changes more than one thing	changes one thing and keeps the rest the same	explains how an unfair test would hide the answer
Use materials and equipment safely	names a rule but not a risk	names a risk in the test and how to manage it	thinks about the people nearby, not only the tester

A child at standard plans a test that changes one thing, measures the result and keeps the rest the same, and names a risk and how to manage it. Keep the planner coming back in every topic.