Year 1 Science Being a Scientist: check-up and quiz

Method. Ask what the question wants. Then pick the way that finds the answer.

1. Read the question. Think about what we need to find out.
   Which way would help you find out how wide a book is?
2. Pick the way. A width is a length, so a ruler can measure it.
   Way: measure
3. Write the answer.
   measure

Check. Measure across the book from one side to the other. ✓

Watch out. Some questions need more than one way. Choose the one that fits best.

Method. Think about which tool makes small things bigger.

1. Read the question. We want a tool that makes things look bigger.
   look bigger
2. Choose the tool. A magnifying glass has a lens that makes small things look bigger.
   magnifying glass
3. Write the answer.
   magnifying glass

Check. Look at a small thing through a magnifying glass. It looks bigger. ✓

Watch out. A ruler and a timer do not make things look bigger.

Key words. A centimetre (cm) is a unit of length. Use a ruler to measure how long something is.

Method. Line up the 0 mark with one end of the object, then read the mark at the other end.

1. Put the 0 mark at the end of the stick. Lining up at 0 makes the count start in the right place.
   stick: starts at 0
2. Read the mark at the other end. The number at the end is how long the object is.
   It ends at 7
3. Write the length, with the unit. We measure length in centimetres, which we write as cm.
   7 cm

Check. Count along the ruler from 0 to 7, one centimetre at a time. ✓

Watch out. Start at 0, not at the end of the ruler. Otherwise the answer will be wrong.

Method. Count the seconds in tens until one minute is reached.

1. Count on in tens. Each ten is ten seconds.
   10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60
2. Write the answer. The last number is the seconds in one minute.
   60

Check. Half a minute is 30 seconds, and two halves make 60. ✓

Watch out. One minute is 60 seconds.

Method. Read where each ball’s bounce reaches on the ruler, then compare.

1. Read the red ball. Find the height on the ruler where it stopped.
   red ball: 18 cm
2. Read the green ball. Find the height on the ruler where it stopped.
   green ball: 25 cm
3. Compare the heights. The higher mark on the ruler is the higher bounce.
   25 cm is higher than 18 cm
4. Write the answer.
   green ball bounced higher.

Check. Both balls were dropped from the same height, so the bounce shows which ball is bouncier. ✓

Watch out. Read the ruler at the bottom of each ball, not at the top.

Method. Check which test changes only one thing.

1. Read (a). The height and the floor are the same, so only the ball changes.
   a: one change
2. Read (b). Two things change: the ball and the height.
   b: two changes
3. Write the answer.
   a

Check. Only one thing changes in test (a). ✓

Watch out. A fair test changes only one thing.

Method. Think about which thing is a fruit.

1. Look at each thing. A carrot is a vegetable, and a cup is not food.
   carrot and cup: not fruit
2. Find the fruit. An apple grows on a tree and is a fruit.
   apple: fruit
3. Write the answer.
   apple

Check. Two of the things are not fruit. ✓

Watch out. Fruits grow on plants and have seeds inside.

Method. Add the counts together to find how many there are in all.

1. Read each count. Each row has its own count.
   red cars: 4, blue cars: 6
2. Add them together. The total is all of them added up.
   4 + 6 = 10
3. Write the answer.
   10 cars

Check. Add them in a different order to check: you still get 10. ✓

Watch out. Make sure you add every row, and that no row is missed.

Method. Think of a question that you can answer by trying something.

1. Choose something to test. A towel can be tested by wetting it and timing how fast it dries.
   towels
2. Make it a question. Start with “Which” so it can be answered by a test.
   Which towel dries the fastest?
3. Check it. We can answer it with a timer and a fair test.
   Which towel dries the fastest?

Check. Make the test fair by keeping the same amount of water. ✓

Watch out. The question must be one that a test can answer.

Method. Think about what an idea about the future is called.

1. Read the sentence. Mia says what she thinks will happen, before the test.
   before the test
2. Name the idea. An idea about what will happen is called a prediction.
   prediction
3. Write the answer.
   a prediction

Check. We can check the prediction after the test. ✓

Watch out. A prediction is an idea before we test.

Method. Think about which tool measures length.

1. Read the question. We want the tool that measures length.
   length
2. Choose the tool. A ruler measures length in centimetres.
   ruler
3. Write the answer.
   ruler

Check. A timer measures time, not length. ✓

Watch out. A ruler is for length. A timer is for time.

Method. Half a minute is half of 60 seconds.

1. Start with a minute. A minute has 60 seconds.
   60 seconds
2. Find half. Half of 60 is 30.
   60 ÷ 2 = 30
3. Write the answer.
   30 seconds

Check. Count on in tens from 0 to 30. ✓

Watch out. Half of a minute is not 60 seconds.

Key words. A centimetre (cm) is a unit of length. Use a ruler to measure how long something is.

Method. Line up the 0 mark with one end of the object, then read the mark at the other end.

1. Put the 0 mark at the end of the pencil. Lining up at 0 makes the count start in the right place.
   pencil: starts at 0
2. Read the mark at the other end. The number at the end is how long the object is.
   It ends at 8
3. Write the length, with the unit. We measure length in centimetres, which we write as cm.
   8 cm

Check. Count along the ruler from 0 to 8, one centimetre at a time. ✓

Watch out. Start at 0, not at the end of the ruler. Otherwise the answer will be wrong.

Method. Ask what the question wants. Then pick the way that finds the answer.

1. Read the question. Think about what we need to find out.
   Which way would help you find out how many pages a book has?
2. Pick the way. We can see the pages and count them.
   Way: look
3. Write the answer.
   look

Check. Count the pages one at a time. ✓

Watch out. Some questions need more than one way. Choose the one that fits best.

Method. Read where each ball’s bounce reaches on the ruler, then pick the lower one.

1. Read the yellow ball. Its bounce reaches the 26 cm mark.
   yellow: 26 cm
2. Read the purple ball. Its bounce reaches the 15 cm mark.
   purple: 15 cm
3. Compare the heights. The smaller mark is the lower bounce.
   15 is lower than 26
4. Write the answer.
   purple ball

Check. The purple ball is the lower bounce, because 15 cm is less than 26 cm. ✓

Watch out. The lower bounce has the smaller number on the ruler.

Method. Count how many things change.

1. Look at the changes. The ball and the height both change.
   two changes
2. Think about a fair test. A fair test changes only one thing.
   one change only
3. Write the answer.
   No. She changed two things, so she cannot tell which one made the difference.

Check. Change one thing only, and keep the rest the same. ✓

Watch out. Change one thing at a time.

Method. Count the groups of five first. Then count the extra lines and add them.

1. Count the groups of five. Each group with a line across is five.
   3 groups of 5 = 15
2. Count the extra lines. Lines that are not in a full group count as one each.
   2 extra lines
3. Add them together. The total is how many there are altogether.
   15 + 2 = 17
4. Write the answer.
   17

Check. Count every mark one at a time: you get 17 again. ✓

Watch out. Count the groups of five quickly, then count the rest. Do not count the lines one by one.

Method. Take the smaller count away from the bigger count to find how many more.

1. Read the two counts. Find the number for each one.
   football: 7, dancing: 3
2. Take away the smaller count. The difference is how many more.
   7 − 3 = 4
3. Write the answer.
   4 more children for football than dancing.

Check. Count on from 3 to 7: the steps are 4. ✓

Watch out. Take the smaller number from the bigger one, not the other way round.

Method. Use what we noticed to suggest a reason.

1. Notice what happened. The towel dried quickly.
   quick drying
2. Think about the sun and the wind. Warm sun and moving air can help water dry faster.
   sun and wind
3. Write the reason. This is an idea that we could test.
   The sun warmed the water, and the wind blew it away.

Check. Test it by drying two towels, one in the sun and one in the shade. ✓

Watch out. An idea is a suggestion. Test it to be sure.

Method. Keep everything the same except the paper towel.

1. Choose the one thing that changes. The paper towel changes.
   change: the towel
2. Keep the rest the same. Use the same amount of water and the same size towels.
   same water and size
3. Measure the result. Measure how much water each towel soaks up, and compare.
   Compare the amounts each towel soaks up

Check. Only the towel changes, so the test is fair. ✓

Watch out. Use the same amount of water every time.