Year 3 Science: Asking relevant questions
Part of the Year 3 Science working scientifically chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Asking relevant questions
A relevant question is one about the thing we are studying. We can answer it with evidence: facts that we have measured, observed or read in a reliable source.
“Is the field the best place to play?” is an opinion. People can disagree about it, so it is not a science question.
Scientists answer questions in different ways. These are the types of enquiry that you will meet in this book:
| Type of enquiry | What we do | Example question |
|---|---|---|
| Comparative and fair test | change one thing, measure the result and compare the results | Which paper towel soaks up the most water? |
| Observing over time (practice only) | look at the same thing again and again, and record what changes | How much water is left in a jar each day? |
| Pattern seeking (practice only) | look at the results and find what goes together | Do taller stacks of books have more books? |
| Secondary sources (practice only) | use a book or a reliable website, with a grown-up, to find facts that others have recorded | What do pandas eat? |
Practice only: observing over time, pattern seeking and secondary sources are practice for this chapter. They are not separate statements, but they help you use the enquiry skills in the rest of the chapter.
Key ideas
- A relevant question is about the thing we are studying, and we can find its answer with evidence.
- An opinion, such as “Which is the best?”, is not a science question.
- A comparative test compares results for different things. A fair test changes only one thing.
- Observing over time, pattern seeking and secondary sources are practice only.
Method. Look for a question that we can test by comparing results.
- Is it about what we are studying? It is about paper towels and water, so it is relevant.paper towels and water
- Can we test it? We can use the same water on each towel and compare the results.compare the towels
- Choose the type of enquiry. We compare different towels in a test, so it is a comparative test.comparing towels
- Write the answer. comparative and fair test
Check. We change the towel and measure the water. ✓
Watch out. A comparative test compares different things. A fair test changes only one thing.
Method. Look for the word that asks for a personal view.
- Look for the word best. Best is what someone likes, so the question asks for an opinion.best = opinion
- Ask if a test can give one answer. People disagree about the best place, so no test gives one answer.no single answer
- Write the answer. No, it is an opinion
Check. An opinion is not a science question. ✓
Method. Look for words that ask about change over time.
- Look at the words each day. The question asks what happens again and again, over time.each day, this week
- Match it to an enquiry type. We look at the same jar many times and record the change. This is practice only.same jar, many days
- Write the answer. observing over time (practice only)
Check. We look at the same jar again and again. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a question can be relevant and still be hard to test. Ask yourself: can we measure, observe or find a reliable source that gives the answer?
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Go for a short walk outside, or look out of a window. Each of you writes one question about something you see. Choose one question that you can answer with evidence. Say which type of enquiry would answer it.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. When your child asks a question, ask: “Can we find out by testing, measuring or looking?” Help them decide if it is an opinion or a question we can answer.
Exercise 1A Relevant questions and types of enquiry
Method. Find the question that asks for a length.
- Read question A. It asks for an opinion, so a ruler cannot answer it.A: opinion
- Read question B. It asks for a length, and a ruler measures length.B: length
- Write the answer. B
Check. Measure the leaf and you have the answer. ✓
Method. Decide whether the question can be answered with evidence.
- Read the question. It asks which colour someone likes.likes a colour
- Decide. A personal choice is an opinion, not a science question.opinion
- Write the answer. no
Check. Two people can give different answers. ✓
Method. Think about what we do to find the answer.
- Find the things we compare. We compare three different towels.three towels
- Name the enquiry. Comparing results for different things, with one thing changed, is a comparative and fair test.comparative and fair test
- Write the answer. comparative and fair test
Check. The towels are compared in the same way. ✓
Method. Look for a word that asks for a personal view.
- Look at the word better. Better is a personal judgement.better = opinion
- Decide. We cannot test which animal is better with evidence.opinion
- Write the answer. opinion
Check. People can disagree about this, so it is an opinion. ✓
Method. Look for the same thing being checked again and again.
- Look for repeated checks. The same jar is checked each day.each day
- Name the enquiry. Recording a change again and again over time is observing over time. This is practice only.observing over time
- Write the answer. observing over time (practice only)
Check. We record the same jar on several days. ✓
Method. Look for two things that are compared.
- Read the question. Two balls are compared in the same test.two balls
- Name the enquiry. This compares two things, so it is a comparative and fair test.comparing
- Write the answer. comparative and fair test
Check. Two balls are compared. ✓
Method. Look for a question about a fact.
- Read the question. It asks for a fact that someone else has recorded.a fact
- Name the enquiry. Finding facts in a book or a reliable website is a secondary source. This is practice only.book or website
- Write the answer. secondary source (practice only)
Check. Facts are looked up, not measured here. ✓
Method. Look for a question about what goes together.
- Read the question. It asks whether two things go together.taller and more books
- Name the enquiry. Looking across results for things that go together is pattern seeking. This is practice only.pattern
- Write the answer. pattern seeking (practice only)
Check. We look for a pattern across the stacks. ✓
Method. A relevant question is about the water, and we can answer it with evidence.
- Choose the thing to study. We study the water in the jar.water in a jar
- Check we can answer it. We can measure the water with a measuring cylinder.measure with a cylinder
- Write the answer. Accept any relevant question about the water in a jar that can be answered by measuring or observing, such as “How much water is left after one day?”
Check. Measure the water after one day to answer the question. ✓
Method. Look for the question that is not about how the plant grows.
- Read question A. It asks about height, which we can measure.A: height
- Read question B. It asks for a personal view, so it is an opinion.B: opinion
- Write the answer. B
Check. Only question A can be answered by measuring. ✓
Method. Think about whether counting gives the answer.
- Think about the question. It asks for a number of things.a number
- Decide. We can count the books, so counting gives the answer.count the books
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Counting each book once gives the answer. ✓
Method. Think about what the question asks us to look for.
- Find the key idea. She wants to know whether two things go together across her results.tallest and first to fall
- Choose the enquiry. Looking for what goes together in the results is pattern seeking. This is practice only.pattern seeking
- Write the answer. pattern seeking (practice only)
Check. The question is about what goes together. ✓
Method. Decide whether the question can be tested with evidence.
- Read the question. It asks which colour is best, which is a personal choice.best colour
- Decide. A personal choice cannot be tested, so the answer is no.opinion, not a test
- Write the answer. No. Accept any reason that says the question is an opinion, not a question we can test.
Check. Two people can give different answers. ✓
Method. A comparative test compares two or more things, and we can measure the result.
- Choose what to compare. We compare wet paper with dry paper.wet and dry paper
- Add a measure. We can time the snail on each paper.time each snail
- Write the answer. Accept any question that compares wet and dry paper and can be tested, such as “Do snails move faster on wet paper or dry paper?”
Check. A timer can measure how fast the snail moves. ✓