#Investigation

Students who want to find out things as a scientist, will want to conduct a hands-on investigative experiment. While scientists study a whole area of science, each experiment is focused on learning just one thing at a time. This is essential if the results are to be trusted by the entire science community.

In an investigation, students:

• Ask a testable question
• Research the topic
• Make a hypothesis about the outcome based on the research or their own knowledge
• Design the investigation
• Conduct the investigation
• Collect Data
• Make sense of the data and draw a conclusion
• Present their findings for peer review

What is a Testable Question?

The key to a good and manageable investigation is to choose a topic of interest, then ask what is called a “testable question.” Testable questions are those that can be answered through hands-on investigation by the student. The key difference between a general interest science question and a testable question is that testable questions are always about changing one thing to see what the effect is on another thing.

Here are some examples of broader science questions and testable questions:

Easy Testable Questions (recommended for elementary level)