Action Plan Problem Solving

Overview

In this eighth lesson of the unit Exploring Scientific Innovations, students use field study findings to identify a real-world problem and create an action plan for further investigation. They practise asking testable questions, planning safe and fair inquiry, and deciding what evidence they will collect.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify a problem from field study observations and describe why it matters.
• Students will propose possible solutions or explanations based on evidence and prior learning.
• Students will plan a simple investigation using appropriate steps and variables.
• Students will select evidence (data/observations) they need to decide whether a solution is effective.

Success criteria

• I can clearly state a problem using information from our field study.
• I can write an action plan with a testable question and method steps.
• I can explain how we will keep the investigation fair and safe.
• I can describe the type of evidence we will collect to support a conclusion.

Curriculum links

• Living things and the environment: identifying needs/interactions and using observations to propose explanations and solutions.
• Scientific inquiry skills: forming questions, planning investigations, collecting and recording data, and interpreting evidence.
• Science understanding: using observable patterns to develop ideas about causes and solutions.
• General capabilities (where relevant): critical and creative thinking, and literacy for clear explanation and reporting.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 5 mins – Field study recap (gallery talk). Display key notes, photos, and data from the unit’s field study. Students quickly share one observation and one question it raises, using sentence starters.

2. 8 mins – Problem finding: “What’s the issue?” Model how to turn observations into a problem statement (for example: “Our site has X, but Y is missing/worse, so we need to find out why and what helps”). In pairs, students draft a problem from their own group’s findings.

3. 10 mins – Solutions brainstorming with evidence. Students generate 2–3 possible solutions or explanations. Each idea must link to something the class already observed (not just a guess). Teacher circulates and prompts: “What did we notice? What might that mean?”

4. 12 mins – Build the action plan (teacher-guided template). Introduce the action plan structure:

• Question we will investigate (testable and specific)
• What we will change (one variable)
• What we will measure/observe (evidence)
• What we will keep the same (fair test)
• Steps we will follow
• Safety checks Students complete the template for their chosen solution path.

5. 8 mins – Fair testing and safety check (peer review). Students swap action plans with another group and use a short checklist:

• Is the question testable?
• Do we measure/record evidence that answers the question?
• Is it a fair test (only one main change)?
• Are there safe actions and correct tool use?

6. 10 mins – Plan conferencing with specialist teacher. Groups meet briefly with you for 1–2 minutes of feedback. Aim for quick improvements: clarify variables, make the method realistic, and ensure evidence collection is clear.

7. 7 mins – Publish and exit reflection. Students finalise a “ready to investigate” version of the action plan. Exit reflection: “Our next investigation will help us decide if… because we will collect…”

Resources

• Action plan template (question, variable, evidence, steps, safety) for each student or group
• Field study notes/data sheets, photos, and class summary chart
• Sentence starters for problem statements and testable questions
• Safety rules poster (bench work, equipment handling, PPE expectations)
• Coloured pencils/markers for highlighting variable and evidence sections
• Peer review checklist cards
• Clipboards or science notebooks for recording final plans
• Timer for timed conferencing and peer review

Assessment

• Formative assessment during conferencing: check that each group’s problem, question, and evidence plan match field findings.
• Review of action plan templates: accuracy of fair testing (one main change) and clarity of what will be measured/observed.
• Exit reflection: whether students can explain how the planned evidence answers the investigation question.

Differentiation

• Support: provide a partially completed action plan template and word bank (problem, question, evidence, measure, observe, compare, control, safety). Offer sentence frames for testable questions.
• Support: smaller groups and teacher-led mini-check-ins for students needing structure; prompt them to choose evidence already collected.
• Extension: ask groups to include a predicted outcome (“If we change X, then we expect Y because…”) and to justify which evidence best supports a decision.
• EAL/SEN: allow oral rehearsal of the problem statement before writing; use visuals and consistent template headings; simplify method steps into numbered actions.