Unit #2: Science Fair

Lesson 2: Choosing a Topic and Formulating a Question

Duration: 45 minutes
Year Level: Year 7
Number of Students: 30
Unit: Science Fair Exploration
Lesson Focus: Science Capabilities – Gathering and interpreting data, Identifying and investigating, Communicating in science
NZ Curriculum Learning Area: Science
NZ Curriculum Level: Level 4
Strands: Nature of Science – Investigating in science; Communicating in science
Key Competencies: Thinking, Managing self, Participating and contributing

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🎯 Learning Intentions

Students will:

• Generate ideas for potential science fair projects based on their curiosities about the world around them.
• Understand what makes a scientific question testable.
• Practise formulating clear and specific scientific questions.

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✅ Success Criteria

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Brainstorm and record 3–5 possible science topics based on personal interests or observations.
• Identify whether or not a question is testable.
• Formulate one testable science fair question to pursue in future lessons.

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🧠 Prior Knowledge

Students should have:

• A basic understanding of what science is and some key areas of science (biology, chemistry, physics, earth science).
• Completed Lesson 1: Intro to Science Fairs — where they explored examples of past science fair projects.

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🧰 Materials Required

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers
• Post-it notes
• A4 brainstorming templates for each student
• Te Reo Māori proverbs (Whakataukī) related to curiosity and learning (for example: “Whaowhia te kete mātauranga” – Fill the basket of knowledge)
• Projector/slides with examples of good vs. non-testable questions
• Sentence starters (e.g., “What effect does…”, “How does changing… affect…”)

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🔄 Lesson Outline (Total: 45 minutes)

1. Karakia + Roll + Whakataukī Discussion (5 mins)

• Start with a short karakia to create a settled, respectful space.
• Display and unpack the whakataukī: “Whaowhia te kete mātauranga” (Fill the basket of knowledge).
  → Ask: “What does this mean to you in the context of science?”
  → Purpose: Connect kaupapa Māori principles to scientific curiosity and student-led inquiry.

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2. Hook: Science all around us (5 mins)

• Ask: “When was the last time you were really curious about something around you?”
• Show 2–3 strange or fun science videos/images (e.g. popcorn popping in slow-mo, a balloon that doesn’t pop when poked through tape).
  → Ask students to share: “What questions do you have about that?”

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3. Explicit Teaching: What is a testable question? (8 mins)

• Provide visual examples:

  • ✅ “What type of liquid makes a plant grow fastest?”
  • ❌ “Why are plants amazing?”

• Explain characteristics of testable questions:

  • Can be measured or observed
  • Has something that changes (independent variable) and something you measure (dependent variable)
  • Is specific, not vague or opinion-based

• Provide question sentence starters:

  • What happens if…?
  • How does ____ affect ____?
  • Does changing ____ change ____?

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4. Activity 1: Topic Brainstorm (10 mins)

• Students complete a brainstorm template:

  • List of things they’re interested in (sports, pets, food, technology, environment, etc.)
  • Observations or problems they’ve noticed at home or school
  • Things they’re curious about

• Students then pair up and share 1 idea with a buddy.
  → Prompt buddies to ask each other a "how" or "what" question about one of their ideas.

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5. Activity 2: Formulate a Question (10 mins)

• Each student chooses one of their brainstorm ideas and writes 2 different testable versions of a question for a science fair investigation.
• Mix & Mingle: Stand up and walk around to share your best question with 2–3 people.
  → Classmates provide 1 star + 1 wish (what’s awesome, what could improve).

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6. Debrief: Student-Led Discussion (5 mins)

• Invite 2–3 students to share their completed testable question.

• As a class, briefly analyse if the question is testable, and if it has an independent and dependent variable.

• Recap key ideas:

  • What makes a good science question?
  • How will this guide our full science fair project?

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🔗 Cross-Curricular Connections

• English: Constructing clear sentences, oral communication
• Mathematics: Understanding variables and measurement
• Tikanga Māori: Incorporating mātauranga Māori, acknowledging indigenous knowledge systems in science planning

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👣 Next Steps

For Lesson 3:
Students will begin planning their investigation by identifying variables, developing a method, and considering ethics and safety.

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🎒 Homework (Optional)

See if you can ask three people at home what topics they think might make for a good science experiment. Bring in any interesting ideas or family questions to share during the next class.

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📌 Teacher Notes

• Pay attention to students who may need scaffolding with writing or language, and offer visuals/sentence stems as needed.
• Offer options for students to write in Te Reo Māori, English, or both when brainstorming.
• Remind students that their question doesn’t need to be perfect yet — the emphasis is on curiosity and asking real questions.
• Walk around during partner activities and mini-conferences to check for engagement and offer feedback on question formation.

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🌟 Extension Option (Fast Finishers)

Students can label the parts of their questions (independent variable, dependent variable) or sketch what they imagine their experiment might look like.

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Ka pai! You've just empowered ākonga to take their first step in authentic, student-driven scientific inquiry — while grounding their choices in a local, culturally sustaining context.