1. Your
divider for
process
section

2. Introduction to Inquiry Activity
 In today’s class you will begin to learn (more about?) the inquiry
process.
 More specifically, you will focus on the first 2 stages: asking
questions and making predictions
 Hopefully, you will have fun learn in the process too!
Activity Overview-
 There are 2 similar activities to do below
 Both activities involve the same material: a special cube
 Work with your group to answer / work through all questions for both parts
 Be ready to share your answers at the end of the activity with the whole class!
Activity 1 – What is the number in the upper-right corner of the bottom side?
1. Write your activity’s question on the space below. (Just copy the question above!)
Inquiry Question - ______________________________________________________?
2. How can you answer this question? Is it possible to find an answer?
 Now, talk with your group about HOW to get an answer to your question. Be sure to share many
ideas even ones that seem silly. Also, write down all your ideas in the box below:
 Your teacher may also give you some ideas or hints too as the class progresses. Be ready for
them!
Our Ideas on Finding an Answer to Our Inquiry Question
3. Last, use your ideas to predict an answer to your inquiry question.
Our Prediction (The Answer We Guess to Be True!) :
We think the number in the upper-right corner on the bottom side is _______ because
_____________________________________________________________.
** Be ready to discuss your prediction with the class!

3. Activity 2 – What is the name on the bottom side?
1. Write your activity’s question again on the space below. (Just copy the question above!)
Inquiry Question - ______________________________________________________?
2. How can you answer this question? Is it possible to find an answer?
 Now, talk with your group about HOW to get an answer to your question. Be sure to share many
ideas even ones that seem silly. Also, write down all your ideas in the box below:
 Your teacher may also give you some ideas or hints too as the class progresses. Be ready for
them!
Our Ideas on Finding an Answer to Our Inquiry Question
3. Last, use your ideas to predict an answer to your inquiry question.
Our Prediction (The Answer We Guess to Be True!) :
We think the name on the bottom side is _______ because ____________
_______________________________________________________________.
** Be ready to discuss your prediction with the class!

4. The Inquiry Process – Stage 1
Exploring a Question
What is it? “Exploring a Question” is often (but not always) the beginning of an inquiry process
There are two main steps:
1. A person poses (asks) real questions about something they do not understand.
2. A person finds resources (information) to answer his/her question(s)
ALSO NOTE: The order for these 2 steps does not matter. Sometimes, you may have a question
and then you look for an answer. At other times, you may first learn about something and then have a
question after learning. Then, you simply find other resources to learn more!
STAGE 1
Exploring a
Question
What kind of questions can I ask? Anything! This is science! You may ask about anything you
wish! But remember, finding an answer may not always be possible.
What kind of resources can I use? There are various types of resources to use. For instance:
1.
Read a book
2.
Search the Internet
3.
Use a computer program like a simulation
4.
Ask somebody such as your teacher, your parent or even your
classmate.
** Also, remember! Not everything you read or hear is always true. It is important to be critical of
your resources too!

7. Guided Exercises for Making Predictions and Hypothesis
(for the topic of Animals)
Part 1 –
i) Pick out and write the independent variable and dependent variable for each scientific
prediction given in the below on the first two blanks.
ii) Write the hypothesis (the second sentence) on the third blank.
1. I think light is related to worm movement. Therefore, if I shine a light on worms for a while, they
will soon move underground.
This is because the worm’s favourite habitat (place to live) is underground where there is a lot of
soil and it is also dark usually. So if there is especially a lot of light, the worm will be more “worried” that
it is not in its usual dark home (underground) and will try to move there.
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________ (Hint- starts with L)
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________ (Hint- 2 words)
Hypothesis - _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. I think the sweetness is related to ant’s eating habits. Therefore, if I put certain foods such as
sugar, candy or chocolate in my ant farm, more ants will react quickly to consume the food than
other kinds of food like salty foods.
This happens because sweet foods contain sugar and ants need a lot of sugar to survive and
perform their daily activities. Baby ants also require a lot of sugar to develop and so worker ants are
more motivated to get sugar and later give it to the baby ants.
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________ (Hint- starts with S)
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________ (Hint- 2 words)
Hypothesis - _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
3. I believe the time of day is NOT directly connected to the amount of hamster activity. It think just
the amount of light determines. So, if cover a hamster cage even during a bright sunny cage, the
hamsters will sleep most of the time and less active in general.

8. This is hamsters are not smart enough to tell the time. Their brains are too small. However, their
eyes have special receptors that can detect the amount of sunlight. So I think this detection of light
allows hamsters to determine when to play and be active and when to sleep and be less active.
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________ (Hint- t_ o_ d_)
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________ (Hint- 2 words)
Hypothesis - _______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Part 2 –
i) Pick out and write the independent variable and dependent variable for each simple prediction
given in the below on the first two blanks.
ii) Then, reword the prediction by adding sentences or changing words to make it a proper
scientific prediction. (See Part 1 for good examples of a scientific prediction or today’s note)
iii) Write a possible hypothesis of your own on the last blank. (Just try your best!)
** More than one correct answer is possible!
1. If there are more bright flowers than dull flowers in my greenhouse garden, the garden will grow
better than if there is less bright flowers and more dull flowers. Many bugs are attracted to bright
flowers and they can move pollen around when they come and visit a flower. The greater
spreading of pollen will help to ensure more bright flowers will grow.
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________ (Hint- starts with B)
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________ (Hint- G… G… !)
My Scientific Prediction - ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
My Hypothesis - _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. So, if I give my sister to a Julia Monster, she will be eaten by it. But it won’t eat my brother. This is
because Julia Monsters like to eat tastier girls than yucky boys!
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________ (Hint- starts with G)
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________ (Hint- You try!)

9. My Scientific Prediction - ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
My Hypothesis - _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
Part 3 –
i) Look at the idea for doing any inquiry.
ii) Decide yourself a possible independent and dependent variable that you could use to make a
prediction.
iii) Then write a proper scientific prediction and hypothesis on the lines provided.
** Multiple correct answers are possible!
1. Showing different clothing colours to attract moths….. (hint… clothing colour and ….)
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________
My Scientific Prediction - ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
My Hypothesis - _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
2. Playing different types of music to chickens sitting on eggs … (hint… and egg hatching)
Independent Variable - ________________________________________________
Dependent Variable - _________________________________________________
My Scientific Prediction - ______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
My Hypothesis - _____________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

11. Converting Basic Life Science Predictions to Scientific
Predictions (with Hypothesis)
For each of the following basic predictions:
i) Write a possible independent variable and a possible dependent variable
ii) Write a proper scientific prediction.
iii) Write a possible hypothesis
01. Worms come out of the soil after a rainfall.
02. Mosquitos bite in the dark, as well as in the light.
03. Cats purr.
04. Ants can find their way 'home'.
05. Some people can eat large amounts of food and never gain weight.
06. Many young (and not-so-young!) people listen to loud music through headphones.
07. People who smoke often have yellow fingers.
08. Men tend to be stronger than women.
09. There is lots of noise near an airport.
10. Many teenagers spend more time watching T.V. than they spend doing anything else (when not
sleeping).
11. Many wild animals are kept in captivity in zoos all around the world.
12. Many or most store-bought foods have chemicals added to them. These chemicals are supposed to
preserve the food, change its colour and/or texture and give the food certain flavours.
13. Plants will normally try to grow towards the sky.
14. Fish gill flaps (operculae) open and close as the fish swims about.
15. When one person yawns, people around him or her soon also yawn (ahh!).
16. Many people listen to music while working on something else.
17. Many students watch T.V. while doing homework.
18. Many people drink softdrinks which contain the sweetener 'aspartame'.
19. Many people often get 'hiccups'.
20. Many people, especially adults, drink coffee.
21. Many people, especially adults, drink tea.
22. Many adults drink alcohol-containing beverages.
23. Many people need a certain amount of sleep each night in order to feel well the next day.
24. Most seeds germinate (develop into plants) very well in the dark.
25. Yeast (a living thing) changes sugar into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas when placed in a
sugar/water
solution.
26. Cactus plants can live without water for a long time.
27. Venus Fly Trap plants are green (suggesting that they make their own food), but still have to eat
food (usually
insects).
28. Some people have a big problem with dandruff.
29. Some people talk, sing, etc. to their plants.
30. Many people find praying to be very relaxing.

12. The Inquiry Process – Stage _____
____________________________________
Overview- You have explored a question and you now have a prediction and hypothesis. Now, it is time
to test (prove) your prediction and hypothesis. How can you do that? You need to make a procedure.
What is an inquiry procedure- An inquiry procedure is a written plan that you make (and later follow) to
test out a prediction and hypothesis.
Procedure Parts- there are 4 main sections in an inquiry procedure.
Section 1 _____________________- in this section, you write your prediction and hypothesis.
Section 2 ______________________- in this section, you make a list of the materials you will need to
carry out your procedure.
Section 3 ______________________- in this section, you write a list of steps to follow to test your
prediction and hypothesis.
Section 4 __________________________- Here, you create charts or diagrams to help you make
observations when you follow your directions later.
Other Important Elements- 1. A procedure should have a _________. A chart should have a
________.
2. The procedure steps should be ___________________ in the right
order.
3 .Charts should allow you to record multiple _____________
(see ** below)
** What is a trial? A trial is a repeat of the inquiry’s experiment (or other). When you do the
experiment, you should (almost) never do the experiment only one time. You should do it MANY times.
And you should record your results for EACH and EVERY trial (ie. Each and every time)
So, be careful when you make your chart. There should be spaces to write down your observations for 3
or more (normally) repeats of the experiment you are going to do.

13. Example Procedure
What Makes a Paper Helicopter Drop Faster? Title
In this inquiry, we will try to find out how to make a helicopter drop faster.
We think we can increase the dropping speed by decreasing the blade length. Purpose
Paper helicopters with shorter blades should drop faster because there is
less drag. (air resistance)
Materials
1. 3 paper helicopter pattern papers
2. scissors Materials
3. 3 paper clips
4. Watch or clock
Directions
1. Cut out each helicopter by cutting along the solid lines using the scissors
2. Fold the flaps back along the dotted lines for each helicopter.
3. Add a paper clip to the bottom of each helicopter.
4. Label the helicopters: 1, 2 and 3. Directions
5. Cut 1 cm off of both blades for helicopter 2.
6. Cut 2 cm off of both blades for helicopter 3.
7. Drop each helicopter 3 times. Time how long it takes a helicopter to drop.
8. Record the times in the chart provided.
Time Versus Helicopter Blade Length
Time Trial Helicopter 1’s Helicopter 2’s Helicopter 3’s
time time time
1 Chart
2
3

14. Formal (Guided) Inquiry 1 – What I Wonder About Worms– Day 1
Overview – Today, you will begin your first formal inquiry on worms!
- Actually, you will only complete the first 4 stages of the inquiry process but
you will go through them like real scientists (Just you will not continue after
stage 4)
- And you will be guided through the stages to ensure you understand better
- Also note, that you will rewrite this inquiry a second time and your second
draft will be graded so try your best
Inquiry 1 Topic(Starting Question)–What are some Interesting Things about
Worms?
Stage 1 – Exploring a Question
 Copy your topic’s inquiry question (What are some Interesting Things about Worms?) on the first
line in the box below
 After, write down some general information that you have learned so far about your topic
(You can write almost anything you want on your topic. Look at your notes, textbook or internet sites too
and try to write a small background paragraph in the rest of the box )
Inquiry Topic: __________________________________________________________ ?
General Information: ______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Stage 2 – Making a (Scientific!) Prediction
 Now you should write a prediction about a more specific inquiry focus for your inquiry’s question
 For this guided inquiry, the particular topic has been chosen for you below. Just check the box
you like below to give your agreement and show your understanding
 Last, make a proper scientific prediction relating to your particular topic* *
 Remember to include: an independent and dependent variable
 Also, remember to write a two-part sentence where you first show the relationship between your
variables and then you make your guess
 Last, (if you can) try to write an explanation for making your guess using “science”. This is you
hypothesis

15. Specific Inquiry Focus: Now, I wonder more …- how worms behave ____
(check one) …- what worms do____
… - if worms have _______ inside them ___
… - ________________________ ___
My Scientific Prediction:
Here is now what I want to more specifically check out more. I think there is a connection
between ___________________ (write variable 1) and __________________ (write variable 2).
So, _____________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
My Hypothesis:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Stage 3 – Creating the Procedure
 Finally, for Day 1 of your first formal inquiry, you need to write down HOW you will test your
prediction.
 In other words, you cannot just start using your materials, you have to first formally explain step
by step what you plan on doing
 Also, remember one of your steps will require you make a chart to record your observations later.
Make the chart now BUT DO NOT FILL IT IN NOW. (You will do that later in stage 4)
To make your procedure, use the following headings below but write your procedure on separate
A4 paper and attach.
My Inquiry’s Materials-
My Inquiry’s Procedural Steps-
My Observation Chart –
 This is all you need to do for now (Day 1).
 Remember, you will continue the inquiry in the next class. BE PREPARED! CHECK WITH
TEACHER FOR NEEDED MATERIALS OR BRING THEM YOURSELF!
 Also remember, you will receive a mark for this inquiry!

16. The Inquiry Process – __________ Ah! You mean
________________________________ experimenting!
___________________________- You now have a prediction and hypothesis. As
well, you made a procedure to test your predication and hypothesis. Now, you are ready to experiment.
You will follow your procedure and make observations. In the end, you find out if your prediction is true
or not. This is Stage 4: Conducting the Procedure.
______________________________? It’s very simple.
1. Just get your materials and follow your procedure steps!
2. Do the experiment or activity.
3. Make observations.
4. Find out if your prediction was correct.
….Also,, there are few other things to remember when conducting a procedure….
1. ______________________! Remember, when you conduct your procedure, you have to
write down what you see. Already, you should made a chart. Remember, to USE your chart!
2. ___________________________! Repeating is VERY IMPORTANT!! Also, remember to
do the same procedure again and again! Also, write down the results for each repeat. We call the
repeat a trial.
3. _______________________________________________! Sometimes, your
procedure might have a problem. Sometimes, you might forget a step to do. Also, you might
discover a better way. So… change!! You can re-write and re-do your procedure anytime. In fact,
all scientists do this. Practice makes perfect!

17. The Inquiry Process – Stage _______
________________________________________
Overview- What did you do so far in the inquiry? What was your question? What did you predict?
What happened in your experiment? Were you right? What does it mean? Wow! All these questions to
answer! This is Stage 5. Here, you reflect (review) what you have done. AND you try to understand
and explain what you discovered. (ie. you analyze your results!
How to Analyze the Results- This step is a __________________ step. The experiment is done.
Here you sit down by yourself and think about your inquiry. Or perhaps you might discuss what you did
with someone else. But most importantly, you need to write
1. A short ____________ of the first 2 earlier stages of your inquiry
2. Your ________________ of the results
Part 1 – _________________________________- in this part you should do two things:
1. Re-write your question and possibly some of your background information that was useful in
exploring your question.
2. Re-write your prediction and hypothesis
Example:
Stage 5 – Part 1 – Reviewing
I wanted to learn how to make a plant grow better.
I learned before, plants need the sun, water and 1. ____________________
nutrients in the soil to make their sugars. (+ background re-write
But what about giving a plant something unusual? if helpful or necessary)
Indeed, I think there is a connection between a plant’s
growth and certain liquids that they take in from the soil. 2. ____________
Some may be better than just water. More specifically, I and ___________
think that watering a plant with tea will make it grow faster _____________
than just using water because tea has both water and nutrients

18. in it. Plants can receive two important things at the same time.
Part 2 – ___________________________________- in this part you should do two things:
1. Compare your results to your prediction
2. Discuss the comparison (tell if the results match the prediction or not. Then, try to tell why or why
not. Also, if possible, make a conclusion OR explain why you cannot conclude. You may need to
discuss errors if you cannot conclude something.)
Example:
Stage 5 – Part 2 – Explaining the Results
Stage 5 – Part 2 – Explaining the Results
I watered three plants with water every day. I watered another
three plants with tea every day. I recorded the plants’ rate of 1. ___________
growth. I discovered something after 2 weeks. The plants given
water all actually grew more than the plants given tea. But I
had thought the tea would make them grow better.
My prediction was wrong. I do not understand why. Maybe, tea
contains some other harmful things that plants do not like.
Next time, I will try to use a mixture of water and real soil 2. ____________
nutrients instead of tea. Then, maybe, my plants will grow faster
with this mixture than with just water.

19. Inquiry on Worms- Stage 5
Analyzing The Results
Directions- 1. ALONE- Complete ALL of the “My First Writing” boxes below by yourself
2. PAIR- Share your writing with someone. Then, make your writing better if possible by
adding or changing ideas..
3. RE –WRITE – After sharing, re-write all your paragraphs together on one A4 page.
Stage 5 – Part 1 – Reviewing
1. Question and Background Re-write (Rewrite your inquiry’s question. From STAGE 1!
You may also wish to rewrite some of your background information too)  Write 1 or more
sentences
2. Prediction and Hypothesis (Look at your Stage 2 section. Which prediction did you
choose? Write it! Write your hypothesis too!) 2-3 sentences

20. Stage 5 – Part 2 – Discussing the Results
3. Compare (Look at your results from Stage 4. Explain them below. Then, compare them
with your prediction. Ie. Are they the same or different?)  4-8 sentences

21. 4. Discuss (Evaluate your content in the above box. If your results and prediction are the
same, try to make a conclusion. If no, explain why and discuss possible problems. Add
other relevant ideas too)  4-8 sentences
** REMEMBER- After writing you must do two more things:1. Have someone check your writing.
2. Write it again on A4 paper

22. The Inquiry Process – _____________________
_______________________________________
Overview- In Stage 5, you analyzed your results. Now, it is time to connect your results to other
things.
Applying means _____________________ what your learned to the _________________. (For
example: society, the environment, your school, businesses…etc) In other words, you look at your
results and analysis information again. Then, you connect that information to something
________________ of your inquiry.
You could even make a _______________________ about something but do not always have to
or are you always able to.
_________________________? This is another WRITING step. And you need to relate your
inquiry to something else. Follow the steps below.
1. Sit down by yourself and think carefully about your results and also your analysis. (Stage 4
and 5) OR you could talk with someone else about them.
When thinking or talking, consider the following questions:
1) If your prediction was __________________ ….
 Connect to a better inquiry… ie. How could you make your inquiry even better?
 Connect to a similar inquiry … ie. What would be another good inquiry to further test your
results more?
(ex. Pretend your inquiry was about paper airplanes. You could do future inquiry on model
airplanes)
 Connect to a similar process, action or event in the real world…. ie. Can you write about
something that happens in the real world that is similar to your inquiry?
(ex. You found out that narrow paper airplanes fly better. You might suggest real airplanes
should be narrow too because …)
 Connect to targets of influence… ie. How does your inquiry affect people, nature, events,
school, work etc?
(ex. You found out that narrow paper airplanes fly better. You might suggest children should
make very narrow airplanes when competing in a paper airplane contest)
 Connect to a real issue or problem… ie. Can you tell or suggest how something you learned in
your inquiry could important for understanding or even solving some issue that is very
important in people’s lives.

23. (ex. You found out that narrow paper airplanes fly better. You realize too that narrower planes
use less material. You might suggest that companies make their planes narrower to conserve
metal and other resources. We don’t have a lot of metal left as well as other resources in the
world. This is a big issue…)
2) If your prediction was _______________ or there was some ______________ your
inquiry’s procedure
 Connect to a better inquiry…ie. What kind of future inquiry could you do to explain what might
have happened?
(Ex. All your plants died quickly when you gave them tea but not water. You might do an
inquiry to find what ingredients are in tea. There may be something harmful that you didn’t
know)
 Connect to a similar inquiry ….What kind of similar future inquiry could you do to double check
your prediction?
(Ex. You found out your plants did not grow better with your tea than with water. You might try
doing a future inquiry with a different kind of tea or a different kind of plant)
 Connect to better procedure…ie. How could you change your procedure to better test your
prediction?
(ex. Your plants died after three days. You think it was because your room has no window to
allow sunlight in. You could suggest doing the inquiry again in another room with a big window)
 Connect to targets of influence… ie. How does your inquiry affect people, nature, events,
school, work etc?
(ex. Despite problems or surprises with your results, you can still suggest with good evidence
tea is not good for plants. You might suggest people should not drink tea near plants. They
might accidentally spill tea on them)
 Connect to a real issue or problem… ie. Can you tell or suggest how something you learned in
your inquiry could important for understanding or even solving some issue that is very
important in people’s lives.
(ex. Even though your results were better, your inquiry still shows that working plants is harder
than people may think. People think plants are easy things to look after or take care of but you
have learned people should find out more before getting a plant as they might experience
problems like you did.)
2. __________________! Write a nice paragraph. Answer some of the questions above in your
paragraph. Add
other ideas too!
3. ___________________ and ________________! Review your paragraph or better have
someone else look over to find mistakes, give concerns and provide other valuable feedback.
Then rewrite your paragraph better after making any corrections, additions and/or other
productive changes.

24. Sample Application Paragraph
In our experiment, we predicted that narrower airplanes would move faster through
the air then wider airplanes because there is less drag (less air resistance). We were
right. We wonder if this is true for other kinds of flying objects. We would like to do
another inquiry with paper helicopters. We will test if narrower paper helicopters also
move faster through the air than wider paper helicopters. The same might be true for
size as well. In another future inquiry, we would like to find out if longer paper airplanes
move faster than shorter paper airplanes. Our inquiry findings suggest that real airplane
manufacturers should make airplanes that are very narrow because like paper airplanes
real airplanes also encounter drag. So, if they are narrow, there should be less drag and
they will fly better. We would also like to do our inquiry one more time. It was very windy
on the day that we followed our procedure. The wind may have affected our results. We
would like to do the inquiry again on a day that is not very windy.

25. Stage 6 – Applying the Inquiry
Directions-
1. Write an application paragraph about your __________________________
 Answer questions given in your help handout on The Inquiry Process Stage 6
 You may use other ideas too.
2. After, you will need to ask a classmate or teacher to read your paragraph and give you feedback.
Then you must rewrite the paragraph after
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(Remember to Re-Write)