Asking Testable Questions 930-1000 Kristin Facilitate teachers in activity and discussion about how to help their students’ transition topic area questions into testable questions. Narrowing a question about a topic area down to a question that can actually be investigated and answered using data is a huge accomplishment and challenge (for scientists too). Questions that are investigated by scientists are called testable.

Think – Pair – Share What does “testable question” mean to your students? Think, pair, share on what does “testable question” mean to your students.

Science project/concept Question Testable Question Answered by doing reading. Measureable or answered with data. Why? Is? How? What? When? Who? Which? Centered around information to answer question. Centered around variables to answer question. Information gathered from different sources. 1-2 variables that change in relation to each other or not. Review way that we are defining testable investigation question vs. science project/concept question…

Refining Questions to make them Testable “SMART” Question Check-list: Question begins with How, What, When, Who, or Which. Question is measurable or able to be investigated with data from your datasets. Question includes effects/variables being investigated. Question includes ONLY 1-2 effects/variables. Here is a checklist of sorts that we put together when reviewing student questions…speaking of which…

Example of refining questions How are krill and baby penguins related? Make it more specific by where (spatially): What is the relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick populations around Palmer Research Station? Does the relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick population vary along the Western Antarctic Peninsula? Remembering different ways to support refining of questions…

Example of refining questions How are krill and baby penguins related? Make it more specific by where (spatially) Make it more specific by when (temporally): What is the relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick populations across a season? over a year? over a decade? Does relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick populations vary over a decade?

Example of refining questions How are krill and baby penguins related? Make it more specific by where (spatially) Make it more specific by when (temporally) Make it more specific by what other variables: What is the relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick populations as it changes with ocean temperature? Does the relationship between krill biomass and penguin chick populations vary with sea ice extent? Causation vs correlation

Sample Student Questions Work with partner (same grade level) Refine it to be testable How would you help the students refine it (without giving them your answer)? Have participants work in pairs to refine the provided questions posed by the fictional student so that it becomes a testable question. Distribute one “Sample Student Investigation Questions” strip and a “Characteristics of Testable Questions” to each pair. Make sure that each question is distributed to two different pairs of participants so that they can compare their suggested revisions. Emphasize that even if they do not know everything about the concepts included in the student question, they can make many recommendations of how to change the question so that it actually would be testable using data. Brainstorm the process you will use or strategies to help your students develop their testable questions for the investigations. Make a list of key points you all come up with and will utilize with your students to present to the group.

Sample Student Question Debrief What strategies/processes will you use to help your students develop their testable questions for the investigations? As a whole group discuss…

Sample Student Question Debrief What strategies/processes will you use to help your students develop their testable questions for the investigations? Are there are any additional supports that might help your students to ask testable questions? As a whole group discuss…

Helping Students to Use Data How can we help our students look at data to develop/refine their topic area questions into a testable question? 1000-1030 Kristin Teachers begin an initial brainstorm about how to support students in looking at data to refine their topic area questions down into a testable question that they can actually answer using data. (at group share out start list of ways mentioned). Sci-I staff facilitate and scientists participate in conversations Participants brainstorm within their table groups and capture ideas on flip chart paper, build off of lists in the lobby (started at breakfast). At end share out with one another topics they were discussing (first 2 per group and then build from there as time allows)