1. SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS
WHAT MAKES A GOOD SCIENTIFIC QUESTION?

2. QUESTIONS
SCIENTISTS ASK MANY QUESTIONS. THESE
QUESTIONS COME AS SCIENTISTS OBSERVE
THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
SOME QUESTIONS ARE SCIENTIFIC AND
OTHERS ARE NOT.

3. QUESTIONS
NON-SCIENTIFIC-
ANSWERS DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC- GUIDES AN
DEPENDING ON WHO YOU INVESTIGATION
ASK

4. NOT ALL QUESTIONS ARE SCIENTIFIC
WHEN A QUESTION HAS DIFFERENT
ANSWERS DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ASK,
IT IS NOT
SCIENTIFIC.

5. A NON-SCIENTIFIC QUESTION
IS THE PUDDLE BIG OR SMALL?
THIS IS NOT A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION BECAUSE
“BIG” AND “SMALL” MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO
DIFFERENT PEOPLE.

6. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
ON YOUR SLATE, WRITE DOWN
WHAT THE TEMPERATURE MIGHT
BE ON A HOT DAY.
NOW, WRITE DOWN WHAT THE
TEMPERATURE
MIGHT BE ON A COLD DAY.
SHARE YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE
CLASS.

7. WHAT DO YOU NOTICE?
DID EVERYONE WRITE DOWN THE SAME
TEMPERATURES FOR A HOT AND COLD DAY?
NO!
THIS PROVES THAT WORDS LIKE “HOT” AND
“COLD” MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT
PEOPLE.
THAT IS WHAT MAKES THIS NON-SCIENTIFIC.

8. NON-SCIENTIFIC WORDS
HOT, COLD
BIG, SMALL
A LOT, A LITTLE
HIGH, LOW
NEAR, FAR
ALL THESE WORDS CAN MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT
PEOPLE

9. QUESTIONS
NON-SCIENTIFIC-
ANSWERS DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC- GUIDES AN
DEPENDING ON WHO YOU INVESTIGATION
ASK
**CAN YOU WRITE A NON-SCIENTIFIC
QUESTION?

10. SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS
SCIENTISTS THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT THE QUESTIONS
THEY ASK. ONCE A QUESTION IS ASKED, THEY RUN AN
INVESTIGATION, OR CAREFUL STUDY, TO TRY TO
ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS.
LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT THE
CHARACTERISTICS OF
SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS.

11. QUESTIONS
NON-SCIENTIFIC-
ANSWERS DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC- GUIDES AN
DEPENDING ON WHO YOU INVESTIGATION
ASK

12. SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS
WHEN YOU BEGIN A SCIENTIFIC
INVESTIGATION, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO ASK BIG,
OPEN QUESTIONS. OFTEN, THESE QUESTIONS
BEGIN WITH “WHY.”
THESE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON
EARLY OBSERVATIONS OF AN EVENT THAT
INTERESTS YOU.

13. QUESTIONS
NON-SCIENTIFIC-
ANSWERS DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC- GUIDES AN
DEPENDING ON WHO YOU INVESTIGATION
ASK
BROAD, “WHY”
QUESTIONS
“WHY” QUESTIONS ARE A GOOD PLACE TO START.

14. EXAMPLES OF “WHY” QUESTIONS
WHY DO BIRDS SUDDENLY APPEAR IN THE
SPRINGTIME?
WHY DID THE DINOSAURS DIE OUT?
WHY IS THE SKY BLUE?

15. SPECIFIC QUESTIONS
SCIENTISTS USE “WHY” QUESTIONS TO START
INVESTIGATIONS, BUT THOSE ARE NOT EASILY
TESTED.
INSTEAD, THEY ASK MORE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
THESE QUESTIONS ARE TESTABLE.

16. QUESTIONS
NON-SCIENTIFIC-
ANSWERS DIFFERENT SCIENTIFIC- GUIDES AN
DEPENDING ON WHO YOU INVESTIGATION
ASK
BROAD, “WHY”
QUESTIONS
SPECIFIC,
TESTABLE
QUESTIONS

17. TESTABLE QUESTIONS
A TESTABLE QUESTION IS A QUESTION THAT
CAN BE ANSWERED BY:
✓ OBSERVING
✓ MEASURING
✓ EXPERIMENTING

18. EXAMPLES OF TESTABLE QUESTIONS
QUESTION: AT WHAT TEMPERATURE DOES WATER BOIL?
THIS QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED BY CONDUCTING AN EXPERIMENT.
YOU WILL NEED:
- A THERMOMETER, SOME WATER
- A HEATPROOF CONTAINER
- A SOURCE OF HEAT
TESTABLE QUESTION: EXPERIMENTING, MEASURING, OBSERVING

19. EXAMPLES OF TESTABLE QUESTIONS
QUESTION: DOES THE PLANET VENUS
HAVE PHASES LIKE THE MOON?
THIS QUESTION CAN BE ANSWERED THROUGH
OBSERVATIONS.
YOU WILL NEED:
-A TELESCOPE
-A NOTEBOOK OR CALENDAR FOR
RECORDING YOUR OBSERVATIONS
TESTABLE QUESTION: EXPERIMENTING, MEASURING, OBSERVING

20. A QUICK REVIEW
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF QUESTIONS.
IF A QUESTIONS HAS MANY DIFFERENT ANSWERS DEPENDING
ON WHO YOU ASK OR IS AN OPINION QUESTION, IT IS NOT
SCIENTIFIC.
QUESTIONS THAT LEAD TO AN INVESTIGATION ARE SCIENTIFIC.
MANY TIMES THESE QUESTIONS ARE “WHY” QUESTIONS.
“WHY” QUESTIONS NEED TO BE MORE SPECIFIC BEFORE THEY
CAN BE TESTED.
A QUESTION IS TESTABLE IF IT CAN BE ANSWERED BY
OBSERVING, MEASURING OR EXPERIMENTING.