The Science and Engineering Practices are geared toward getting students to learn how to do the work of scientists. The first Science and Engineering Practice focuses on asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering). Questions drive the scientific process, while definition the problem that needs to be solved drives the engineering process.  This practice is foundational for all of the other practices. In order to narrow my focus, I’m only going to focus on asking questions here.

How do I get my students to ask questions in science?

One of the most common questions that I get from teacher is how to get their students to ask questions . This is especially true in middle and high school. While younger students are naturally curious and eager to ask questions, the older students have almost stopped all together.

Understand why students don’t ask questions.

By the time students reach middle and high school, there is a stigma around asking questions. Why? Because they’ve been taught that questions mean that they don’t understand the material. Usually, teachers ask students if they have questions AFTER they have presented information to students. The expectation is that students were taught and should know material at this time. Therefore, admitting they need to ask a question means they haven’t learned what they are supposed to learn.

In fact, in many classrooms, curiosity is limited. Its not that teachers devalue curiosity. However, the need to cover a set amount of curriculum throughout the year means that teachers feel they don’t have time for exploration in the classroom.

Finally, we know that science has taken a backseat in elementary education in favor of math and ELA. So, its not uncommon to see students entering the classroom with underdeveloped skills.

Provide explicit instruction about asking questions.

Often, we assume that students already know how to ask questions. But, as I explained above, they probably haven’t been asked how to ask question in a science context.

How do I teach my students to ask questions?

Many teachers introduce the practice of asking questions using a teacher centered model. In fact, when I first developed a method for teaching this skill, my method was mostly lecture based. But, this isn’t the most engaging way to teach students to ask questions.

So, I redesigned my lessons use an explore before explain approach. See how I redesigned my lesson in this video.

If you are a middle school teacher and would like to grab the activity featured in this video, click here.

Use the Notice and Wonder Technique

Designate a space in your classroom for questions.

The best way to emphasize questions in your classroom is by designating a space in your classroom for questions. My favorite way to do this is through a driving questions board.

A Driving Questions Board (DQB) in a science classroom is a central, highly visible area dedicated to nurturing curiosity, cultivating critical thinking, and driving student engagement in the learning process. It’s usually a large bulletin board or a designated space on a whiteboard where student questions live.

Organize and display questions related to phenomena.

After you have introduced your class to a phenomenon, give them post-its and ask them to write down questions about the phenomenon.  You can group the questions using larger post its and display them on a wall throughout the unit and use the questions to drive instruction.

(P.S. You can anticipate student questions to drive your instruction and add a lesson here or there as needed.  Many teachers are under the impression that you need to wait to plan your unit until you have those student questions and that isn’t necessarily the case.  Collaborate with peers to anticipate questions!)

Incorporate gallery walks.

After students have completed a task (made a model, written an argument using evidence) use a gallery walk to display student work.  They can leave critiques and questions about a student’s work using more post-its (I use a TON of post-its!) or another method.

What does the practice of asking questions look like in different grade bands?

We definitely want to get students asking questions. But, we also want their questions to become more complex over time. So, let’s spend some time looking at the progression for the science and engineering practice.

Early Elementary – Kindergarten to Second Grade

Often, teachers are surprised by how much students are asked to do in this grade band. This practice is no exception.

The Next Generation Science standards in grades kindergarten through second grade focus heavily on observable, day-to-day phenomena.

My daughter is in this age bracket.  She makes countless observations throughout the day and I am constantly asked “Why does that happen?” or “What would happen if…”.  Students in this age group are unabashedly curious.

For this grade band, the emphasis should be on focusing their questions.  Students should ask questions based on what they observe in your classroom or in the natural world.  They should be able to identify questions that can be investigated.

For more information about what this practices looks like in elementary school, click here.

Upper Elementary: Third to Fifth Grade

In grades three to five, students should start to understand the role of questions in the scientific process.  They should be able to identify variables and start asking what would happen if a variable was changed.  Students should distinguish between scientific (testable) and non-scientific (non-testable) questions.

At this point, students should also start to make predictions about the answers to their questions.

This activity is for grades 3-5 and is available on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store.

Middle School: Sixth through Eighth Grade

In middle school, the types of questions that students need to ask becomes more varied. Students start asking questions for clarification purposes. This is because they learn to use questions to critique other’s ideas. They use questions to understand models, discuss an argument, about the relationships between variables and more. Here, we ask students to use this practice in combination with many of the other Science and Engineering Practices.

In addition, this is where we introduce students to writing a hypothesis. In order to do this, they apply to practice of asking questions and take it a step further by making a prediction.

High School: 9th through Twelfth Grade

All of the practices get much more complex in high school. Here, they learn to ask questions based on careful observation of phenomena, unexpected results, models, or theories to seek additional information and clarify relationships. Furthermore, they explore quantitative relationships between variables and refine their understanding by asking questions that challenge existing arguments, interpretations of data, or designs. Students also evaluate the testability and relevance of their questions, enabling them to formulate hypotheses and conduct investigations within the scope of available resources, whether in a school laboratory, research facilities, or the outdoor environment.

How do you incorporate questions into your instruction?

Original Post Date: 7/14/18