Task 1
During a week, you notice a wet path dries sooner in one place than another. Write two observations you would record, one question about the pattern and a prediction with a reason. Do not go out alone or step on slippery surfaces.
AC9S4I01 • Homework
Scientific Questions and Evidence-based Predictions worksheet
Complete eight independent written and practical inquiry tasks. An adult checks the actual work.
Open practiceEight inquiry tasks
Use paper for plans, diagrams and records. Ask an adult before any practical work; paper planning is always available.
Task 2
A lunch-box lining needs to stop leaks, while a cleaning cloth needs to absorb spills. Choose a material property to question for each product and write two different investigation questions.
Task 3
A class is preparing to learn from local First Nations knowledge holders about landscape and water. Make a four-step plan covering who the teacher should consult, what to ask, permission to record and how to separate a shared observation from your own prediction.
Task 4
Draw leaves → caterpillars → small birds. Imagine many leaves are lost. Write a possible effect on caterpillars and a possible later effect on birds, explaining both links.
Task 5
A magnet observation note says unlike poles moved together at a 3 cm gap and showed no visible movement at 9 cm. Write a prediction for another 3 cm trial, a reason, and one thing you cannot conclude from the 9 cm observation.
Task 6
Rewrite this notebook honestly: “I predicted after the test that the paper would absorb more water, so my prediction was correct.” Show separate headings for what was observed and what could be predicted for a future test.
Task 7
Observe birds from indoors or use a teacher-provided bird record. Plan a question that can be answered by watching without changing the habitat. State what, when and where you would record, then write a prediction based on one observation.
Task 8
Two students predict different outcomes for a paper shelter in light rain. One cites a previous equal-sample drip test; the other cites a favourite colour. Write feedback to each student and propose one further question about the shelter.
Answers and adult review checks
Task 1
Answer: Record places, times and wetness under comparable conditions; ask how location relates to drying time; predict cautiously from a stated observation.
Check that the observation record could answer the question and the prediction is not presented as a measured result.
Task 2
Answer: Ask how much water passes through a lining and how much water a cleaning cloth absorbs, under specified comparable conditions.
Require two purpose-linked properties and two clear questions; do not accept the same vague “best material” question twice.
Task 3
Answer: Teacher consults appropriate local knowledge holders; asks about observations that may be shared and their local meaning; follows permission and attribution guidance; labels observation and tentative prediction separately.
Inspect all four steps. The plan must not claim a conversation happened or invent a cultural landscape rule.
Task 4
Answer: Less food may be available for caterpillars; if fewer caterpillars survive, birds may have less food. Real habitats can have other connections.
Check food-to-eater arrows and two qualified effects; no harm to real organisms or exact invented population count.
Task 5
Answer: The magnets may move together again at 3 cm, as observed. No visible movement at 9 cm does not prove no force or a universal cutoff for every magnet.
Inspect prediction, observation-based reason and a valid limit; the pole arrangement must remain unlike.
Task 6
Answer: The earlier result belongs under observations. A future prediction can use that result while stating that it was written before the new test.
Require distinct past observation and future expectation; do not accept rewriting history to imply the prediction came first.
Task 7
Answer: For example, compare visit counts at the same feeder during equal morning and afternoon periods; use an actual prior record to justify an expectation.
Check an observational method, consistent observation periods and an explicit real or provided observation. Do not invent observations or disturb animals.
Task 8
Answer: The drip evidence is relevant but may not predict every condition; colour preference alone is insufficient. A further question could examine leakage after folding or repeated wetting.
Inspect separate feedback, a limit for the evidence-supported idea and a relevant follow-up question. No outdoor storm testing is required.