AC9S3I01: Pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations

Students learn to pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations. They use the visual model, precise vocabulary and evidence to explain and apply the concept.

Learning routine: Observe → Model → Investigate → Record → Explain

Success looks like

• Recognise observation
• Use testable question
• Explain prediction
• Apply in a new context
• Justify with evidence

observation

information noticed or measured

testable question

a question answerable through investigation

prediction

an expected outcome supported by a reason

The content description and elaborations below show the curriculum ideas taught in this unit. Items marked as teaching context support lesson planning.

• Content description: pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations
• E1: acknowledging and using information from First Nations Australians to guide the development of questions regarding life cycles (teaching context)
• E2: posing questions about the relationship between soil characteristics and the growth of particular plants, such as: ‘Will beans grow best in sandy, loamy or clay soils?’
• E3: comparing simple maps of Australian agriculture and soil types and posing questions about observed patterns, such as: ‘Does wheat grow in particular soils?’
• E4: posing questions about substances that are difficult to classify as a solid or liquid, such as toothpaste, slime or hair gel
• E5: predicting whether the mass of ice in a sealed container will change when the ice has melted
• E6: predicting which material will be the most effective insulator of heat
• E7: predicting how quickly ice will melt at different ambient temperatures based on previous observations

Use reliable, community-approved sources and identify the specific Nation, People or community where the source does. Do not present diverse First Nations knowledges as one generic tradition. Follow local cultural and intellectual property protocols before reproducing cultural material or inviting community participation.

Core idea: Students learn to pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations. They use the visual model, precise vocabulary and evidence to explain and apply the concept.

Remember

• Recognise observation
• Use testable question
• Explain prediction
• Apply in a new context
• Justify with evidence

Important questions

• Which question is testable? Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Complete the prediction frame. Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Explain turn an observation into a testable question. Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Correct: Question is opinion-based. Explain using the model or evidence above.

Read the topic guide and use the teacher slide for instruction. Students can then use the worksheet for written work, open Practice for supported feedback, or take the Test when they are ready.

• Question is opinion-based — Use an observable or measurable outcome.
• Feature named without effect — Explain how the feature changes meaning or outcome.
• One example treated as a rule — Test the idea with another example.

This table gives closest-topic mapping for search and planning. The Australian Curriculum code is exact; overseas entries are broad equivalents because each jurisdiction structures outcomes differently.

Curriculum equivalents for Questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions...

Mapped skill: pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations

These references identify matching or closely related learning. Curriculum sequence, terminology and depth vary, so teachers should use the mapped skill and lesson difficulty to confirm suitability.

Australian Curriculum v9.0 is the canonical source for this SkillrHub lesson. Victoria and NSW entries name the closest published state codes or outcomes; international entries are planning references rather than claims of identical curricula.

• Australian Curriculum Version 9.0
• Victorian Curriculum F-10
• NSW Curriculum
• Common Core State Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• England National Curriculum
• New Zealand Curriculum
• NCERT textbooks

• AC9S3U01: Compare characteristics of living and non-living things and examine the differences between the life cycles of plants and animals
• AC9S3U02: Compare the observable properties of soils, rocks and minerals and investigate why they are important Earth resources
• AC9S3U03: Identify sources of heat energy and examine how temperature changes when heat energy is transferred from one object to another
• AC9S3U04: Investigate the observable properties of solids and liquids and how adding or removing heat energy leads to a change of state
• AC9S3H01: Examine how people use data to develop scientific explanations
• AC9S3H02: Consider how people use scientific explanations to meet a need or solve a problem
• AC9S3I02: Use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment
• AC9S3I03: Follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal measurements using familiar scaled instruments and using digital tools as appropriate