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

Students learn to 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. 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 changed variable
• Use measured variable
• Explain controlled variable
• Apply in a new context
• Justify with evidence

changed variable

the factor deliberately changed

measured variable

the outcome observed or measured

controlled variable

a condition kept the same

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

• Content description: 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
• E1: collaboratively identifying and ordering the steps in an investigation
• E2: using a provided framework or graphic organiser to plan and identify what to change, what to keep the same and what to measure to make a test fair
• E3: examining an example of a soil profile after soil has settled in water and planning an investigation to compare and contrast the components and particle sizes of different soils
• E4: planning an investigation to determine which material is the best to keep substances cold
• E5: discussing safety rules to follow when conducting investigations, such as following teacher instructions, manipulating equipment and materials with care and wearing appropriate personal safety gear, such as gloves, safety goggles and face masks when handling soils
• E6: consulting with First Nations Australians to guide the planning of scientific investigations, including safety considerations for field investigations (teaching context)

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 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. They use the visual model, precise vocabulary and evidence to explain and apply the concept.

Remember

• Recognise changed variable
• Use measured variable
• Explain controlled variable
• Apply in a new context
• Justify with evidence

Important questions

• In a test of paper-towel brands, what should be changed? Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Complete the fair-test rule. Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Explain plan a fair paper-towel test. Explain using the model or evidence above.
• Correct: Several factors changed. 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.

• Several factors changed — Change one tested factor at a time.
• 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 Provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions...

Mapped skill: 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

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
• AC9S3I01: Pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations
• AC9S3I03: Follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal measurements using familiar scaled instruments and using digital tools as appropriate