Skip to main content
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Español
  • Site Search
  • Log In/Create Account
  • BioInteractive Resources
  • Planning Tools
  • Professional Development
  • About Us

Asking Scientific Questions

Image of colored blocks with question marks.

Topic

  • Ecology
  • Communities
  • Scientific Skills & Literacy
  • Experimental Design
  • Explanations & Argumentation

Resource Type

  • Activities
  • Skill Builders

Level

High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Saved By
97 Users
Share This
View in Spanish

Description

This activity allows students to formulate and analyze scientific questions.

The activity begins with students observing different organisms or phenomena and developing questions based on their observations. They then sort their questions into those that can and cannot be answered using the methods of science. Students practice writing scientific questions, designing experiments to address scientific questions, developing questions that involve cause and effect, and understanding the importance of cause and effect questions in scientific research. At the end of the activity, students determine the research questions being asked from reading journal article titles and parts of a published paper or other reported results. Several possible extension activities are provided for continuing the investigation and research of phenomena.

Student Learning Targets

  • ​​​​​Compare and contrast questions that can be analyzed using the methods of science and those that are outside of science.
  • Develop novel, testable scientific questions that are inspired by student observations and interests.
  • Explain the importance of cause-and-effect research in the processes of science.
  • Analyze titles of scientific papers to identify the goals of the research study and, when appropriate, causes and effects in the study.
  • Identify, evaluate, and predict the scientific questions that drove research, based on data or figures from the scientific literature.

Estimated Time

Two 50-minute class periods.

Key Terms

cause and effect, scientific methodology, scientific process, scientific questions

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 03.30.20
Date Updated 11.08.21

NGSS (2013)

SEP1, SEP3, SEP6, SEP8

AP Biology (2019)

SP1, SP3

Common Core (2010)

ELA.RST.9-12.3, ELA.WHST.9-12.2

Vision and Change (2009)

DP1

Materials

Educator Materials (PDF) 726 KB
Student Handout (PDF) 230 KB
Characteristics of Questions (PDF) 58 KB
Journal Article Titles (PDF) 311 KB
Scientific Figure Example (PDF) 269 KB
PowerPoint Slides (PPTX) 161 KB
Educator Materials - Español (PDF) 467 KB
Student Handout - Español (PDF) 319 KB
Characteristics of Questions - Español (PDF) 65 KB
Journal Article Titles - Español (PDF) 319 KB
Scientific Figure Example - Español (PDF) 308 KB
PowerPoint Slides - Español (PDF) 249 KB

Educator Tips

Hear how educators are using BioInteractive content in their teaching.
Photo of Brian Silliman talking Play Video Previous Slide Next Slide
/
Implementation Ideas

Asking Scientific Questions

Students often come to Duke professor Brian Silliman’s class feeling like asking scientific questions is reserved for a select few. In this video Educator Voices post, see how he uses the Asking Questions activity with his students to help them generate and refine their scientific questions.
View Article
Previous Slide Next Slide
Close Modal

Explore Related Content

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Photo of a lion taken from a trail camera
Click & Learn
WildCam Lab
Photo of a tapir
Click & Learn
WildCam Darién
Trail camera image of a lion
Click & Learn
WildCam Gorongosa
Image of Rob Pringle holding a tracking antenna
Scientists at Work
Niche Partitioning and Species Coexistence
Image from the activity
Lessons
Niche Partitioning Activity
Graph from the activity
Lessons
Exploring Biomes in Gorongosa National Park
Image of a starfish
Film Activities
Activity for Some Animals are More Equal than Others
Illustration of a trophic cascade taken from the film
Short Films
Some Animals Are More Equal than Others: Keystone Species and Trophic Cascades
Screenshot of the Image of the Week webpage
Skill Builders
Using Images as Phenomena
Image of the How Science Works diagram
Tools
How Science Works

This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

Showing of
Teaching an Online Introductory Biology Lab Using Cellular and Molecular Biology Resources
14 Resources
By: BioInteractive
HHMI BioInteractive
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Newsletter Signup
  • HHMI.org
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility