Year 9 Science · Unit 4 · Lesson 1

Investigable vs Non-Investigable Questions

Foundation Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Identify whether a question is investigable or non-investigable.
Name the variable you change, the variable you measure, and a variable you keep the same.
Use key vocabulary: investigable question, variable, independent, dependent, controlled, feasibility.

Warm Up

Sort it!

Write each question from the pool into the correct box. Decide whether each one could be answered by collecting data through a fair test, or whether it is non-investigable.

Does water temperature affect how fast sugar dissolves? Which sport is the most fun to watch? Does drop height affect how high a tennis ball bounces? Is jazz better than hip-hop? Does the brand of battery affect how long a toy car runs? Should phones be banned in schools? Does the amount of light change the height of radish seedlings? Why is space so mysterious? Does the type of soil affect how tall a bean plant grows? Is chocolate the best dessert?

Investigable

Not Investigable

Your Turn

Fill the gap

Choose the correct word from the word bank to complete each sentence. Two words will not be used.

investigable independent dependent controlled feasibility opinion data vague unsafe

An question is one you can answer by collecting data through a fair, repeatable test. The variable you deliberately change is called the variable. The variable you measure to see if it responds is called the variable. A variable you keep the same to make the test fair is called a variable. A question that asks what people prefer, like "which song is best?", is a question of rather than science. Before starting, scientists also check the of a question, which means whether it can be done with the time, equipment and ethics available. A question that is too must be rewritten with a clear variable before it can be tested.

Show What You Know

1. Give one example of an investigable question and one example that is NOT investigable. Explain the difference between them.

Recall 2 marks

2. For the question "Does water temperature affect how fast sugar dissolves?", name the variable you would change and the variable you would measure.

Recall 2 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?