Science
Before KG · 12 min
My five senses
How do you know the world is there? Five ways.
Ages 2–33 pagesYou: discuss
My own question
What do you actually want to know? Anything.
ScienceAges 4–520 minutes3 pagesEnglish textInk-light
Being written
This one is planned but not finished yet. Everything below is what it will contain.
- Skill
- Asking an answerable question, the hardest and most valuable science skill
- You will need
- Crayons, Whatever the question needs
- Your job
- Discuss
- Stage
- KG2 · ages 4–5
Not drawn yet
I can ask my own question and find out the answer myself.
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How the fifteen minutes go
The five steps on this sheet, in the order a child meets them. This is what you will actually be doing, not a description of the method.
- 1
Wonder
What do you actually want to know? Anything.
- 2
Listen
Your grown-up writes your question down exactly as you said it.
- 3
Explore
How could we find out? Not look it up, find out.
- 4
Share
Tell someone your question and your answer.
Three levels in the same pack
Print the one that fits today. Same skill, three depths — and on this sheet they differ like this.
Support
The adult offers three questions to choose between.
Fewer items, more pictures, hints included, parent reads the instructions.
Core
The child's own question, adult helps make it testable.
The standard task, recognition, practice and explanation.
Challenge
The child suggests how to test it themselves.
Open-ended. Explain why, make your own example, use it somewhere new.
For the grown-up
The same guide that is printed on the back page, so you can read it before you decide to print anything.
The answers
None, and this is the most important sheet in the set. Your only job is to turn an unanswerable question into a nearby answerable one, 'why is the sea blue' becomes 'what colour is water in a glass?'
If they get stuck
Ask what they wondered about today. There is always something.
Common mistakes
- Answering it for them. Even when you know. Especially when you know.
- Rejecting a silly question. Silly questions are often testable, which makes them better than serious ones.
When they finish early
Keep a question jar. Pull one out every Friday.
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Licence
Free for personal, classroom, and parent use. You may print and share the link. You may not sell, re-upload, or modify this PDF without permission.
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