Thinking about your balloons1. What did you have to think about as you tried to

measure the “lift” of the balloon?2. How much mass did your balloon lift?3. What were the three most important sources of

error in your attempt to determine the balloon’s lift?

4. Why did we have to use helium-filled balloons for this?

5. Why does a helium-filled balloon lift things but not a balloon you blow up?

6. What is the best way to determine how much can be lifted?

7. What do you think would happen if you measured the “lift” of your balloon today? Would it be the same as it was last week?

The case of good questions…

Closed ended

Have one correct answer Will this kind of mineral scratch glass…(Yes/No) What kind of mineral is this…(single answer/name) What are the attributes of quartz…(definition)

These may have a role in inquiry when they are used to focus the use of science processes…

These are most often a problem when they require knowledge that does not come from direct observations or other science processes…

Open ended

Allow more than one response

How can we… What might happen if… When would you see…

Therefore…they…

Encourage communication Promote greater thought Provide opportunities for negotiation and

collaboration

Some problems…

Why questions… Why is the sky blue? Why did the bridge fall? Why do leopards have spots?

These questions invite metaphysical (supernatural) responses… Because God made it that way… It was payback for building it in the first

place… Let me tell you a story…

Why questions…

Why questions Why is the sky blue? Why did the bridge fall? Why do leopards have spots?

Get more specific and/or focus on physical causes…and lose the “why”… What makes the sky appear to be blue? How does the air affect sunlight so the sky looks

blue? How did the forces acting on the bridge cause the

collapse? What is the advantage to leopards of having

spots?

Some problems

Asking questions using terms to be taught in the lesson… What do we mean by “positive” charge? What is the difference between

longitude and latitude? How can we identify different kinds of

molecules? What are the characteristics of a

mammal?

Some problems

“What do you think…” questions…

What do you think might cause the sky to be blue?

What do you think is the advantage to leopards of having spots?

What do you think would happen if the battery were connected to the bulb in a closed circuit?

What did you think about as you tried to predict tonight’s moon phase?

If you were going to determine if the rate of swing of a pendulum were affected by mass, how would you do it?

Do you know what makes it possible for water to run uphill in a pipe?

Some problems

When the “best” is the enemy of the “very good”… What would be the best way to find the

volume of the block? What is the best way to find out what

phase the moon was in last night? What is the most important reason for

using monofilament line when building a pendulum?

Some problems

Asking and Re-asking Moving from open-ended to closed-

ended… What might happen if we cover the candle

flame with the jar? Do you think the flame would go out?

Asking a slightly different question… What makes the leaf look green? What does the leaf do to the other colors of

light?

A couple more points

Allow “wait time”… Set the premise when necessary…

Given what you’ve learned from this activity, compare the flexibility of wood strips to metal.

NOAA Guide to Scientific Questions Guide to Scientific Questions If you

are a curious person you should always have questions about things. Some questions are good scientific questions and some are not good scientific questions.

So the question is, "What is a good scientific question?"

1. A good scientific question is one that can have an answer.

"Why is there air?" is not as good a question as "What is the air made of?"

NOAA Guide to Scientific Questions

2. A good scientific question can be tested by some experiment or measurement that you can do.

"Where did the Universe come from?" is not as good a scientific question as "How fast does a football fly through the air when I throw it?"

NOAA Guide to Scientific Questions

3. A good scientific question builds on what you already know.

"What chemicals are needed to make radishes grow?" is not as good a question as "What is the source of genetic mutations in drosophila melanogaster?"

NOAA Guide to Scientific Questions

4. A good scientific question, when answered, leads to other good questions.

"What is the color of the sky?" does not lead to as many other questions as "What events or conditions cause the sky to be blue (or orange or brown)?"

Look at the items and ask… Develop a list of questions

Include five open-ended questions Include five closed-ended questions

(that require some use of science processes)

Include 5 questions that are NOT good questions