A1.1 Research
Research starts with a question you can answer from evidence, not opinion. Gather from at least two reliable sources, note where each fact came from, and look for agreement between them. Where sources disagree, say so.
Example
Find out: Which animals use the wetland at the end of our street, and in which seasons?
- Observe: visit at dawn in fall and spring; list what you see and hear.
- Sources: a conservation-authority survey and a birding app's local records.
- Compare: mark each animal by who reported it; note the ones only one source lists.
A1.2 Experimentation
Example
Test: Which material blocks sound best — foam, cardboard, or cloth?
- Same: one phone playing the same tone inside a box; the same distance to the sound meter.
- Change: only the lining material. Measure the reading three times each; average.
- The lowest average blocks best. Say what could still be unfair — box lids that did not seal the same.
A1.3 Engineering design
Example
Design a pulley system to lift a bucket of sand onto a shelf with the least pull.
- Criteria: least pull, measured with a spring scale. Constraints: two pulleys, string, a shelf.
- Build a fixed pulley; test and record the pull. Add a movable pulley; test again.
Remember: Improve: the two-pulley version pulls gentler but needs more string; keep it, and say why.
A1.4 Safety
Example
Choose the safety steps for the scratch test on rock samples and a loud-sound experiment.
- Scratch test: goggles, because chips fly; scratch away from your hand; wash hands after handling minerals.
- Loud sound: keep the volume below a normal voice, because loud sound slowly and permanently damages the ear's hearing cells; ear protection if a test needs more.
Remember: Report any cut or ringing ears to the teacher.
A1.5 Communicating findings
Example
Share the sound-blocking results with the class and with a builder choosing wall insulation.
- Class: a bar chart of average readings per material; the words absorb, reflect, vibration, medium.
- Builder: one line — which material cut the reading most — and the one caveat about box seals.
- Both: what you would test next, and why.
Summary
- Evidence questions; two sources; note disagreements.
- One variable; repeat; average; name what could still be unfair.
- Criteria, constraints, test, improve.
- Goggles for chips; ears protected from loud sound.
- Chart for peers; one line for the expert.