Science Scientific Inquiryusually ages 5–8

Asking scientific questions

Ask simple scientific questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways including observation, testing, and research

How to tell they’ve got it

Tick these off as you see them — no test required.

Ask at least three 'how' or 'why' questions about the natural world
Suggest different ways to answer a question: observing, testing, asking an expert, reading a book
Choose an appropriate method to investigate a specific question

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Try this together

When your child wonders about something — like 'why do leaves change colour?' — can they suggest how to find the answer, whether by looking closely, doing a test, or looking it up?

Where this sits on the map

Stuck here? Check the skills it builds on first. Confident? Here’s what it unlocks.

Builds on

Asking Questionsages 4–11Formulating scientific questions builds on the general skill of asking relevant questions to extend understanding, developed in English speaking and listening

Persisting When It's Hardages 5–6Scientific enquiry requires persistence through uncertainty — the universal persistence habit underpins willingness to keep investigating

Feeling of not understandingages 6–7Asking scientific questions is the science-domain expression of the universal comprehension-monitoring habit: noticing what you don't yet understand

Observation vs Interpretationages 6–7Asking good scientific questions requires noticing the distinction between observation and interpretation — a question like 'why did this happen?' only makes sense once you've separated what you saw from what you inferred

Asking scientific questionsthis skill · ages 5–8

Unlocks

Modelling with Sketchesages 5–8Must ask questions about problems before modelling design solutions

Observing with simple equipmentages 5–7Must ask questions before learning to observe closely

solid = must come firstdashed = helps

Curriculum alignment

Candidate matches to official curriculum codes — machine-suggested, unreviewed (v0.1).

Show candidate curriculum codes · 3 ACARA · 1 NSW · 3 VIC

Australian Curriculum v9 candidate

AC9S2I02medium confidenceYear 2 · Science inquiry

suggest and follow safe procedures to investigate questions and test predictions

AC9S1I02medium confidenceYear 1 · Science inquiry

suggest and follow safe procedures to investigate questions and test predictions

AC9SFI01medium confidenceFoundation · Science as a human endeavour

pose questions and make predictions based on experiences

NSW syllabus codes & stages only

STE-PQU-01medium confidenceScience and Technology K-6 · Early Stage 1

Victorian Curriculum 2.0 codes & levels only

VC2S2H02medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science as a Human Endeavour strand

VC2S4H01medium confidenceScience · Levels 3 and 4 · Science as a Human Endeavour strand

VC2S2I02medium confidenceScience · Foundation to Level 2 · Science Inquiry strand

These are candidate alignments generated by semantic matching — machine-suggested and unreviewed (v0.1), not official or verified mappings. For official curriculum content see australiancurriculum.edu.au, curriculum.nsw.edu.au and f10.vcaa.vic.edu.au. Don’t rely on them for registration or compliance purposes.

Nearby on the map

Comparing Design Solutionsages 5–8 Modelling with Sketchesages 5–8 Observing with simple equipmentages 5–7 Recording Dataages 5–7

All Scientific Inquiry skills →