Working scientifically: research

Research enquiries are a great opportunity to use science lessons to practise reading and listening skills developed in English; children get to use a range of secondary sources to help them find the answers to their ‘big questions’. Alternatively, children could plan research tools, such as questionnaires and interviews, to collect their own data. They are also an ideal type of enquiry to encourage collaborative learning in children, both in the researching and sharing of information, but also in presenting their findings to a variety of audiences. Research enquiries help to develop children’s scientific literacy, as children learn to compare and evaluate information from different sources. As children learn to recognise the differences between fact and opinion, and consider the concept of bias, they develop life skills that will support them in being citizens of the twenty-first century.

The video below gives you an introduction to research enquiries; below the video you will find a useful resource to download which includes suggestions for some of the ‘big questions’ that pupils might explore through a research enquiry. A full transcript of the video can also be downloaded below.

We also have a range of research cards and resources looking at ideas over time which can be found on our resource pages via this link.

Research

 

Downloads

Published: 5 October 2021

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