Six step cards and a short story teach the order of the scientific method on this 3-page 3rd grade science sheet. In Part 1 students number the steps from 1 to 6, from ask a question to draw a conclusion. In Part 2 they read about Leo testing a tennis ball, a rubber ball and a golf ball, then match six sentences from the story to a step using a word bank. Page 3 is the answer key with the full order.
NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, grades 3-5
“Ask questions that can be investigated and predict reasonable outcomes based on patterns such as cause and effect relationships.”
Cards C and E and story sentences 1 and 3 cover the question and the prediction that start an investigation.
Six cards lettered A to F, each with a one-sentence meaning, such as Make a smart guess to answer your question. Students write a step number from 1 to 6 on each card.
A two-paragraph story about dropping each ball from the top of a yardstick three times, then six numbered sentences to match with a word bank of the six steps.
The step number for each card and a table that matches each story sentence to its step.
Act out the order
Hand out the six cards before the story and ask six students to stand in order. The class corrects the line before anyone writes a number.
Observe or record
Watching and writing in a chart are the pair students swap most. Ask which one still works without a pencil.
Rerun the test
Try Leo's test in class with whatever balls you have. Students point to the step they are doing as they go.
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