Science · Stage 5
Hypothesis and Design
Turn a hunch into a testable "I think…", then plan a fair test to check it — change one thing, keep the rest the same.
✦ Science📘 Stage 5 · S5⏱ ~10 min🧒 Ages 9–10★ Free to start
I can turn a question into a testable hypothesis and plan a fair test for it — working out which things to keep the same and the one thing to change.
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Kavi's Paper Boats
Kavi folds paper boats and floats them in a bowl 🛶. "I wonder which shape carries the most paperclips before it sinks. I think a wider boat will carry more than a narrow one — that's my hypothesis, a guess I can actually test! To check it fairly, I'll change only the boat's shape and keep the water and the paperclip size the same for every boat. Then I count the clips 📎. Let's design the test!"
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What your child will learn
1A hypothesis is a testable "I think…"A hypothesis is your best guess, written so you can actually test it. Tap each part to see what makes a guess a good hypothesis.
2Change it, keep it, or measure it?To test "a wider boat carries more", every part of the test has a job. Sort each one — is it the ONE thing to change, something to keep the same, or the thing you measure?
3Is this a testable hypothesis?Read each guess. Predict if it is a testable hypothesis or not testable, then tap to check. Tap Next test for more.
4Does the result fit the hypothesis?
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A peek inside
Kavi wonders if a wider paper boat carries more paperclips. Help Kavi write this as a testable hypothesis in the form "I think…".
A hypothesis names the one thing you change (the boat's shape) and what you expect to happen (carry more clips), and it must be something you can test and measure.
Try this at home: What is a hypothesis?
Ready to play and learn?
Start the free interactive lesson, or print the handout for screen-free play.
Part of Science · Stage 5 · S5 on KAVI Academy — a secular, whole-child learning platform for ages 5–12.