All lessons › Research & Sources: Check and Explain › Lesson 3
Australian primary science · Years 5–6 · Lesson 3 of 3
Build a Verifiable Answer
Inquiry question: How can we answer a question while showing where our evidence came from?
Marked no materials needed
Evaluating supplied source cards
What students learn
Synthesize two sources, paraphrase accurately, cite them and identify uncertainty.
Success criteria
- I can choose relevant figures and explanations from named sources.
- I can attribute each part of my answer to a fictional source.
- I can state a limitation without claiming a real-world result.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Understand that a claim should cite a relevant source and acknowledge its limitations.
- Charged iPad per individual or pair — One per student or pair
- Projector — One
Teacher setup
- Open the assigned lesson and present the slides.
- Show the lesson QR; students enter one or two names and start.
- Use the lesson timings: allow 45–55 minutes plus first-use sign-in time. Do not add copying to fill a full hour.
- All evidence is supplied in the lesson. No equipment, worksheets or external websites are necessary.
Safety and adaptations
- Screen-based evidence inquiry only. Do not perform physical experiments or imitate hazards described in the case files.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Restate the research question in your own words.
- Choose a useful numerical source and a useful explanation source; justify rejecting another.
- Make short evidence notes here; use them for one two- to four-sentence answer in Explain.
- Credit the source beside each fact or explanation in your answer, using your own wording.
- Name one limitation or follow-up measurement, and explain why B is not strong runoff evidence.
Teacher modelling prompt
Model one sentence: 'Source A's fictional trays recorded 22 mL runoff from mulch and 88 mL from paving.' Ask what still needs checking on a real schoolyard.
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: How can we answer a question while showing where our evidence came from?
| Source | Useful evidence | What it supports |
|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which statement is better supported and why?
Provided example or reference data
Fictional source evidence for one research question
| Source | Relevant content | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| A · Runoff Model (fictional) | 100 mL rain: sealed paving 88 mL runoff; mulched soil 22 mL | Small idealised equal-slope trays |
| B · School Newsletter (fictional) | Gardens look beautiful in photographs | No runoff measurement |
| C · Drainage Explainer (fictional) | Infiltration depends on wetness, soil, slope and rainfall | General explanation, not a site measurement |
Check the data source in the teacher lesson. Illustrative or fictional data are not measurements collected by your class.
Check understanding
What should pupils know? What is paraphrasing?
Explain with evidence: Which source provides runoff numbers?
Apply the idea: A school with already saturated soil wants to use the tray figures to promise no flooding. What should your answer add?
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.