• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Observing with our senses). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which sense would you use to notice whether a stone is smooth? (sight (eyes) / hearing (ears) / smell (nose) / touch (skin)) → touch (skin)Prompt: Which part of your body would notice it?
2. Which of these would you notice using hearing (ears)? (whether it is dark outside / how many legs a beetle has / a bird singing / whether water is warm or cold) → a bird singingPrompt: Imagine doing each one. Which body part would you use?
3. Why should you never taste things in a science lesson unless an adult says it is safe? (Your tongue cannot tell anything. / They could be harmful. / Food always tastes the same. / Tasting is not a sense.) → They could be harmful.Prompt: Think about keeping yourself safe.

• Show a simple experiment with one thing changed and ask what makes it a fair test.
• Share the objective: Choosing a measuring tool. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Which tool would you use to measure how tall a sunflower has grown?
• Step 1: A ruler or tape measure measures length (how long, wide or tall).
• Step 2: So the answer is: a ruler or tape measure
• Answer: a ruler or tape measure
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Which tool would you use to measure the temperature outside? (a ruler or tape measure / a thermometer / weighing scales / a stopwatch or timer) → a thermometerPrompt: Is it a length, a temperature, a mass, a time or an amount of liquid?
2. What could you measure with weighing scales? (how warm the classroom is / how heavy a pet hamster is / how long a worm is / the width of a leaf) → how heavy a pet hamster isPrompt: What does this tool measure: length, temperature, mass, time or volume?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. What could you measure with weighing scales? (how heavy a pet hamster is / how long an ice cube takes to melt / how much water a plant is given / how tall a sunflower has grown) → how heavy a pet hamster isPrompt: What does this tool measure: length, temperature, mass, time or volume?
2. Which is the best tool to find out how long it takes a snail to cross a table? (a rain gauge / a ruler / a thermometer / a stopwatch) → a stopwatchPrompt: "How long it takes" is about time.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.