Do your students struggle with writing clear and descriptive experimental procedures? Want to improve your students' science literacy? Included are 20 writing prompts you can give your students to practice their experimental design and procedural writing skills.

The questions included are:

1. Do trees grow faster in the spring or summer?

2. Can you run faster at lower elevations?

3. Are dogs really colorblind?

4. Do flowers last longer if you put flower food in the water?

5. Is it safe to eat food after it’s been on the floor for 5 seconds?

6. Does music have an affect on animal behavior?

7. Does the type of food you eat affect your heart rate?

8. Do worms make plants grow faster?

9. Does Verizon have better cell phone service than T-Mobile?

10. Do Energizer batteries last longer than Duracell batteries?

11. Does organic food mold faster than processed food?

12. Does a person’s height change throughout the day?

13. Does sight affect your balance?

14. Is spray sunscreen more effective than lotion sunscreen?

15. Which holds more weight- plastic or paper grocery bags?

16. Does age affect your memory?

17. Do double stuffed Oreos have two times the amount of filling than regular Oreos?

18. Can students tell the difference between Dasani and Aquafina water?

19. Does shaving really make your hair grow back thicker?

20. Which type of cup will keep your soda cold the longest?

Why use writing prompts?

All students need to improve their writing skills, especially english language learners. I created these writing prompts specifically for my ELL students. Writing is typically one of the lowest scoring categories on the state language proficiency exam. To help them improve, I assigned a writing prompt for homework BEFORE the lesson was taught. The goal is for students to think and write about scientific phenomena. Having them answer the prompt before the lesson was taught allowed me to assess prior knowledge, address misconceptions, and guide my teaching.

What's included?

- PDF of 20 writing prompts with teacher answer key (31 pages)

- Google slide student version (20 slides)