Step 1 - Brainstorming or getting ideas
What could we investigate ? What could we measure or observe?
Step 2 : Planning
Example: Investigation into factors that affect germination and growth.
The teacher may begin by reminding the children about what germination means, then pose the question: What affects germination? The purpose of the investigation is to discover if and how a particular factor affects germination in a particular plant, e.g. cress.
The children are asked to suggest any factor that might affect the germination of cress.