Lesson Q3 L1 – From Curiosity to Research: Asking a Biological Question
Lesson Overview
Quarter 3 · Unit F: Heredity in the Garden · Week 19 · AP Biology (Grades 10–12) · Lesson length: 50 minutes
Essential Question: What environmental question about our garden, our city, or our food do we most want to answer, and can we answer it with an experiment in six weeks?
Lesson Focus: Teams generate, screen, and select a researchable environmental question for an independent investigation.
Why It Matters: AP skill 3.A asks students to pose a testable question, and skill 3.D asks them to propose a new investigation. Independent investigations put both into practice.
Source: Adapted from Seeds of Science, Lessons 2 and 6 (the challenge, preliminary questions, and research question criteria), extended from a two-group comparison to a student-designed environmental investigation with multiple treatment levels.
Standards & Learning Targets
Standards Alignment
AP Biology CED (Fall 2025) — Topics & Learning Objectives: None claimed. This lesson builds the AP science practice skills listed below; it does not teach a CED content topic, so no topic code is assigned.
AP Biology Science Practices / Skills: 3.A (Questions and Methods) — Identify or pose a testable question based on an observation, data, or a model; 3.D (Questions and Methods) — Propose a new investigation based on an evaluation of the experimental design or evidence
Student Learning Targets
Learning Targets — students will be able to
Generate biological questions linked to AP Biology topics and Phoenix conditions
Screen questions using researchability criteria (measurable, feasible, safe, ethical, six-week timeline)
Select and refine one question with a multi-level design
Key Vocabulary
researchable question · feasibility · multi-level design · dose-response · environmental stressor · ethics · pilot study · scope
Materials & Teacher Prep
| Materials Needed | Teacher Prep Checklist |
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Safety: Goggles on when using vinegar or other acids; small volumes; no tasting. Detergent solutions sting eyes: goggles on, and rinse with water if splashed. Sources: NSTA, Safety in the Science Classroom (2013). See the Safety & Fact-Check Log.
Lesson Flow & Timing
| Engage · 6 min | Explore · 20 min | Explain · 12 min | Elaborate · 7 min | Evaluate · 5 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question storm | Screen and select (Fan-N-Pick) | Strong research questions | Commit and refine | Exit ticket + AP item |
Phase 1 · Engage — The Hook
Teacher Talk
PCM: Curiosity. Hold up the salinity issue card from Materials (salt buildup from reclaimed water). “What questions could we ask about this?” Students write as many as they can in two minutes.
Ask Students
“Which of these questions could we test in six weeks?” “Which require years or a lab we don’t have?” “Which matter to Phoenix?”
PCM Differentiation
Thinker Students: Convert a broad question (“Is pollution bad for plants?”) into a testable one with a specific stressor, levels, and measurement.
Harmonizer Students: Choose a question that matters to someone you know. Who would care about the answer?
Phase 2 · Explore — Kagan Cooperative Activity
Cooperative Structure
Kagan structure: Fan-N-Pick. Teammates fan out question cards, one picks and reads, the next screens it against the checklist, and roles rotate, so every question gets a fair hearing (See the Teaching Reference for the structure’s steps.) Students will use multi-level design in this activity, so give a one-line working meaning now and the full treatment in Explain.
Step-by-Step
- Step 1 — Generate (5 min): Each student writes three questions inspired by issue cards.
- Step 2 — Fan-N-Pick round 1 (6 min): Teammates rotate roles: fan, pick and read, screen against criteria, and paraphrase-praise.
- Step 3 — Round 2 (5 min): Continue until each question is screened.
- Step 4 — Select (4 min): Teams choose one question and rewrite it with four or five levels of the independent variable.
Teacher Moves During Explore
Steer toward multi-level designs (e.g., 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 g/L salt) rather than single comparisons
Rule out unsafe or unethical treatments
Ask “What will you measure and when?”
Phase 3 · Explain — Direct Instruction
Mini-lesson — Strong Research Questions. Teacher move: Model with one team’s question.
A researchable question names the independent variable (with levels), the dependent variable, and the organism or system
Multi-level designs reveal relationships (dose-response curves, thresholds) that two-group designs cannot
Feasibility: six-week timeline, available materials, space, and safety
Environmental relevance: link to AP Biology topics and to a Phoenix issue (water, heat, air, invasive species)
Pilot studies test procedures on a small scale before the full investigation
Key Message: Good science starts with a good question. A researchable, multi-level question connected to a real environmental issue sets up a strong independent investigation.
Check for Understanding — Ask Students
“What makes a question researchable?” “Why test several levels of the independent variable?” “Which AP Biology topic does your question connect to?”
Phase 4 · Elaborate — Student Product & Differentiation
Student Product
Each team submits a screened question list and one selected question with independent variable levels, dependent variables, AP Biology topic link, and Phoenix relevance.
Differentiation
Support (scaffolded entry): Provide a question-builder frame: “How does ___ (levels) affect ___ (measure) of ___ (organism)?”
AP Extension: Identify a possible threshold or optimum in your question and predict the shape of the curve.
Multilingual Learners: Provide issue cards with images and bilingual key terms.
Phase 5 · Evaluate — Closure, Exit Ticket & Assessment
Exit Ticket
- Write your team’s research question.
- List the levels of your independent variable.
- Explain why this question matters for Phoenix.
Answer Key / Look-Fors: Look for a testable question with four or five levels and a clear environmental connection.
AP Exam Practice
(MCQ) Which research question is most appropriate for a six-week investigation in a school garden? (A) How does climate change affect all plants? (B) How do NaCl concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 g/L in irrigation water affect radish germination rate and root mass? (C) Is pollution bad? (D) Why are deserts dry?
Answer & Rationale: (B). It specifies the independent variable and levels, dependent variables, and organism, and it is feasible.
Expanding Circles
How does this connect to… Self — What environmental question do you wonder about at home? • Classroom — Which class questions excite you? • School — What environmental issues affect our campus? • Community — Which Phoenix problems could our research inform? • World — How do scientists choose questions that matter globally?
Formative Assessment
Formative Assessment (evidence for sorting students: the screened question list and selected question with IV levels, the exit-ticket Phoenix relevance answer, and the AP item)
Meets (3): Refined, feasible, multi-level question with relevance.
Approaching (2): Question testable but only two levels or unclear measurements.
Not Yet (1): Question too broad; conference with question builder.
Extend & Looking Ahead
Extension: Search for one study related to your question (Lesson 1.14 skills).
Looking Ahead: Lesson 3.2 dissects radish and Brassica flowers to see where meiosis happens.