MISSION 2
Igniting Curiosity
with Asking Questions
Every great scientific investigation begins with a question.
⚙ Mission Time: 9:45–10:45 ⚙
Mission Briefing
Your team has received a sealed investigation packet containing an unusual device. Without adding air, the balloon will suddenly inflate.
Your mission is not to explain what happened yet. Your mission is to observe carefully, wonder deeply, and build a Driving Question Board that can guide what the class figures out next.
Mission Countdown
60:00
THIS MESSAGE WILL SELF DESTRUCT IN 60 MINUTES
Mission Success Criteria
By the end of this mission, I can:
- ☐ Explain how asking questions supports three-dimensional science learning.
- ☐ Generate observations and questions from a phenomenon.
- ☐ Contribute questions to a Driving Question Board.
- ☐ Identify questions that could guide student investigation and sensemaking.
Open Envelope 2
✉
Confidential Investigation Packet
Contents: self-inflating balloon, sticky notes, and mission card.
Do not activate the device until Mission Control gives the signal.
Mission Directive 01: Observe
Notice Before You Explain
Before activating the balloon, examine the object and packaging. Record only what you notice. Do not discuss explanations yet.
After activation, silently observe what happens. Look for changes in size, shape, movement, temperature, sound, timing, and anything unexpected.
Mission Directive 02: Activate
Self-Inflating Balloon Phenomenon
- Keep the balloon sealed until your facilitator gives directions.
- Activate the balloon according to the package instructions.
- Watch carefully without trying to explain what is happening.
- Record what you notice before talking with your table group.
Mission Directive 03: Build the Driving Question Board
Questions Drive the Mission
A Driving Question Board is not just a display of sticky notes. It is a public record of learner questions about a puzzling phenomenon, and it helps the learning community track, revisit, and answer questions with evidence as understanding grows.
For this mission, the board should stay focused on the self-inflating balloon phenomenon and the questions teachers would want students to investigate.
Step 1: Private Think Time
Independently write questions before table discussion. This protects individual thinking and helps every participant contribute.
Step 2: One Question Per Sticky Note
Write one question on each sticky note. Use your own words. Do not worry about perfect science vocabulary yet.
Step 3: Post Publicly
Place your questions on the Mission Control Question Board. Read what others posted and look for patterns.
Mission Control Question Board
What questions do we have about the self-inflating balloon?
Group similar questions together. New categories can emerge from the questions teachers actually ask.
How...?
How did the balloon inflate without anyone blowing into it?
Why...?
Why did the balloon begin inflating after we activated it?
What if...?
What would happen if the balloon were warmer or colder?
What caused...?
What caused gas to fill the balloon?
Does...?
Does the amount of material inside change the size of the balloon?
Could...?
Could we make the balloon inflate faster or slower?
Example Questions for the Board
Observation-Based Questions
- How long did it take for the balloon to inflate?
- What changed after we activated the balloon?
- Did the balloon inflate at the same rate the whole time?
- What did we feel, hear, or see during the event?
Explanatory Questions
- Why did the balloon inflate?
- What caused the balloon to stop inflating?
- What is inside the balloon before it is activated?
- What gas filled the balloon?
Investigable Questions
- What happens if we change the temperature?
- What happens if we use a different balloon size?
- How does the amount of material affect inflation?
- How can we measure the amount of gas produced?
Mission Directive 04: Sort and Prioritize
From Many Questions to Driving Questions
The goal is not to start with perfect questions. The goal is to honor learner questions, group related ideas, and identify questions that can move investigation forward.
Questions We Can Investigate
Questions we can answer by collecting evidence.
Questions That Need Research
Questions that may require outside information.
Questions We May Answer Later
Questions that connect to future learning.
Questions to Revise
Questions that are interesting but need sharpening.
Mission Directive 05: Revisit the Board
The Board Stays Alive
Return to the board throughout the mission. Mark questions that have been answered with evidence. Revise questions when thinking changes. Add new questions that emerge from discussion, investigation, and research.
- Put a star beside questions answered with evidence.
- Move questions when they fit a new category.
- Add new questions that emerge from the investigation.
- Use the board to decide what the class should figure out next.
Mission Challenge
Select Three Driving Questions
With your table team, choose the three questions that could best drive student learning.
Be prepared to explain:
- Why would this question engage students?
- Can students gather evidence to answer it?
- Does the question help explain how or why the phenomenon happened?
- Which Science and Engineering Practices would students use?
- How could this question move the class forward?
Mission 2 Complete
You used a phenomenon to generate questions, built a Driving Question Board, and selected questions that can drive student sensemaking.
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