Encourage Scientific Thinking With Science Inquiry Discussion Prompts

Build curiosity and confidence in young scientists with this engaging digital teaching slideshow designed to help early learners practice two essential science inquiry skills: making careful observations and forming thoughtful predictions. 

Using real-world images from the natural world, this slideshow provides ready-to-use discussion prompts that support rich classroom conversations, oral language development, and early scientific thinking.

Observe and Make Predictions About Animals & Nature

This slideshow features a variety of high-interest animal and habitat photographs. Each slide encourages students to:

• Observe the details in the picture
• Make predictions about animal habitats, features, and behaviors 
• Predict habitats animals may live in and explain their thinking
• Share ideas and reasoning with classmates using sentence starters

Students might predict where an animal lives, how it behaves, or what it may eat. These discussions help strengthen vocabulary, listening skills, and scientific thinking, all without requiring writing.

Download Your Science Inquiry Discussion Slides

This resource is available as an easy-to-use digital slideshow that you can project on your interactive whiteboard or display screen. Simply download, open the file, and begin prompting thoughtful science conversations.

This resource is available in both PowerPoint and editable Google Slides format.  To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button and choose your preferred file type.

This resourced was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.

More Science Inquiry Resources for Early Learners

teaching resource

I See, I Think, I Wonder - Science Inquiry PowerPoint

Teach students to ask scientific questions, make observations, and inspire discussions with this ‘I See, I Think, I Wonder’ Science Inquiry PowerPoint.

teaching resource

What Would Happen? Science Prediction Activity Cards

Read, discuss, and write scientific predictions in the classroom with a set of printable Science Prediction Activity Cards for students in Grades 1-3.

teaching resource

Scientific Prediction & Observation Templates (K-2)

Introduce your early learners to scientific inquiry skills with a set of printable Scientific Observation templates.