Demonstration of a phenomenon that raises curiosity and generates specific questions, which provide meaning, purpose and focus for the rest of the lesson activities.
Media Clip of an event connected to the topic of the lesson (such as an earthquake), which can generate questions to be pursued during the rest of the lesson.
Report (either print or video) of a recent discovery or unusual finding (such as the large scale death of frogs in various parts of the world) that is related to one or more concepts involved in the lesson. This report can be used to generate questions that students can pursue further.
Hypothetical Story or Scenario (such as “this class has been invited by the Victory Toy Company to develop a toy that will…”), which can involve students in performing specific tasks or solving specific problems that will lead to an understanding of particular science concepts.
Open-ended Question/Brainstorming (such as “what comes to your mind when you hear the word ‘population’?”), from which specific questions, problems, or issues can be generated.