Descriptive, Comparative, or Experimental?

Descriptive, Comparative, or Experimental? Worksheet (Grade 6 Science, TEKS 6.1B)

Give grade 6 students lots of practice telling the three types of scientific investigations apart. A short reading gives students three simple questions to ask, and then they apply them to ten real investigation ideas.

What's Inside

• A short reading with a three-question test for choosing the type of investigation
• Activity 1: Ten investigation ideas; students write D, C, or E in the box next to each one
• Activity 2: Three true or false sentences to check understanding
• A visual answer key with answers marked in red

How Teachers Use It

Use it as practice after introducing the three types, as a bell ringer, or as a quick check before students plan their own investigations. Every term is taught on the page, so no prior knowledge is needed. The sheet takes about 10 minutes, works for independent work, partners, or homework, and prints clearly in black and white.

This worksheet is part of the Reading in Science series for grade 6. It supports TEKS 6.1B: use scientific practices to plan and conduct descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations and use engineering practices to design solutions to problems. Pair it with the other sheets in the series to build a full unit on scientific and engineering practices, one skill at a time.

Why It Works

Each sheet teaches one or two new terms in plain words first, then asks students to use only what the page taught. Activities stay at the sort, circle, and match level, so students build confidence while the answer key gives teachers the reasoning they need.