Inquiry Learning in Grade 5 encourages students to think critically, ask meaningful questions, and explore the world through curiosity-driven research. Instead of memorizing facts, children learn how to investigate problems, gather information, and test their own ideas. This method improves creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork skills. In Grade 5, inquiry projects often focus on science, social studies, and real-life situations, helping students connect classroom learning to the world around them. With hands-on practice, learners gain confidence in asking questions, finding answers, and presenting their discoveries. Below are 60 inquiry-based assignments divided into starter, practice, and challenge levels, designed to guide teachers and students in building strong inquiry skills that prepare them for future academic success.
🟢 Starter
- Ask three “why” questions about your favorite animal and try to answer them with a short explanation.
- Investigate how plants grow by placing one in sunlight and one in the shade, then compare the results.
- Interview a family member about their favorite food and explain why they like it.
- Collect five different leaves and describe how they are the same and different.
- Watch the clouds for 15 minutes and record what shapes or changes you notice.
- Choose an object in your classroom and ask five questions about it.
- Make a list of questions you have about space and pick one to research.
- Explore how water changes shape when poured into different containers.
- Find out what happens when you mix salt with water compared to sugar with water.
- Ask a friend what their favorite subject is and find out why.
- Look at a map of your town and think of three questions about how it is organized.
- Compare two storybooks and ask what makes them different.
- Draw a picture of something in nature and write three questions about it.
- Observe how your pet or a bird outside behaves for five minutes and note patterns.
- Make a list of things you wonder about at school.
- Test what happens if you drop two objects of different sizes at the same time.
- Ask a question about how electricity works at home.
- Collect five small items (like a coin or button) and ask how each was made.
- Think of three questions about why people celebrate birthdays.
- Ask your teacher one big question you would like to explore in class.
🟡 Practice
- Design a small experiment to see which liquid (water, juice, soda) makes ice melt faster.
- Interview two classmates about their favorite hobbies and compare the answers.
- Research how recycling helps the environment and present your findings.
- Create a question about weather and collect data for a week to answer it.
- Study two different countries and ask why their cultures are unique.
- Test which type of paper airplane flies the farthest and explain why.
- Explore how shadows change during the day and record your results.
- Ask why some foods are healthier than others and find an example.
- Find out how music affects your mood by listening to two types of songs.
- Compare two different plants and ask how they survive in their environments.
- Investigate why people need sleep and write a short explanation.
- Create a “mystery bag” of objects and ask others to guess what they are using questions.
- Ask why some materials sink in water while others float.
- Study how advertisements try to make people buy products.
- Record how often you use technology in one day and ask if it is too much.
- Interview someone about a problem they solved and explain how.
- Test how long it takes different shapes of ice cubes to melt.
- Explore why animals migrate and give one example.
- Ask three questions about how books are made.
- Collect questions about why rules are important in school or at home.
🔴 Challenge
- Design a science experiment to test how temperature affects plant growth.
- Ask a “big question” about space (like “Could humans live on Mars?”) and research possible answers.
- Investigate how people in your community solve environmental problems.
- Collect data about how students in your class travel to school and analyze the results.
- Research why inventions change over time and pick one invention to study.
- Explore how different cultures celebrate the same holiday in unique ways.
- Write a question about fairness in sports and gather opinions from classmates.
- Create a hypothesis about how exercise affects concentration, then test it.
- Investigate why some countries are richer than others.
- Study how communication has changed from letters to texting.
- Ask how animals adapt to survive in extreme climates and give examples.
- Design a project about how to save water at home or school.
- Explore how transportation has changed human life through history.
- Ask whether technology makes learning easier or harder, and gather evidence.
- Investigate how people make decisions in groups.
- Research how language differences can create challenges in global communication.
- Ask why some people believe different things about history.
- Study how advertisements on TV or the internet influence young people.
- Investigate how energy is produced in your country and compare it to another.
- Create your own inquiry project by writing a question and planning how to answer it.
🟢 Easy
- What is a question in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning encourage curiosity?
- Why is observation important in Inquiry Learning?
- What is research in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe evidence?
- What is a hypothesis in Inquiry Learning?
- Why is listening part of Inquiry Learning?
- What tools do students use in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain group work?
- What is reflection in Inquiry Learning?
- Why is discussion important in Inquiry Learning?
- What is data in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe experiments?
- What is a conclusion in Inquiry Learning?
- Why is reading books useful in Inquiry Learning?
- What is note-taking in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain sharing ideas?
- What is a problem in Inquiry Learning?
- Why is asking “why” important in Inquiry Learning?
- What is teamwork in Inquiry Learning?
🟡 Mild
- How does Inquiry Learning explain the steps of research?
- Why is planning important in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe testing ideas?
- What role does evidence play in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain open-ended questions?
- Why are projects useful in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe critical thinking?
- What is peer feedback in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning connect reading and experiments?
- Why is communication important in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain making predictions?
- What role does creativity play in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe problem-solving?
- Why is reflection part of Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain analyzing data?
- What is collaboration in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning support self-confidence?
- Why is curiosity valued in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain trial and error?
- What is the purpose of journals in Inquiry Learning?
🔴 Hard
- How does Inquiry Learning connect to scientific methods?
- Why is problem-based learning linked to Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain the role of questioning in discovery?
- What is the importance of reflection in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning develop independent thinking?
- Why is collaboration essential in advanced Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning describe synthesizing information?
- What role does failure play in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning prepare students for real-life challenges?
- Why is analyzing multiple sources important in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain metacognition?
- What is the difference between guided and open Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning foster problem-solving skills?
- Why is perseverance important in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning support innovation?
- What role do essential questions play in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning connect school subjects together?
- Why is ownership of learning central in Inquiry Learning?
- How does Inquiry Learning explain building arguments from evidence?
- What is the long-term value of Inquiry Learning?