ABSTRACT
The skill area encourages children to move beyond describing and reporting what they have found out to consider what it might mean. To do this children need to be encouraged to reflect on their original question, identify what evidence can be used to answer the question, spot patterns, understand what those patterns might mean, all using scientific understanding and vocabulary, and then use them to answer their question. W. Harlen and A. Qualter notes that children sometimes implicitly use patterns from their evidence without actually realising they have done so. How children progress in skill area is intimately linked to their conceptual understanding of the science within the topic and how the evidence is presented. An element of evaluation that comes with analysis since the analysis can often lead to a discussion of why teachers cannot make a conclusion or why they might refute the idea being investigated.
