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Hypothesis sentence starters for writing

“If _____[I do this] _____, then _____[this]_____ will happen.”

Sound familiar? It should. This formulaic approach to making a statement about what you “think” will happen is the basis of most science fair projects and much scientific exploration.

Step by Step You can see from the basic outline of the Scientific Method below that writing your hypothesis comes early in the process:

• Ask a Question
• Do Background Research
• Construct a Hypothesis
• Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
• Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
• Communicate Your Results

Following the scientific method. we come up with a question that we want to answer, we do some initial research, and then before we set out to answer the question by performing an experiment and observing what happens, we first clearly identify what we “think” will happen.

We make an “educated guess.”

We write a hypothesis.

We set out to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

What you “think” will happen, of course, should be based on your preliminary research and your understanding of the science and scientific principles involved in your proposed experiment or study. In other words, you don’t simply “guess.” You’re not taking a shot in the dark. You’re not pulling your statement out of thin air. Instead, you make an “educated guess” based on what you already know and what you have already learned from your research.

If you keep in mind the format of a well-constructed hypothesis, you should find that writing your hypothesis is not difficult to do. You’ll also find that in order to write a solid hypothesis, you need to understand what your variables are for your project. It’s all connected!

That seems like an obvious statement, right? The above hypothesis is too simplistic for most middle- to upper-grade science projects, however. As you work on deciding what question you will explore, you should be looking for something for which the answer is not already obvious or already known (to you). When you write your hypothesis, it should be based on your “educated guess” not on known data. Similarly, the hypothesis should be written before you begin your experimental proceduresnot after the fact.

Our staff scientists offer the following tips for thinking about and writing good hypotheses.

• The question comes first. Before you make a hypothesis, you have to clearly identify the question you are interested in studying.
• A hypothesis is a statement, not a question. Your hypothesis is not the scientific question in your project. The hypothesis is an educated, testable prediction about what will happen.
• Make it clear. A good hypothesis is written in clear and simple language. Reading your hypothesis should tell a teacher or judge exactly what you thought was going to happen when you started your project.
• Keep the variables in mind. A good hypothesis defines the variables in easy-to-measure terms, like who the participants are, what changes during the testing, and what the effect of the changes will be. (For more information about identifying variables, see: Variables in Your Science Fair Project .)

To create a “testable” hypothesis make sure you have done all of these things:

• Thought about what experiments you will need to carry out to do the test.
• Identified the variables in the project.
• Included the independent and dependent variables in the hypothesis statement. (This helps ensure that your statement is specific enough.
• Do your research. You may find many studies similar to yours have already been conducted. What you learn from available research and data can help you shape your project and hypothesis.
• Don’t bite off more than you can chew! Answering some scientific questions can involve more than one experiment, each with its own hypothesis. Make sure your hypothesis is a specific statement relating to a single experiment.

Putting it in Action

To help demonstrate the above principles and techniques for developing and writing solid, specific, and testable hypotheses, Sandra and Kristin, two of our staff scientists, offer the following good and bad examples.

When there is less oxygen in the water, rainbow trout suffer more lice.

Kristin says: “This hypothesis is good because it is testable, simple, written as a statement, and establishes the participants ( trout ), variables ( oxygen in water, and numbers of lice ), and predicts effect ( as oxygen levels go down, the numbers of lice go up ).”

Our universe is surrounded by another, larger universe, with which we can have absolutely no contact.

Kristin says: “This statement may or may not be true, but it is not a scientific hypothesis. By its very nature, it is not testable . There are no observations that a scientist can make to tell whether or not the hypothesis is correct. This statement is speculation, not a hypothesis.”

Aphid-infected plants that are exposed to ladybugs will have fewer aphids after a week than aphid-infected plants which are left untreated.

Sandra says: “This hypothesis gives a clear indication of what is to be tested ( the ability of ladybugs to curb an aphid infestation ), is a manageable size for a single experiment, mentions the independent variable ( ladybugs ) and the dependent variable ( number of aphids ), and predicts the effect ( exposure to ladybugs reduces the number of aphids ).”

Ladybugs are a good natural pesticide for treating aphid infected plants.

Sandra says: “This statement is not ‘bite size.’ Whether or not something is a ‘good natural pesticide’ is too vague for a science fair project. There is no clear indication of what will be measured to evaluate the prediction.”

Hypotheses in History

Throughout history, scientists have posed hypotheses and then set out to prove or disprove them. Staff Scientist Dave reminds that scientific experiments become a dialogue between and among scientists and that hypotheses are rarely (if ever) “eternal.” In other words, even a hypothesis that is proven true may be displaced by the next set of research on a similar topic, whether that research appears a month or a hundred years later.

A look at the work of Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein, more than 100 years apart, shows good hypothesis-writing in action.

As Dave explains, “A hypothesis is a possible explanation for something that is observed in nature. For example, it is a common observation that objects that are thrown into the air fall toward the earth. Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727) put forth a hypothesis to explain this observation, which might be stated as ‘objects with mass attract each other through a gravitational field.'”

Newton’s hypothesis demonstrates the techniques for writing a good hypothesis: It is testable. It is simple. It is universal. It allows for predictions that will occur in new circumstances. It builds upon previously accumulated knowledge (e.g. Newton’s work explained the observed orbits of the planets).

“As it turns out, despite its incredible explanatory power, Newton’s hypothesis was wrong,” says Dave. “Albert Einstein (1879-1955) provided a hypothesis that is closer to the truth, which can be stated as ‘objects with mass cause space to bend.’ This hypothesis discards the idea of a gravitational field and introduces the concept of space as bendable . Like Newton’s hypothesis, the one offered by Einstein has all of the characteristics of a good hypothesis.”

“Like all scientific ideas and explanations,” says Dave, “hypotheses are all partial and temporary, lasting just until a better one comes along.”

That’s good news for scientists of all ages. There are always questions to answer and educated guesses to make!

If your science fair is over, leave a comment here to let us know what your hypothesis was for your project.

Writing your hypothesis is an important step of your science project. After reading the background material and carefully reviewing the procedure you will be using, what do you think will happen? The hypothesis will take the form of a statement that predicts what will happen to the dependent variable when the independent variable changes. If you click the “Project Guide” tab and select “Hypothesis” from the list, you will find resources and examples that may help you.

Something is wrong with this website everytime I search Steps of the Scientific Questions it allways says Scientific method and im only ten and need examples of questions of scienfific help me. >.

Hi. You can view our resource on “Science Questions” by clicking the “Project Guide” tab on the Science Buddies site (above) and then clicking the “Your Question” link in the list. (It’s near the top.)

Hi,Im doing my science project on “What is the point of boiling?” and I was wondering if this sounds like a good hypothesis? “If I put the water in/on an increasingly hot surface boiling will begin to happen.”

What is a Hypothesis?

A hypothesis is a tentative, testable answer to a scientific question. Once a scientist has a scientific question she is interested in, the scientist reads up to find out what is already known on the topic. Then she uses that information to form a tentative answer to her scientific question. Sometimes people refer to the tentative answer as “an educated guess.” Keep in mind, though, that the hypothesis also has to be testable since the next step is to do an experiment to determine whether or not the hypothesis is right!

A hypothesis leads to one or more predictions that can be tested by experimenting.

Predictions often take the shape of “If ____then ____” statements, but do not have to. Predictions should include both an independent variable (the factor you change in an experiment) and a dependent variable (the factor you observe or measure in an experiment). A single hypothesis can lead to multiple predictions, but generally, one or two predictions is enough to tackle for a science fair project.

Examples of Hypotheses and Predictions

How does the size of a dog affect how much food it eats?

Larger animals of the same species expend more energy than smaller animals of the same type. To get the energy their bodies need, the larger animals eat more food.

If I let a 70-pound dog and a 30-pound dog eat as much food as they want, then the 70-pound dog will eat more than the 30-pound dog.

Does fertilizer make a plant grow bigger?

Plants need many types of nutrients to grow. Fertilizer adds those nutrients to the soil, thus allowing plants to grow more.

If I add fertilizer to the soil of some tomato seedlings, but not others, then the seedlings that got fertilizer will grow taller and have more leaves than the non-fertilized ones.

Does an electric motor turn faster if you increase the current?

Electric motors work because they have electromagnets inside them, which push/pull on permanent magnets and make the motor spin. As more current flows through the motor’s electromagnet, the strength of the magnetic field increases, thus turning the motor faster.

If I increase the current supplied to an electric motor, then the RPMs (revolutions per minute) of the motor will increase.

Is a classroom noisier when the teacher leaves the room?

Teachers have rules about when to talk in the classroom. If they leave the classroom, the students feel free to break the rules and talk more, making the room nosier.

If I measure the noise level in a classroom when a teacher is in it and when she leaves the room, then I will see that the noise level is higher when my teacher is not in my classroom.

What if My Hypothesis is Wrong?

What happens if, at the end of your science project, you look at the data you have collected and you realize it does not support your hypothesis? First, do not panic! The point of a science project is not to prove your hypothesis right. The point is to understand more about how the natural world works. Or, as it is sometimes put, to find out the scientific truth. When scientists do an experiment, they very often have data that shows their starting hypothesis was wrong. Why? Well, the natural world is complexit takes a lot of experimenting to figure out how it worksand the more explanations you test, the closer you get to figuring out the truth. For scientists, disproving a hypothesis still means they gained important information, and they can use that information to make their next hypothesis even better. In a science fair setting, judges can be just as impressed by projects that start out with a faulty hypothesis; what matters more is whether you understood your science fair project, had a well-controlled experiment, and have ideas about what you would do next to improve your project if you had more time. You can read more about a science fair judge’s view on disproving your hypothesis here.

It is worth noting, scientists never talk about their hypothesis being “right” or “wrong.” Instead, they say that their data “supports” or “does not support” their hypothesis. This goes back to the point that nature is complexso complex that it takes more than a single experiment to figure it all out because a single experiment could give you misleading data. For example, let us say that you hypothesize that earthworms do not exist in places that have very cold winters because it is too cold for them to survive. You then predict that you will find earthworms in the dirt in Florida, which has warm winters, but not Alaska, which has cold winters. When you go and dig a 3-foot by 3-foot-wide and 1-foot-deep hole in the dirt in those two states, you discover Floridian earthworms, but not Alaskan ones. So, was your hypothesis right? Well, your data “supported” your hypothesis, but your experiment did not cover that much ground. Can you really be sure there are no earthworms in Alaska? No. Which is why scientists only support (or not) their hypothesis with data, rather than proving them. And for the curious, yes there are earthworms in Alaska.

Hypothesis Checklist

What Makes a Good Hypothesis?

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Starting Out with Sentence Stems

When I first began my journey as a 5th-grade teacher, I held a misconception about students’ abilities in writing. I thought they could easily articulate their thoughts orally and in writing. Boy, was I off the mark. While a handful of students could express themselves clearly, most needed structural assistance.

Enter the solution: sentence stems. Sentence stems are effective tools for helping students express their thoughts, assisting students with special needs, and establishing focus during our lessons.

3 Tips for Using Sentence Stems

1. Make sentence stems optional.

I’ve found that the students who need sentence stems KNOW they need them and will use them.  As students become more comfortable explaining their thinking, many will naturally use the sentence stems.

2. Model using sentence stems when responding in notebooks and aloud.

Students may be unfamiliar with sentence stems and unsure how to use them effectively. Model your expectations and how sentence stems can be helpful to anybody!  Have students practice using sentence stems when answering questions with a partner. Start with simple examples like “My favorite subject is ___ because ___.”

3. Keep a list of sentence stems handy for you and your students to reference.

Sometimes my brain hurts, and I need sentence stems within easy reach. I made a printable list of science sentence stems for students to keep in notebooks!

I hope this post has sparked some ideas on how you can incorporate sentence stems into your teaching approach!

Pick up this printable (and more!) in Setting Up Your Science Notebook, available free to Science Penguin email subscribers in the Free Resource Library . 

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13 thoughts on “starting out with sentence stems”.

I love your sentence stems, but can’t find a link to download the resource.

Sorry about that, Julie. It’s fixed now.

Ari, thanks for sharing this! I have several other sets of sentence stems that I have started trying to incorporate, and this will be helpful since it gives some specific ones for science.

Also, I wanted to let you know I am going to start using vocabulary folders in the spring. I was absolutely determined that all their vocabulary was going to be part of their regular interactive notebooks, but it doesn’t work well. We end up with blank right-side pages (or left-side pages, sometimes), and don’t go back often enough to really use the vocab. I feel like having a separate folder would hold me more accountable for practicing vocabulary more often.

Thanks again!

Thanks Ari, sentence stems were very helpful for my class.

I am a homeschooler and this will be our first year using interactive notebooks. Your site has the most useful information I have found. Thank you for the wonderful tips and resources.

Thank you! 🙂

Ah this makes much more sense now. Thanks Ari!

Wondering if the sentence stem for social studies can also be used for language Arts?

Your blog and resources look great, but I really wanted your sentence stems, and they’re not there! Please contact me if I can get a copy!

It looks like you found it!

Hi! I don’t see a link for the sentence stems for math and social studies. Please tell me where to search.

Hi there. I only have science available now.

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Hi, I'm Ari!

As a new teacher, I struggled to plan engaging, rigorous science lessons. Throughout my time teaching upper elementary and in my graduate studies, I discovered what worked well and developed science curriculum for busy teachers.  Now, teachers across the country use Science Penguin activities every single day in their classrooms!

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How To Use Sentence Stems (Plus 60+ Examples for Every Subject)

Sentence stems help students …

Some students have no trouble expressing their thoughts, whether verbally or in writing. Others, though, need some help to get started. Sentence stems—sometimes called sentence starters, sentence frames, or thinking stems—help them do just that. Here’s how they work.

How To Use Sentence Stems

Provide all students with a list of sentence stems they can use during discussions or when they’re writing. For fluent writers or speakers, these stems may not be necessary, but they’re always helpful to have on hand. You can give kids a handout, or post an anchor chart for them to refer back to.

Be sure to model them for kids, showing how to fill in the blanks. Practice both out loud and in writing, providing your own example and then asking for their take. It’s OK if they simply fill in the blanks when they first start using these stems. But over time, students should use them more as a jumping-off point, to delve deeper into the topic.

Tip: Don’t require sentence stems if students don’t need them. Some kids will do just fine having a discussion on their own, or getting started on a writing assignment. But encourage others to use them as much as they need to. Eventually, these stems will become automatic, giving students tools to help them become better communicators.

Language Arts Sentence Stems

• The author used this technique because …
• The narrator is reliable/unreliable because …
• Characters in this story started out … but changed to …

• The theme of this story is … which is shown by …
• This story reminds me of …
• If could change the end of this story, I would …
• I liked/disliked this character because …
• This story made me feel … when …
• [Character] and [character] are alike/different because …
• My favorite part was …
• The author wants us to believe …

• Based on this text …
• The author proves their point by saying …
• I didn’t understand why …
• When I read … what I pictured in my head was …

Social Studies Sentence Stems

• These events are alike/different because …

• If this happened today …
• If I lived then, I would have …
• This happened because …
• The effects of this were …
• I agree/disagree with … because …

• I was surprised to learn …
• I don’t understand why …
• History repeated itself when …
• I feel inspired by …

 Science Sentence Stems

• The data shows …
• This experiment proved … because …
• I believe … will happen because …
• I expect to see …

• The cause of this is …
• The effect of this is …
• I was surprised when …
• We can find out by …
• We could change the outcome by …
• I discovered …
• The pattern I observed was …

• My results show …
• I predict … because …
• The experiment was a success/failure because …

Math Sentence Stems

• To solve this problem, I need to …
• The important information is …
• I can check my work by …
• Another way to solve this problem is …

• First I … Then I … Finally I …
• I found the answer by …
• This problem reminded me of …
• I can use this skill in real life when …
• I got the wrong answer because …
• This solution makes/doesn’t make sense because …

Discussion Sentence Stems

• When you said … I felt …
• I used to think … Now I think …
• I feel … when …

• We are alike/different because …
• I respect your opinion, but I disagree because …
• From my point of view …
• What I’m hearing you say is …

• If that happened to me, I would …
• What if we …
• I need some help with …

How do you use sentence stems? Come share your thoughts and ask for advice in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, 40 must-have anchor charts for teaching writing of all kinds ., you might also like.

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• How to Write a Strong Hypothesis | Guide & Examples

How to Write a Strong Hypothesis | Guide & Examples

Published on 6 May 2022 by Shona McCombes .

A hypothesis is a statement that can be tested by scientific research. If you want to test a relationship between two or more variables, you need to write hypotheses before you start your experiment or data collection.

Table of contents

What is a hypothesis, developing a hypothesis (with example), hypothesis examples, frequently asked questions about writing hypotheses.

A hypothesis states your predictions about what your research will find. It is a tentative answer to your research question that has not yet been tested. For some research projects, you might have to write several hypotheses that address different aspects of your research question.

A hypothesis is not just a guess – it should be based on existing theories and knowledge. It also has to be testable, which means you can support or refute it through scientific research methods (such as experiments, observations, and statistical analysis of data).

Variables in hypotheses

Hypotheses propose a relationship between two or more variables . An independent variable is something the researcher changes or controls. A dependent variable is something the researcher observes and measures.

In this example, the independent variable is exposure to the sun – the assumed cause . The dependent variable is the level of happiness – the assumed effect .

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

Step 1: ask a question.

Writing a hypothesis begins with a research question that you want to answer. The question should be focused, specific, and researchable within the constraints of your project.

Step 2: Do some preliminary research

Your initial answer to the question should be based on what is already known about the topic. Look for theories and previous studies to help you form educated assumptions about what your research will find.

At this stage, you might construct a conceptual framework to identify which variables you will study and what you think the relationships are between them. Sometimes, you’ll have to operationalise more complex constructs.

Step 3: Formulate your hypothesis

Now you should have some idea of what you expect to find. Write your initial answer to the question in a clear, concise sentence.

Step 4: Refine your hypothesis

You need to make sure your hypothesis is specific and testable. There are various ways of phrasing a hypothesis, but all the terms you use should have clear definitions, and the hypothesis should contain:

• The relevant variables
• The specific group being studied
• The predicted outcome of the experiment or analysis

Step 5: Phrase your hypothesis in three ways

To identify the variables, you can write a simple prediction in if … then form. The first part of the sentence states the independent variable and the second part states the dependent variable.

In academic research, hypotheses are more commonly phrased in terms of correlations or effects, where you directly state the predicted relationship between variables.

If you are comparing two groups, the hypothesis can state what difference you expect to find between them.

Step 6. Write a null hypothesis

If your research involves statistical hypothesis testing , you will also have to write a null hypothesis. The null hypothesis is the default position that there is no association between the variables. The null hypothesis is written as H 0 , while the alternative hypothesis is H 1 or H a .

Hypothesis testing is a formal procedure for investigating our ideas about the world using statistics. It is used by scientists to test specific predictions, called hypotheses , by calculating how likely it is that a pattern or relationship between variables could have arisen by chance.

A hypothesis is not just a guess. It should be based on existing theories and knowledge. It also has to be testable, which means you can support or refute it through scientific research methods (such as experiments, observations, and statistical analysis of data).

A research hypothesis is your proposed answer to your research question. The research hypothesis usually includes an explanation (‘ x affects y because …’).

A statistical hypothesis, on the other hand, is a mathematical statement about a population parameter. Statistical hypotheses always come in pairs: the null and alternative hypotheses. In a well-designed study , the statistical hypotheses correspond logically to the research hypothesis.

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McCombes, S. (2022, May 06). How to Write a Strong Hypothesis | Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 22 April 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/research-methods/hypothesis-writing/

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The Power of Sentence Stems

There is an art to implementing sentence stems intentionally in the classroom. Without proper explanation, modeling, and practice, sentence stems lost their effectiveness. I have found increased student achievement when using sentence stems, more specifically for reading responses. This episode unpacks my process for using the stems and explains how they are tools to boost, versus hinder, student ability.

In this episode I share:

• Sentence stems are a learning scaffold that helps students respond orally and through writing using complete sentences
• Sentence stems reduce pressure on students
• Sentence stems support students who need more time to formulate thoughts and responses
• Sentence stems improve student writing and sentence structure
• Teachers can use sentence stems to structure meaningful conversations, activate prior knowledge, respond to a question, reinforce key details, clarify information, use new vocabulary, summarize information, respond to peer discussion, and to work through a problem – modeling and using sentence stems help students greatly
• There is a process for incorporating sentence stems in the classroom: C.M.P.R. (Create, Model, Practice, Review)
• Sentence stems support student learning by using them as a resource, using them as a practice, and using intentional questioning to prompt the need for sentence stems in the response
• Sentence stems improve student language proficiency which results in improved writing and overall communication
• Sentence stems promote higher order thinking skills

Resources from this episode:

• Reading Response Sentence Stems and Starters Anchor Charts
• Reading Response Stem Cards
• Reading Trifolds  (with sentence stems)

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Do you find yourself seeking new ideas when it comes to literacy instruction in elementary classrooms? The Literacy Dive Podcast was created to offer actionable steps and to share information for teachers, like you, who are always looking to improve their craft! ELA is our jam and we are excited to dive into all things reading and writing with you!

Your host, Megan Polk, is the creator and owner behind Miss P’s Style. She is a literacy specialist and loves to support students and their teachers with curriculum, literacy instruction, best practices, and engaging literacy activities. Through this podcast, she will share literacy tips and strategies that she has learned from the many years of experience she holds from being an elementary teacher and literacy specialist. Megan has taught all elementary grades (K-5), but an intense passion and love for upper elementary came about!

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How to Use Sentence Stems (Plus 60+ Examples for Every Subject)

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Introduction

Sentence stems are an effective tool that learners can use to develop their communication skills, improve comprehension, and enhance critical thinking. In this article, we will discuss how to use sentence stems and provide over 60 examples that can be personalized and adapted as per the specific learning context.

What are Sentence Stems?

Sentence stems are predetermined phrases designed to facilitate responses in discussions, writing assignments, or self-reflection. They allow learners to organize their thoughts and express themselves effectively while promoting quality engagement and deeper thinking across various subjects.

How to Use Sentence Stems

1. Choose relevant stems: Select stems that fit your subject area or learning objectives. For instance, if the goal is to encourage critical analysis in literature, choose sentence stems that require learners to analyze texts by comparing themes, characters, or plots.

2. Introduce them gradually: Introduce sentence stems progressively so that students have time to practice using them naturally and effectively. This can be done by incorporating one or two at a time into discussions or activities.

3. Model using sentence stems: Demonstrate how sentence stems can be used by providing examples during class sessions and incorporating them into your feedback on student work.

4. Encourage students’ use: Create opportunities for students to use sentence stems during group discussions or individual writing tasks. Utilize prompts that encourage reflection or debate requiring the use of these predetermined phrases.

5. Track progress: Monitor the students’ use of sentence stems over time and provide feedback and reinforcement on areas where they may need further assistance.

60+ Sentence Stem Examples for Every Subject

Mathematics:

1. “I noticed a pattern when I saw…”

2. “The formula changes if we…”

3. “My solution is different because…”

4. “Based on my observation, I predict…”

5. “This experiment demonstrated…”

6. “One way to classify this organism is…”

Social Studies:

7. “An important event in this time period was…”

8. “This primary source reveals…”

9. “A significant cultural difference is…”

Literature:

10. “A central theme in this story appears to be…”

11. “The author’s use of symbolism is evident when…”

12. “An interesting character trait of (character) is…”

13. “In my introduction, I will discuss…”

14. “To support my argument, I will provide evidence from…”

15. “My conclusion effectively summarizes my main points by…”

Reading Comprehension:

16. “The purpose of the author is to convey that…”

17. “The passage suggests that the character feels…”

18. “A significant turning point in the text occurs when…”

Critical Thinking:

19. “An alternative perspective on this issue might be…”

20. “This argument could be supported by considering…”

21. “One possible implication of this idea is…”

Self-Reflection:

22. “I feel more confident in my understanding of this subject because…”

23. “One aspect that challenged me during this exercise was…”

24. “To improve, I need to focus more on…”

Sentence stems provide a supporting structure that enables students to articulate their thoughts meaningfully and foster critical thinking skills across varied subjects and learning contexts. By incorporating sentence stems into your teaching methodology, you can help your learners become more confident communicators and reflective thinkers, and enhance their overall academic development.

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A panoply of teaching resources.

Writing Hypothesis Sentences

Some English students have a hard time expressing complex ideas in short sentences. They don’t know how to summarize or synthesize information. This short lesson helps students overcome that barrier by teaching them how to construct a hypothesis with an easy to learn sentence pattern. 

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

• define hypothesis
• use it to communicate and synthesize complex ideas

Student Level: intermediate +

Lesson time: 50-75 minutes

Extra resource: pdf file with images and suggested answers for class review .

Part 1. Overview: Hypothesis Sentence Pattern (10 minutes)

A hypothesis is a sentence which shows us how two different things are connected. There are many ways to write a hypothesis. This lessons focuses on one sentence pattern because it is easy to understand and use.

Here are some examples:

• The more water a plant gets, the faster the plant will grow.
• The more I study , the more I learn.
• The richer the country, the more waste is produced.
• The hotter the temperature , the more ice cream people buy.

When writing a hypothesis sentence, it is important to remember this:

• The things you are looking at must be measurable. These are called variables.
• That means, we have to be able to count or measure quantify the variables we are trying to connect.

Now look at the key words in the 4 hypothesis sentences above. How can we measure these different things?

Check this file for a few possible answers .

Part 2: Practice #1 (10 minutes)

In this short task, students apply their new found knowledge of the hypothesis sentence pattern. The task uses a famous video clip with Steve Jobs .

Step 1: Introduce video clip. It is a small part of a speech made by Steve Jobs at a university convocation.

Step 2: Students listen to the video and summarize the main idea in the form of a hypothesis sentence pattern.

Step 3: Play video 2-3 times.

Step 4: Students to work in pairs and create one hypothesis sentence that summarizes the speaker’s main idea.

Step 5: Review answers in class. 

Part 3: Practice #2 (10 minutes)

Another practice round where students summarize data by creating hypothesis sentences. The suggested teaching approach is a pair work fluency drill.

Step 1: Put students in pairs or small groups.

Step 2: Introduce task. Students look at an image for one minute. They write one sentence hypothesis sentence that summarizes the data.

Step 3: Show the first image as a group practice effort.

Step 4: Give students 1 to 2 minutes to study the image and write a hypothesis sentence with their partner.

Step 5: After time has passed, review answers in class. 

Step 6: Begin the drill. Show each image for 1 – 2 minutes, or enough time for students to think about, create and write down one hypothesis statement.

Step 7: After all images have been examined, review sentences on whiteboard with whole class.

Here are some images and data sets for the drill:

Check this file to few the graphs and show some  possible answers .

Part 4: World History Video Summary (20-40 minutes)

This video shows the history of Earth . 200 years of change in 4 minutes. It is a unique presentation that will help build your students’ vocabulary and listening skills. The video is also a good example of telling a great story with hypothesis sentences.

Step 1. Watch the video one time.

Step 2. Make notes and answer these questions with a partner.

• What is the variable for each axis on the graph?
• How is each variable counted or measured?
• Write one hypothesis sentence using the data from the video.

Step 3. Discuss answers with whole class.

Step 4. Write a paragraph or more to explain the cause and effect relationship in the hypothesis.

Optional Step: Vocabulary Preview

Depending on the needs of your class, it might be a good idea to preview some vocabulary before students watch the video. Here are some words and phrases critical to video comprehension.

• life expectancy
• income per person
• Middle East
• industrial revolution
• Great Depression
• to catch up
• inequalities

Enjoy the lesson. Cheers!

Teach writing?

If you teach writing in an EFL classroom, why not buy a useful resource,  Teach Essential Writing Skills . Transform the quality of EFL student writing by focusing on four essential skills. Click here for details about the ebook that should be part of every writing teacher’s resource library.

Save time. Teach well.

3 thoughts on “writing hypothesis sentences”.

Great site!

Thank you for the video. I can understand it, but I can’t define or explain it in ratio form. Please define and answer your question for me, so I can better understand. Thank you again.

Really good explanation. I’ll try to use it during lessons. I like a lot creative lessons ant this is one of them.

Sentence Stems Vs Sentence Frames

By Med Kharbach, PhD | Last Update: February 26, 2024

In today’s post, I will cover sentence stems and sentence frames. These simple yet powerful tools have the remarkable ability to scaffold students’ learning, encourage deeper thinking, and enhance their ability to articulate their thoughts and understanding more clearly. As someone who’s spent a fair share of time in the classroom as an EFL teacher, I’ve seen firsthand the transformative impact these scaffolding techniques can have on students’ learning experiences.

Our discussion will proceed as follows: First, we’ ll explore what sentence stems are all about then we will compare them with sentence frames and point out the main differences. Finally I will provide a wide variety of examples for each scaffold strategy. For a deeper exploration of sentence stems and sentence frames, make sure to check the references and the recommended readings at the bottom of this post.

Related: Sentence Stems for Learning English

What are Sentence Stems?

Sentence stems are instructional tools, or what Walqui (2006) refers to as ‘instructional scaffolds’. They are used to scaffold students’ speaking and writing, providing them with a partial framework to express their thoughts, answers, and reflections. Essentially, they are the beginnings of sentences that prompt students to complete them in their own words, facilitating more structured and confident communication (Anderson & Dobie, 2022).

For Rodriguez-Mojica and Allison Briceño (2018), sentence stems are:

Syntactical language supports. They include sentence starters, which begin sentences, such as “I predict—-,” as well as sentence frames, which provide additional support for more complex syntactical structures, such as “I infer——because the text states—–.” (p. 398)

While they are conventionally known for their association with language learning, sentence stems are useful for all learners and not only language learners. As Rodriguez-Mojica and Allison Briceño (2018) explained,

Although we tend to think of sentence stems as supports for English learners (ELs), all students can benefit from exposure to the language structures expected in school. Not all students will need sentence stems; students can decide whether they need the language support or can proceed without it. (p. 398)

This approach is particularly beneficial in promoting language development, encouraging critical thinking, and enhancing classroom discussions. By offering a starting point, sentence stems help to lower the barriers to participation for all students, including English Language Learners (ELLs) and those who may find open-ended questions daunting. In my experience, incorporating sentence stems into teaching practices not only supports linguistic growth but also fosters a more inclusive and engaging learning environment.

Both sentence stems and sentence frames are powerful tools in an educator’s arsenal, but they serve slightly different purposes. Sentence stems, as we’ve discussed, are the beginnings of sentences that prompt students to complete them with their own ideas or conclusions, effectively supporting them in structuring their responses. They’re like open invitations for students to explore their thoughts within a guided context, enhancing their ability to articulate ideas coherently.

Sentence frames, on the other hand, provide a more comprehensive structure for student responses. Unlike the open-ended nature of sentence stems, frames offer a complete scaffold that outlines the entire sentence or statement, requiring students to fill in specific blanks with relevant information or thoughts. This makes sentence frames particularly useful for supporting students in constructing complex sentences, ensuring grammatical accuracy, and focusing on specific language objectives.

While sentence stems encourage exploration and expression of original thoughts, sentence frames focus more on accuracy and form, making them ideal for teaching specific grammatical constructs or vocabulary. Both strategies can be incredibly effective, depending on the learning goals and the needs of the students.

Sentence Stems Examples

When integrating sentence stems into educational activities, it’s essential to tailor them to the specific objectives of the lesson or discussion. Here are a variety of examples that can be adapted for different subjects and learning outcomes:

For Encouraging Critical Thinking and Analysis

• “One reason I agree/disagree with this statement is…”
• “The evidence that supports my view is…”
• “A question I have about what I read/observed is…”

For Reflecting on Learning

• “Today, I learned that…”
• “I was surprised by…”
• “I want to know more about…”

For Facilitating Classroom Discussions

• “I think that…”
• “I noticed that…”
• “Can you explain why…”

For Supporting Opinion Writing

• “In my opinion…”
• “I believe that…”
• “My point of view is…”

For Engaging with Texts or Media

• “The author’s main point seems to be…”
• “The theme of this story is…”
• “This part of the text makes me think that…”

For Collaborative Work and Feedback

• “One suggestion I have for improvement is…”
• “What worked well in your project was…”
• “How did you decide to…”

More sentence stems examples

• “One reason I found this interesting is…”
• “Before today, I thought… but now I think…”
• “I felt challenged when…”
• “My favorite part was… because…”
• “I can apply what I learned today by…”
• “A connection I made to my own life is…”
• “I would like to learn more about…”
• “This reminds me of… because…”
• “I was surprised to learn that…”
• “A question I still have is…”
• “Something I want to remember is…”
• “I agree with… because…”
• “I disagree with… because…”
• “This could be improved by…”
• “The most important point is…”
• “This will help me in the future by…”
• “I can help others understand this by…”
• “A strategy that works for me is…”
• “I changed my mind about… because…”
• “An example that supports this is…”
• “An interesting fact I discovered was…”
• “I can relate this to what I learned before by…”
• “My understanding of this changed when…”
• “I can use this information to…”
• “This challenges my previous belief that…”
• “I was motivated by… because…”
• “An assumption I had was challenged by…”
• “This information is significant to me because…”
• “I can see different perspectives on this by considering…”
• “A skill I practiced today was…”
• “I can teach someone about this by…”
• “This topic impacts us today by…”
• “I noticed a similarity/difference between… and…”
• “This raises new questions for me about…”
• “I can make a difference by…”
• “This will be useful in my future because…”
• “A creative idea I have is…”
• “I can express this idea through art/music/writing by…”
• “This makes me curious about…”
• “I feel more confident about…”

Sentence Frames Examples

As I mentioned earlier, sentence frames provide a more structured scaffold than sentence stems, offering learners a template where they fill in specific blanks to complete a sentence. This approach is especially useful for supporting language development, as it helps students practice using new vocabulary and grammar in context. Here are examples of sentence frames that can be used across various subjects and learning activities:

• “The main idea of the text is _ , and I know this because _ .”
• “ _ caused because ___ .”
• “The difference between _ and _ is _ , while they are similar because _ .”
• “In my opinion, _ is better than _ because ___ .”
• “When I read _ , I felt _ because ___ .”
• “The step I am on is _ , and I need to _ next in order to complete the task.”
• “The character/figure _ is important because _ .”
• “The result of _ is ; this shows that ___ .”
• “If _ happens, then _ will occur because ___ .”
• “One solution to the problem _ could be _ , which would ___ .”
• “The formula to calculate _ is _ , and I apply it by ___ .”
• “A significant event during _ was _ , which led to ___ .”
• “The theme of _ is illustrated by _ , which suggests that ___ .”
• “To improve my work, I could _ because _ .”
• “Comparing _ and _ , it is clear that ___ .”
• “The evidence supporting _ is _ , which means ___ .”
• “In the experiment, _ was observed, indicating that _ .”
• “A strategy I used was _ , which helped me _ .”
• “The author argues that _ , as demonstrated by _ , leading to the conclusion that __ .”
• “To solve this math problem, first I _ , then _ , which finally leads to ___ .”
• “After observing _ , my hypothesis is _ because __ .”
• “The impact of _ on _ is significant because ___ .”
• “Comparing my work to the criteria, I notice _ ; therefore, I need to _ .”
• “The primary reason _ happened was _ ; this affected _ by _ .”
• “One argument presented is _ , which is supported by _ ; this makes me think __ .”
• “In the story, _ symbolizes _ because ___ .”
• “The process I followed was _ ; this was effective because _ .”
• “To support my point, I can cite _ ; this example shows _ .”
• “The relationship between _ and _ is explained by ___ .”
• “Given the data, _ suggests that _ ; therefore, we can infer ___ .”
• “The advantages of _ over _ include _ ; this is important because _ .”
• “A challenge I encountered was _ ; I overcame this by _ .”
• “The key components of _ include _ ; this is essential because ___ .”
• “Reflecting on my learning, I realize _ ; this changes _ .”
• “To interpret the graph/chart, we see _ ; this indicates _ .”
• “Comparing _ to historical events, we find _ ; this teaches us ___ .”
• “The author’s use of _ (technique) creates (effect) because ___ .”
• “When applying _ to a real-world scenario, we can _ ; this is beneficial because ___ .”
• “In my group, we divided tasks so that _ ; this was effective/ineffective because _ .”
• “Drawing conclusions from _ ; it’s evident that _ ; hence, __ .”

Concluding thoughts

Wrapping up, the power of sentence stems in the educational sphere cannot be overstated. As educators, our goal is not only to impart knowledge but also to cultivate critical thinkers and articulate communicators. Sentence stems, with their simple structure and profound impact, offer a stepping stone towards achieving this goal. They act as catalysts for deeper thought, nuanced discussion, and more effective communication among students.

Incorporating sentence stems into our teaching practices is ket. In fact, it’s an investment in our students’ future. By guiding them to express their thoughts, reason out loud, and connect ideas coherently, we’re not just teaching them to be better students, but better thinkers and communicators in the world beyond the classroom.

• Anderson, E. R., & Dobie, T. E. (2022). Sentence Stems to Foster Dialogue: Uses of “I Notice” and “I Wonder” in Online Teacher Professional Development. Journal of Teacher Education , 73(4), 424-437.
• de Oliveira, L. C., & Athanases, S. Z. (2017). A Framework to Reenvision Instructional Scaffolding for Linguistically Diverse Learners. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy , 61(2), 123–129. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26631091
• Rodriguez-Mojica, C., & Briceño, A. (2018). Sentence Stems That Support Reading Comprehension. The Reading Teacher , 72(3), 398–402. http://www.jstor.org/stable/26632702
• Walqui, A. (2006). Scaffolding instruction for English language learners: A conceptual framework. International Journal Bilingual Education and Bilingual Education and Bilingualism , 9(2), 159-180.

Further reading

• Coulombe, M., & Zuccaro, E. (2022). NOW READ THIS Three Sentence Stems to Support Children’s Language During Read Alouds. Teaching Young Children, 15(4), 24–26.
• Delpit, L.D. (1988). The silenced dialogue: Power and pedagogy in educating other people’s children. Harvard Educational Review, 58(3), 280-299.
• Many, J.E. (2002). An exhibition and analysis of verbal tapestries: Understanding how scaffolding is woven into the fabric of instructional conversations. Reading Research Quarterly, 37(4), 376-407.
• Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and language (E. Hanfmann & Vakar, Eds. & Trans.). Cambridge, MA
• Westby, C. (2019). Using Sentence Stems to Promote Comprehension. Word of Mouth, 30(4), 12-13.

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Meet Med Kharbach, PhD

Dr. Med Kharbach is an influential voice in the global educational technology landscape, with an extensive background in educational studies and a decade-long experience as a K-12 teacher. Holding a Ph.D. from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Canada, he brings a unique perspective to the educational world by integrating his profound academic knowledge with his hands-on teaching experience. Dr. Kharbach's academic pursuits encompass curriculum studies, discourse analysis, language learning/teaching, language and identity, emerging literacies, educational technology, and research methodologies. His work has been presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in various esteemed academic journals.

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Using Sentence Stems in the Classroom

Posted by Network Support · Leave a Comment  

  Some students may have difficulty responding during discussions or when completing written assignments. Teachers can help students overcome this difficulty by using sentence stems. Sentence stems are a learning scaffold that can help students respond (orally and through writing) using complete sentences.

Teachers can use sentence stems to:

• Activate prior knowledge and to link with present content – “ I already know / I think that this is similar to.”
• Clarify information – “I thought / Can you please tell me…”
• Reinforce use of selected vocabulary – “The text uses…”
• Help students respond to a question – “I read that/ The text stated…”
• Summarize information – “I learnt…”
• Structure meaningful conversations – “I agree with/ I disagree with…”

When sentence stems are used, they:

• Reduce the pressure on students to think and formulate appropriate responses.
• Support and improve students’ writing.
• Help students to communicate effectively.

Sentence Stems in Practice

Teachers can incorporate sentence stems in the classroom using these four steps:

• Create : Using the content or activity as reference, teachers can create a list of sentence stems, taking care to include vocabulary and/or sentence structures which students need to practice.
• Model : Teachers can explain the purpose of sentence stems and model how to use them with think-alouds. By thinking aloud, teachers can clarify the application process.
• Practice : Create opportunities for practicing the strategy independently or in pairs. Teachers can plan for conversational or written tasks using sentence stems.
• Review : Once students have completed their sentence stems, teachers may instruct pairs to present their sentences to the class. The sentences can then be reviewed and corrected, and any questions can be clarified.

Here are some ways to use sentence stems to support learning in the classroom:

Sentence Stem posters : Teachers can prepare general sentence stem posters and display them in the classroom. During lessons, teachers can call on students and instruct them to complete a sentence stem related to the content.

Pass the list: Teachers can prepare a list of sentence stems and give a copy to each student. Students can be given 2-3 minutes to complete the list (in writing) using information from the topic being discussed. After 3 minutes, students may be instructed to swap their list with a partner and add or edit information on their partner’s sheet. At the end of the allotted time, students can be given another minute to review their edited list.

Question stems: Question stems are open-ended questions that can help students reflect and find connections between concepts or textual information. These can be used to prompt students as they respond to discussions and writing assignments.

Sentence stems help to improve students’ language proficiency, in turn improving their communication and writing. They improve fundamental language skills as well as higher-level thinking skills, familiarizing students with sentence structure, linguistic ability, and lesson content all at once.

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Teaching with Jennifer Findley

Upper Elementary Teaching Blog

FREE Sentence Stems for Reading Strategies

Each year, I begin my reading instruction with the focus on having my students discuss and record their thoughts while reading using think marks in reader’s response letters and other write about reading activities . I implement strategies and instruction for this type of reading before we even get into 5th grade level reading instruction . Since the majority of my students are English Language Learners, I needed a resource to help scaffold their responses to their reading. This post shares a collection of sentence stems for my students to use while they share their reading strategies and thoughts.

Using the Reading Strategy Sentence Stems

I plan to introduce the sentence stems one at a time as a I teach or review a new reading strategy during the first few weeks of school. After all stems are introduced during the first 20 days of school, I can assign random Think Marks using the sentence stems throughout the year. The great part about these reading strategies is they work with just about any text. To read more about how I teach reading strategies and how to code thinking using Think Marks, click here.

Here are the reading strategies featured in this resource:

• Synthesizing
• Using Schema
• Making Inferences
• Questioning
• Visualizing
• Making Connections
• Determining Importance
• Making Predictions

I print the sentence stems on colored paper to use during guided reading time. These will hang nicely on the wall near my guided reading table or even on a ring to keep at the table. My students can use these as needed to discuss their thoughts or record their responses.

Grab the Reading Strategy Sentence Stem Posters for FREE!

Click here to download the Reading Strategy Sentence Stems for free from my TPT store.

If you need a resource to help you explicitly teach reading strategies, as well as allow your students to practice the skills with rigorous texts (fiction and nonfiction), check out this resource from my TpT store.

Shop This Post

Reading Strategies

More reading sentence stems.

Sentence stems are an amazingly helpful strategy for my students. They help them discuss and share their thoughts verbally and in writing. To see more reading sentence stems for grade-level reading skills and standards, click on your grade level below.

3rd Grade Reading Sentence Stems and Posters

4th Grade Reading Sentence Stems and Posters

5th Grade Reading Sentence Stems and Posters

More Blog Posts and Resources to Support Your Readers

Click on the links below to read more blog posts or see recommended resources to support your readers (especially struggling readers) further.

Decoding Strategies for 4th and 5th Graders

Helping Struggling Readers in Upper Elementary 

How I Teach Reading in 5th Grade

Free Reading Strategies Take-Home Book 

Getting Students Excited to Read

Holding Students Accountable for Independent Reading

Reading Intervention for 4th and 5th Grade Students Reading at 2nd/3rd Grade Levels: Fiction Skills

Reading Intervention for 4th and 5th Grade Students Reading at 2nd/3rd Grade Levels: Nonfiction Skills

Share the Knowledge!

Reader interactions, 10 comments.

August 8, 2012 at 1:20 am

I'm a new follower. Thanks for this freebie! It's great and I can't wait to use it with my kiddos.

August 8, 2012 at 1:21 am

Thanks! I am glad you like it!

August 8, 2012 at 6:24 pm

GREAT resource! Thank you for sharing it with us! I downloaded, printed, and am ready to use it in my classroom. Thanks again.

August 8, 2012 at 9:19 pm

Wow great resource! Thanks so much!

September 28, 2015 at 6:59 pm

Thank you for sharing!

September 30, 2015 at 8:40 pm

You are welcome! Thanks for visiting!

September 28, 2015 at 8:28 pm

This is fantastic! Just what I needed. Thank you for sharing!!!

September 30, 2015 at 8:39 pm

You are very welcome!

April 22, 2018 at 8:45 pm

Hi Jennifer, This is fantastic a and great! I love it. Do you sell it in tpt? I hope that it can send to email so I can save it. Thanks for this great one!

April 22, 2018 at 9:39 pm

Hi Tran, you can grab it here:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Sentence-Stems-for-Comprehension-Strategies-and-Skills-298114

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Welcome Friends!

I’m Jennifer Findley: a teacher, mother, and avid reader. I believe that with the right resources, mindset, and strategies, all students can achieve at high levels and learn to love learning. My goal is to provide resources and strategies to inspire you and help make this belief a reality for your students.