🚀 Mission Inquiry: Experimental Skills for Scientists – Gifted Summer Program, July 2025

About Course

Can a paper airplane fly better with holes in its wings? What happens if you water one plant with juice and another with soda? Can a balloon survive a flame without popping?

This Learning Quest is part of the Gifted Summer Program Online – July 2025, offered by GenWise on Gifted World.

If questions like these make you go “Wait, really?!”-then Mission Inquiry is for you. In this course, you won’t just read about science – you’ll do science. You’ll explore how scientists think, ask bold questions, test wild ideas, and figure out how the world really works.

What you’ll do:

• 🌱 Run real experiments to test how plants grow, how materials behave, or how to trick gravity (kind of).
• 📊 Design surveys to discover surprising preferences (like whether your classmates really like that snack).
• 🕵️ Investigate mysteries using everyday things-paper clips, seeds, soap, and whatever you can find around the house!

What you’ll learn:

• ❓ How to ask testable questions that lead to surprising discoveries
• 🧪 Designing fair tests by identifying variables, controls, and planning smart experiments
• 🔍 Making predictions and writing hypotheses that actually make sense
• 📏 Observing and measuring carefully with real-world data
• 📈 Gathering and analyzing evidence to spot patterns and make sense of results
• 🧠 Making scientific arguments that explain why something happened-not just what

If you love solving puzzles, testing ideas, and figuring out how the world works (even when it’s messy), Mission Inquiry is for you.

For Parents

Curious, self-driven learners thrive when they’re given the tools to investigate questions that matter to them. Mission Inquiry is designed with these learners in mind-children who enjoy thinking deeply, solving problems independently, and understanding why things work, not just how.

This course builds core competencies at the heart of science and beyond:

• Asking meaningful, testable questions that go beyond surface-level curiosity
• Designing and conducting fair investigations, using control and experimental variables thoughtfully
• Gathering and interpreting data with care and clarity
• Reasoning from evidence-drawing conclusions that are logical, well-supported, and often surprising
• Communicating findings through structured argument and reflection

These skills-grounded in scientific thinking, data literacy, and metacognition-are foundational across disciplines, from STEM to the social sciences. More importantly, they nurture a mindset of rigorous inquiry and thoughtful exploration.

Whether your child is fascinated by how things work, enjoys building and testing ideas, or simply wants to go deeper than the school curriculum allows, Mission Inquiry offers a space to develop intellectual independence through hands-on, meaningful experiences. It’s not about giving the “right” answer-it’s about learning how to think like a scientist.

FAQs

Q1: What kinds of scientific skills will my child develop in this course?
A1: Mission Inquiry focuses on foundational practices that are central to science across disciplines: forming testable questions, designing fair investigations, collecting and analyzing data, and constructing logical arguments based on evidence. These are not just academic skills-they are ways of thinking that support deep learning and intellectual independence in any field.

Q2: How is this different from science taught in school?
A2: While many school programs emphasize content and factual knowledge, Mission Inquiry emphasizes the process of science-the habits of mind and investigative skills used by real scientists and engineers. Students gain the space and support to design their own experiments, grapple with uncertainty, and reflect on their thinking-something that’s rarely possible in a time-constrained classroom setting.

Q3: My child is already a motivated science learner. Will this be too basic?
A3: Not at all. This course is designed specifically for motivated, curious learners who want to go beyond memorizing facts. We challenge students to think deeply, take intellectual risks, and engage in real problem-solving. The course adapts to each learner’s level, allowing for stretch without overwhelm.

Q4: What materials or equipment will students need?
A4: The course is designed to be accessible using materials commonly found at home-things like paper, coins, string, seeds, soap, measuring tools, etc. We’ll share a full list before the course begins, and offer alternatives for anything that might not be available.

Q5: Will students work independently or in groups?
A5: Students will do hands-on experiments independently or with parental support if needed, but the course includes live, online sessions that offer interactive discussions, peer sharing, and mentor feedback. This helps students sharpen their reasoning, learn from others, and reflect more critically on their investigations.

Q6: Who is the mentor, and what is their approach?
A6: Our instructors are experienced educators and inquiry specialists who understand how to challenge high-ability learners without overwhelming them. They guide with warmth, rigor, and encouragement-fostering not just competence, but confidence in scientific reasoning.

Q7: Is this course only for children interested in science careers?
A7: No. The skills developed here-inquiry, critical thinking, data fluency, and evidence-based reasoning-are transferable across academic domains and highly valued in future studies and careers of all kinds. Whether your child is drawn to science, writing, design, or technology, Mission Inquiry strengthens the habits of thought that support long-term learning and growth.

Timing:

• 21 July, Monday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST
• 23 July, Wednesday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST
• 25 July, Friday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST
• 28 July, Monday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST
• 30 July, Wednesday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST
• 1 August, Friday: 1 – 3 PM GST, 2:30 – 4:30 PM IST