National Science Week

Science Week writing prompts

Stories and arguments about discoveries, inventions, gardens and wildlife.

4 free promptsYears 3–9Printable PDFs

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Plan ahead: 14–22 August 2027. 290 days to go.

The 4 prompts in this pack

The prompts

Give curiosity a place on the page, with stories and persuasive writing about science.

01 Narrative Years 3–9

Your class plants an ordinary-looking seed. By lunchtime it reaches the ceiling. By home time it has grown something nobody expected.

Think about

Support: Sketch three stages of the plant’s growth and tell the story to a partner.
Extend: Make the solution follow from a clue you introduced before the problem grew.

02 Narrative Years 3–9

You invent something to solve a small everyday problem. On its first test, it solves a completely different problem instead.

Think about

Support: Name the original problem and describe one thing the invention does differently.
Extend: Show both a useful and a difficult consequence of the same discovery.

03 Persuasive Years 3–9

Your school is deciding how to use an empty outdoor area. Should it become a garden? Write to persuade the school council.

Think about

Support: Choose one benefit or concern and explain it using an example from school life.
Extend: Propose a practical response to the strongest objection to your view.

04 Persuasive Years 3–9

A community is considering protecting a local area for wildlife. Write to persuade the council whether it should go ahead.

Think about

Support: Choose a familiar habitat and discuss how one animal uses it.
Extend: Distinguish an example you know from a claim you would need to research.

Original Writing Boost resources, created independently of the event organisers. Print and share with your class.

Connect cause and effect in a story, or support an argument with a clear example.

A lesson for any of the prompts, a step at a time.

Notice and wonder

Start with an everyday object, a plant or the prompt image. Collect observations separately from questions. Invite students to explain what makes them curious.
Choose a direction

For a narrative, imagine one surprising change and follow its consequences. For persuasion, choose a position and discuss which examples would help a reader understand it.
Check the connections

Read a draft with a partner. Can they explain why an event happened or how an example supports a reason? Revise one connection that needs to be clearer.

After they write

Each student gets feedback on their draft, and you see patterns across the class.

Feedback they can act on NAPLAN criterion scores come with advice about the piece: what is working and a clear next step.
Revise the next draft Feedback stays beside the writing. Students revisit a passage and compare versions.
Plan the next lesson See patterns across your class and group students with a shared need for focused teaching.