The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter during combustion. The probe is designed to find out if students think the mass changes as paper burns inside a closed system.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about atoms. The probe is specifically designed to determine whether students can use the idea of atoms to explain why a metal expands when heated. Furthermore, older students’ explanations may reveal whether these students use the kinetic molecular theory to explain how heating causes the atoms to vibrate more, thus pushing the atoms apart.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about dissolving. The probe is designed to find out what students think happens to sugar when it dissolves in water.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about stars. The probe is designed to examine students’ ideas about the location of stars in the daytime.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about light and shadows. The probe is designed to find out students’ ideas about how shadows change throughout the day.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seasons. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize the effect of the Earth’s tilt on its axis and the resulting intensity of sunlight as the reason for seasons.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about precipitation. The probe is designed to determine whether students understand what causes the water in clouds to fall as rain.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about condensation. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that condensation comes from the water vapor in the air.

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about an everyday object in the sky: clouds. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water or tiny ice crystals.