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Lesson Plan

Criteria and Constraints

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about criteria and constraints. The probe is designed to identify how students determine the criteria and constraints of a problem and whether one is more difficult to identify than ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School High School STEM

Lesson Plan

Pizza Problem

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about researching a problem. The probe is designed to determine the extent to which students are aware of the need to learn as much as possible about how others have solved a problem...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Brainstorming

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about brainstorming. The probe is designed to determine the extent to which students understand the norms of good teamwork during the brainstorming process.  ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Engineering and Nature

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how engineers use designs from nature. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that designs from nature provide creative ideas for solving problems.  ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Is It Affordable?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about trade-offs. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that trade-offs involve sacrificing one or more things in favor of another.  ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

What Is a Product’s Life Cycle?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the life cycle of a product. The probe is designed to see how students apply the concept of life cycle analysis to determine the impact of a product on the environment.  ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Engineers’ Models

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about different types of models commonly developed by engineers. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that just like scientists, engineers make and use a variet...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Picking the Best Solution

The purpose of this assessment probe is to provide practice in using a decision matrix. The probe is designed to see if students are able to interpret a decision matrix and to help you determine difficulties they may encounter. ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Designing With Math and Science

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how science and math are both used in engineering. The probe is designed to get students to think about the various ways science and math are applied to designing a physical st...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Testing for Success

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ initial ideas and attitudes about the procedure that should be followed when testing models to determine if a design solves the problem. The probe is designed to see if students recognize ...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School Elementary High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Making It Better

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about different ways to optimize a design that has been successful in the past, but that still needs improvement. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that there are mu...

By Page Keeley, Cary Snider, and Mihir Ravel

Middle School High School Engineering STEM

Lesson Plan

Is It Food for Plants?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the product of photosynthesis. The probe is designed to reveal (1) whether students recognize that the food a plant makes is the food it uses and (2) whether students have a bi...

By Page Keeley

Middle School Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Can It Reflect Light?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about reflection. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that all objects we can see reflect some light. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Apple in the Dark

Imagine you are sitting at a table with a red apple in front of you. Your friend closes the door and turns off all the lights. It is totally dark in the room. There are no windows in the room or cracks around the door. No light can enter the room. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Birthday Candles

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how we see objects. The probe is designed to find out if students know that light must be reflected from an object and enter the eye in order to see an object. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Ice Cubes in a Bag

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter (or mass). The probe is designed to reveal whether students think matter (or mass) is conserved during a change in state. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Lemonade

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think matter is conserved when a substance is dissolved in a liquid. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Cookie Crumbles

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think weight is conserved when a whole object is broken up into small pieces. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Seedlings in a Jar

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter in a closed system after a transformation of matter from seed to seedling has taken place. The probe is designed to reveal whether students can transfer ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Is It Melting?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the physical process of melting. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize melting as a change in state from solid to liquid that involves an interaction between ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Is It Matter?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about matter. The probe is designed to reveal the characteristics students use to describe and define matter. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Is It Made of Molecules?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about molecules. The probe is designed to uncover whether students recognize that objects, materials, and substances of both a biological and physical nature are made of molecules. T...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

The Rusty Nails

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about a common phenomenon—rusting. The probe is designed to find out what students think happens to the mass of iron nails after a chemical change. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Talking About Gravity

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about gravity. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that gravity is a universal force that exists everywhere on Earth and in space, regardless of whether air...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

The Mitten Problem

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about energy. The probe is designed to find out whether students think “warm clothes,” like a mitten, produce their own energy, manifested as heat. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Objects and Temperature

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about temperature. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that non–heat-producing objects exposed to the same ambient conditions will have the same temperatur...

By Page Keeley

Middle School High School Assessment Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Is It an Animal?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about animals. The probe is designed to find out what characteristics students use to determine whether an organism is classified as an animal. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Is It Living?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about living and nonliving. It is designed to find out what attributes students consider when determining if something is living or was once living. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Is It Made of Cells?

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about cells. The probe is designed to find out how students think about matter composed of cells. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Human Body Basics

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about levels of organization in the human body. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize cells as the basic unit of both structure and function in living organism...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Functions of Living Things

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about life processes. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that plants and animals share several life functions, even though they are seemingly very different orga...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Life Science

Lesson Plan

Wet Jeans

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the water cycle. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that water goes into the air around us after it evaporates. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Earth & Space Science Physical Science

Lesson Plan

Beach Sand

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about beach formation. It is designed to reveal whether students use concepts of weathering, erosion, and deposition to explain how a beach made up of tiny rock particles formed. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Earth & Space Science

Lesson Plan

Mountain Age

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about processes that affect the shape of mountains. The probe is designed to reveal whether students understand the role of weathering in shaping mountains. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Earth & Space Science

Lesson Plan

Gazing at the Moon

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the Earth-Sun-Moon system. The probe is designed to uncover students’ ideas about Moon phases and whether they think the phase of the Moon changes with geographic location. ...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Earth & Space Science

Lesson Plan

Going Through a Phase

The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about Moon phases. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize the role of light reflection and the positional relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun in understand...

By Page Keeley

Assessment Earth & Space Science

Web Seminar

Archive: Lab Safety Considerations for Back to School, August 31, 2020

This interactive web seminar will begin with an overview and framing of safety protocols specific for science/STEM laboratory considerations with Dr. Ken Roy, NSTA and NSELA Safety Compliance Advisor/specialist and Dr. Kevin Doyle of Morris...

Elementary High School Middle School General Science STEM

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