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  • Talking About Gravity

    Lesson Plan |

    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…

  • Freezing Ice

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about freezing point. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that the temperature at which water freezes is independent of the volume.

  • Whale and Shrew

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about cell size. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think animal cell size is determined by the size of the animal.

  • Pennies

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the properties of atoms. The probe is designed to determine whether students can distinguish between the microscopic properties of an atom and the…

  • Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about complete circuits involving lightbulbs. The probe reveals whether students recognize the pathway of electricity in a complete circuit, including…

  • Rolling Marbles

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about circular motion. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that an object will move in a straight line unless acted upon by an…

  • Dropping Balls

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about falling objects. The probe is designed to find out if students think the weight or mass of an object affects how fast it falls.

  • Ice Water

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about temperature in the context of phases of matter. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that the temperature of a substance does…

  • Global Warming

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about global warming. The probe is designed to find out what students think contributes to global warming.

  • Using Picture Books to Make Text to Investigation Connections

    Archived Conference Session |

  • Global Warming

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about global warming. The probe is designed to find out what students think contributes to global warming.

  • The Rusty Nails

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • Mirror on the Wall

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about reflection of light. The probe can be used to examine how students use ideas about light to explain how we see objects in a mirror.

  • What’s Inside Our Solar System?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the solar system. The probe is designed to find out if students can distinguish between objects in the solar system and objects outside of the…

  • Summer Talk

    Lesson Plan |

    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…

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