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  • Iron Bar

    Lesson Plan |

    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.…

  • Boiling Time and Temperature

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the boiling point of a pure substance. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that the boiling point of a pure substance…

  • Who Can Become an Engineer?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about who can become an engineer. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that anyone can become an engineer as long as they study…

  • Sam’s Puppy

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about growth. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize that growth occurs as a result of cell division, which increases the number…

  • Needs of Seeds

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seeds. The probe is designed to find out what students think most seeds need to germinate.

  • Talking About Forces

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit beginning ideas about forces. The probe is designed to reveal whether students generally identify forces as pushes and pulls.

  • Is the Sun a Star?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the Sun and stars. The probe is designed to uncover students’ ideas about the nature of stars and their recognition that the Sun is an average star…

  • From the Field: Events and Opportunities, December 14, 2021

    Reports Article |

  • Why Coherence Matters for Multilingual Learners in Science Instruction

    Blog Post |

  • Cells and Size

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the size of cells. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize how small a cell is relative to other things.

  • Science Teacher Preparation

    Position Statement |

  • Objects and Temperature

    Lesson Plan |

    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…

  • Exit Tickets

    Journal Article |

    Understanding students, adapting instruction, and addressing equity

  • Construction Ahead: Evaluating Deployment Methods for Categorization Tasks as Precursors to Lecture

    Journal Article |

    The authors of this article briefly review the literature rationalizing sorting tasks as a preclass activity for fostering deep initial learning and transfer.

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