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  • The Mitten Problem

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • Gazing at the Moon

    Lesson Plan |

    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…

  • Meeting the Challenges of Remote Learning

    Reports Article |

  • Moonlight

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about light and the Moon. The probe is designed to find out what students think is the source of a full Moon’s light.

  • Wet Jeans

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • STEM Education Teaching and Learning

    Position Statement |

  • Ice Cubes in a Bag

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • Freebies for Science Teachers, February 15, 2022

    Reports Article |

  • Is It Living?

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • Why Do We See Two Mountain Ranges?

    Lesson Plan |

  • Tennessee Elementary Science Teacher Receives 2022 Shell Science Teaching Award

    Press Release |

  • Sensemaking Resources for This Year’s Challenges

    Blog Post |

  • Where Did the Water Come From?

    Lesson Plan |

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