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  • Core Idea PS3: Energy

    Book Chapter |

    This chapter focuses on energy—perhaps the most important idea in all of science. It is used by every scientific discipline and applies to all known natural phenomena. Students hear and use the word “energy” from a very…

  • Developing the Next Generation of Elementary Science Teachers

    Journal Article |

    National science education documents emphasize new learning outcomes of elementary students; therefore, the preparation of elementary teachers should be revised to meet these challenges. This article describes how…

  • Developing the Next Generation of Elementary Science Teachers

    Journal Article |

    This article describes how science educators at a large southeastern university developed specialized science training for elementary preservice teachers (EPSTs) by creating a combination of discipline-specific science…

  • Is It Melting?

    Lesson Plan |

    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…

  • 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…

  • Mixing Water

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about temperature change in a system. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that heat moves from the warm water to the cool water…

  • 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.

  • Ice-Cold Lemonade

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about transfer of energy. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that heat flows from warmer objects or areas to cooler ones.

  • Ice-Cold Lemonade

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about transfer of energy. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that heat flows from warmer objects or areas to cooler ones.

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