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  • How Do We Know What Stars Are Made Of?

    Lesson Plan |

  • 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.

  • Does It Have to Touch?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit beginning ideas about types of forces. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that forces can act both in direct contact with an object and at a…

  • Coldest Winter Ever!

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about weather versus climate. The probe is designed to find out if students distinguish between a one-time weather-related change and a change in climate…

  • Is the Sun a Star?

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    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…

  • What Do You Know About Volcanoes and Earthquakes?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about plate tectonic features and events. The probe is designed to uncover commonly held misconceptions about volcanoes and earthquakes.

  • Grand Canyon

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the formation of the Grand Canyon. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize the role of rivers and flowing water and connect them to…

  • When Can We See Different Objects in the Sky?

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  • How Do Technologies Change?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how technologies change. The probe is designed to see if students are aware of the way nearly all technologies change over time.

  • Block Diagrams

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    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about block diagrams. The probe is designed to examine how students interpret a block diagram, and to determine whether they recognize that technologies…

  • Systems Within Systems

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    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about technological systems. The probe is designed to determine the extent to which students recognize that all systems are nested within and…

  • Who Engineers?

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    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about engineers. The probe is designed to reveal how students think about who is an engineer and the kind of work engineers do.

  • 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…

  • Team Players?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit student’ ideas about engineers and teamwork. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that different types of engineers and other professionals must work as…

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