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  • Salt Crystals

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about crystalline solids. The probe is specifically designed to determine how students think atoms are arranged and move in a crystalline lattice.

  • Floating Logs

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about floating and sinking. The probe is designed to find out if students think changing the size of an object affects how it floats.

  • Revolutionizing Robotics

    Journal Article |

  • That’s How the Kangaroo Bounces

    Journal Article |

    A growing number of Introductory Physics for Life Sciences courses have been developed to prepare biology, premedicine, and pre-health majors for cross-disciplinary connections between physical principles and biological…

  • 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…

  • Is It a Solid?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about solids. The probe is designed to reveal the macroscopic and/or microscopic properties students use to decide whether a material is a solid.

  • Teaching and Learning About Global Climate Change Online

    Journal Article |

    Sessions of our laboratory-based physics course have been “meeting” synchronously online instead of on campus due to the pandemic. Shifting to remote instruction prompted us to create online versions of the course. In…

  • Guest Editorial: A Critical Review of the National Academies’ 2021 Call to Action

    Journal Article |

  • Nails in a Jar

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter during a chemical change (oxidation). The probe is designed to find out if students think the mass changes as rust forms…

  • Solids and Holes

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the density of a solid object. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that in this phenomenon, air is not displaced, such as…

  • Connecting With Community

    Journal Article |

  • Tinker Kit: Educator's Guide - Boston Children's Museum

    Journal Article |

  • Mass, Volume, and Density

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about density. The probe is designed to find out whether students have commonly held ideas about mass, volume, shape, and other properties that interfere…

  • Burning Paper

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of matter during combustion. The probe is designed to find out if students think the mass changes as paper burns inside a closed…

  • What’s a Fun Activity That Combines Science With Art?

    Journal Article |

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