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  • Is It a Solid?

    Book Chapter |

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

  • Solids and Holes

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about density. The task is designed to find out if students think a solid object will float differently if it has holes poked all the way through it or…

  • Rock Solid Science

    Book Chapter |

    Children are naturally curious about the world around them, including the rocks beneath their feet. By observing, describing, and sorting a variety of rocks, students can discover that rocks have certain physical…

  • Rock-Solid Evidence

    Book Chapter |

    Many students have never looked carefully at rocks. For this reason, looking closely at several different types of rocks is important for preparing them to learn about how rocks are classified. In this chapter, one goal…

  • Solids, Liquids, and Gases

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the concept of matter. It is designed to find out how students define matter and whether they recognize that all three states—solids, liquids, and…

  • Deconstructing Solids

    Journal Article |

  • Solid or Liquid? Rock Behavior Within Earth

    Book Chapter |

  • Rock Solid

    Journal Article |

    A teacher describes how developing a structured, focused, and fun curriculum on rocks and minerals for learning-disabled students transformed her initial reluctance about Earth science into enthusiasm. Students observed…

  • Disequilibrium: Oobleck: Is It a Solid or Liquid?

    Journal Article |

    This column shows how to use discrepant events to confront misconceptions. This article discusses two engagement activities using oobleck.

  • Are Clouds a Solid, Liquid, or Gas?

    Journal Article |

    Confronting fifth graders’ misconceptions about states of matter and the water cycle

  • Sensing Matter—Is It a Liquid or Solid?

    Journal Article |

    Students classify materials based on physical properties.

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