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  • Habitat Change

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about adaptation. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think individuals intentionally change their physical characteristics or behaviors in…

  • Does It Have a Life Cycle?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about life cycles. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize that although life cycles vary in length and developmental stages, all…

  • Can It Reflect Light?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about reflection. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that all objects we can see reflect some light.

  • Earth’s Mass

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the cycling of matter. The probe can be used to determine whether students recognize that once-living matter breaks down and cycles through…

  • 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.

  • Renewable or Nonrenewable?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about Earth’s natural resources. The probe is designed to find out if students can distinguish between renewable and nonrenewable natural resources.

  • Is It Matter?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about matter. The probe is designed to reveal the characteristics students use to describe and define matter.

  • Is It a Model?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about models. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that models can take a variety of forms besides physical replicas.

  • The Rusty Nails

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about a common phenomenon—rusting. The probe is designed to find out what students think happens to the mass of iron nails after a chemical change.

  • Needs of Seeds

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seeds. The probe is designed to find out what students think most seeds need to germinate.

  • Technology, System, or Both?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about technological systems. The probe is designed to determine if students are able to envision how a system is made up of parts and can do something…

  • Systems Within Systems

    Lesson Plan |

    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?

    Lesson Plan |

    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.

  • Is It a Theory?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the nature of science. The probe is designed to find out if students distinguish scientific theories from the common use of the word theory and if…

  • The Greenhouse Effect

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the greenhouse effect. The probe is designed to reveal whether students confuse the greenhouse effect with other environmental concerns or lump the…

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