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  • Toothbrush Design—Is There A Better Bristle?

    Book Chapter |

    What kind of toothbrush do you use—manual or electric? What is the shape of the head and the handle? Could you describe the firmness and the layout of the bristles? Or count the number of bristles? In this 5E Model…

  • Is Earth Really “Round”?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the shape of the Earth. The probe is designed to find out how students reconcile the idea that the Earth is round, represented by the globe that…

  • Pizza Sun

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about relative size. The probe is designed to find out how large students think the Earth is compared with the Sun.

  • Sunspots

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about sunspots. The probe is designed to determine if students are aware of a prominent feature of the Sun that they can observe under safe conditions—…

  • Shorter Days in Winter

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the changing length of daylight with the change in seasons. The probe is designed to find out if students can relate the apparent path of the Sun as seen from…

  • Changing Constellations

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about why the constellations change with the seasons. The probe is designed to find out how students use the Earth’s spin and orbit to explain why…

  • Seeing the Moon

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about when we can see the Moon. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that the Moon can be seen at different times during the…

  • Sizing Up the Moon

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the size of the Moon. The probe is designed to find out if students understand the idea that something huge can appear to be small if we see it…

  • Does the Moon Orbit the Earth?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the Moon’s motion. The probe is designed to find out whether students recognize that the Moon orbits the Earth, and, if so, how long they think it…

  • Earth or Moon Shadow?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about why the Moon appears to have different shapes at different times. The probe is designed to find out if students confuse the explanation for a lunar…

  • Where Do People Live?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the shape of the Earth. The probe is designed to find out if students grasp the idea that the spherical Earth applies to the actual Earth beneath…

  • Moon Phase and Solar Eclipse

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ understanding of the Earth- Sun-Moon system well enough to explain the causes of Moon phases and solar eclipses and how these two phenomena are related.

  • Moon Spin

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the Moon’s motion. The probe is designed not only to find out if students know how long it takes for the Moon to make a complete rotation but also…

  • Chinese Moon

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about Moon phases when observed from different locations. The probe is designed to determine if students are able to take the “space point of view” when…

  • Crescent Moon

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about how much of the spherical Moon is lit by the Sun at any point in time. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that at any point…

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