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  • Dropping Balls

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about falling objects. It is designed to find out if students think the weight or mass of an object affects how fast it falls. For elementary students…

  • Is It a Theory?

    Book Chapter |

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

  • Doing Science

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about scientific investigations. It is designed to find out if students recognize that scientists investigate the natural world in a variety of ways…

  • What Is a Hypothesis?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about hypotheses. It is designed to find out if students understand what a hypothesis is, when it is used, and how it is developed. Elementary students…

  • Does It Have a Life Cycle?

    Book Chapter |

    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…

  • Cells and Size

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the size of cells. It can be used once students understand that all organisms are made up of cells and to determine whether students recognize how…

  • Sam’s Puppy

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about growth. It can be used to determine whether students recognize that growth occurs as a result of cell division, which increases the number of body…

  • Respiration

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about respiration. It is designed to find out whether students recognize respiration as a process that all living things use in order to obtain energy or…

  • Rotting Apple

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about decay and decomposers. It can be used to determine whether students recognize the need for a biological agent to break down once-living material as…

  • Earth’s Mass

    Book Chapter |

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

  • What Are Clouds Made Of?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about an everyday object in the sky—clouds. It is designed to determine whether students recognize that clouds are made up of tiny droplets of water or…

  • Where Did the Water Come From?

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about condensation. It is designed to determine whether students recognize that condensation comes from the water vapor in the air. Elementary students…

  • Rainfall

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about precipitation. It is designed to determine whether students understand what causes the water in clouds to fall as rain. Elementary students’…

  • Summer Talk

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seasons. It can be used to determine whether students recognize the effect of the Earth’s tilt on its axis and the resulting intensity of sunlight…

  • Me and My Shadow

    Book Chapter |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about light and shadows. It is designed to find out students’ ideas about how shadows change throughout the day. Observing changes in shadows is a common…

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