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Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about gravity. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that gravitational force is a pull by the Earth, toward the Earth, regardless of whether an object is falling ...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about pendulums. The probe is specifically designed to find out what variables students think affect the time it takes a pendulum to swing back and forth. In addition, if students have...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to see whether students recognize that units of distance traveled must be measured with a measurement device from the starting point to the ending point. The probe reveals whether students take into account the...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this probe is to examine how students interpret a graphical representation of motion. The probe is designed to reveal whether students interpret a motion graph pictorially or mathematically....
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students' ideas about comparing motions. The probe is designed to see if students differentiate between the concept of position and the concept of speed. The probe will also help to see if students un...
Book Chapter
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit ideas about uniform motion. The probe is designed as a starting point to encourage students to use evidence and observation to support their ideas. The goal is for students to eventually develop and t...
Book Chapter
The topic of plants does not excite many middle school students. Learning about the inner workings of xylem and phloem feels far removed from any practical applications in their lives. This chapter uses a (true life!) crime scenario to frame the stud...
Book Chapter
This book, and particularly the stories which lie within, provide an opportunity for students to take ownership of their learning and learn science in a way that will give them a more positive attitude about science. In addition, it will serve to hel...
Book Chapter
Most students are totally unaware of the amount of sugar in bubble gum and don’t know that they are literally eating sugar in huge amounts. In this chapter, the author is concerned with finding out what happens to the weight of gum when it is chewe...
Book Chapter
What happens when seeds are soaked in water, you may find that your students cannot perceive of seeds absorbing so much water, for they may equate the seeds with how a sponge soaks up water. The story in this chapter offers students an opportunity to...
Book Chapter
Children may not be aware of what is exactly happening when they have their pulse taken by a doctor or nurse or even why it is important. The story in this chapter is aimed at helping children discover what kinds of activities change their heart rate...
Book Chapter
Students are usually aware that seed plants have adapted to overcrowding by developing mechanisms that disperse their seeds to other locations. In this chapter, the story explores one of the important characteristics of plant evolution, the wide dist...
Book Chapter
Students may well have the usual “bigger is better” conception about comparing different items. Pumpkins are the perfect object to help engage students in investigative science and answer most of their questions by direct observation. ...
Book Chapter
Do your students believe that an insulating substance such as wool can actually produce heat? The story in this chapter is designed to motivate your students to let you know what they believe and then for them to be able to test their theories in the...
Book Chapter
Most children have a difficult time believing that air has mass and takes up space, so the concept of water vapor floating in the air is just as problematic. The story in this chapter helps provide an opportunity to explore this phenomenon and to lea...