JoinUncovering Student Ideas Probes
Physical Science
Latest Physical Science Probes
Physical Science Probes
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about gravity. The probe is designed to determine whether students recognize that gravity is a universal force that exists everywhere on Earth and in space, regardless of whether air...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about energy. The probe is designed to find out whether students think “warm clothes,” like a mitten, produce their own energy, manifested as heat. ...
By Page Keeley
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. ...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about thermal expansion. The probe is designed to find out whether students attribute expansion of the space between molecules to the rise of the liquid in a thermometer. ...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about a physical property of matter. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that under the same conditions, boiling point remains the same. ...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about thermal energy. The probe is designed to find out whether students think cold things can have energy. ...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the water cycle. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that water goes into the air around us after it evaporates. ...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
What Happens When You Bring a Balloon Near Wall
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about electrical interactions. The probe is designed to find out how students visually represent electrical interactions. ...
By Page Keeley and Rand Harrington
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about particles during a phase change. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that the bubbles formed when water boils are the result of liquid water changing into w...
By Page Keeley
Lesson Plan
The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about chemical change. The probe is designed to find out how students determine whether a new substance with a different chemical makeup is formed when matter undergoes a change. ...
By Page Keeley and Susan Cooper