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  • Global Warming

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about global warming. The probe is designed to find out what students think contributes to global warming.

  • Adaptation

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about biological adaptation. The probe is designed to find out if students think animals intentionally adapt to a change in their environment.

  • Digestive System

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the digestive system. The probe is designed to find out whether students realize a main function of the digestive system is to break food down into…

  • 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…

  • Who Can Become an Engineer?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about who can become an engineer. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that anyone can become an engineer as long as they study…

  • Equal and Opposite

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about pairs of forces that fit Newton’s third law. The probe is specifically designed to reveal whether students can identify third law force pairs as…

  • Ecosystem Cycles

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the transfer of matter and energy in ecosystems. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that only matter is cycled through an…

  • 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…

  • Spaceships

    Lesson Plan |

    This probe is designed to elicit students’ ideas about changing the direction of motion in the absence of air. Many students will have seen movies or television shows in which spaceships turn by banking or using wing…

  • KSU-NSTA Student Chapter Succeeds by Embracing Change

    Reports Article |

  • Long Overdue: Results From a National STEM Lab Safety Study

    Blog Post |

  • What’s the Purpose of Technology?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the purpose of technology. The probe is designed to find out if students recognize that technologies are developed to meet human needs and preserve…

  • Team Players?

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit student’ ideas about engineers and teamwork. The probe is designed to see if students recognize that different types of engineers and other professionals must work as…

  • Surrounded by Technologies

    Lesson Plan |

    The purpose of this assessment probe is to elicit students’ understanding of the word technology. The probe is designed to find out if students are aware that they live in a world composed almost entirely of…

  • Safer Engineering Instruction in K–12 Labs and Makerspaces: Results From a 2020 National Study

    Blog Post |

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