Formative Assessment Probes: Uncovering Representations of the Water Cycle

Journal Article | December 2017

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue explores the effect of representations on children’s thinking about evaporation and the water cycle.

Formative Assessment Probes: Where Did the Water Go?

Journal Article | June 2012

This column focuses on promoting learning through assessment. This month’s issue discusses how formative assessment relates to standards-based teaching and learning.

Teaching Through Trade Books: All the Water in the World

Journal Article | June 2015

This column includes activities inspired by children’s literature. This month’s issue explores the locations and forms of water, how it is distributed in various reservoirs, and why we need to protect and conserve "all…

Science 101: What Causes Water's Surface Tension?

Journal Article | April 2003

The term “surface tension” is commonly used to explain phenomena like a paper clip resting on the surface of water or the “dome” of water that forms on a penny when water is carefully added to it drop-by-drop. You can…

Sticking Together: A learning cycle investigation about water

Journal Article | October 2002

Science educators are consistently challenged to seek ways to help students make meaning of difficult and often abstract concepts. This learning cycle investigation was designed to serve this purpose on important…

Float It Down the River: The great water transport contest

Journal Article | September 2000

Float it Down the River is an exciting design activity that involves students in a hands-on, creative project in which they use higher order thinking skills in a motivating setting. Students working in groups of four to…

Field Trips Online: Investigating water quality through the Internet

Journal Article | December 2002

Alternatives to the traditional field trip exist. Teachers can supplement occasional field trips with Internet-based inquiry lessons to explore water quality.

Examining Language To Capture Scientific Understandings: The Case of the Water Cycle

Journal Article | March 2001

As teachers of science, we need to keep in mind that thought and language are intricately related. Linguistic approximations, errors, and misses may be useful windows into our children’s developing thoughts and…