Probes, Suggested Grade Levels, Concepts, and Related Disciplinary Core Ideas:

LIFE SCIENCE PROBES

1- Is It Living? (K-2); concept of living, characteristics of life, needs of living things; LS1.A: Structure and Function; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about living things. The probe is designed to reveal what criteria children use to decide if something is living or once living. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

2- Is It an Animal? (K-2); animals, classification; LS1.A: Structure and Function; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about animals. The probe is designed to reveal what criteria children use to decide if something is lan animal. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

3- Is It a Plant? (K-2); plants, classification; LS1.A: Structure and Function; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about plants. The probe is designed to reveal what criteria children use to decide if something is a plant. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

4- Is It Made of Parts? (K-2); parts and wholes, structures, systems; LS1.A: Structure and Function; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the structure of organisms.. The probe is designed to reveal what children consider to be a part of an organism. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

5- Seeds in a Bag (1-2); seeds, needs of living things, germination, closed system; LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the needs of seeds.. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that seeds need to take in water in order to germinate. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

6- Do They Need Air? (K-2); animals, needs of living things, structures, breathing; LS1.A: Structure and Function; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about needs of living things. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that animals that live under water need air and they have special structures for taking in air from water. Type of Probe: Concept Cartoon Probe

7- Senses (K-2); senses, information processing, tropisms; LS1.D: Information Processing; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about organisms’ senses. The probe is designed to reveal whether children recognize that both plants and animals use their senses. Type of Probe: Concept Cartoon Probe

8- Big and Small Seeds (K-2); seeds, germination; LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about seeds and growth. The probe is designed to reveal whether children think the size of a seed determines germination time. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

PHYSICAL SCIENCE PROBES

9- Sink or Float? (K-2); sinking and floating, properties of matter; PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about floating and sinking. The probe is designed to reveal how children think they can make an object float. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

10- Watermelon and Grape (K-2); sinking and floating, properties of matter; PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about floating and sinking. The probe is designed to reveal whether children think the size of an object determines whether it floats or sinks. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

11- Is It Matter? (K-2); concept of matter, solids, liquids, gas, states of matter; PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about lthe concept of matter. The probe is designed to reveal what criteria children use to decide if something is matter. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

12- Snap Blocks (K-2); conservation of matter, weight, parts and wholes; PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about parts and wholes. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think all the individual parts of an object weight the same as the whole object. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

13- Back and Forth (K-2); physical change, chemical change, reversible change; PS1.B: Chemical Reactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about changes to matter. The probe is designed to reveal how children think about reversible and non-reversible changes, especially when heat is applied. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe

14- When Is There Friction? (K-2); friction, force, sliding friction, static friction; PS2.A: Forces and Motion; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about friction. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize different types of friction.. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe.

15- Marble Roll (K-2); motion, describing motion; PS2.A: Forces and Motion; The purpose of this probe is to elicit student’s descriptions of motion. The probe is designed to reveal what words children use to describe and predict motion. Type of Probe: Word Use Probe, P-E-O Probe

16- Do the Waves Move the Boat? (Note: This is described as K-2 in the Framework but has been moved to a 3-5 DCI in the NGSS); waves; PS4.A: Wave Properties; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about waves. The probe is designed to reveal whether children think an object in water moves with a wave.. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

17- Shadow Size (K-2); shadows, light; PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about light and shadows. The probe is designed to reveal how children think the size of a shadow can be changed. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

18- Rubber Band Box (K-2); sound, vibration, pitch; PS4.A: Wave Properties; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about sound. The probe is designed to reveal how children think different rates of vibration affect sound. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

19- Big and Small Magnets (K-2); magnetic force; pushes and pulls; PS2.B: Types of Interactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about magnets. The probe is designed to reveal whether children think the size of a magnet is related to its strength. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE PROBES

20- What Makes Up a Mountain? (1-2); mountains, Earth materials, rocks; ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the composition of the Earth. The probe is designed to reveal whether children recognize that mountains are made mostly of rock. Type of Probe: Concept Cartoon Probe

21- Describing Soil (K-2); soil, Earth materials; ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about soil. The probe is designed to reveal how children describe soil. Type of Probe: Concept Cartoon Probe

22- Is a Brick a Rock? (K-2); ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about earth materials. The probe is designed to determine whether children distinguish between an earth-made material (a rock) and a human made rock-like material (a brick) . Type of Probe: Opposing Views Probe

23- When Is My Shadow the Longest? (1-2); shadows, Earth-Sun system, patterns; ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about shadows. The probe is designed to reveal how children think their shadow changes during the day. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe

24-What Lights Up the Moon? (K-2); moon, reflection; Earth-Moon-Sun system; ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the moon. The probe is designed to reveal children’s ideas about the light on the moon. Type of Probe: Concept-Cartoon Probe

25- When Is the Next Full Moon? (K-2); phases of the moon, patterns; ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the phases of the moon. The probe is designed to reveal whether children recognize the monthly pattern of moon phases. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe