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

PHYSICAL SCIENCE PROBES

1- Sugar Water (6-12); dissolving, mixture, physical change; PS1.B: Chemical Reactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about the physical change of dissolving. The probe is designed to reveal what students’ think happens to sugar when it dissolves. Type of Probe: Descriptor Justified List Probe (Concept and Phenomenon-Based)

2- Iron Bar (6-12); atoms, thermal expansion, kinetic molecular theory; PS1. A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about thermal expansion. The probe is designed to reveal what students think happens to the atoms in a substance when the substance expands when heated. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

3- Burning Paper (6-12); chemical reaction, combustion, conservation of matter, closed system; PS1.B: Chemical Reactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about a combustion reaction. The probe is designed to reveal what students think happens to the total mass in a closed system when a material burns. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe, P-E-O Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

4- Nails in a Jar (6-12); chemical reaction, oxidation, closed system, conservation of matter; PS1.B: Chemical Reactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about conservation of mass during an oxidation reaction. The probe is designed to find out whether students think the mass changes when an iron object rusts inside a closed system. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe, P-E-O Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

5- Salt Crystals (6-12); atoms, crystalline lattice, ionic bond; PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about crystalline solids. The probe is designed to reveal how students think the atoms are arranged in a crystalline substance. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Concept-Based)

6- Ice Water (6-12); thermal energy, phase change, temperature, transfer of energy; PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about phase change. The probe is designed to reveal what students think happens to the temperature when two phases are present. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe, P-E-O Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

7- Warming Water (6-12); energy, heat, thermal energy, transfer of energy; PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about thermal energy. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think only warm things have energy. Type of Probe: Opposing Views Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

8- Standing on One Foot (5-12); force, gravity, pressure, weight; PS2.B: Types of Interactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about weight and pressure. The probe is designed to reveal whether students think their weight changes when the pressure exerted on a bathroom scale changes. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe, P-E-O Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

9- Magnets in Water (3-8); magnetic force; PS2.B: Types of Interactions; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students’ ideas about magnetic interaction. The probe is designed to reveal whether students recognize that magnetic interactions can happen underwater. Type of Probe: P-E-O Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

SCIENTIFIC PRACTICE PROBE

10- Is It a Model? (5-12); models; Scientific and Engineering Practice: Developing and Using a Model; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about models. The probe is designed to reveal which types of models fit students’ concept of a model. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe (Concept-Based)

CROSSCUTTING CONCEPT PROBE

11- Is It a System? (5-12); systems; Crosscutting Concept: Systems and System Models; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about systems. The probe is designed to reveal students’ concept of a system. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe (Concept-Based)

LIFE SCIENCE PROBES

12- Is It Food? (5-12); biological concept of food; nutrient; LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about food . The probe is designed to reveal whether students have a biological concept of food that includes matter and energy. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe (Concept-Based)

13- Biological Evolution (6-12); biological evolution, origin of life; LS4.C: Adaptation; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about biological evolution . The probe is designed to reveal whether students confuse biological evolution with other theories such as the origin of life or the mechanism for evolution. Type of Probe: Concept-Based Friendly Talk Probe (Concept-Based)

14- Chicken Eggs (6-12); conservation of matter, growth and development, cellular respiration, food, transformation of matter, open system; LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about growth and development inside an egg . The probe is designed to reveal the interconnected concepts students’ use to explain what happens to the mass as an embryo develops inside an egg. Type of Probe: Puzzling Phenomenon Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

15- Adaptation (5-12); adaptation, variation, natural selection; LS4.C: Adaptation; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about adaptation . The probe is designed to reveal whether students think individual organisms in a population intentionally adapt to a change in their environment. Type of Probe: Imaginary Phenomenon Probe, Friendly Talk Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

16- Is It “Fitter”? (6-12); adaptation, natural selection, variation; LS4.B: Natural Selection; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about the use of the phrase, “survival of the fittest” . The probe is designed to reveal whether students have a biological concept of “fit”. Type of Probe: Word-Use Probe (Concept-Based)

17- Catching a Cold (5-12); germ theory, infectious disease; LS1.A: Structure and Function (more health-related); The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about transmission of the common cold . The probe is designed to reveal what students think is the causal agent(s) for an infectious disease. Type of Probe: Example/Non-Example Justified List Probe (Concept-Based)

18- Digestive System (6-12); cells, digestive system, food; LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about the digestive system . The probe is designed to reveal whether students use the idea of molecules to describe the purpose of the digestive system Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Concept-Based)

EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE PROBES

19- Camping Trip (5-12); solar radiation, transfer of energy, temperature, weather; ESS2.D: Weather and Climate; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about Earth’s cooling . The probe is designed to reveal how students use ideas about solar radiation to explain Earth’s temperature. Type of Probe: Familiar Phenomenon Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

20- Global Warming (6-12); global warming, climate change, greenhouse gas; ESS3.D: Global Climate Change; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about global warming . The probe is designed to reveal what students think contributes to global warming. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Concept-Based)

21- Where Does Oil Come From? (3-8); fossil fuel, natural resource, nonrenewable resource; ESS3.A; Natural Resources; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about a fossil fuel . The probe is designed to reveal what students think the origin of fossil fuels, such as oil, is. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk (Concept and Phenomenon-Based)

22- Where Would It Fall? (3-8); Earth’s water distribution; Earth’s land surface; ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about where an object from space would land on Earth . The probe is designed to reveal how students think about the distribution of land and water on Earth'. Type of Probe: Imaginary Phenomenon Probe, Friendly Talk Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

23- Moonlight (2-5); Moon, light reflection, Earth-Moon-Sun system; ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about the Moon . The probe is designed to reveal where students think the light seen on the Moon comes from. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

24- Lunar Eclipse (5-12); lunar eclipse, Earth-Moon-Sun system; ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about lunar eclipses . The probe is designed to reveal how students use the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship to explain a lunar eclipse. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Phenomenon-Based)

25- Solar Eclipse (5-12); solar eclipse, Earth-Moon-Sun system; ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System; The purpose of this probe is to elicit students ideas about solar eclipses . The probe is designed to reveal how students use the Earth-Moon-Sun system to explain a solar eclipse. Type of Probe: Friendly Talk Probe (Phenomenon-Based)