Formative Assessment Probes and the Scientific and Engineering Practices
The Uncovering Student Ideas in Science probes provide opportunities for students to use the scientific and engineering practices. For example, students explain their initial thinking to a probe. After they have had opportunities to learn the science and gather evidence to support their thinking, they revisit their initial explanation and construct a new revised or more detailed scientific explanation. The example on the left shows how a student used the disciplinary core idea, “an object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes” to construct a revised explanation and used a model (a drawing) to support his scientific explanation. (This student initially selected answer choice D with an initial explanation from his everyday experience of being able to see things after being in the dark for awhile, such as in his bedroom at night.) It’s always best to use a probe twice- at the beginning to elicit initial ideas and again after students have had opportunities to learn and use their scientific ideas and evidence.
How Can Students Use the Scientific and Engineering Practices with the Probes?
Asking Questions and Defining Problems- when responding to a probe, have students…
Ask questions about the phenomenon.
Identify questions that can help figure out the best answer to the probe.
Ask questions to clarify the question asked by the probe.
Turn the probe into a question for investigation.
Turn the probe into a question for obtaining information from text or other scientific resources.
Turn the probe into an engineering problem to be solved.
Developing and Using Models- when responding to a probe, have students…
Include a drawing or diagram to support their explanation to a probe.
Explain how a model can be used to explain the phenomenon presented by the probe.
Use models to provide rebuttals to non-selected answer choices.
Use an analogy to support an answer choice.
Explain how limitations of models can affect one’s ideas about the phenomenon presented in the probe.
Use a conceptual model to explain an unobservable phenomenon.
Evaluate others’ models used to support their explanations to a probe.
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations (for Predict-Explain-Observe Probes)- when responding to a probe, have students…
Make an initial prediction or claim about the outcome. based on their best thinking so far.
Include a hypothesis if they have prior knowledge or experiences to support a tentative explanation.
Describe how to plan an investigation to test their ideas about the outcome of the probe scenario.
Discuss what types of data could be collected first hand or from available data sets to figure out the best answer to the probe.
Record their observations and use them as evidence to support or change their initial claim or answer choice.
Evaluate the methods of others’ for testing their ideas about the outcome of the probe scenario.
Analyzing and Interpreting Data- when responding to a probe, have students…
Compare their initial claims, predictions, or hypotheses to what is actually observed.
Organize their data in tables or graphical displays to support their revised explanation when they revisit the probe after investigation.
Look for patterns or relationships to help them figure out the best answer choice and explanation to the probe.
Look for, share, and discuss similarities in others’ data and how the data were used to support an explanation.
Critique what counts as valid data that can be used to support the claim or answer choice to a probe.
Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking- when responding to a probe, have students…
Use numbers to describe a pattern and explain their answer choice.
Apply their knowledge of number sense, algebra, measurement, space and geometry, probability and statistics, or data and uncertainty to commit to an answer choice and explanation.
Use mathematical symbols, representations, and models to explain their thinking.
Decide whether to use qualitative or quantitative data to figure out the best answer to probe.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions- when responding to a probe, have students…
Explain their initial answer choice using their prior knowledge and experiences.
Revise their initial answer choice and explanation after they have had opportunities to learn and construct a scientific explanation using evidence from investigations or information from valid sources.
Explain how they used knowledge of science concepts to solve a problem posed by a probe.
Discuss what counts as evidence to use in a scientific explanation to the probe.
Look for any evidence in the probe scenario that can be used to construct an explanation or solution.
Use a model to support an explanation to the probe.
Include a scientific concept, appropriate terminology, or a scientific principle when revisiting a probe and constructing a revised scientific explanation.
Use the C-E-R framework when constructing a scientific explanation to the probe.
Engaging in Argument from Evidence- hwhen responding to a probe, have students…
Distinguish between opinions, beliefs, or intuition and what counts as valid scientific evidence when framing an argument.
Construct an argument, supported with evidence, to defend an answer choice.
Listen carefully to and evaluate the arguments of others’ when sharing ideas about a probe.
Provide oral or written rebuttals of the arguments of others with which they disagree.
Generate a class list of ideas that emanate for argument and choose the “best thinking so far”.
Refine initial arguments after opportunities to gather evidence or valid information used to figure out the best answer to a probe.
Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information- hwhen responding to a probe, have students…
Discuss what types of information sources could be used to figure out the best answer to a probe.
After, sharing their initial ideas, cite text or other information sources to construct a revised scientific explanation to a probe.
Use tables, charts, and graphs from text or other sources to support an answer choice.
Use photographs, drawings, videos, or other images from information sources to support an explanation to a probe.