6
alignment helps avoid teacher and student learning gaps. Elementary teachers greatly
influence and impact how s
tudents learn foundational science. Secondary teachers are then
able to extend the learning. You may find only certain misconceptions addressed in this
book are embedded in the curriculum or standards you teach. Regardless, please take the
opportunity to read all of the misconceptions in order to build your content knowledge.
We purposefully did not label misconceptions by grade level for two reasons.
1. The standards or curriculum you follow w
ill determine at what age or grade level a misconception may be encountered by students.
2. It is entirely possible that an upper elementary student may have a misconception from primary grades. The last thing we want to do is unintentionally insult the intelligence of older students by handing them an activity labeled as a previous grade level.
Activity Layout
You will see a Content Builder for every misconception. This piece is meant to provide extra
information and build background knowledge for teachers.
If an activity requires Materials, those will be listed at the beginning of an activity. We strive
to make the materials affordable and easy to find. In some cases, materials can be substituted
based on what you already have on hand.
Advance Preparation is included for any activity that requires prework for the teacher. This
may be a card sort that needs to be copied, laminated, cut out, and bagged. It could be
materials that need to be gathered and set up. Regardless, these are tasks that need to be
completed prior to students arriving in the classroom.
Teacher Instruction details how t
o conduct an activity. This section includes step-by-step
directions on how t
o engage and keep students working through an activity with the teacher
acting as a facilitator and guide.
Reproducible Masters (RMs), or student handouts, will be shown as a thumbnail image
within the activity as a quick reference for the teacher. The full-page RMs follow a
t the
end of the activity set after all of the teacher pages. The naming convention will be the
title of the activity followed by “DETECT,” “CONFRONT,” or “REPLACE” (e.g., Mass and
Weight: DETECT).
Facilitation Questions and ideal responses are provided to help teachers guide students
through activities and the sense-making process. This list of questions is not comprehensive
and should not be limiting.
Answer Keys are provided when necessary. In many cases, an answer key serves as a
foundation, but additional answers may exist. Give students the chance to justify their
answers. If they provide evidence that makes sense, grant them credit.
The Appendix provides tools for creating additional activity ideas and templates.
alignment helps avoid teacher and student learning gaps. Elementary teachers greatly
influence and impact how s
tudents learn foundational science. Secondary teachers are then
able to extend the learning. You may find only certain misconceptions addressed in this
book are embedded in the curriculum or standards you teach. Regardless, please take the
opportunity to read all of the misconceptions in order to build your content knowledge.
We purposefully did not label misconceptions by grade level for two reasons.
1. The standards or curriculum you follow w
ill determine at what age or grade level a misconception may be encountered by students.
2. It is entirely possible that an upper elementary student may have a misconception from primary grades. The last thing we want to do is unintentionally insult the intelligence of older students by handing them an activity labeled as a previous grade level.
Activity Layout
You will see a Content Builder for every misconception. This piece is meant to provide extra
information and build background knowledge for teachers.
If an activity requires Materials, those will be listed at the beginning of an activity. We strive
to make the materials affordable and easy to find. In some cases, materials can be substituted
based on what you already have on hand.
Advance Preparation is included for any activity that requires prework for the teacher. This
may be a card sort that needs to be copied, laminated, cut out, and bagged. It could be
materials that need to be gathered and set up. Regardless, these are tasks that need to be
completed prior to students arriving in the classroom.
Teacher Instruction details how t
o conduct an activity. This section includes step-by-step
directions on how t
o engage and keep students working through an activity with the teacher
acting as a facilitator and guide.
Reproducible Masters (RMs), or student handouts, will be shown as a thumbnail image
within the activity as a quick reference for the teacher. The full-page RMs follow a
t the
end of the activity set after all of the teacher pages. The naming convention will be the
title of the activity followed by “DETECT,” “CONFRONT,” or “REPLACE” (e.g., Mass and
Weight: DETECT).
Facilitation Questions and ideal responses are provided to help teachers guide students
through activities and the sense-making process. This list of questions is not comprehensive
and should not be limiting.
Answer Keys are provided when necessary. In many cases, an answer key serves as a
foundation, but additional answers may exist. Give students the chance to justify their
answers. If they provide evidence that makes sense, grant them credit.
The Appendix provides tools for creating additional activity ideas and templates.
