Disciplinary Content Knowledge

Student Ideas about the Small Particle Model of Matter

What ideas do students have about small particles of matter? The Two Cups of Liquid task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter. The first part of the task asks preservice teachers to articulate their own understanding about why two cups containing different volumes of liquid might have the same mass, while the second examines how elementary students might respond.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What ideas do students have about small particles of matter? The Two Cups of Liquid task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter.

Scientific Modeling and the Structure of Matter

What does it mean to help students develop a small particle model of matter? The Mystery Bubble task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter, particularly the idea of empty space between the particles. The task presents a phenomenon in which combining ethanol and water results in a mixture that occupies less space than the combined volume of each.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What does it mean to help students develop a small particle model of matter? The Mystery Bubble task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter, particularly the idea of empty space between the particles.

Scientific Modeling and the Structure of Matter

What does it mean to help students develop a small particle model of matter? The Mystery Bubble task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter, particularly the idea of empty space between the particles. The task presents a phenomenon in which combining ethanol and water results in a mixture that occupies less space than the combined volume of each.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What does it mean to help students develop a small particle model of matter? The Mystery Bubble task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ ideas about the small particle model (SPM) for matter, particularly the idea of empty space between the particles.

Scientific Explanations of Changes in Matter

What is a scientific explanation and how can we support students in explaining changes in matter? The Fizzy Antacid task is intended to elicit and develop preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ scientific explanations of changes in matter. The first part of the task asks preservice teachers to develop their own explanations and engage in scientific argumentation, while considering how elementary students might explain the Fizzy Antacid phenomenon.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What is a scientific explanation and how can we support students in explaining changes in matter? The Fizzy Antacid task is intended to elicit and develop preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ scientific explanations of changes in matter.

Scientific Explanations of Changes in Matter

What is a scientific explanation and how can we support students in explaining changes in matter? The Fizzy Antacid task is intended to elicit and develop preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ scientific explanations of changes in matter. The first part of the task asks preservice teachers to develop their own explanations and engage in scientific argumentation, while considering how elementary students might explain the Fizzy Antacid phenomenon.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What is a scientific explanation and how can we support students in explaining changes in matter? The Fizzy Antacid task is intended to elicit and develop preservice teachers’ CKT related to students’ scientific explanations of changes in matter.

Investigating Conservation of Matter

What investigations can help students best understand conservation of matter? The Investigating Matter tasks are intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to the conservation of matter. The open-ended task asks preservice teachers to identify an investigation that would provide students with evidence to support this idea, while the multiple-choice version, Selecting Investigation of Matter, provides them several alternatives to consider.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What investigations can help students best understand conservation of matter? The Investigating Matter tasks are intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to the conservation of matter.

Investigating Conservation of Matter

What investigations can help students best understand conservation of matter? The Investigating Matter tasks are intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to the conservation of matter. The open-ended task asks preservice teachers to identify an investigation that would provide students with evidence to support this idea, while the multiple-choice version, Selecting Investigation of Matter, provides them several alternatives to consider.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What investigations can help students best understand conservation of matter? The Investigating Matter tasks are intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to the conservation of matter.

Instructional Goals and Big Ideas for Teaching about Materials

How can we align activities with instructional goals to support student understanding of matter and materials? The Building a Tower Task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT about descriptions and appropriate uses of materials based on their properties.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

How can we align activities with instructional goals to support student understanding of matter and materials? The Building a Tower Task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT about descriptions and appropriate uses of materials based on their properties.

Instructional Goals and Big Ideas for Teaching about Materials

How can we align activities with instructional goals to support student understanding of matter and materials? The Building a Tower Task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT about descriptions and appropriate uses of materials based on their properties.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

How can we align activities with instructional goals to support student understanding of matter and materials? The Building a Tower Task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT about descriptions and appropriate uses of materials based on their properties.

Asking Questions about Matter

What kinds of questions should guide investigations of matter? The Questions to Investigate task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ CKT related to asking questions to frame investigations of changes in matter. The task presents a variety of student-posed questions for preservice teachers to evaluate in terms of their quality and appropriateness. The CKT tasks are intended as a complement to your existing instructional activities in order to elicit and probe preservice teachers’ CKT.

Author/Presenter

CKT Science Project Team

Year
2020
Short Description

What kinds of questions should guide investigations of matter? The Questions to Investigate task is intended to elicit preservice teachers’ content knowledge for teaching (CKT) related to asking questions to frame investigations of changes in matter.