Understanding a Bridging Concept

In this article you learn how to use the formative assessment called “Is it Food for Plants?” Most kids can tell you that plants make their own food and that animals are consumers and have t... See More

In this article you learn how to use the formative assessment called “Is it Food for Plants?” Most kids can tell you that plants make their own food and that animals are consumers and have to eat food. This probe is used to form a bridge between the elementary and middle school students understanding of what food means scientifically and that even plants need food. This article shows a different way to use a formative assessment to strengthen student’s understandings.

Probing Misconceptions

Page Keely last sentence of this article concisely describes the content "By uncovering students’ ideas using formative assessment probes, teachers can identify the need to bridge the gap b... See More

Page Keely last sentence of this article concisely describes the content "By uncovering students’ ideas using formative assessment probes, teachers can identify the need to bridge the gap between and among some grade level standards in order for students to fully achieve an in-depth understanding of core scientific ideas." Page discusses the concepts students have about what the word "food" means to them and how to clarify that definition at different levels of education.