Science and STEM Education Flashcards

Which physical science concept do elementary students explore when they investigate how pushing or pulling objects affects their motion?

Answer: Forces and interactions

Investigating pushing and pulling connects to the NGSS physical science core idea of Forces and Interactions, where students learn how forces affect the motion of objects.

A teacher uses the 5E instructional model. Which phase asks students to apply their new understanding to a new but similar situation?

Answer: Elaborate

The Elaborate phase of the 5E model challenges students to apply and extend their understanding to new contexts, deepening and transferring their learning.

Which earth science concept is introduced in elementary grades through studying weather patterns and seasons?

Answer: Earth's systems and patterns of weather

Elementary NGSS earth science standards include observing, describing, and predicting patterns in weather and the relationship between seasons and climate.

An elementary teacher assigns a STEM engineering challenge where students design a bridge from index cards. Which STEM practice does this primarily develop?

Answer: The engineering design process: define, design, test, improve

Engineering design challenges develop the iterative engineering design process — defining a problem, developing solutions, testing, and improving based on results.

When a student claims 'my plant died because I forgot to water it,' which science practice is the student attempting to use?

Answer: Constructing explanations

Constructing explanations involves using evidence and reasoning to account for phenomena; the student is explaining the plant's death using a causal claim.

Which strategy best supports elementary students' development of scientific vocabulary?

Answer: Embedding vocabulary in the context of hands-on investigations

Learning science vocabulary in the context of hands-on investigations connects terms to meaningful experiences, leading to deeper and more durable understanding.