Praxis 5001 Science and STEM Education 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which instructional approach aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by having students engage in science practices to understand core ideas?
- Reading textbooks and answering comprehension questions
- Three-Dimensional Learning: practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas (Correct answer)
- Memorizing scientific vocabulary from a list
- Watching teacher demonstrations without student participation
Correct answer: Three-Dimensional Learning: practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas
NGSS Three-Dimensional Learning integrates science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas to develop deep scientific understanding.
Question 2: A second-grade class is observing and sorting rocks by properties. Which science practice are students primarily engaging in?
- Developing and using models
- Analyzing and interpreting data (Correct answer)
- Planning and carrying out investigations
- Engaging in argument from evidence
Correct answer: Analyzing and interpreting data
Sorting rocks by observable properties and analyzing their similarities and differences is a form of analyzing and interpreting data from direct observation.
Question 3: Which crosscutting concept in NGSS helps students understand that matter is made of parts that can be studied individually but function together as a system?
- Cause and Effect
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Systems and System Models (Correct answer)
- Energy and Matter
Correct answer: Systems and System Models
The Systems and System Models crosscutting concept helps students understand how parts interact and function together as a whole, applicable across all science disciplines.
Question 4: A teacher introduces a science lesson with a discrepant event — something surprising that contradicts students' expectations. What is the purpose of this strategy?
- To confuse students intentionally
- To create cognitive dissonance that motivates inquiry (Correct answer)
- To replace lab investigations
- To assess prior knowledge only
Correct answer: To create cognitive dissonance that motivates inquiry
Discrepant events create productive cognitive dissonance by challenging students' prior conceptions, which motivates curiosity and drives inquiry-based investigation.
Question 5: Which life science concept is most appropriate for introducing in kindergarten according to NGSS?
- Cell division and mitosis
- DNA structure and heredity
- Needs of plants and animals for survival (Correct answer)
- Photosynthesis chemical equations
Correct answer: Needs of plants and animals for survival
Kindergarten NGSS life science standards focus on the basic needs of plants and animals (K-LS1-1), which is concrete and observable for young learners.
Question 6: What is the key difference between an observation and an inference in science?
- Observations use instruments; inferences do not
- Observations are what you directly perceive; inferences are conclusions drawn from evidence (Correct answer)
- Inferences are always correct; observations can be wrong
- They are interchangeable terms
Correct answer: Observations are what you directly perceive; inferences are conclusions drawn from evidence
An observation is directly perceived through the senses (or instruments), while an inference is a logical conclusion drawn from observations and prior knowledge.
Praxis 5001 Science and STEM Education 1
Which instructional approach aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) by having students engage in science practices to understand core ideas?