Student Preconceptions of Solids & Liquids
Tools used to determine student preconceptions:
As a sort of pretest, on the cover of the science journal, have students draw examples of solids and liquids. This can be used as a baseline for understanding preconceptions of states of matter.
Another tool for assessing prior knowledge about states of matter could be a fluency exercise. Have students line up in straight lines of five or six. When you give the signal to start, have the child in front turn to the child behind him and name a solid. The first child goes to the end of the line and the second child turns and names a different solid to the third child. Continue in this manner for several minutes. Repeat this exercise throughout the module to build fluency in naming solids and liquids.
Descriptions of student preconceptions (naïve conception, misconception, incomplete conception) :
A common preconception that may arise in this unit is that if a substance pours, then it must be a liquid. During the investigation of differing sizes of particles of solids, students will have the opportunity to discover that cornmeal may pour like a liquid but, unlike a liquid, small particles of solids can be piled. This can be internalized as a distinguishing property difference between solids and liquids.
Another common preconception that may be accidentally encouraged during this unit is that atoms are particles found inside matter, rather than the correct conception that matter is entirely made up of atoms. While it is not necessary, nor developmentally appropriate, to fully correct this conception, you should be careful not to inadvertently promote the misconception.