Cases
“Where do the molecules come from?” Connecting models and other resources to support explanation
Grade 5
Students use pen-and-paper models and a computer simulation to solve a puzzle: how can water take up more space as it freezes but weigh the same amount? The teacher’s careful choices regarding which resources to put into conversation with one another support her students to make progress on developing an explanation.
“See this?” How Gesture, Investigation Materials, and Visual Resources Can Support Explanation
Grade 2
Maya and her classmates draw on materials and gestures as they develop mechanistic explanations of maple seed travel.
Resourceful Decision-Making: Supporting Children’s Engagement in Planning Investigations
Grade 2
Students use diverse meaning-making resources to plan an investigation to test whether a seed travels by sticking to animal.