What We Call Misconceptions

What are three things you learned from reading this article?  
One important idea I was reminded of from reading this article is that I need to allow student opportunities to reason with each other. This is definitely something I need to do more of. I need to allow students time to talk through their reasoning to see if they are able to explain their thinking. Another idea from this article was the different ways I can respond as a teacher to student reasoning. I loved the prompts that were provided and will use these in my classroom! Additionally, I thought the idea of the Talk Science Primer could be an important resource to build common language that could be used across grades in our 3-5 school building.

Why is it important to pre-assessing students’ knowledge prior to teaching a lesson or unit?
I think it is important to pre-assess student knowledge prior to a unit so we know what preconceptions they have about the topics. Many students come to school with so much background knowledge (right or wrong) and it's helpful to know what they are thinking.

What “wacky” ideas (if any) have you heard your students come up with?  
I had a student tell me eating the outside of any fruit (which he was actually talking about a vegetable) would make you die.

Where do you think those ideas originated?
I'm sure it came from something he heard from other kids or adults, or something he saw on a show or on the web.

What will you do differently in your classroom based on these findings?
I plan to use the chart of questioning prompts to make sure I am open to listening to how kids are reasoning about topics.

You made a great point about giving students more opportunities to explain their reasoning and learn through discussion, because those conversations often reveal the most about what they truly understand. I also agree that pre-assessments are valuable for uncovering misconceptions before instruction begins, and using questioning prompts can really help teachers listen more intentionally. In a similar way, interactive activities can support thinking and engagement, which is why 3 Patti Gold is so popular among players who enjoy strategy, observation, and fun decision-making in an exciting card game environment.