Michaels, Sarah, Shouse, Andrew W., Schweingruber, Heidi A.. "4
Organizing Science Education Around Core Concepts." Ready, Set,
SCIENCE!: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2007. Ingrades
3-5, the core concepts in atomic-molecular theory become more
sophisticated. Some of the core conceptsimportant to develop in
these grades include understanding that: Objects are made of
matter that takes up space and has weight. Solids, liquids, and
gases are forms of matter and share these general properties.
There can be invisible pieces of matter (that is, too small to
see with the naked eye). Matter continues to exist when broken
into pieces too tiny to be visible. Matter and mass are
conserved across a range of transformations, including melting,
freezing,and dissolving. Although these concise statements
summarize key aspects of the science, they do not reflect the
ways in whichstudents express understanding of atomic-molecular
theory. In fact, the student