Activating Students' Ideas in Science: Linking Formative Assessment Probes to Instructional Sequence in Grades 6-8

This resource helps bring both student thinking and instructional sequencing to the forefront of your science teaching. Grounded in cognitive science and best practices in formative assessment, this book provides a practical “explore-before-explain” approach to engage middle-school students in doing science, not merely memorizing it, fostering their creativity, scientific reasoning, and long-lasting understanding. Each chapter is a classroom vignette that demonstrates how effective instructional sequencing can enhance students’ understanding of science content, from physical science concepts such as heat and temperature to chemical reactions and forces in motion. Chapters also include strategies for fostering classroom discourse, promoting metacognition, and scaffolding for diverse learners. Ideal for science educators of grades 6–8, this guide supports your instructional design journey, both in alignment with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and in ensuring student-centered content delivery for improved scientific literacy.

Patrick Brown is the executive director of STEAM and CTE at Fort Zumwalt School District in Missouri, and a former science classroom teacher and coordinator.

Page Keeley is an educational consultant, former middle- and high-school science teacher, and Past President of the National Science Teaching Association.