MOSART

Misconceptions-Oriented Standards-based Assessment Resources 

for Teachers

Hello All,

Teaching and tutoring science and mathematics, I have learned students can have some interesting misconceptions.  Many misconceptions are fairly common, not necessarily tied to current or past instruction.  Sometimes it is easy to see how a student came to a certain way of thinking, other times it requires the teacher to question.   MOSART tests are distractor-driven multiple choice tests developed to assess understanding of science concepts within the National Science Education Standards (NSES) in grades K-12 in the areas of Life Science, Physical Science, Earth Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy/Space Science.  MOSART tests have the potential to be a powerful diagnostic tool for determining the level of understanding of each science concept along with determining where misconceptions may be hiding allowing teachers to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of a class or individuals.  At a later date, if desired, a parallel test could be administered as a post-test to check for students' growth during a course.  Teachers must take the short tutorials that explain how to use and understand the tests before being allowed to select tests.  After, the selected tests can be emailed to the teacher.  The key at the end of each test connects each question to a standard which may be used for more in-depth analyses.  This is followed by a list of common misconceptions for the grade level and subject.

Happy analyses,

Mrs. A

Rader's Physics for Kids

Hello All,

There is a terrific site called Rader’s Physics for Kids.   Many physics concepts are introduced here without relying heavily on mathematics.  While the site name states for kids, it proves to be of value for secondary students who need to review or need clarification on material being learned.  Major concepts covered include motion and mechanics, electricity and magnetism, heat and thermodynamics, light and optics, and modern physics (nuclear, quantum, etc.).  Rader’s Physics for Kids also offers a number of quizzes for students to self-check for understanding.  The site relies heavily on text; reading comprehension may be a challenge for some students.  The content ranks mostly between a 7th to 10th grade level according to Readability-Score.com.

Andrew Rader with the help of volunteers created Rader’s Physics for Kids along with many sites including Chem4Kids, Biology4Kids, Geography4Kids (Earth science), Cosmos4Kids, and NumberNut.com.  All of these science sites and the math site can be found at Kapili.com.  The sites have received various recognitions since 1997.

Happy exploring,

Mrs. A

The M in STEM.

Hello All,

Math and science are beautifully intertwined.  No surprise, I have a great appreciation for many things STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) related.  The University of Cambridge NRICH is a wonderful resource for math and STEM activities.  There are elementary and secondary offerings for both students and teachers.  Curious, I clicked the lower level secondary link and followed the STEM link at the top of the page. This led to some interesting math based STEM activities under the Living World and Physical World.  I especially enjoyed exploring the genetics option.

Alcumus is another site that caught my attention in the online world of mathematics. If you are familiar with Math Counts, Math Counts Minis are available here. Students can compete with other students through AoPS for the Win, FTW!  FTW! encourages students development of skills for middle school level math competitions. Students can also take advantage of the adaptive curriculum that chooses questions based on the students previous performance.  There is quite the selection of short math videos.  If one prefers, there are math and programming courses that may be paid for as well.

Happy calculating,

Mrs. A