PBL Builders
Project based learing (PBL) begins with which of the following?
A) a product
B) a driving question
C) a teacher demonstration
D) a rubric
B) a driving question
According to constructivist learning theory, students learn best by:
A. Memorizing teacher notes
B. Receiving direct answers
C. Building understanding through active engagement
D. Watching videos only
C. Building understanding through active engagement
Differentiation primarily aims to:
A. Give every student the same assignment
B. Provide identical instruction to all learners
C. Meet diverse learners’ needs through varied approaches
D. Replace instruction with independent work
C. Meet diverse learners’ needs through varied approaches
Identify one benefit and one limitation of using AI tools in secondary science classrooms.
Benefit: AI tools can provide personalized explanations, simulations, and practice that help students understand complex scientific concepts at their own pace.
Limitation: AI can oversimplify or provide inaccurate information, and overreliance on it may prevent students from developing critical thinking and hands-on investigation skills.
The ecosystem around deep-ocean hydrothermal vents includes giant tube worms, several species of crustaceans, and a variety of other organisms. The primary source of nutrients and energy supporting this ecosystem is:
A. bodies of dead phytoplankton and other organisms that continuously rain down from surface.
B. mats of blue-green algae that colonize rocks surrounding the vents.
C. zooplankton that move to the surface at night and back down to the vents during the day.
D. bacteria that oxidize sulfur present in the outflow from the vents.
D. bacteria that oxidize sulfur present in the outflow from the vents.
Which of the following is NOT one of the 4 research-based PBL design principles?
A) Defining learning goals
B) Embedding questions
C) Providing scaffolds
D) Using a scripted, teacher-centered lecture
D) Using a scripted, teacher-centered lecture
What is one reason why questioning strategies (“why” questions) improve scientific understanding?
Encourage critical thinking, drives inquiry and problem solving, develop a conceptual framework to apply to a wide range of problems
Name one scaffolding strategy that can support struggling learners during a science investigation.
Using graphic organizers
Which of the following must ALWAYS be considered when integrating technology into a science lesson?
A. Cost only
B. Aesthetics
C. Accessibility, equity, and data privacy
D. Whether it looks modern
C. Accessibility, equity, and data privacy
A researcher wants to experimentally evaluate the effectiveness of three different types of insulation. The researcher completely wraps three identical glass containers in 1-cm-thick pieces of each type of insulation. The researcher fills the containers with water at 100°C and then quickly seals them. After 15 minutes, the containers are opened and the temperature of the water in each container is measured. The same experiment is then repeated two more times with the same apparatus. The results of the three separate trials are then averaged. Which of the following changes to the experimental design would make this a better experiment?
A. carrying out an additional trial that uses ice cubes to measure how long it takes the ice cubes to fully melt in the three different types of insulated containers
B. measuring the temperature of the water in the three containers at several different time intervals to create a heat-loss curve for each material
C. setting up a control in each trial to measure the change in temperature in a matching glass container without any added insulation
D. increasing the thickness of the insulation used in order to more clearly distinguish the insulating properties of each of the materials
C. setting up a control in each trial to measure the change in temperature in a matching glass container without any added insulation
A well-designed PBL unit must include all of the following EXCEPT
A) a driving question
B) opportunities for students to revise and iterate
C) a final product that demonstrates applied learning
D) step-by-step instructions that remove student autonomy
D) step-by-step instructions that remove student autonomy
Which concept explains that learners build new knowledge by connecting it to what they already know?
A. Behaviorism
B. Assimilation
C. Operant conditioning
D. Stimulus-response
B. Assimilation
How can a teacher ensure an investigation is both safe and developmentally appropriate?
Select materials and procedures that match students’ age, skills, and prior knowledge, while also clearly teaching and modeling safety expectations.
What role does technology play in NGSS-aligned inquiry and engineering design?
Technology supports NGSS-aligned inquiry and engineering design by giving students tools to model phenomena, collect and analyze real-time data, test designs through simulations, and visualize complex systems they can’t observe directly.
Dissolving table salt in water elevates the boiling point of the salt solution. This colligative property of the salt solution is most directly affected by which of the following factors?
A. the reactivity of sodium and chloride ions
B. the concentration of the solute dissolved in the solution
C. the specific heat capacity of the solution
D. the reduced hydrogen bonding between water molecules
B. the concentration of the solute dissolved in the solution
This question requires the examinee to analyze the colligative properties of solutions (e.g., freezing point, boiling point, osmotic pressure, vapor pressure). Colligative properties, such as the boiling point and freezing point of a substance, have been shown experimentally to be influenced by the number of particles present in the system, but not the properties of the particles themselves. Therefore, the concentration of salt in the solution is the factor that most directly affects the solution's boiling point.
What elements make up a high-quality question that we use in making lessons?
A question that requires students to justify their reasoning, make connections, or analyze a phenomenon
Describe how cognitive load impacts students’ ability to learn complex scientific concepts.
Cognitive load affects how well students can learn complex scientific concepts because their working memory can only process a limited amount of information at once. When instructional materials or tasks overwhelm that capacity, students struggle to make connections and develop deep conceptual understanding.
In culturally responsive science teaching, which practice is most essential?
A. Minimizing students’ cultural backgrounds
B. Standardizing all examples
C. Incorporating students’ lived experiences into scientific inquiry
D. Avoiding community connections
C. Incorporating students’ lived experiences into scientific inquiry
Explain one way technology can promote equity—and one way it can unintentionally widen achievement gaps.
Positive: can give all students access to high-quality resources—such as virtual labs, simulations, or multilingual supports
Negative: if some students lack the digital literacy necessary, reliable devices, internet access, or home support, leaving them unable to participate fully in tech-based learning.
Calorimetry experiment:
A student performing the calorimetry experiment described above determines that the temperature of the final reaction mixture is 18°C. Which of the following conclusions is supported by the data generated in this experiment?
A. The specific heat of reactant A is greater than that of reactant B.
B. The reaction between reactant A and reactant B is endothermic.
C. The calorimeter has too low of a heat capacity.
D. The reaction between reactant A and reactant B is exothermic.
B. The reaction between reactant A and reactant B is endothermic.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the laws of thermodynamics and the principles of calorimetry, including solving basic calorimetry problems. The change in the temperature of the reaction mixture from 25°C to 18°C indicates that the reaction has absorbed energy from its surroundings. A reaction that absorbs energy from its surroundings is defined as an endothermic process.
What are the cross cutting concepts in the Next Generation Science Standards?
These are big ideas that apply across ALL scientific disciplines—life science, physical science, and earth/space science. They help students see patterns, make connections, and understand how scientific ideas are linked.
Which learning theory most strongly aligns with PBI's emphasis on collaboration, authentic tasks, and inquiry?
A. Classical conditioning
B. Social constructivism
C. Information processing theory
D. Behaviorism
B. Social constructivism
What are High Leverage Teaching Practices and give an example of one:
High-leverage teaching practices are core instructional moves that have the greatest impact on student learning, such as questioning, modeling, feedback, and assessment. They are foundational skills that every teacher must master because they consistently support student understanding, engagement, and classroom success. (Examples, collaboration, data-driven, consistent and organized instruction, etc.)
What are the four key pathways to differentiation?
content, process, product, and the learning environment
Which of the following statements best explains why mass extinctions, such as those that occurred at the end of the Permian and the end of the Cretaceous, are often followed by major adaptive radiations of the lineages that remain?
A. Events thought to cause mass extinctions, such as asteroid or comet strikes or large-scale volcanic eruptions, can lead to higher mutation rates and rapid evolutionary change in surviving lineages.
B. Surviving lineages are usually well adapted to occupy the changed environments and ecological conditions that have been brought about by the events causing the extinctions.
C. Populations of surviving lineages are generally small and isolated and are more affected by genetic drift, natural selection, and other forces that cause rapid speciation and diversification.
D. The life-forms filling most ecological niches have disappeared and the surviving lineages adapt and diversify to occupy these unoccupied niches with minimal competition.
D. The life-forms filling most ecological niches have disappeared and the surviving lineages adapt and diversify to occupy these unoccupied niches with minimal competition.