Ten Common Science Misconceptions in Elementary and Middle School (and How to Fix Them)
By Ahmed, founder
Students come to science class with ideas already in place, and some are wrong. The best way to change a wrong idea is to let students test it. Here are ten common ones, with an activity for each.
| # | Misconception | What’s actually true | Test it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heavy things fall faster. | In air, shape and size matter. Gravity accelerates all things equally. | Do heavy things really fall faster? |
| 2 | Summer is when Earth is closest to the Sun. | Earth is closest in January. Tilt causes the seasons. | Is summer when Earth is closest to the Sun? |
| 3 | Plants get their food from soil. | Plants make food from air, water and light. | Where does a tree’s mass come from? |
| 4 | A ball stops because it runs out of push. | Friction slows it. | Why does a ball stop rolling? |
| 5 | Wool makes heat. | Wool slows heat loss. | Which mitten keeps a hand warmest? |
| 6 | The Moon’s phases are Earth’s shadow. | They come from our view of the lit half. | Why does the Moon change shape? |
| 7 | A spider is an insect. | It’s an arachnid, with 8 legs and 2 body parts. | Is a spider an insect? |
| 8 | Salt makes water boil faster. | It doesn’t, meaningfully. Test it. | Does salt make water boil faster? |
| 9 | Mass disappears when something burns or fizzes. | It goes into gas, and the total stays the same. | Where does the mass go? |
| 10 | A tomato is a vegetable. | Botanically, a fruit. | Is a tomato a fruit? |
How to teach against a misconception
- Surface it. Ask for predictions before teaching. If you teach first, many students will keep their old idea beside the new one.
- Give them evidence. Let the test, not you, say the idea is wrong.
- Name the difference. “You thought X. The data showed Y.”
- Revisit it later. Misconceptions come back, so recheck weeks later.
Be gentle
Many of these ideas are sensible from everyday experience. Heavy things do seem to fall faster, because of air. Treat the misconception as a reasonable first guess, not a mistake.
Where to go next
Browse every unit for lessons that surface and test common ideas, and read how to use predictions in class. Sign up for three lessons free.