NGSS Update

• Chris Campbell, NSTA District VII Director

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS In addition to the curriculum content, the Science Framework Revision Team proposes several recommendations for school districts in Mississippi. The recommendations are as follows: 1) Elementary science education is essential. The concepts, principles, processes, and skills must be acquired in order to comprehend what students see, hear, read and interpret. Science at the elementary level can be used to enhance reading comprehension and should be a central, integrated part of elementary education. 2) More resources should be available for science teachers. Equipment, computer programs, primary or related documents, and other resources should be a part of a well-rounded science education program. School districts should promote the acquisition of appropriate outstanding educational resources. 3) The number of students in lab-based science courses should be limited to twenty- four (24). This makes laboratory activities safer and more meaningful for the student. 4) Lab-based science courses should include an average of twenty percent (20%) of instructional time for active laboratory activities. Those teachers should be allotted additional planning time to prepare for these essential activities.

ScienceStandards

The next generation

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A Framework for K-12 Science Education• Released in July 2011• Developed by the National Research Council at

the National Academies of Science• Prepared by a committee of Scientists

(including Nobel Laureates) and Science Educators

• Three-Dimensions:– Scientific and Engineering Practices– Crosscutting Concepts– Disciplinary Core Ideas

Free PDF available from The National Academies Press (www.nap.edu)

Print Copies available from NSTA Press (www.nsta.org/store)

Instruction

Curricula

Assessments

Teacher Development

Developing the Standards

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2011-2013

July 2011

What is the Vision of the Framework for K-12 Science Education?

Over multiple years of school, students should…• Actively engage in scientific and engineering practices• Apply crosscutting concepts to deepen their

understanding of the core ideas in science• Have opportunities to carry out scientific

investigations and engineering design related to disciplinary core ideas

A Framework for K-12 Science Education, pp. 8-9

Learning experiences should engage students with fundamental questions about the world and how scientists investigate and find answers to questions, so that by the end of grade 12, students can…

• Engage in public discussions on science-related issues,• Be critical consumers of scientific information related to their

everyday lives,• Continue to learn about science throughout their lives, and • Appreciate that science and the current scientific

understanding of the world are the result of many hundreds of years of creative human endeavor.

A Framework for K-12 Science Education, p. 9

NGSS Development ProcessIn addition to a number of reviews by state teams and critical stakeholders, the process includes two public reviews.

1st Public Draft was in May 2012

2nd Public Draft will take place by December 2012

Final Release is expected in the Spring of 2013

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Conceptual Shifts in the NGSS• K-12 Science Education should reflect the real world

interconnections in science.• Using all practices and crosscutting concepts to

teach all core ideas all year.• Science Concepts Build Coherently Across K-12• The NGSS focus on deeper understanding and

application of content • Science and Engineering are integrated in K-12

science education• Science Standards coordinate with ELA and Math

Common Core Standards (CCSS)

Dimension 1: Practices

• The practices describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems.

1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)

2. Developing and using models

3. Planning and carrying out investigations

4. Analyzing and interpreting data

5. Using mathematics and computational thinking

6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering)

7. Engaging in argument from evidence

8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information

Scientific and Engineering Practices

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Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts• Crosscutting concepts have application across

all domains of science and include: 1. Patterns, similarity, and diversity2. Cause and effect3. Scale, proportion and quantity4. Systems and system models5. Energy and matter6. Structure and function7. Stability and change

Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas• Disciplinary core ideas have the power to focus K–12

science curriculum, instruction and assessments on the most important aspects of science. To be considered core, the ideas should should meet at least two of the following criteria and ideally all four: – Have broad importance across multiple sciences or engineering

disciplines or be a key organizing concept of a single discipline; – Provide a key tool for understanding or investigating more

complex ideas and solving problems;– Relate to the interests and life experiences of students or be

connected to societal or personal concerns that require scientific or technological knowledge;

– Be teachable and learnable over multiple grades at increasing levels of depth and sophistication.

Life Science Physical ScienceLS1: From Molecules to Organisms:

Structures and Processes

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits

LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity

PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

PS3: Energy

PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Earth & Space ScienceEngineering & Technology

ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe

ESS2: Earth’s Systems

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

ETS1: Engineering Design

ETS2: Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society

Disciplinary Core Ideas

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http://vimeo.com/41704037How to Read the NGSS (if Internet available)

MS.PS-SPM Structure and Properties of MatterStudents who demonstrate understanding can: a. Construct and use models to explain that atoms combine to form new

substances of varying complexity in terms of the number of atoms and repeating subunits. [Clarification Statement: Examples of atoms combining can include Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2) combining to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or water (H2O).] [Assessment Boundary: Valence electrons and bonding energy are not addressed.]

b. Plan investigations to generate evidence supporting the claim that one pure substance can be distinguished from another based on characteristic properties. [Clarification Statement: Properties of substances can include melting and boiling points, density, solubility, reactivity, flammability, and phase.]

c. Use a simulation or mechanical model to determine the effect on the temperature and motion of atoms and molecules of different substances when thermal energy is added to or removed from the substance. [Assessment Boundary: Quantification of the model or use of mathematical formulas are not intended.]

d. Construct an argument that explains the effect of adding or removing thermal energy to a pure substance in different phases and during a phase change in terms of atomic and molecular motion. [Assessment Boundary: The use of mathematical formulas is not intended.]

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Performance expectations combine practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts into a single statement.

Construct and use models to explain that atoms combine to form new substances of varying complexity in terms of the number of atoms and repeating subunits. [Clarification Statement: Examples of atoms combining can include Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2) combining to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or water(H2O). [Assessment Boundary: Restricted to macroscopic interactions.]

Closer Look at a Performance Expectation

Construct and use models to explain that atoms combine to form new substances of varying complexity in terms of the number of atoms and repeating subunits. [Clarification Statement: Examples of atoms combining can include Hydrogen (H2) and Oxygen (O2) combining to form hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) or water(H2O). [Assessment Boundary: Restricted to macroscopic interactions.]

Closer Look at a Performance Expectation

Performance expectations combine practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts into a single statement.

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Construct an argument that explains the effect of adding or removing thermal energy to a pure substance in different phases and during a phase change in terms of atomic and molecular motion.

PRACTICE: Use arguments and empirical evidence to support or refute an explanation for a phenomenon.

DCI: Gases and liquids are made of molecules or inert atoms that are moving about relative to each other. The changes of state that occur with variations in temperature or pressure can be described and predicted using these models of matter. The term “heat” as used in everyday language refers both to thermal motion (the motion of atoms or molecules within a substance) and radiation (particularly infrared and light). Temperature is not a measure of energy; the relationship between the temperature and the total energy of a system depends on the types, states, and amounts of matter present.

CCC: Evidence is used to support claims about causal relationships.

Explanations vs. Arguments

• Explanations – The products of science

• Arguments – The process of reaching an explanation

An email from a NGSS writing member…

Hi All,

Just a little update on NGSS (the Next Generation Science Standards). The 2nd public draft for review should be available in November. The final document should be released in early spring of 2013.

States will then make the decision whether to adopt them or not. Then the implementation, if NGSS is adopted, will be at a schedule that is determined by the state. Yes, the frameworks are outdated. Any science frameworks are outdated before they are released. We know how that goes.

Teach good science, enjoy your students. Help them learn to appreciate the ever-changing nature of science. Life is short! Enjoy the kids and help them enjoy the learning. We as teachers can affect their attitude toward science forever.

Smile, and enjoy the autumn colors. It is science at its most awesome.

Kathy Prophet (Arkansas)

NSTA Webinars on NGSShttp://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/symposia_seminars/NGSS/webseminar.aspx

November 6 November 20 December 4 December 18

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

Obtaining, Evaluating and Communicating Information

Robert Mayes and Bryan Shader

Katherine McNeill and Leema Berland

Joe Krajcik Philip Bell, Leah Bricker, and Katie Van Horne

• Chris Campbell• ccampbell@lincolnschools.org