A Framework for K-12 Science
Education• Science is composed of
3 Dimensions– Disciplinary Core Ideas– Science and
Engineering Practices– Crosscutting Concepts
NGSS Shifts1. K-12 science education should reflect the
interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world
2. The NGSS are student performance expectations – NOT curriculum
3. Science concepts in the NGSS build coherently from K -12
4. The NGSS focus on deeper understanding as well as application of content
5. Science and engineering are integrated in NGSS, from K – 12
6. The NGSS are designed to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship
7. The NGSS and Common Core State Standards are Aligned
Science & Engineering Practices• Asking questions and defining problems• Developing and using models• Planning and carrying out investigations• Analyzing and interpreting data• Using mathematics and computational thinking• Constructing explanations and designing
solutions• Engaging in argument from evidence• Obtaining, evaluating and communicating
information
Crosscutting Concepts• Patterns• Cause and effect: mechanism and explanation• Scale, proportion and quantity• Systems and system model• Energy and matter: flows, cycles, conservation• Structure and function• Stability and Change
Disciplinary Core Ideas“…an important role of science education is not to teach “all the facts” but rather to prepare students with sufficient core knowledge so that they can later acquire additional information on their own”
• Life Sciences• Physical Sciences• Earth and Space Sciences
Taken from A Framework for K-12 Science Education
DCI Criteria• Have broad importance across multiple sciences or
engineering disciplines or be a key organizing principle 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. That is, the idea can be made accessible to younger students but is broad enough to sustain continued investigation over years.
Life Sciences• From molecules to organisms: Structures and
processes• Ecosystems: Interactions, energy and dynamics• Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits• Biological evolution: Unity and diversity
Physical Sciences• Matter and its interactions• Motion and stability: Forces and interactions• Energy• Waves and their applications to technologies for
information transfer