Overview
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) uses three dimensions of science learning:
- Science and Engineering Practices (or D1) – describes what scientist do to investigate the natural world and what engineers do to design and build systems.
- Crosscutting Concepts (or D2) – helps students explore connections across the four domains of science: Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design.
- Disciplinary Core Ideas (or D3) – key ideas in science that have broad importance within or across multiple science or engineering disciplines.
These dimension are combined to form each standard (or performance expectation).
From the Article
In the article “The Next Generation of Science Education Means More Doing” by Tara Garcia Mathewson, Vielca Anglin, a science teacher at City-As-School High School, New York City created a real-world problem five days after Hurricane Maria impacted Puerto Rico. The students task was to create a gravity-driven water filtration system that gets dirty water as clean as possible.
The Next Generation Science Standards, adopted so far by 18 states and the District of Columbia includes adjectives that require a lot of doing:
- Plan and conduct an investigation
- Analyze data
- Use and share observations
- Construct an argument
- Use a model
- Ask questions
- Communicate solutions
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This story was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, independent news website focused on inequality and innovation in education.