Next Generation Science Standards – an overview
The Next Generation Science Standards document (NGSS), based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, released by the National Academies Press in July of 2011, was published in April of 2013. It is the hope of the National Academies, NSTA and AAAS that these standards will become the “Common Core” standards for science, and they have been written and reviewed by a collective of states and professional organizations who have crafted them with this goal in mind. Ultimately, it will be up to individual states whether they are. Twenty six states have been lead partners in the development of this standards document.
From the perspective of the Modeling Instruction classroom there are many things to like about these standards. The use of models and modeling is woven throughout the fabric of the standards, and the conceptual organization will map readily onto modeling curriculum resources. A group of modelers have prepared a document that shows how Modeling instruction is aligned with the Science & Engineering practices. We hope it proves helpful to Modeling teachers in their discussions with curriculum directors and other teachers.
For more information see http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards/
Below are the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas and Crosscutting Concepts that frame high school standards.
Core and Component Ideas in the Physical Sciences
Core Idea PS1: Matter and its Interactions
PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions
PS1.C: Nuclear Processes
Core Idea PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions
PS2.A: Forces and Motion
PS2.B: Types of Interactions
PS2.C: Stability and Instability in Physical Systems
Core Idea PS3: Energy
PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
PS3.B: Conservation Of Energy and Energy Transfer
PS3.C: Relationship between Energy and Forces
PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life
Core Idea PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer
PS4.A: Wave Properties
PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation
PS4.C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation.
Core and Component Ideas in the Life Sciences
Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
LS1.A: Structure and Function
LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms
LS1.D: Information Processing
Core Idea LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics
LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
LS2.C: Ecosystems Dynamics, Functioning, And Resilience
LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior
Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits
LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity
LS4.B: Natural Selection
LS4.C: Adaptation
LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
Core and Component Ideas in Earth and Space Sciences
Core Idea ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe
ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth
Core Idea ESS2: Earth’s Systems
ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
ESS2.E: Biocenology
Core Idea ESS3: Earth and Human Activity
ESS3.A: Natural Resources
ESS3.B: Natural Hazards
ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems
ESS3.D: Global Climate Change
Definitions of Technology, Engineering, and Applications of Science
Technology Is Any Modification Of The Natural World Made To Fulfill Human Needs Or Desires.
Engineering Is A Systematic and Often Iterative Approach to Designing Objects, Processes, And
Systems to Meet Human Needs and Wants.
An Application of Science Is Any Use of Scientific Knowledge for a Specific Purpose, Whether
To Do More Science; To Design a Product, Process, or Medical Treatment; To Develop a New
Technology; Or To Predict The Impacts Of Human Actions.
Core and Component Ideas in Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Core Idea ETS1: Engineering Design
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem
ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions
ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution
Core Idea ETS2: Links among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society
ETS2.A: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology
ETS2.B: Influence of Engineering, Technology and Science on Society and the Natural World
Seven Crosscutting Concepts of the Framework
- Patterns
- Cause and Effect: Mechanism And Explanation
- Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
- Systems and System Models
- Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
- Structure and Function
- Stability and Change
Science and Engineering Practices
- Asking Questions and Defining Problems
- Developing and Using Models
- Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
- Analyzing and Interpreting Data
- Using Mathematics, Information and Computer Technology, and Computational Thinking
- Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
- Engaging in Argument from Evidence
- Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information