Academy for Academic Excellence - Teaching the Next Generations' Science

Teaching the Next Generations' Science

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

What we all need to start learning how to use by 2014...

Well, they are here, the next generation of science standards (NGSS). This new set of standards are available for states to adopt. At the present time California will be adopting (current adoption and review timeline) them but have the option to add or delete components. As administrators, teachers, parents and students, it would be a good idea to get to know these as soon as possible so that current curriculum maps can be overhauled, curriculum developed, materials and textbook purchased, and crucial staff development offered before students will be asked to master proficiency expectations (PE's) on state-wide standardized tests. With that in mind, here are some materials that you will find helpful when attempting to navigate through the "tangle" of new terms, acronyms, constructs, goals and objectives behind the NGSS.

[Note: The sequence of readings, articles and links that have been provided below may change as new materials are found and final drafts released.]

Start out by working through these first:

Introduction to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with Executive Summary
- Video
- Video: Paul Andersen (of bozemanbiology fame) introduces his video series on the Next Generation
Conceptual Shifts in the NGSS
- Video: Why NGSS?
How to Read the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Video
- Web-Based NGSS document (coming soon)
- List of Common Acronyms used by NGSS

7 Crosscutting Concepts in the NGSS
- In the each of the following seven videos, Paul Anderson "unpacks" each Crosscutting Concept (CC):
8 Science and Engineering Practices in the NGSS
- In the each of the following eight videos, Paul Anderson "unpacks" each Science and Engineering Practice (S&EP):
- Resources that can help you see how CC's, S&EP's and DCI's work together:
  - Finding your Path through the NGSS with the Concord Consortium

Here are some documents that demonstrate a few "variations" in how the NGSS can been arranged:
- K-12 SS Combined by Topics, with grade /topic "storylines" grouped together (April 2013)
- DCI (Disciplinary Core Idea) Arrangements of the NGSS (April 2013)
- Topical Arrangement of the NGSS (January 2013)

These resources will help when it is time to examine, change, and align current K-12 grade level and course offerings to NGSS:

Progressions Within the Next Generation Science Standards (With annotations for using as an initial examination of current offerings)
- An example
An Example of How to Map out Model Courses that Conform to NGSS
- Search Performance Expectations by Grade/Band level, Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and/or Disciplinary Core Ideas
A graphic organizer tool for Analyzing Current Curriculum and Instruction in relation to NGSS (.doc)

Other Sources of Information concerning the NGSS:

What NGSS Assessments might look like:

Who will write them?
- As of 2/2014 the Learning Sciences Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Chicago, CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University ,the Center for Technology in Learning at SRI International, and the Concord Consortium have been awarded a grant to develop new science assessments for NGSS. Click here to read more. To read more about what these assessments may very well look like read Developing Assessments for the Next Generation Science Standards.
  - If the Smarter Balance Assessment Consortium wrote them [which they are not ] they could look like this:
    - Smarter Balance's Released Practice & Pilot Assessment page
- What could a "Performance Task" on an assessment look like?

Existing "Performance Tasks" and Supporting Lessons that have been/are being used by various states an/or educational research organizations and COULD BE used in the classroom as the basis for new curriculum now IF they can be aligned to the NGSS.
Want to create a "Performance Task" that integrates CC and NGSS standards? These links may help you in that process:

Create a Performance Task (Part of an "electronic in-service")

NGSS: Full Implimentation of California's Version of the NGSS [2017-2018]

Start by "Like"-ing "NGSS Science Education at the Lewis Center for Educational Research" on Facebook and enter the conversation about NGSS.

Next, consider using using one of these Cmaps to help you plan your courses, units and lesson plans: K-5 and 9-12. [Understand that these Cmaps are 'living' documents and are being updated weekly]. These resources were created using Cmap. A Cmap 'NGSS Planning Guide' does not exist (yet) for MS as the AAE/LCER adopted IAT's PBIS MS curriculum which comes 'pre-laid-out' and NGSS correlated for grades 6-8. We distributed the existing PBIS units at each grade level using this plan.

Finally, consider using Symbaloo. Check out this example of a "Webmix" that is being assembled to make the job of planning and lesson writing easier. However, you may not beable to access some of the 'Tile' links on this 'Webmix" because they link internally to other 'Webmixes'. To get the most out of this browser based app, establish a free account and "like" the "Webmixes" that are linked to this "Webmix". To access view and use other 'Webmixes' created for the LCER/AAE in support of the development of NGSS based curriculum, search 'Webmixes' from the Sybaloo site using 'LCER' and 'NGSS' as search term.

Step 1: Introductions & "Awareness": Read the annotated version of "The NSTA's Reader's Guide to THE NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS" on the M-Drive (email Mr. Huffine for more information)

Ancillary readings linked within this annotated "Reader's Guide" include [in the order they appear]:
- NGSS Timeline - CDE
- A Framework for K-12 Science Education
  - Foreward
  - Summary
  - Part I: A Vision for K-12 Science Education
    - Chapter 1: A New Conceptual Framework.
    - Chapter 2: Guiding Assumptions and Organization of the Framework.
  - Part II: Dimensions of the Framework
  - Part III: Realizing the Vision
    - Chapter 9: Integrating the Three Dimensions.
- Appendix H, Nature of Science
- Appendix J, Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment
- NGSS "Front Matter" Final (6/2013)
- Appendix D, All Standards, All Students
- 5E Lesson Plan template for NGSS (.doc)
- Appendix A, Conceptual Shifts, NGSS
- Appendix F, Science and Engineering Practices, NGSS
- National Science Education Standards (NSES), guidelines for K-12 science education in United States schools
- Appendix G, Crosscutting Concepts, in the NGSS
- Appendix K, Model Course Mapping in MS & HS for the NGSS (8/30/13)
- Appendix I, Engineering Design in the NGSS

Step 2: As a grade level and band (Elm & MS) or course (HS) determine what sequence of Disciplinary Core Idea(s) (DCIs) and their associated "Performance Expectations" that you will be using to "define" your grade level or course science offerings. Below are some selected resources that you will find helpful as you go about this process which will fundamentally "overhaul" and "rebuild" your grade level, band and course science offerings. You will want to bookmark them (they have been presented in the order that you may want to consider using them in):

A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas ( 2012 )
- This is an online version of the the book that can be easily searched for words and concepts that you will be considering in your planning processes by using the "Search inside this book" feature in the upper left hand corner.
  - FYI According to page 8 of this document, "By framework we mean a broad description of the content and sequence of learning expected of all students by the completion of high school—but not at the level of detail of grade-by-grade standards or, at the high school level, course descriptions and standards. Instead, as this document lays out, the framework is intended as a guide to standards developers as well as for curriculum designers, assessment developers, state and district science administrators, professionals responsible for science teacher education, and science educators working in informal settings." In light of this statement, do not expect to distill from the framework a 'definitive' list of core vocabulary, or a list of suggested laboratory exercises, instead, what you will find is a very general scope and grade level sequence of ideas.
    - That said, here are some lists of vocabulary from the text of the Framework by DCI, which along with the video shorts provided by Paul Anderson @ Bosemanscience, may provide some insight into the direction that DCI is taking:
Appendix E: Disciplinary Core Idea Progressions
Appendix K: Model Course Mapping in Middle and High School for the Next Generation Science Standards (This document will be replaced with one that will soon be created by the CDE. At present the CDE endorses the Integrated Learning Progression model as the preferred model for middle grades 6-8. The State Board of Education (SBE) also authorized the Science Expert Panel's (SEP) to develop an alternate Discipline Specific model based on Achieve's domains model in Appendix K. For the latest on this process click here.
Search DCI Arrangements of Standards
- This is an online version of the NGS performance expectations grouped by DCI. Search this document to find the performance expectation(s) (PE) for the Disciplinary Core Idea(s) that you identified using the framework and will be addressing in your unit, lesson(s) or lab experience(s). Once you have found the PE(s) in question, the related Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices and DCI's along with any CCSS correlation(s) will be listed below the PE(s). REMEMBER, PE(s) state what students should be able to do in order to demonstrate that they have met the standard. For you, the teacher, they are designed to provide a clear and specific target(s) for the curriculum you develop, the instruction you deliver, the experience you facilitate and the assessment(s) (both formative and summative) you develop.
Search Topical Arrangement of Standards
- This arrangement of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is similar to those in the resource link cited above. In this version, the writers arranged the DCIs into topics around which to develop the standards. This structure provided the original basis of the standards and has continued through the process. The coding structure of individual performance expectations in this version is based on the same DCI arrangement as the Framework. The topic names have been retained in order to allow easy comparisons.
Search Individual Performance Expectations by Grade/Band level, Practices, Crosscutting Concepts and/or Disciplinary Core Ideas
Downloadable NGSS PEs for K-12 in Word .doc format. Here is another source for this resource.

After looking at the direction the California Department of Education is going in regards to their preference for an integrated approach to course design for grade 6-8 (the middle grades) the following course drafts were drawn up for a three year middle school integrated science series (understanding that they were designed to provide teachers with a good starting point for future planning purposes):

MS Integrated Science Course 1 (6th Grade) [.doc]
MS Integrated Science Course 2 (7th Grade) [.doc]
MS Integrated Science Course 3 (8th Grade) [.doc]
- As CMaps.

After considering, at length, Appendix K., and the 'spirit' of the 'framework' (A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas ( 2012 ) and NGSS 'Topical Arrangements', the following course drafts were drawn up for a three year high school integrated science series (understanding that they were designed to provide teachers with a good starting point for future planning purposes):

HS Integrated Science Course 1 (9th Grade) [.doc]
MS Integrated Science Course 2 (10th Grade) [.doc]
MS Integrated Science Course 3 (11th Grade) [.doc]

Step 3: Consider the overall direction that the "6-12 Science Team" will take from this point on by writing SMART goals which will be used articulate our teams shared direction based on the AAE's mission (in development) and vision (in development). The following resources will be helpful to you personally and to the team regarding writing and using SMART goals:

PowerPoint "What are SMART Goals?" an overview
- SMART Goal development worksheet (.doc )
- SMART Goal questionnaire (.doc / .pdf)
- SMART Goal assessment and plans (.doc / .pdf)
- SMART Goal setting plan (.doc / .pdf)

Step 4: "The Transition Phase": After deciding the sequence Disciplinary Core Idea(s) (DCIs) and Performance Expectations (PEs) that will define your grade level (K-8) or course offering (9-12):

Create a sequence of units that will encompass the PE's that were selected.
1. How we do this for grades 6-8 will depend upon the course description drafts (provided above, refer to Step 2; that were created based on a sequence that has been adopted by the CDE based on Appendix K . At present the CDE endorses the Integrated Learning Progression model as the preferred model for middle grades 6-8. The State Board of Education (SBE) also authorized the Science Expert Panel's (SEP) to develop an alternate Discipline Specific model based on Achieve's domains model in Appendix K. For the latest on this process click here. Following this same approach, drafts for a three course high school series using an integrated approach were also created (refer to Step 2).
Next, create the lesson plan (containing the selected Disciplinary Core Idea(s) [DCIs], Crosscutting Concepts [CCCs] and Science & Engineering Practices [SEPs] that have been tied to each PE) that provide your students with the concepts, experience, and ability to connect what they are learning to what they have learned. Here is draft example (.pdf) of what one such lesson plan might look like.
- The following resources [along with the ones already provided] will be helpful in this process:
  - 5E Lesson Plan template for NGSS (.doc)
  - 5E NGSS Lesson Plan template [.docx, Adapted from one used in Maryland]
  - 5E NGSS Lesson Plan template (.doc)
  - 5E/7E Lesson Plan template (.docx, pdf)
    - On "Expanding the 5E to a 7E Model'
  - UbD Template (.doc, pdf)
    - Example UbD Template (.pdf)
    - Quick Overview for using the "Understanding by Design" Template (.pdf)
  - Questions to consider when in lesson planning to meet the NGSS (.doc, .pdf)
  - Types of Inquiry (a summary definition for 4 basic forms of inquiry)
  - [More template will be added here as they are identified]
- At this point, it would be in your best interest to find, download [on the M-drive in the MS/HS Science folder ]and "scan through" (with the intent of reading at a later date) an annotated .pdf of an e-book entitled "Translating the NGSS for Classroom Instruction". [This text can be used for discovering how to start developing NGSS based lessons and curriculum.]
Lesson Planning Resources: What follows are some resources that will be helpful as you develop lesson plans based on NGSS 'PE's"
1. PHeT Simulation NGSS Correlation Guide (.doc)
As you work on this process and begin to introduce students to lessons that you have developed, you may find these document, designed to be made into classroom poster, helpful:

Step 5: After creating unit and lesson plans, consider how you will assess student learning. Here are some guidelines that you will want to consider:

The PE's for each DCI's that you address will be what is used for creating assessments.

Pending the decisions made by our team and the LCER's AAE PLC, plan on basing most of your formative assessments and all of your summative assessments on the PE's for each DCI's that you address.

Step 6: Initial "Implementation"with Modification : More to follow on this step coming later.

At this point you most likely will benefit from viewing this, the best attempt at "cobbling" together a "timeline" (.pdf , .doc) for California educators regarding the State's planned "roll out" of resources, funding and assessments from CDE.

> In the mean time... Here are some reading resources that are "Worthy of Your Time"

Framework for K-12 Science Education Fact Sheet
Quick Reference for Understanding How to Identify /Create the Standards using the NGSS
NSTA Position Statement on the Next Generation Science Standards
Making the Hippos Dance: Implementing NGSS in the Classroom
NGSS, final revision (e-book)
"Observations . . . by Larry, NGSS: Ready or Not" By Larry Malone, FOSS Co-director
Next Generation: 5 Ways Science Classes Will Change By Michael Dhar, LiveScience Contributor