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This article answers some of the most common questions about the architecture of the NGSS, from deciphering the codes to understanding the boxes. The standards include performance expectatio... See More
This article answers some of the most common questions about the architecture of the NGSS, from deciphering the codes to understanding the boxes. The standards include performance expectations that describe what is to be assessed at the end of instruction and guide the development of assessments. The performance expectations combine three key dimensions: 1. Science and engineering practices (how science is conducted in the real world such as through planning and carrying out investigations), 2. Disciplinary core ideas (the content, for example, biology); and 3. Crosscutting concepts (ideas such as cause and effect that permeate all the sciences). The foundation box provides a more complete description of the performance expectations. It describes the science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts used to make up a particular set of performance expectations.
Personally speaking, by reading this article, I know that teachers have the freedom and professional responsibility to decide what learning experiences will be most effective in helping students achieve the outcomes described in the performance expectations. I will develop a logical sequence of activities during instruction that will provide my students with the proper motivation to develop and use the practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts they are to learn. My lesson will be three dimensional, meaning that it should integrate at least one practice, core idea, and crosscutting concept. And I believe that students will learn best if they engage in multiple practices as they develop their understanding of core ideas and crosscutting concepts. Moreover, as the practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts should be integrated in a way that fits them together naturally, the same approach should be used for the connections to the nature of science and to engineering, technology, and applications of science. In the future, in my class, I will pay particular attention to integrate these contents scientifically.