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Gravitational Interactions and 3-D Learning in Middle School
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I recently embarked on a journey with K–8 teachers in Vermont to learn how to be intentional about planning for three-dimensional (3-D) learning in the classroom. To begin our journey, we determined which NGSS…
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It's Elementary: Investigating Student Work
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Teachers wear many hats in the classroom. We are doctors, therapists, IT technicians, politicians, and entertainers, but the one hat we wear that is essential for student learning is the detective’s hat. As detectives,…
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It is truly an exciting time in science education. Science educators across the country are adapting to a new vision of how students learn science guided by the Framework for K–12 Science Education (Framework). As a…
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Q&A on Unpacking Three-Dimensional Standards
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We’ve recently heard discussions from colleagues about the need to “unpack” the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and how to do it. The term unpacking means a lot of things to lots of people so we thought we…
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Ed News Roundup: Two NSTA Press Books to be Read from Space
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This week in education news, two Ohio-based NSTA Press authors will have children’s books read from space station; getting students excited about STEM; interest in STEM may be ‘contagious’ in high school; number of…
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How NGSS and CCSS for ELA/Literacy Address Argument
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In the summer of 2015, I observed an elementary science teacher from an NGSS-adopted state who made a presentation to her cohort of close to 100 K–12 science teacher leaders and administrators from schools, districts,…
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Using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) Strategy to Improve Student Learning
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This past school year, I used claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) statements to show three-dimensional learning in my classroom. Several tools are available for doing this, but the one my students like is the CER Graphic…
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You Teach What? I’m So Sorry! Building a Better Body and Building Better Argumentation
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I am always amazed at the looks on people’s faces when I tell them I teach middle school. They seem to pity me for having a position I chose and love! They inform me that middle school “tween-agers” are argumentative,…
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NGSS Curriculum Integration—Off on a Tangent!
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The creation of a school garden inspired this fourth-grade unit. All students in the school were responsible for planning the garden, as well as for planting, weeding, and harvesting our crops of tomatoes,…
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Why Anchoring Phenomena Are Important in the NGSS Classroom
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Who is Ivor Robson, and why is he associated with anchoring phenomena? If you are a longtime golf aficionado, you know that Ivor Robson had a special role at the British Open. Robson spent 41 years introducing each…
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When I began aligning my instruction to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), I got lost in the details. But when I realized that phenomena could be used to anchor linked disciplinary core ideas, I started to…
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My ‘Phenomenal’ Journey in Elementary
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I am the type of educator who gets very excited about new strategies, new and innovative technology, and new activities for students. However, I was more nervous about than excited about to choosing phenomena for my…
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Using the Crosscutting Concepts to Scaffold Student Thinking
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At the recent NSTA National Conference in Los Angeles, three-dimensional learning was, of course, a major topic of discussion. When those discussions focus on classroom instruction, though, the crosscutting concepts are…
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At the core of a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) classroom is the sequence of exposing students to an interesting natural phenomenon, having students generate questions about the phenomenon, investigating…
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Introducing Crosscutting Concepts in the Elementary Grades
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Four years ago, I moved from teaching middle school science to teaching grades 2–5 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) labs. One of the biggest challenges I faced was limited lab time in our…
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