JoinAll Disciplinary Core Ideas resources
Blog Post
Using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) Strategy to Improve Student Learning
This past school year, I used claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) statements to show three-dimensional learning in my classroom. Several tools are availa...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
You Teach What? I’m So Sorry! Building a Better Body and Building Better Argumentation
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 lov...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Why Anchoring Phenomena Are Important in the NGSS Classroom
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 ...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
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 co...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
At the core of a Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) classroom is the sequence of exposing students to an interesting natural phenomenon, having ...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Introducing Crosscutting Concepts in the Elementary Grades
Four years ago, I moved from teaching middle school science to teaching grades 2–5 STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) la...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
How I Came to Understand the Three Dimensions
When I first started teaching science, I taught the facts. I taught the nine planets (before Pluto got demoted; sorry, Pluto!), the steps of mitosis, ...
By Cindy Workosky
Journal Article
Editor's Note: Small Pieces of Matter
Science and Children’s editor shares thoughts regarding the current issue....
Journal Article
Methods and Strategies: Science Notebooks as Learning Tools
This column provides ideas and techniques to enhance your science teaching. Lessons from a multi-year professional study group offer insights on getti...
NSTA Press Book
Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices
When it’s time for a game change, you need a guide to the new rules. Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engi...
By Christina V. Schwarz, Cynthia Passmore, Brian J. Reiser
NSTA Press Book
Disciplinary Core Ideas: Reshaping Teaching and Learning
Like all enthusiastic teachers, you want your students to see the connections between important science concepts so they can grasp how the world works...
By Ravit Golan Duncan, Joseph Krajcik, Ann E. Rivet