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First Steps Towards Transitioning to the NGSS

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High school science teacher Tricia Shelton explains how she is transitioning her instruction to meet the goals of the NGSS. Tricia explains how she has flipped her instruction so that students explore concepts before direct instruction. She explains how she works together with students to address misconceptions and deepen their understanding of science.

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The NSTA Next Generation Science Standards Hub offers information, resources, news, professional learning opportunities, and expert advice in understanding and implementing the Next Generation Science Standards - NGSS

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California Phenomena Recommendations

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NGSS - Next Generation Science Students

Posted: Tuesday, May 5th, 2015
by Leah Wheeler
For the past 10 years, students have entered my 5th and 6th grade classrooms with little science experience. Because science has not been taught and takes the backseat to all other subject areas, students had no idea how fascinating science could really be for them. However, this past year, I had the pleasure to be a part of Galt Elementary School District's NGSS Early Implementation team and it has truly transformed how I teach science in my classroom.

In years past, students would moan, "Oh no, science!" and, "This is so boring just reading out of a book," but not this year. This year students are enthused about learning science and thrilled for the opportunity to explore something new.

We started out our school year exploring Earth's systems and the human impact on those systems. Students took their knowledge of the hydrosphere and our impact on Earth's fresh water supply, and they engineered water filters to clean out contaminants in polluted water. Although a future article is in the works detailing the actual lesson series, I want to first share a follow-up activity I had the students complete. I asked students to take a quick survey so I could gauge how they felt about their science and engineering experiences thus far into our school year.

The two questions that were asked on the survey were:
- How has science been different for you this year compared to previous years? - What has been your favorite part of science this year?
Here are the responses of my fifth graders:
"Science has been very different for me this year because, I have never been able to have science labs where you need to plan and think about what you have to do." "This year, science is even more fun! I normally love science, but this year is so much fun. During science, we get to do hands-on science experiments. An example would be when we got to filter water."
" Over all of the years in my school years it is a lot funner because we build stuff like water filters and structures. When we build stuff it helps me become an engineer. That is why this year's science is better and funner this school year. I never thought science was that fun until now."
"I love that science has been hands on this year instead of just reading from a book. Science is fun!" "I like science this year versus past years because all we ever did was read out of a textbook." "I think science is really fun this year because we've been able to a lot of activities that teach us how to take care of our environment. "Science has been more fun this year than all of my other years in school. We actually make stuff and it helps me become an engineer." "I like science because its been better than previous years. With the labs that we do, it makes it fun to learn about science."
" Science has been different because we were learning how to build filters to see if the water is clean."
"Science has been fun this year and I've learned more." "Science has been a hands on experience because it is more interesting than past years." "Science is fun and active. When I have fun in science, it helps me learn."
I no longer hear the moans from my students when I tell them it is time for science, but I do get moaning when it is time to stop doing science, which is refreshing. My mission as a teacher is to continue to create Next Generation Science Students, and I feel that they are well on their way to becoming our future thinkers.

Leah Wheeler is a 5th Grade teacher at Lake Canyon Elementary, Galt Joint Union School District, and a member of CSTA.

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Posted: Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 by Leah Wheeler For the past 10 years, students have entered my 5th and 6th grade classrooms with little science experience. Because science has not been taught and takes the backseat to all other subject areas, students had no idea how fascinating science could really be for them.

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Tools for Creating NGSS Standards Based Lessons

Posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2017
by Elizabeth Cooke
Think back on your own experiences with learning science in school. Were you required to memorize disjointed facts without understanding the concepts?
Science Education Background
In the past, science education focused on rote memorization and learning disjointed ideas. Elementary and secondary students in today's science classes are fortunate now that science instruction has shifted from students demonstrating what they know to students demonstrating how they are able to apply their knowledge. Science education that reflects the Next Generation Science Standards challenges students to conduct investigations. As students explore phenomena and discrepant events they engage in academic discourse guided by focus questions from their teachers or student generated questions of that arise from analyzing data and creating and revising models that explain natural phenomena.

Science education now emphasizes three-dimensional instruction consisting of Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Many districts, including my own, are in the process of adopting curriculum materials from publishers that are specifically aligned to the NGSS Standards. Before this happens, teachers have to creatively adapt existing materials or craft lessons that reflect the Science Engineering Practices and Cross Cutting Concepts.

Our district has focused on the Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts and examined Disciplinary Core Ideas within a grade band until NGSS aligned curriculum is adopted. There are three tools that I have acquired as an NGSS Early Implementer that are invaluable in crafting robust lessons.
Organizing Science Lessons: Conceptual Flow
As an NGSS Early Implementer, I have learned how to organize ideas under an overarching concept using a conceptual flow map. My lesson study team (Kate Gallegher, Roberta Parker, Kim Plagenza, Juli Ward) and I relied on the following conceptual flow that we created after reviewing the Science Engineering Practices and Cross Cutting Concepts for our lesson on air pressure. Although the Disciplinary Core Ideas are specifically for second-grade physical sciences domain, they reflect California FOSS (Full Option Science System) Module for first grade, that our district has been using.

Instead of disparate facts, the map orders common properties and behavior of air under three main ideas. Air is matter, we breathe oxygen, and the wind is moving air. After mapping the essential ideas, we examined the Cross Cutting Concepts and decided that Cause and Effect and Systems and Models best reflected our lesson. We used to post it notes to order the ideas and CCC and then transferred the notes to an electronic copy. We used the notes to formulate a guiding focus question, "How does the amount of compressed air affect the distance of the balloon rocket?"
5E Lesson Format
After identifying the focus question, we discussed the learning and language objectives and determined how to deliver the lesson and how the students complete the learning tasks. This can be seen in our 5 E lesson Study Template. The 5 E lesson plan is a means of organizing learning tasks into stages which are Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate/Extend, Evaluate. The Engage portion is the hook that catches the students' attention perhaps with a discrepant event or activity that links past and present learning and experiences to the lesson. The engage serves to focus the students' attention for the upcoming learning tasks. Students investigate phenomena and use academic language in context during the Explore section. Students then make claims about phenomena using evidence from their observations and information from readings during the Explanation part. The Elaborate/Extend portion allows students to apply their knowledge, investigate their own related questions, and deepen their understanding of the concepts. Teachers assess the students' learning during the Evaluation stage. The stages of the 5E Lesson format can be used within a single lesson or distributed throughout a unit.

As part of the lesson study format, we presented instruction to two first grade classes. Each time we debriefed, shared observations of the academic discussions and sought ways to improve the lesson.
Reflective Assessment Protocol
Another invaluable tool is the Reflective Assessment Protocol. This tool allows teachers to determine which students met the objective and understood the concepts and which students needed additional support in just 10 minutes. A tally mark indicates the number of students who met the objective while the names of students are placed next to the key concepts to determine next steps. In determining next steps the students' misconceptions and reasons for the misconceptions are discussed as well as possible intervention. Here's an example of the RAP Protocol.

These three tools, Conceptual Flow, 5E Lesson plans, and Reflective Assessment Protocol together can assist teachers in preparing for the beginning of the semester. The Conceptual Flow can be revisited throughout a unit.

Elizabeth Cooke is a Science Prep Teacher at Markham Elementary School in Vacaville, California and is a member of CSTA.

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Tools for Creating NGSS Standards Based Lessons

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Posted: Tuesday, August 29th, 2017 by Elizabeth Cooke Think back on your own experiences with learning science in school. Were you required to memorize disjointed facts without understanding the concepts? Science Education Background In the past, science education focused on rote memorization and learning disjointed ideas.

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Using the NGSS to Teach the Nature of Science

Posted: Monday, October 19th, 2015
By Lawrence Flammer, ENSI Webmaster
Do you know what misconceptions about science your students have? Surveys have revealed a low level of science literacy in our nation for many decades. A recent National Science Foundation survey (NSF 2014) shows us that only a high of 26% of Americans (in 2001) understood what studying something scientifically means, and that low number has even declined since then. Wide support and belief in "alternative medicine," (unscientific medicine) and many other pseudosciences, are still very much alive.

We also see continuing problems with understanding and acceptance of scientific concepts that seem controversial to many, issues like climate change, vaccinations, and evolution. Many people don't realize that such controversies are typically socio-political, not scientific. It is clear that our general population is sadly ignorant about how science really works. When we probe more deeply, it turns out that an accurate understanding of the nature of science (NOS) is fundamental to making those distinctions. According to the Framework for K-1 Science Education (NRC 2012, pp. 78-79), memorizing (or even experiencing) "The Scientific Method" myth doesn't do it.

The Framework acknowledged the importance of the nature of science in its statement "...there is a strong consensus about characteristics of [NOS] that should be understood by an educated citizen." NOS is "... knowledge of the constructs and values that are intrinsic to science. Students need to understand what is meant, for example, by an observation, a hypothesis, an inference, a model, a theory, or a claim and be able to distinguish among them." Furthermore, there is ample evidence that many people do not recognize the realm, the limits, or the social context of science. Just what can science do, and what can it not do? How does science happen? Why is science more reliable than any other way of knowing?

What do your students understand about the nature of science? Do they know what it is? Do they know what it includes? Where do your students learn about NOS? Is it presented accurately in their science textbooks? Do you teach NOS explicitly, or are your students supposed to pick it up while doing inquiry labs, taking notes in your lectures, and watching your science demonstrations?
The Nature of Science in the NGSS
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Lead States, 2013), was developed to provide specific standards that reflect the broad set of expectations outlined in the Framework. While the bulk of the NGSS addresses specific aspects of the Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), it also sets aside an important section (Appendix H) that focuses on key features of the nature of science.

Table 1. Categories (or Themes) For Nature of Science (NOS)
in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Appendix H
With clarifying phrases in italics, based on the Framework (2012)

1. Scientific investigations use a variety of methods for gathering, analyzing, testing evidence/clues.

2. Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence; on observations of evidence/clues, not authority.

3. Scientific knowledge is open to revision in light of new evidence; claims are tentative to some degree; those that survive testing become less tentative, more durable, than others.

4. Scientific models, laws, mechanisms and theories explain natural phenomena: words of science must be accurately defined.

5. Science is a way of knowing: follows rules that are empirical, logical, skeptical, objective, giving the most reliable results.

6. Scientific knowledge assumes an order and consistency in natural systems throughout the universe.

7. Science is a human endeavor, involving creativity, biases, sensory limits, and benefits of teamwork

8. Science addresses questions about the natural and material world, not the supernatural.

Included in Appendix H, are two pages structured into a matrix in which many specific Learning Outcomes are listed for each grade band and related to each of the eight Basic Understandings ("Categories" or "Themes") about the Nature of Science (See Table 1). Four of these extend the Scientific & Engineering Practices dimension of the standards, and four extend the Crosscutting Concepts dimension. For middle school science, there are 26 Learning Outcomes (LOs). For high school science, there are 32 LOs. Some of those NOS LOs are included in those dimensions listed in the "foundation boxes" that accompany the assessable components for each set of DCI standards. But many are not. Given the practical importance for students to recognize the many aspects of NOS, it's critical that you also incorporate as many of those NOS Learning Outcomes into your curriculum as you can. Before setting up your science curricula to follow the NGSS, be sure to read Appendix H, and make it a point to incorporate those NOS learning outcomes wherever you can.

Now, with Appendix H in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), we have a mandate to bring a richer treatment of NOS that follows those standards.

Some teachers assume that doing investigations and experiments is all there is to NOS. Or, they assume that their students will somehow absorb the elements of NOS by just doing those activities. This is overly optimistic for all but the brightest students. Studies clearly show that NOS must be taught explicitly if students are to understand and retain that knowledge (Khishfe & Abd-El-Khalick 2002; Schwartz, et al 2004). Reflecting this, Appendix H also says that "... learning about the nature of science requires more than engaging in activities and conducting investigations" (NGSS Lead States 2013, pg. 2, emphasis added).

The key message here is that the nature of science (NOS) is not just the investigative process. For many years, we have recognized that there is an important distinction between the practices of science (doing investigations) and the intrinsic values, assumptions, limits and realm of science. It's largely when these latter elements are not studied in science classes that most of the confusion and misunderstandings about science persist. For that reason, considerable attention should be focused on those elements when teaching NOS in all of your science classes.
Table 2. Acronyms Defined
NOS = Nature of Science

NGSS = Next Generation Science Standards

LOs - Learning Outcomes
(NOS practices in Appendix H matrix)

DCI = Disciplinary Core Idea

ENSI = Evolution/Nature of Science Institutes
Why Is Science So Misunderstood?
Many, probably most, science teachers have not had much, if any, personal experience with scientific research. This is especially true for elementary teachers, where their training is typically light in science (Lederman 1999). As a result, there is a wide reliance on textbooks, where both teachers and students become informed about science. This is true even in the secondary levels. But when we take a critical look at science textbooks, we find that they are still woefully inadequate, even misleading or inaccurate, in many of the important NOS elements (Abd-El-Khalick, et al 2008).

Many trade books and articles about teaching NOS have been published for teachers (Crowther , et al 2005; McComas 2004). But to my knowledge, there has not been any text for students to use that explains many of the elements of NOS and addresses the many NOS misconceptions. There needs to be a convenient text for students, with interactive lessons that students and teachers can use to help teach and reinforce NOS concepts, and effectively repair their misconceptions. Collections of lessons and activities with suggestions for use are out there for teachers to find and use (Lederman & Abd-El-Khalick 2002; ENSI NOS Lessons. But they lack the integrated structure to address the NOS issues in a coherent way, as a textbook could provide.
What You Can Do About It
So, how can you most effectively bring substantial NOS experiences to your students? Here are several suggestions:

Recognize the problem. Read the research (see references), and see that we're really not producing enough scientifically literate citizens. The list of references on the Understanding Science website can be very helpful. You might also consider giving your students a NOS Survey to see what misconceptions they have when they enter your class (and also use as a post-test at the end of your NOS unit or your course to measure their progress). Many teachers have found the Science Knowledge Survey on the ENSI website very helpful for doing this.

Review Appendix H in the NGSS. As you look over the many Learning Outcomes listed in the two tables there, jot down ideas about when and where you think each LO would fit best in your curriculum. Make a point of doing at least one NOS lesson in every unit where it best applies.

Gather activities and lessons that are engaging, interactive, student-centered, and focus on NOS, e.g., Lederman & Abd_El-Khalick's 2002 chapter. Another excellent source is the ENSI website collection of NOS lessons. The ENSI lessons there were classroom-tested in the early 1990s, and have been used and enhanced by many teachers ever since (see FIGURE 1 for an example).

FIGURE 1. The Magic Hooey Stick is a special kind of "black box." The spinner changes direction on the command "Hooey!" This suggests something magical, and raises curiosity. But just saying "it's magic" is not real understanding, so you can redirect that curiosity to seek a scientific (i.e., testable) explanation, and focus on the elements common in scientific inquiry. See the ENSI NOS lesson: Magic Hooey Stick.

Read a few articles that feature and capsulize many of the common misconceptions (or myths) about NOS (McComas 2004; Lederman & Lederman 2004). Read "How Science Really Works" on the Understanding Science website.

Read and use the Debunking Handbook for a researched approach found most effective in helping students to repair their misconceptions about science (but beware of the "Backfire Hazard").

Use Active Learning strategies to engage students in more effective interactive discussions (Freeman, et al 2013). See the suggestions and very helpful video link at http://www.indiana.edu/~ensiweb/ActiveLearning.html.

Organize your unit and its lessons in the 5-E Constructivist format as much as possible (Bybee, et al 2006). Creative searching for the Engage (1st) step can be the most challenging, but also the most productive. Remember that genuine curiosity is one of the most effective ways to stimulate your students' motivation for learning (see FIGURE 2 for an engaging experience).

FIGURE 2. Matching Tables?: These two table-tops are exactly the same shape and dimensions. Why don't they appear that way? (Original illusion by Roger N. Shepard in Mind Sights, 1990). Used in the ENSI NOS lesson: Perception is Not Always Reality.

Use the new student e-text supplement Science Surprises: Exploring the Nature of Science for your students. This booklet coordinates several of the ENSI NOS lessons, and provides exercises to practice several aspects of NOS. Using this classroom-tested booklet along with the ENSI NOS lessons and the Teaching Guide (with its assessments) help to meet all NGSS NOS expectations. The strategies suggested for doing this (see 5, 6 and 7 above) have been incorporated and found to be most effective.

It's also very important to integrate the elements of NOS into every topic in your course. In every case, this must be done explicitly, so students clearly see the connections between science content and NOS (Lederman & Lederman 2004).

I close with a powerful appeal from Lederman & Abd-El-Khalick (2002, pg. 83) in their introduction (emphases added):

"It is highly unlikely that students and their teachers will come to understand that science is tentative, empirically-based, partly the product of human imagination and creativity, and is influenced by social and cultural factors solely through learning about the content of science or its processes. We believe that a concerted effort on the part of science educators and teachers to explicitly guide learners in their attempts to develop proper understanding of the nature of the scientific enterprise is essential. The notion of explicitness is imperative. It is critical that we target teaching the NOS if the desired impact on learners' conceptions is to be achieved."

It's up to you. Think (and do) outside the "NGSS boxes." Seek and implement NOS experiences in your courses that will meet the Learning Outcomes listed in the NGSS Appendix H. Do this explicitly, wherever you can. And share these insights with your colleagues. Set the goal of raising the science literacy level of all your students. You hold their futures in your hands.
REFERENCES
Abd-El-Khalick, F., M. Waters, and A.-P. Le. 2008. Representations of Nature of Science in High School Chemistry Textbooks Over the Past Four Decades. J. of Research in Science Teaching 45 (7): 835-855. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tea.20226/abstract [Select pdf file to download].

Bybee, Rodger W., et al. 2006. The BSCS 5E Instructional Model: Origins and Effectiveness. NIH. Note: Select under "BSCS 5E resources" for Full Report. http://www.bscs.org/bscs-5e-instructional-model

Crowther, David T., Norman G. Lederman, and Judith s. Lederman. 2005. Understanding the True Meaning of Nature of Science. 9/27/2005. Teaching suggestions to help you highlight nature of science. NSTA WebNews Digest. http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=51055

Freeman, Scott, et al. 2013. Active learning increases student performance in science, engineering, and mathematics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111 (23): 8410-8415. http://www.pnas.org/content/111/23/8410.abstract

Khishfe, R., and F. Abd-El-Khalick. 2002. Influence of explicit and reflective versus implicit inquiry- oriented instruction on sixth graders' views of nature of science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching 39(7):551-578. http://undsci.berkeley.edu/teaching/educational_research.php#khishfe.

Lederman, Norman G. and Judith S. Lederman. 2004. Revising Instruction to Teach Nature of Science. The Science Teacher 71 (9): 36-39. http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=49932

Lederman, N.G. and Fouad Abd-El-Khalick. 2002. Avoiding De-Natured Science: Activities that Promote Understandings of the Nature of Science. The nature of science in science education. Springer Netherlands. Chapter 5, pp. 83-126. tl.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/NOS_Activities.pdf

McComas, William. 2004. Keys to the Teaching the Nature of Science. The Science Teacher 71 (9): 24-27. web.missouri.edu/~hanuscind/4280/KeysToTeachingNOS.pdf

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Appendix H - Understanding the Scientific Enterprise: The Nature of Science in the NGSS. http://www.nextgenscience.org/next-generation-science-standards [select Appendix H].

NRC (National Research Council). 2012. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, crosscutting concepts and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, pp. 78-79. [Click the vertical tab: "Hide Contents"]. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=13165&page=78

NSF (National Science Foundation). 2014. Science and Engineering Indicators 2014. Chapter 7: Science & Technology: Public Attitudes & Understanding. Arlington, VA. [Scroll down to "Reasoning and Understanding the Scientific Process."] Also see paragraphs 3-6 in the Overview/Introductory section. Subsequent data show that science literacy generally runs well below 50% in our country. http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind14/index.cfm/chapter-7/c7s2.htm

Schwartz, R.S., N.G. Lederman, and B. Crawford. 2004. Developing views of nature of science in an authentic context: An explicit approach to bridging the gap between nature of science and scientific inquiry. Science Education 88 (4): 610-645. http://www.researchgate.net/publication/227643812_Developing_views_of_nature_of_science_in_an_authentic_context_An_explicit_approach_to_bridging_the_gap_between_nature_of_science_and_scientific_inquiry

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Using the NGSS to Teach the Nature of Science

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Posted: Monday, October 19th, 2015 By Lawrence Flammer, ENSI Webmaster Do you know what misconceptions about science your students have? Surveys have revealed a low level of science literacy in our nation for many decades.

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News | Next Generation Science Standards

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Since the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in 2013, educators have been looking for high-quality instructional materials that will support student instruction toward the goals of the NGSS. In response to this demand, the science instructional materials marketplace has started to fill with products and programs that make different sorts of claims about how they are connected to the NGSS.

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For Teachers | Next Generation Science Standards

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Teachers across the disciplines have collaborated to write sample tasks, which are the result of a vision of integrating science, engineering, mathematics,and Language Arts in classrooms. The tasks can be modified for classroom use, or can be used to study an example of the standards in context.

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California State Science Standards
http://www.cde.ca.gov/pd/ca/sc/ngssstandards.asp

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A curriculum resource providing K-12 teachers with engaging project-based lessons that are based on real-world scenarios.

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Open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science.

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Mystery Science offers open-and-go lessons that inspire kids to love science. The hook, visuals, and activity have all been prepared for you. Less prep, more learning.

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