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NGSS Vetted Resources

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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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Tools for NGSS

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Tools for

Ambitious
Science
Teaching

Companion Book available now on Harvard Ed Press

Pressing for evidence- based explanations

Planning for engagement with important science ideas

Supporting on-going changes in thinking

Eliciting students' ideas

What is Ambitious Science Teaching?

Great teaching can be learned. This web site provides a vision of ambitious science instruction for elementary, middle school and high school classrooms. Ambitious teaching deliberately aims to support students of all backgrounds to deeply understand science ideas, participate in the activities of the discipline, and solve authentic problems.

We feature 4 core sets of teaching practices that support these goals. These core sets make up the Ambitious Science Teaching Framework. The framework has been based on classroom research from the past 30 years-research that has asked, "What kinds of talk, tasks, and tools do students need in order to fully engage in meaningful forms of science learning?"

If you are a member of a group of science educators committed to the improvement of teaching, the vision, practices, and tools here will furnish a common language for you about teaching. You will be able to identify "what we will get better at" and how to get started.

Become Part of a Community That Shares a Common Vision of Excellence in Teaching.

Because ambitious science teaching focuses on doing four things really well in the classroom (the core practices), members of our community can speak a common language about how to continually improve instruction and support student learning. We can frame problems together and work towards solutions with help from each other. The expertise of our community comes from our members (teachers, instructional coaches, teacher educators) as well as from extensive empirical classroom research. On this site you can explore how other professionals are using core practices and the tools that go with them.

Explore New Tools That Support Student Learning

This site provides a constantly evolving set of tools to help improve student participation and learning. Some of these tools will help you plan for student engagement with "big" science ideas. Some will help students reason publicly with each other about science ideas. Others will help students engage in scientific modeling, explanation and argument with evidence. Still others will scaffold science-specific writing and talk. We have unique sets of tools for teachers, instructional coaches, and teacher educators.

But here's what is really important about our tools-they belong to the community, meaning that they need to be continually tested under different classroom conditions in order to be improved and diversified.

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Pressing for evidence- based explanations Planning for engagement with important science ideas Supporting on-going changes in thinking Eliciting students' ideas Great teaching can be learned.

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NGSS approved storylines

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Check out the guidance for the steps to designing a coherent NGSS aligned storyline. Explore unpacking, identifying phenomena, and sequencing investigations to help students build science ideas, step by step.

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Cool visuals - interesting ideas

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This site is a curated collection of science phenomena for the NGSS, along with phenomenon based learning resources and help for how to use phenomenon to drive student questions in the classroom centered around 3 dimensional teaching and learning.

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Great short articles on all things NGSS

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The STEM Teaching Tools site has tools that can help you teach science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). We are currently focused on supporting the teaching of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) . Each tool is focused on a specific issue and leverages the best knowledge from research and practice.

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Well explained phenomena

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Access Google Sites with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).

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The MBI unit development template is meant to scaffold the design of MBI units. Additional information about each section is included in the site. In addition, useful links and examples are linked throughout the document. We keep the template in a Google Doc format as it is still under development.

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Simulations

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Home
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Models:
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Beginners Interactive NetLogo Dictionary (BIND)
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NetLogo is a multi-agent programmable modeling environment. It is used by many hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and researchers worldwide. It also powers HubNet participatory simulations. It is authored by Uri Wilensky and developed at the CCL. You can download it free of charge. You can also try it online through NetLogo Web.

Download NetLogo

Go to NetLogo Web

Getting Started with NetLogo

Are you new to NetLogo or programming in general? We have resources to help!

When you're ready to dive deeper into NetLogo programming, check out the full NetLogo manual. Of particular note are:

We also have mailing lists you can join to ask questions of other users and keep up to date with NetLogo.

NetLogo Models

NetLogo comes with a large library of sample models. Click on some examples below.

NetLogo News (via Twitter)

© 1999-2023 Uri Wilensky (details & terms of use)

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Home Download Help Resources Extensions FAQ NetLogo Publications Contact Us Donate Models: Library Community Modeling Commons Beginners Interactive NetLogo Dictionary (BIND) NetLogo Dictionary User Manuals: Web Printable Chinese Czech Farsi / Persian Japanese Spanish NetLogo is a multi-agent programmable modeling environment. It is used by many hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and researchers worldwide.

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Simulations for Chem & Bio

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Hundreds of Simulations

Explore physics, chemistry, biology,
biotechnology, and nanotechnology.

Embedded Assessments

Real-time reports provide a complete view of student learning progression.

Create and Customize

Customize any model or create one from scratch with powerful modeling tools.

Three Views of MW

Senior Scientist and Molecular Workbench Developer Charles Xie, Researcher and Manager Amy Pallant, and Technology and Curriculum Developer Dan Damelin describe the history of Molecular Workbench and our vision for the future.
Watch the Video
Selected Curriculum Modules

Transistor

STM

Semiconductor

Plasma

Molecular Rover

Chemical Bonding

Chemical Resp.

Diffusion

Heat & Temperature

Electrostatics

Phase Change

DNA to Protein

Mission: Immunity

Lipids & Carbs

Tree of Life

Proteins & DNA

Harvest Light

Quantum Mechanics

Crystallography

ELISA

STM

Transistor

Plasma

Semiconductor

Create Your Own Simulations

MW is not just a collection of simulations -do not be deceived by first glance. While it presents many existing simulations that are ready to use in the classroom, it is, however, also a modeling tool for teachers and students to create their own simulations and share them with collaborators. There are very sophisticated modeling capacities hidden behind its simple user interface that empower you to create new simulations and even explore the unknowns. (Because of the experimental and computational nature of this kind of simulations, we prefer to call them computational experiments.)

Create Your Own Curriculum Modules

A simulation without instructional support is difficult for students to use. An optimal way of using simulations is to embed them into curriculum materials. MW has an authoring system for teachers and curriculum developers to create or customize their own online lessons that use models and simulations. A typical MW module is a comprehensive learning package consisting of a series of scaffolded pages that contain text, simulations, tools, controls, graphs, navigation links, and embedded assessments. The user interfaces of simulations in MW can be customized for students of different levels (grades 6-16). This unique feature enables it to support a wide range of instructional strategies such as inquiry-based, discovery-based, and problem-based learning.

Fun Stuff

Electrostatic Maze

3D Maze

Roving Nanogear

Block Feeder

Probability Machine

Dainty Walker

Water Wheels

Pump Jack

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Molecular Workbench provides visual, interactive computational experiments for teaching and learning science.

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Current Phenomena

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Daily discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating science breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world, reported by our expert journalists.

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Great phenomena possibilities

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Explore National Geographic. A world leader in geography, cartography and exploration.

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Interactives & Concept Builders

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Have you tried a Concept Builder lately? You should. This growing collection of cognitively-rich exercises will focus student attention on discrete learning goals. Filled with interactive elements, this section is the perfect tool for getting students thinking about the meaning of concepts. Perfect for students and 1:1 classrooms using iPads, Chromebooks, and the like. And for Chemistry types, we've added a large collection of Chemistry Concept Builders.

Minds On Physics - Version 5 is the HTML5 version of Minds On Physics that replaces our App and Legacy versions. Relying on a large bank of carefully crafted questions, Minds On Physics seeks to improve students' conceptions of physics. "MOPs" combines interactive questioning modules with a thorough, question-specific Help system to engage students in an exercise in thinking, reflecting and learning. Version 5 is our best-yet version of Minds On Physics. There is a fully functional free version and a paid version that integrates seamlessly with our Task Tracker system and offers some rather enticing features.

Version 2 of the Calculator Pad is now available. Our newest version includes >2500 Physics and Chemistry problems organized into >250 ready-to-use problem sets. Numerical information is randomly-generated. An answer box allows students to solve and check their answers. Most problems are accompanied by an audio-guided solution that explains how to solve a similar problem while hilighting the habits that can be adopted for solving any problem. Teachers with Task Tracker accounts can modify problems and problem sets and even create their own problems. Task Tracker also allows teachers to assign problems to their students and track their progress.

Concept Checkers were built to coordinate with the Physics Interactives section of our website. Relying upon our Task Tracker tool to deliver questions, check answers, and track student progress, a Concept Checker is designed to coordinate with an interactive simulation. Use it as a follow-up check to understanding after exploring the simulation. Most sims are accompanied by a Concept Checker. Some sims have Task Tracker code built into the simulation. But not all sims will have a Concept Checker. Concept Checkers can be used with or without a Task Tracker account.

The Science Reasoning Center is our most recent upgrade. This section (once complete) will include more than 50 activities that are perfect for encouraging scientific reasoning skills. Students use science and engineering practices, combined with cross cutting science concepts and core ideas from the disciplines of physics (and chemistry) to analyze phenomenon, experiments, and data presentations. NOTE: We broke ground in April of 2023; we should have a large portion of content available by August of 2023. We will continue work throughout the 2023-24 school year.

A collection of pages with questions and answers/explanations which serve as reviews or practice. Each review complements a chapter from The Physics Classroom Tutorial.

A variety of question-and-answer pages which target specific concepts and skills. Topics range from the graphical analysis of motion and drawing free body diagrams to a discussion of vectors and vector addition.

Calling all high school juniors: You've trusted The Physics Classroom to help prepare you for that unit exam in physics. Why not trust us to help prepare you for the biggest test of the year - the ACT test? That's right. Let the TPC help you with the ACT.

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The Physics Classroom serves students, teachers and classrooms by providing classroom-ready resources that utilize an easy-to-understand language that makes learning interactive and multi-dimensional. Written by teachers for teachers and students, The Physics Classroom provides a wealth of resources…

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Use data from research

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Building for a data literate future. Making data exploration, analysis, visualization, and interpretation human and accessible to all.

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Allows similar types to M-STEP

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Teachers and admins love Edulastic because it makes

Formatives

Distance Learning

Interims

Benchmarks

Diagnostics

Remediation

Math practice

Science assessment

Distance Learning

Data analysis

Progress monitoring

State test prep

Tracking growth

easy.
Assess at school. Reinforce at home.

Use all of your data to track learning and growth.

Quickly identify learning gaps with diagnostic and formative assessments

Give students differentiated assignments to remediate, reinforce or challenge

Monitor progress towards standards mastery to ensure students stay on track

Engaging technology-enhanced assessments for benchmarks, the classroom, or distance learning

Easily administer district common or classroom formative assessments using high-quality item banks, diagnostic or curriculum-aligned assessments, create your own questions or mix and match.

80,000+ standards-aligned questions from trusted sources

Try one of our 10K free pre-built assessments

Keep students learning at home when school is closed or limited.

Create self-paced lessons by embedding video, links and articles. Check for understanding with quiz questions and watch student engagement soar.

Propel each student with personalized, data-driven recommendations

Fill learning gaps with practice for struggling students and challenge advanced students to move ahead.

Bring all of your key performance data together in one place - from engagement with online learning to discipline to diagnostics to state test scores - along with your classroom assessments and district benchmarks for a holistic view of each student, or of the whole district.

Integrates seamlessly with the technology you already use

Easy sign on through Google, MS365 or Clever. Sync class rosters and share assignments in Google Classroom or your LMS system and push grades back to your gradebook.

" We love the relationship we have with the people behind Edulastic. It's really easy to get in touch. We get the answers we need in a timely fashion, and it seems really clear that the team cares about whether or not their product is working for us. "

Easy enough to learn on your own, but you don't have to

From basic how-tos to advanced assessment creation, we've got you covered with online training, how-to videos and articles, and self-paced courses for all levels and roles.

See how Edulastic can make a difference at your school

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Edulastic: Interactive Formative Assessment for classroom or distant learning

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Online assessment tools with technology-enhanced items, help students learn and measure growth all in one easy system in the classroom and at home.

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Real data to use in lessons or assessments

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Data Nuggets | Bringing authentic research and data into K-16 classrooms

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Free activities that bring real scientific data into the classroom, guiding students through the process of science while building their quantitative abilities.

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project ideas

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April 2024 Editor's Pick

Students reinforce their knowledge that DNA is the genetic material for all living things by modeling it using toothpicks and gumdrops that represent the four biochemicals (adenine, thiamine, guanine, and cytosine) that pair with each other in a specific pattern, making ...

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Ignite STEM learning in K-12 - TeachEngineering

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Free, K-12, NGSS standards-aligned STEM lessons and hands-on activities for teaching elementary, middle and high school science, engineering design and math. Search by concepts or specific Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to Ignite STEM learning in K-12.

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Bring a scientist into your classroom

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Skype a Scientist matches your classroom, scout troop, or library with scientists for Q&amp;A sessions for free!

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This resource:

DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION

Engineering standards for grades K-2
K-2-ETS1-1 K-2-ETS1-2 K-2-ETS1-3
DEFINING AND DELIMITING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

K-2-ETS1-1
Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Before NASA's Cloudsat satellite was built, there were a lot of questions engineers had to answer and scientific information that needed to be gathered about clouds. This helped engineers define what their tool, in this case, a satellite, would do. According to Cloudsat Mission Manager Deborah Vane, "Cloudsat can study clouds in a way that hasn't been studied before. One of the most uncertain parts about trying to understand how our climate might change in the future is understanding how clouds might change. We need to be able to correctly predict how they're going to behave, how much water they're going to carry, where they're going to carry it." Here she discusses how they gathered information to define what their spacecraft would do.

Expand on the standard: In the K-2 classroom, students may be aware of a problem or situation they would like to change. Asking questions about a problem, gathering information and making observations can help to clarify and understand the problem. They can ask who, what, where, when, why and how questions about things they see happening in the classroom or at school. They can gather information by counting how many times a situation happens, finding the location of an problem, or taking measurements in the location a problem occurs. These steps help to define what the problem is and identify what a successful solution will accomplish.

DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

K-2-ETS1-2
Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
Watch how it's used at JPL: How do you pick up rock sample tubes on left Mars? It starts with a drawing. The Mars 2020 rover will collect samples of Martian rocks and leave them in tubes on the surface of Mars to be collected by a later mission. That creates a problem to be solved by engineering. Robotic engineer Paulo Younse worked to help figure that out and said, "One of the solutions that we came up with is to use a robotic arm." After defining what their design solution needs to do, and figuring out how long and how strong the arm needs to be, it was time to design the arm.

Expand on the standard: As a class, or in groups, students will brainstorm solutions to a problem by thinking of objects and tools that can be created or improved to solve that problem. After brainstorming, students will draw or create a representation of the idea in a way that communicates their thinking to others. This could be a basic sketch on paper, a simple computer drawing, or a physical model made from things like toy bricks, clay, card stock or chenille stems.

OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION

K-2-ETS1-3
Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.
Watch how it's used at JPL: In an effort to land larger and more massive objects on Mars, NASA has tested a variety of parachutes on the Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator project, or LDSD. LDSD uses a large parachute to help slow a landing vehicle. As Dr. Chris Tanner puts it, "Parachutes are a little bit unique in the engineering design process, in that we don't have really good models to show us how parachutes work. Things that are made out of textiles are generally much harder to test and model." Tanner describes in detail some of the tests they carry out when comparing parachutes.

Expand on the standard: There are multiple solutions to solve any given problem, and as a result, students in the classroom will generate more than one idea to solve the problem. When two brainstormed ideas have been made into a tool or object, they will need to be tested. Students should ask, "Did the tool or object solve the problem?" If it did not, students should look at ways to change and improve their design in a way that allows it to solve the problem. Because multiple ideas may each solve the problem successfully, how well each solution solves the problem should also be considered.

Engineering standards for grades 3-5
3-5-ETS1-1 3-5-ETS1-2 3-5-ETS1-3
DEFINING AND DELIMITING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

3-5-ETS1-1
Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Engineers who drive the Mars rover Opportunity from Earth have to carefully consider the driving criteria designed into the rover, and its limiting constraints as they explore the red planet. The rover has logged more than a marathon's worth of miles since landing in 2004. Engineers who built Opportunity had to define what the rover would be able to do, and understand the limits of its capabilities. Hallie Gengl, a driver on the team, discusses the factors the drive team must consider as they plan daily drives.

Expand on the standard: Building on skills developed in K-2, students will make observations, gather information and ask questions to identify a problem that can be solved in the classroom, school, or community. Students will identify the goals they want to their design to accomplish-the criteria-as well as the limits they will encounter-the constraints.

DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

3-5-ETS1-2
Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Engineers designing missions to the surface of Mars have to develop a solution to safely deliver the mission to the surface of the planet. Dr. Anita Sengupta, an aerospace engineer, describes what it was like to develop possible solutions, and the way teams compared design solutions to ultimately choose the option that would best meet the mission requirements.

Expand on the standard: In addition to questioning and observing, students can gather information from the Internet, texts, and local experts in the field that can aid them in designing a solution. Students can then brainstorm and develop a variety of possible solutions. Based on what they learned in their research, they will discuss which solutions they think will meet the criteria for success they defined, while at the same time fitting within the constraints they identified. Student groups or individuals might select one design solution to be built and tested, or several designs to be compared. In either case, an entire class will develop a variety of design solutions.

OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION

3-5-ETS1-3
Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Engineers developing rockets must control variables and consider failure points when improving rocket designs to increase the amount of mass they can lift into space. "There are a lot of different pieces that you can change when you're designing an engine or a rocket," says Dr. Kristina Kipp, an engineer working on the Mars 2020 rover mission. "We can change the fuel type and that can change how the propulsion system works. We can change the number of engines and the size of the engines. We could even change the shape to make the rockets more aerodynamic."

Another way it's used at JPL: Engineers building new antennas for the Deep Space Network (DSN) must carry out strategic testing to ensure these upgrades will work. The DSN is an important asset that allows NASA to communicate with all spacecraft in deep space. "That means the moon and beyond, places like Mars, Saturn, and the Voyager 1 spacecraft, which has left the solar system," according to Melissa Soriano, a software engineer at JPL who works on the DSN. In this video, Soriano explains some of the variables they tested when building a new system designed to listen to faint spacecraft signals.

Expand on the standard: Because multiple solutions will be generated, tests need to be carried out to determine which solution(s) succeed, and which successful designs meet the criteria better than others. In a fair test, each solution is exposed to conditions similar to what it would likely face in its intended location. Changes in the design -- the variables -- can be made, but to be clear which changes lead to improvements or failures, only one variable should be tested at a time. If multiple aspects of a design are changed at once, it can be difficult for students to be sure which changes made the differences in performance. When a solution fails or does not fully meet the criteria, where it fell short should be examined and changes made.

Engineering standards for middle school
MS-ETS1-1 MS-ETS1-2 MS-ETS1-3 MS-ETS1-4
DEFINING AND DELIMITING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

MS-ETS1-1
Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Spacecraft are designed with an understanding of the constraints presented by the range of temperatures that the vehicle will encounter while keeping the internal components at a temperature that is safe for operation. Belinda Shreckengost, a thermal engineer working on the Mars 2020 mission, clarifies, "Thermal engineering refers to the management of temperature of components that we're flying through the cruise mission in space to Mars, and also for the rover once we're on the surface." She expands on why this is important and touches on some of the relevant scientific principles that guide her work.

Expand on the standard: Middle school students extend practices developed in K-5. At this stage, they will work to identify features of a successful solution-the criteria-in greater detail. By quantifying the criteria for success, rather than offering a qualitative goal, students can use measurements to determine whether or not a solution meets the goals laid out. The limits to resources and materials-the constraints-should be identified by students in terms of what is available to them and what is appropriate in a particular environment or situation. Just as they did in previous grades, middle school students can use texts, Internet searches and subject matter experts as a source of information to help them understand the problem they are facing.

DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

MS-ETS1-2
Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Engineers have to evaluate different design solutions and analyze test data to find the best solutions to problems they discover in antenna structures. "The Deep Space Network (DSN) is a network of antennas at three different locations around the globe that allow us to communicate with spacecraft in deep space at any time," says Patti Aubuchon, a structural engineer at JPL. Making sure the 70 meter and 34 meter antennas can withstand "rainstorms, earthquakes and 100 mile per hour winds" is no easy task.

Expand on the standard: Students will find that multiple solutions can meet the criteria for success and fall within the constraints of a design problem. In order to determine which solutions meet the criteria and constraints identified in a problem, tests need to be carried out. Systematic testing will test a number of factors in a design -- the variables -- in order to find strengths and weaknesses of a solution. Variables should be changed and tested one at a time so that students can identify how changes to a design impact its performance. Based on the results of testing, designs can then be modified and retested to better meet the criteria set forth.

OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION

MS-ETS1-3
Analyze data from tests to determine similarities and differences among several design solutions to identify the best characteristics of each that can be combined into a new solution to better meet the criteria for success.

MS-ETS1-4
Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Thermal engineers at JPL tested design solutions intended to keep rover components at safe operating temperature. Their tests provided them with the information needed to optimize the design. The Curiosity and Mars 2020 rovers are powered by a radioisotope thermoelectric generator, or RTG, that uses a small piece of plutonium 238 to generate heat that is converted into energy that charges batteries to power the rovers. During the day, that heat needs to be removed from the rover and released into the Martian atmosphere. At night, that heat can be used to keep the internal components of the rover warm when outside temperatures drop far below zero degrees Celsius. Rover thermal systems engineer Keith Novak reveals a novel design solution that pumps liquid through tubes to move heat around. "We're using thermal energy and a fluid loop system to keep instruments in the right temperature range. We did that with a system that would collect heat on hot plates next to the RTG, and reject heat on cold plates."

Expand on the standards: (MS-ETS1-3) The goal of engineering is not to find many solutions, but to find the best solution to a problem. By putting different designs through repeated tests, students will see how some solutions perform better in one area of testing, while other solutions perform better when subjected to another type of testing. By communicating which elements of multiple designs performed best in different tests, students can work together to redesign a solution or create a new design that incorporates the best aspects of multiple designs to better meet the criteria for success and fit within the limiting constraints.

(MS-ETS1-4)Simply put, a model is a representation of a possible solution. Physical models can be made from card stock and tape, clay, popsicle sticks and glue, or printed on a 3D printer. Computer generated models could be represented on screen as a Computer Aided Design (CAD), plotted data from a spreadsheet, or a computer simulation. Creating and using models allows students to test possible solutions, study the results of those tests, refine or update their design, and retest. This cycle of iterative testing-modeling, testing, analyzing, refining, and retesting-is an essential element of the engineering design process.

Engineering standards for high school
HS-ETS1-1 HS-ETS1-2 HS-ETS1-3 HS-ETS1-4
DEFINING AND DELIMITING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS

HS-ETS1-1
Analyze a major global challenge to specify qualitative and quantitative criteria and constraints for solutions that account for societal needs and wants.
Watch how it's used at JPL: To affect a groundwater cleanup project guided by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, NASA had to study and define the problem before they could move forward with developing solutions for cleanup. According to Groundwater Cleanup Project Manager Steve Slaten, "NASA is responsible for a large-scale groundwater cleanup that is a result of past waste disposal practices that go back to World War II when the Army was operating JPL and developing rockets for the military. Liquid wastes -- everything from toilets, to the analytical labs, chemicals, cleaning solvents and a component of rocket propellant called perchlorate -- are now in the deep ground water. It's very important that we clean up this problem so that our neighbors have access to this resource."

Expand on the standard: Global problems, such as drought and water shortages, a need for clean energy, climate change, and sea level rise can have regional impacts and demand local solutions. Students in high school will define criteria in quantifiable ways that will require that students conduct measurements, and qualitative ways that will allow students to assess other aspects of design success such as community attitudes or social responses. Additionally, students will identify the limiting constraints a solution must meet, including cost, size, weight and performance, as well as a fit within society.

OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION

HS-ETS1-2
Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
Watch how it's used at JPL: The sun is an excellent source of energy, but to efficiently harness that power is a complex problem. Solar power towers that use concentrators, or reflectors, to send sunlight to a central tower can be very costly. Dr. Gani Ganapathi, a chemical engineer who leads the Thermal Propulsion and Materials group at JPL, is working on bringing those costs down. Lowering the cost of solar concentrators in a process that involves breaking down the problem into manageable pieces that can be solved through engineering. Ganapathi explains, "Most people are familiar with solar photovoltaic, but solar thermal is a very strong alternate technology where potential for generating power continually exists."

Expand on the standard: Building on practices developed in earlier years students will gather information from multiple, independent sources, as well as draw on their own knowledge of scientific principles prior to brainstorming solutions. Due to the complexity of problems, as well as solutions, designs and the criteria for determining the success of a solution may need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable parts that can be systematically tested. This might mean that student teams look at individual components of a larger solution and work to improve that particular element. Students may have to consider prioritizing criteria and making trade-offs in their designs. Examples of trade-offs might include reducing weight by using a lighter, but less strong material, or using a more costly component that impacts the budget available for another component.

DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

HS-ETS1-3
Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

HS-ETS1-4
Use a computer simulation to model the impact of proposed solutions to a complex real-world problem with numerous criteria and constraints on interactions within and between systems relevant to the problem.
Watch how it's used at JPL: Designing spacecraft involves prioritizing criteria and making trade-offs based on environmental and resource constraints faced by engineers. NASA has been exploring Mars since the early 1960s and developing those missions is no small task, taking many years and thousands of people working together to complete. Dr. Sarah Milkovich, a science system engineer, says, "One important aspect of system engineering is to think about what do you really need your system do to before you figure out how it's going to do that."

Expand on the standards: (HS-ETS1-3) Complex real-world problems will often lead to design solutions with many criteria for success. As students learned in earlier grades, multiple designs may all have the desired qualities of a solution. However, the goal of engineering is not to simply design a solution, but to design the best solution. Students will take a systematic approach to evaluating the multiple criteria of a solution. This may include a scoring system used to rate performance toward certain criteria. Students will likely have to make compromises when evaluating against the constraints of their design-a heavier, sturdier material may be stronger, but it can also drive up costs and mass. Iterative testing-the repeated process of modeling, testing, analyzing, refining, and retesting -- will lead to an improved design.

(HS-ETS1-4)In addition to physical models, computer simulations can assist in the visualizing, testing and evaluating of a design solution. Computer simulations can involve using computer-aided-design and computer-aided-manufacturing software (CAD and CAM) to create and modify designs, programming an app to model various inputs on a design, inputting data into a spreadsheet to calculate and graph the costs of competing designs, and using presentation software to explain the effectiveness of a certain design. Students will use these tools to predict how a particular solution will affect different elements of a problem.

Students learn about cloud types to be able to predict inclement weather. They will then identify areas in the school affected by severe weather and develop a solution to ease the impacts of rain, wind, heat or sun.

In this challenge, students will use a model robotic arm to move items from one location to another. They will engage in the engineering design process to design, build and operate the arm.

Students design and test parachute landing systems to successfully land a probe on target.

Using only pasta and glue, students design a rover that will travel down a one-meter ramp and then travel an additional one meter on a smooth, flat surface.

Students design and build a shock-absorbing system that will protect two "astronauts" when they land.

Students study rocket stability as they design, construct and launch paper rockets using soda straws.

Students learn how waves are used in communication between far-away spacecraft and the Deep Space Network on Earth. They then practice communicating using a similar process, and finally develop a method of communicating using repeated signals.

Student teams use the engineering design process and everyday materials to design an insulator that will keep a small amount of water from rapidly changing temperature.

Students use the engineering design process to build a structure to handle the greatest load and gain first-hand experience with compression and tension forces.

Students design and build a solar hot water heater and see how big a temperature change they can get.

Students work in teams employing an iterative design process to design and build a water filtration device using commonly available materials.

Students use satellite data to help determine the greatest renewable energy potentials in any given region and develop graphing skills.

This board-game activity teaches students the process of design, engineering and technology for a mission to Mars.

Youtube video

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defining and delimiting engineering problems

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NGSS Engineering in the Classroom | NASA/JPL Edu

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This resource: DEVELOPING POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS OPTIMIZING THE DESIGN SOLUTION Engineering standards for grades K-2 K-2-ETS1-1 K-2-ETS1-2 K-2-ETS1-3 DEFINING AND DELIMITING ENGINEERING PROBLEMS K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

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Info for students

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Bio Resurces