WELCOME to Decoding NGSS

1. WELCOME to Decoding NGSS Presenters: Robert Najera & Sandra Rincon

2. Please take a couple post it notes. Place one on the graph to show your current knowledge of NGSS. (no need to put your name) Use the other to write down any questions you have about NGSS and place them in the parking lot.

3. Our Promise… “The only thing we can promise is that we don’t know all there is to know.” Quote taken from : (Director of Curriculum Development from LA County School District & San Diego Unified School District)

4. Our Objectives: What are the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Understand how to read the NGSS Get informed on the current status of NGSS Take home some ideas for implementation.

5. SO MANY CHANGES? COMMON CORE & NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS?

6. Where we are now as educators in transition:

7. What are NGSS? NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) The NGSS are only a FRAMEWORK for what students should be able to do, they are not a list of exactly what they should know or how it should be taught.

8. Conceptual Shifts from CSS to NGSS Focuses more on interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world. The NGSS are performance expectations, NOT curriculum. Concepts build coherently from grades K-12. Focus is on deeper understanding of content and application Integration of science and engineering throughout every grade Designed to prepare students for college, career and citizenship. The NGSS and Common core standards are aligned.

9. A vision of what it means to be proficient in science; • Idea that science is both a body of knowledge and is evidence based. • It will continuously extend, refine and revise itself. • It presents three dimensions that will be combined to form each standard:

10. The Three Dimensions Dimension 1: Science and Engineering Practices Dimension 2: Cross cutting concepts. Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas.

11. Dimension 1: Science & engineering Practices • EIGHT Practices used by scientists for investigation, model building and problem solving. • Include skills such as: • Asking questions • Developing and building models • Planning and carrying out investigations • Analyzing data • Using mathematics and computational thinking • Constructing explanations / designing solutions • Engaging in arguments from evidence • Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.

12. Dimension 2: Cross cutting Concepts • Seven Concepts with application across all domains of science. Ways to link the science disciplines. • Skills including • Patterns, similarity, & Diversity • Cause and Effects • Scale, Proportion and Quantity • Systems and System Models • Energy and Matter • Structure and Function • Stability and Change

13. Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core ideas Physical Sciences PS1: Matter and its interactions PS2: Motion and stability: Forces and interactions PS3: Energy PS4: Waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer Life Sciences LS1: From molecules to organisms: Structures and processes LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, energy, and dynamics LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and variation of traits LS4: Biological evolution: Unity and diversity Earth and Space Sciences ESS1: Earth’s place in the universe ESS2: Earth’s systems ESS3: Earth and human activity Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science ETS1: Engineering design ETS2: Links among engineering, technology, science, and society List of overriding ideas. (not specific facts)

14. What it looks like

15. With our partners: DECODING : Identify the parts http://www.nextgenscience.org/4ps3-energy

16. Current status of NGSS Framework is complete. July 2013. (What we will be teaching kids to do) October 2013 Middle School Scope and sequence decided. Every school/district chooses their own. (Argument was for integrated verses disciplined) Rubric for assessing new materials will be finalized in Winter 2013/2014. (Not yet released) …any day now. Procedural model for implementation needs to be developed. 2014-2016 Assessment models need to be developed. (this is the IDK yet step.) 2014-2016 ? NGSS seeking volunteers. See their website. TARGET : 2017 Full Implementation & assessment completed. Until this date we basically have no real accountability…teach it up!

17. Ideas to implement NGSS / critical thinking • “There are no wrong answers in science!” (some restrictions do apply) • Teach how to answer : “In this class I will only write with meaningful sentences” • Restrictions: Answers must be justified with evidence and analysis and written in meaningful sentences to receive credit. • Multiple choice tests: justify/explain each answer for partial credit. • Why? Creates a safe thinking environment, the best discoveries in science were discovered by mistake.

18. Self directed labs: Student driven instruction See pre-lab form in your packet. And student examples. Do not grade student notebooks, instead direct students to use them as a journal of ideas, brainstorming, collecting raw data etc. Students complete a post lab to make connections to the real world. Vary this assignment with each lab. Grade pre-lab and post lab instead of notebook. Or assign a formal report for older students.

19. How CCSS & NGSS align

20. TAKE AWAY MESSAGE : You already have all the tools you need to teach to NGSS, Don’t get stuck on an escalator!

21. Thank you ! If you have questions about this presentation contact Robert or Sandra Robert Najerarobnajera09@gmail.com Sandra Rincon sandra_rncn@yahoo.com http://www.soarcharteracademy.org My cards are on the back table by the door. My website has copies of the documents and this power point for your reference.