Presenters: Patty O’Donnell Helen Ann Sephton Ted Watt Hitchcock Center for the Environment

1. New England Environmental Education Alliance PresentationSaturday, November 2, 2013Environmental Education Makes the New National Science Standards Exciting! Presenters: Patty O’Donnell Helen Ann Sephton Ted Watt Hitchcock Center for the Environment Amherst, Mass

2. NGSS • National effort to develop science standards K-12 for all states • Conceptual framework developed to guide standards, beginning in January 2010, by National Research Council, (NRC) congressionally chartered arm of the National Academy of Sciences • 26 lead states and writers identified in the Summer of 2011 • Developed by NRC, National Science Teachers Association, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Achieve, a bipartisan, non-profit, education reform organization created by US governors and corporate leaders • Final draft issued in April 2013 • Final draft currently adopted by 7 states including Rhode Island and Vermont • Web address: http://www.nextgenscience.org

6. Performance Expectations Students who demonstrate understanding can: 5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on the idea that matter that is not food (air, water, decomposed materials in soil) is changed by plants into matter that is food. Examples of systems could include organisms, ecosystems, and the Earth.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include molecular explanations.]

7. Science and Engineering Practices Developing and Using Models Modeling in 3-5 builds on K-2 experiences and progresses to building and revising simple models and using models to represent events and design solutions. • Develop models to describe phenomena. (3-LS1-1)    - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Connections to Nature of Science Scientific Knowledge is Based on Empirical Evidence • Science findings are based on recognizing patterns. (3-LS1-1)

8. Disciplinary Core Ideas LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms • Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organisms. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. (3-LS1-1)

9. Crosscutting Concepts Systems and System Models • A system can be described in terms of its components and their interactions. (5-LS2-1)

10. Articulation of DCIs across grade-levels: MS.LS1.B (3-LS1-1) Common Core State Standards Connections: ELA/Literacy — RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur). (3-LS1-1) SL.3.5 Create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details (3-LS1-1) Mathematics — MP.4 Model with mathematics (3-LS-1) 3.NBT Number and Operations in Base Ten (3-LS1-1) 3.NF Number and Operations – Fractions (3-LS1-1)

11. Science and Engineering Practices 1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering) 2. Developing and using models 3. Planning and carrying out investigations 4. Analyzing and interpreting data 5. Using mathematics and computational thinking 6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing solutions (for engineering) 7. Engaging in argument from evidence 8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -       Connections to the Nature of Science § Scientific Investigations use a variety of methods § Scientific knowledge is based on empirical evidence § Scientific knowledge is open to revision in light of new evidence § Scientific models, laws, mechanisms, and theories explain natural phenomena

12. Disciplinary Core IdeasEarth and Space Sciences • ESS1.A The universe and its stars • ESS!.B Earth and the solar system • ESS1.C The history of planet Earth • ESS2.A Earth materials and systems • ESS2.B Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions • ESS2.C The roles of water in Earth’s surface processes • ESS2.D Weather and climate • ESS2.E Biogeology • ESS3.A Natural resources • ESS3.B Natural hazards • ESS3.C Human impacts on Earth systems • ESS3.D Global climate change

13. Disciplinary Core IdeasLife Sciences • LS1.A Structure and function • LS1.B Growth and development of organisms • LS1.C Organization for matter and energy flow in organisms • LS1.D Information Processing • LS2.A Interdependent relationships in ecosystems • LS2.B Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems • LS2.C Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience • LS2.D Social interactions and group behavior • LS3.A Inheritance of traits • LS3.B Variation of traits • LS4.A Evidence of common ancestry and diversity • LS4.B Natural selection • LS4.C Adaptation • LS4.D Biodiversity and humans

14. Disciplinary Core IdeasPhysical Sciences • PS1.A Structure of matter • PS1.B Chemical Reactions • PS1.C Nuclear processes • PS2.A Forces and motion • PS2.B Types of interactions • PS2.C Stability & instability in physical systems • PS3.A Definitions of energy • PS3.B Conservation of energy and energy transfer • PS3.C Relationship between energy and forces • PS3.D Energy in chemical processes and everyday life • PS4.A Wave properties • PS4.B Electromagnetic radiation • PS4.C Information technologies and instrumentation

15. Crosscutting Concepts 1. Patterns 2. Cause and effect: mechanism and explanation 3. Scale, proportion, and quantity 4. Systems and system models 5. Energy and matter: flows, cycles, and conservation 6. Structure and function 7. Stability and change - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -       Connections to the Nature of Science § Science is a way of knowing § Scientific knowledge assumes an order and consistency in natural systems § Science is a human endeavor § Science addresses questions about the natural and material world - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -       Connections to Engineering, Technology,and Applications of Science • Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology • Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World

16. Good things about NGSS: • Include science content, process and “habits of mind” or “science attitudes” • Identify specific content standards for each grade level • Reflect the interconnected nature of science as it is practiced and experienced in the real world. • Provide student performance expectations – but do not dictate how to ready students for these expectations • Build conceptual understanding coherently K-12 • Focus significantly on application of science content, e.g., opportunities for students to think about how humans interact with Earth’s systems; also includes evolution and climate change • Integrate science and engineering K-12 • NGSS is aligned with Common Core State grade-level standards in ELA and Math (Inspired by an Education Week webinar entitled Preparing for the New Science Standards, June 2013)