For years, I started the year in my science classroom in essentially the same way. Why? Because it was what I had always done AND it seemed like the other science teachers around me were doing the same thing. But,…
While the Scientific Method is a staple in many science classrooms, it doesn’t align with the NGSS.
In this post, I explain why I don’t use the scientific method in my classroom any more and why it doesn’t align. I also provide articles of support if you aren’t quite ready to give up the scientific method yet.
The 3 dimensions of the NGSS are at the heart of the instructional shifts that come with these standards. 3D learning in the NGSS represents a move away from the memorization of unrelated facts. Instead, they require a move toward…
Argumentation helps scientists to understand the world around them. Also, it is a tool that we use in our everyday lives to improve our understanding of a subject. However, argumentation was absent in previous versions of the standards. Here is…
The setup of your science classroom is very important in how the classroom will run. Here are important things to consider when setting up your science classroom for the year. What things should you consider when you set up your…
The Crosscutting Concepts connect the content of different disciplines. However, your students won’t understand these connections unless they are explicitly made for your students. One excellent way to make these connections for your students is to use a Crosscutting Concept…
Are you a science teacher with questions about the Crosscutting Concepts? Check out this blog post to get your questions answered. Questions About the Crosscutting Concepts What are the Crosscutting Concepts? The Crosscutting Concepts are one of the three dimensions…
A major focus of my STEM certification program last year was structuring the classroom to increase student independence within a science or STEM course. Why is student independence so important in a science class? When you make the shift to…
Middle school labs look very different in an NGSS aligned classroom. The NGSS will change your labs in more ways than you think. Here are 4 ways that the NGSS will change labs in your classroom. How are labs different…
Get correlation and causal relationship examples and see what these terms mean in the Next Generation Science classroom. Correlation and Causal Relationship Examples When you look at the NSTA Matrix of the Crosscutting Concepts, it states that relationships can be…
