What Is NGSS?
When you’re choosing a curriculum for homeschooling, you might feel overwhelmed with your options. Whether you’re trying to find the best homeschool curriculum for middle school students or the best kindergarten homeschool curriculum, NGSS can be a great benchmark to start with.
‘NGSS’ stands for ‘Next Generation Science Standards,’ and forty-four US states use it to shape their instruction and curriculum for science students in grades kindergarten through high school. These standards were developed by both prominent scientists and educators with the intention to engage students and inspire their curiosity for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
These standards can be critical for your child’s confidence and interest in STEM because‒if done correctly‒they can plant the seeds of creative, evaluative, and analytical thinking skills. NGSS does not subscribe to one particular curriculum and instead acts more like a guide for educators! By building your curriculum to fit the NGSS standards, you can inspire and prepare your children for a bright future in science and engineering.
Understanding 3D Learning
NGSS has three important dimensions to learning science, referred to as ‘3D Learning’. When combined, these dimensions can form a standard to help students build a holistic understanding of science throughout their educational careers.
Crosscutting Concepts
Crosscutting concepts are designed to help students explore the connections between the four main domains of science:
- Earth and space science
- Physical science
- Engineering design
- Life science
There are seven crosscutting concepts:
- Patterns
- Cause and effect
- Scale proportion and quantity
- Systems and system models
- Energy and matter
- Structure and function
- Stability and change
When educators design curriculum that makes these concepts and their interconnectedness clear, students feel more empowered to develop a holistic and scientifically based view of the world around them.
Science and Engineering Practices
Ever wonder what scientists do to investigate the natural world? What about what engineers do to design and build new systems? This is where Science and Engineering Practices steps in. These practices help explain the concept of ‘inquiry’ in science and can extend the range of cognitive, social, and physical practices inquiry requires.
This typically inspires the hands-on approach students and educators value in science curriculum. It allows students to engage in scientific practices that build, deepen, and apply their knowledge of core ideas and crosscutting concepts.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
Also known as ‘DCIs,’ Disciplinary Core Ideas are the main ideas in science that have major importance across multiple science and engineering disciplines. As your child progresses through the grade levels, these core ideas continue to build onto one another and are grouped into the four domains: earth and space science, physical science, engineering design, and life science. This loops us right back to crosscutting concepts!
How Are the NGSS Structured?
While NGSS doesn’t follow a specific curriculum, it does have a certain System Architecture. They include: Looking for an inspired and engaging science curriculum? Home Science Tools offers a wide range of hands-on science curriculum for every learning style, including open-and-go science kits, ebooks, and free projects. Check out our range of science projects and lessons today!
Performance Expectations
Performance Expectations define what students should be able to demonstrate in order to have a proficient understanding in science for their grade level. These include:
- Clarification statements: Supply examples or additional clarification to the Performance Expectation
- Assessment boundaries: Provides guidance about the scope of the Performance Expectation without limiting learning
This piece of the NGSS standards helps set benchmarks that are inclusive to all styles of learners and grades.
Connection Boxes
In addition to the 3D Learning Dimensions and Performance Expectations, NGSS has Connection Boxes. These Connection Boxes support a coherent vision of standards across grade levels and topics and within the same grade level and topic, while also comparing the NGSS standards to Common Core standards.
Where to Find Science Curriculum Kits
Because NGSS gives educators so much flexibility to design classroom learning experiences, there is a wide range of curricula to choose from. This is where Home Science Tools comes to the rescue!
Home Science Tools started with a goal to equip homeschool parents with engaging and reputable science materials for their lesson plans. We’ve put together a team of committed experts and educators to develop top-rated, high-quality products to give your children the hands-on science experience they need.
Science Curriculum Kits and More
With more than twenty-five years of experience in creating engaging experiments, home tool kits, and more, we’ve developed an extensive network of resources and support for homeschool educators. This includes guides on how to choose the right science curriculum for your students, curriculum reviews, and more.
From printable worksheets to ready-to-go experiment and lesson kits, your little scientists can learn about a wide range of crosscutting concepts in different subjects of science, including:
- Life science
- Chemistry
- Earth and space
- Science and engineering
We offer resources and tools for students in elementary school all the way through high school, so your children can explore science in a comprehensive way. For more information, check out our available Science Projects or our Teaching Resources and Guides today!
