Executive Summary of the Science Framework
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We’d like to hear from those who access this Optional CA Standards document. We invite you to Survey participate in a brief survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CC_Doc_Use_Survey Executive Summary Science Framework FOR CALIFORNIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve February 2018 What’s in the California Science Framework for me? } Classroom teachers and paraprofessionals of all grades and disciplines will find descriptions of grade-level science and engineering instruction and examples of engaging teaching and assessment practices for ensuring the progress of the diverse students they serve. } Site and district administrators will find information about the vision of California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS) instruction, recommended practices and systemic supports, and suggestions for creating the collaborative culture necessary to successfully implement the framework and serve students and communities well. They will also find criteria for evaluating instructional materials. } University faculty in teacher preparation programs will find information regarding CA NGSS instruction for prospective teachers and in-service teachers. They will also find information about district systems that support teachers and the students they serve. } Parents and community members will find grade-level expectations and examples of effective instruction. } Curriculum developers will find expectations for instructional materials and models of appropriate instructional approaches and assessment practices. The complete Science Framework for California Public Schools is available online at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/sc/cf. Acknowledgments This executive summary was produced for the Consortium for the Implementation of the Common Core State Standards and made possible through the support of the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, and the Silver Giving Foundation. The executive summary was prepared by Matthew d’Alessio, one of the primary authors of the framework. He gratefully acknowledges the comments of reviewers, including members of the Consortium. The Consortium acknowledges the California Department of Education, in particular the Curriculum Frameworks and Instructional Resources Division, and the Sacramento County Office of Education for their leadership and support on this project. This summary may be reproduced for any educational and noncommercial purposes. When referencing this summary, please use the following citation: d’Alessio, Matthew A. (2018). Executive Summary: Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve. Sacramento: Consortium for the Implementation of the Common Core State Standards. The California Science Framework at a Glance The Science Framework for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve (framework) supports a three-dimensional vision of science education. In the California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS), students need to do more than simply know about science; they need to know core science and engineering ideas, do science and engineering, and think like scientists and engineers. The framework is a valuable resource for teachers, administrators, parents, and curriculum developers. The examples given in each chapter provide a vision of how science instruction and learning could look in a classroom, and teachers should use the examples as a starting point. The framework includes thematic and specific grade-level chapters. Overview Chapter 1 • Overview (and how to read the standards) Grade-Level Guidance Chapter 2 • Transitional Kindergarten (TK) Chapter 3 • Kindergarten–Grade Two (K–2) Chapter 4 • Grades Three–Five (3–5) Chapters 5 and 6 • Middle Grades (MG) Chapters 7 and 8 • High School (HS) Topic-Specific Guidance Chapter 9 • Assessment of Student Learning Chapter 10 • Access and Equity Chapter 11 • Instructional Strategies for CA NGSS Teaching and Learning in the Twenty-First Century Chapter 12 • Implementing High-Quality Science Instruction: Professional Learning, Leadership, and Supports Chapter 13 • Instructional Resources to Support the Next Generation Science Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve Appendixes Appendix 1 • Progression of SEPs, DCIs, and CCCs in Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve Appendix 2 • Connections to Environmental Principles and Concepts Appendix 3 • Computer Science in Science Appendix 4 • High School Three-Year Model: Every Science, Every Year Appendix 5 • Recommended Literature for Science Classrooms Key Acronyms in the CA Science Framework CCC = Crosscutting Concept IS = Instructional Segment DCI = Disciplinary Core Idea SEP = Science and Engineering Practices EP&Cs = Environmental Principles and Concepts PE = Performance Expectation Science Framework for California Public Schools, K–12 • Executive Summary (February 2018) 1 Framework Overview The overview chapter of the framework describes each of the three dimensions in detail and describes how they fit together. When teachers integrate all three dimensions of the CA NGSS, their classrooms look different. A table within the overview shows a few examples of how the actions of both teachers and students change. The framework organizes these shifts into three key categories: • Phenomena-driven three-dimensional learning. Students engage in scientific inquiry of phenomena using all three dimensions of the CA NGSS. • Coherent across the curriculum. Learning builds upon itself from year to year and science integrates with other subject areas. • Relevant to local communities and student interests. Content and skills build on students’ existing experience to learn about and solve real-world problems. Phenomena-Driven Three-Dimensional Learning The framework defines phenomena as authentic events that students observe in everyday experience or through structured investigations. In the CA NGSS, phenomena-driven instruction and selecting appropriate phenomena are crucial to effective instruction. Vignettes and snapshots within the framework provide example phenomena, and this summary highlights phenomena from each grade level. Examples of Phenomena Grade Phenomenon Kindergarten Classroom pets need food and water to survive. First A baby crayfish in the class aquarium has claws just like its mother. Second Some plants make seeds that stick to clothing. Third Three magnets connected together are stronger than one magnet. Fourth Turning a hand crank can generate electricity to make a bulb light up. Fifth Wax, chocolate, and ice all have different melting temperatures. During science learning, students apply three different kinds of skills and understanding to their investigation of specific phenomena. The CA NGSS names these understandings the science and engineering practices (SEPs), disciplinary core ideas (DCIs), and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). Throughout the framework, color coding calls out how students use all three dimensions together to understand a phenomenon. To emphasize how learning integrates the dimensions, the NGSS logo shows the three dimensions as a Mobius strip (a surface that has only one continuous side). The table below describes each of the three dimensions. 2 Executive Summary (February 2018) • Science Framework for California Public Schools, K–12 Figure 1.1. The NGSS Logo Illustrates the Three Dimensions of Science. Dimension 1: Behaviors that scientists engage What scientists Science and in as they investigate and build and engineers Engineering models and theories about the do Practices (SEPs) natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems Dimension 2: Key organizing concepts, What scientists Disciplinary problem solving tools, or and engineers Core Ideas underlying principles of know (DCIs) a discipline Dimension 3: Underlying themes that have How scientists Crosscutting value in all disciplines of science and engineers Concepts think (CCCs) Science Framework for California Public Schools, K–12 • Executive Summary (February 2018) 3 This table from the framework lists the components of three-dimensional science. The framework provides grade-level explanations and examples of each of these important components and how they can be used together to understand, explain, and design solutions for phenomena that students observe. The three dimensions help students begin to do, know, and think like scientists. Table 1.1. The Three Dimensions of the CA NGSS Science and Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas Crosscutting Concepts Practices SEP-1. Asking Questions and Physical Science CCC-1. Patterns Defining Problems PS1: Matter and Its Interactions CCC-2. Cause and Effect: SEP-2. Developing and Using PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces Mechanism and Explanation Models and Interactions CCC-3. Scale, Proportion, and SEP-3. Planning and Carrying Out PS3: Energy Quantity Investigations PS4: Waves and Their Applications CCC-4. Systems and System SEP-4. Analyzing and Interpreting in Technologies for Information Models Data Transfer CCC-5. Energy and Matter: Flows, SEP-5. Using Mathematics and Cycles, and Conservation Life Science Computational Thinking CCC-6. Structure and Function SEP-6. Constructing Explanations LS1: From Molecules to CCC-7. Stability and Change (for science) and Designing Organisms: Structures and Solutions (for engineering) Processes SEP-7. Engaging in Argument LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, from Evidence Energy, and Dynamics SEP-8. Obtaining, Evaluating, and LS3: Heredity: Inheritance