Disciplinary Core Ideas

From the Framework:

The framework focuses on a limited set of core ideas in order to avoid the coverage of multiple disconnected topics—the oft-mentioned mile wide and inch deep. This focus allows for deep exploration of important concepts, as well as time for students to develop meaningful understanding, to actually practice science and engineering, and to reflect on their nature. It also results in a science education that extends in a more coherent way across grades K-12.

- Delimiting what is to be learned about each core idea within each grade band also helps clarify what is most important to spend time on and avoid the proliferation of detail to be learned with no conceptual grounding.

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) in a Nut Shell

The Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) are divided into domains related to science disciplines: Physical, Life, Earth and Space, and Engineering and Technology. Each of these disciplines are connected as science explains most of the universe in terms of matter, energy, and forces. Having a clear set of core ideas and understanding these ideas are critical for students' abilities to construct explanations and do science. Instruction should always bring students back to performances that lead to fundamental ideas about matter, energy, and forces.

Matter, Energy, and Forces– (Physical Science)

Matter is made of particles, cycles, and is conserved. Energy is involved when matter changes; energy is conserved and can be accounted for in all changes in systems. Thermal energy (heat) flows from high to low. Forces are interactions within fields and act through matter. and energy. There are four forces that account for the interactions between matter and energy; electromagnetic forces and gravity account for the bulk of the forces students need to make sense of phenomena. Some forces act at a distance and their effect is inversely proportional to the distance. (Moulding 2012)

Life and Earth– (Life Science)

We live on planet Earth, in the solar system, in the Milky Way Galaxy, in the universe. Specifics of the clockworks of this system are important for students to understand. Living organisms are different from non-living things. This is an important concept for all students to understand. We are living organisms and understanding life on Earth is integral to students making sense of who we are, how we function, and the nature of life on Earth. Science instruction should provide significant time for students to make sense of life on Earth. Key to this understanding is a meaningful understanding of evolution, cell theory, heredity and genetics, ecosystems, respiration and photosynthesis, and flow of matter and energy into, out of, and within organisms and ecosystems. (Moulding 2012)

Universe and Earth Systems – (Earth and Space Science)

Wondering begins at a young age and is an important context for understanding science; the universe is so large as to be nearly inconceivable, matter in the universe is rare and life even rarer; gravity is a ubiquitous force that has played a key role in the universe, the universe began with a big bang 13.7 billion years ago and continues to expand, the Earth is 4.56 billion years old and was formed as part of the solar system, the theory of uniformitarianism is essential to help us make sense of the history of Earth, and theories of plate tectonics provide us with a way of making sense of changes to Earth’s crust. The sun is the source of energy on Earth that drives weather and water cycles and energy from radioactive decay of large elements within the interior of the Earth provide the energy that drives the rock cycle and plate tectonics. (Moulding 2012)

Disciplinary Core Ideas at a Glance

Core Takeaways:

Core ideas have a new role in science education.

Core ideas can provide an organizational structure for the acquisition of new knowledge.

Core ideas are to be used by students to make sense of phenomena and support explanations.

Core ideas have a larger grain size to have utility across many phenomena.

Core Ideas are developed over time through a progression that begins in Kindergarten and moves through grade 12 to increase sophistication of student thinking.