High School Resources

Physical Science Framework (Physics & Chemistry):

I teach Physics so the "Physical Science Framework" was my focus after I felt like I "got a handle" on the NGSS and its organization. While the chart form of NGSS is helpful for sorting the Performance Expectations, Practices (skills), etc. it is not the easiest from a lesson plan point of view. Each Performance Expectation describes exactly what its name implies, what a student is expected to be able to perform knowledge of. And that gives a big clue to one of the biggest shifts, students are expected to perform, demonstrate, analyze, conduct experiments, etc. They will be testing on what they can do not in a multiple choice format.

Each Performance Expectation has a code denoting grade level, discipline (subject) and number. This code appears in parentheses behind each Engineering Practice, Crosscutting Concept and Core Idea (content). Using this helpful bit of information I rearranged the Performance Expectations related to Physics so that all of the support material was directly underneath it.

This made it easier for me to see the skills my students should be able to demonstrate regarding each Performance Expectation. One of the biggest complaints I've seen about the NGSS is that they are much more narrow than broad; but one of the biggest compliments of the NGSS is that they are deeper and narrower than broad and shallow. I think it all depends on how you look at it. My problem with the specific Discipline Core Ideas (content) for Physics is that there are many traditional concepts not listed. For example, there is a Performance Expectation about Newton's Second Law but the other laws or basic Kinematics like the differences between acceleration and velocity. I work with new teachers frequently and I am concerned that they will not think of all the other content that students will need to understand the Performance Expectations. I tried to add additional comments and suggestions underneath each Performance Expectation to help with this but of course, this is my own opinion.

Physics does not exist on its own in NGSS but is coupled with traditional Chemistry content under the area of "Physical Science." There is often overlap between Chemistry and Physics but splitting the content into these two classes is something that has not yet been determined. I identified three areas that align with what I traditionally teach:

HS-PS2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

HS-PS3 Energy

HS-PS4 Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

For each I split up the content from the chart form and included some notes as well. I hope to use these for my own understanding as well as to help my new teachers.

PS = Physical Science (Chemistry and Physics)

HS-PS1 Matter and its Interactions (Matter organized by Performance Expectations)

HS-PS2 Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions (Forces organized by Performance Expectations, with notes)

HS-PS3 Energy (Energy organized by Performance Expectations, with notes)

HS-PS4 Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer (Waves organized by Performance Expectations, with notes)