Crosscutting CONCEPTS

Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. (NRC, 2012, p. 233)

The Framework identifies seven crosscutting concepts that bridge disciplinary boundaries, uniting core ideas throughout the fields of science and engineering. Their purpose is to help students deepen their understanding of the disciplinary core ideas and develop a coherent and scientifically based view of the world. The seven crosscutting concepts presented in the Framework are as follows:

Crosscutting concepts can help students better understand core ideas in science and engineering. 

When students encounter new phenomena, whether in a science lab, on a field trip, or on their own, they need mental tools to help engage in and come to understand the phenomena from a scientific point of view. Familiarity with crosscutting concepts can provide that perspective. For example, when approaching a complex phenomenon (either a natural phenomenon or a machine), an approach that makes sense is to begin by observing and characterizing the phenomenon in terms of patterns. A next step might be to simplify the phenomenon by thinking of it as a system and modeling its components and how they interact. In some cases it would be useful to study how energy and matter flow through the system or how structure affects function (or malfunction). These preliminary studies may suggest explanations for the phenomena, which could be checked by predicting patterns that might emerge if the explanation is correct, and matching those predictions with those observed in the real world.

Crosscutting concepts can help students better understand science and engineering practices. 

Because the crosscutting concepts address the fundamental aspects of nature, they also inform the way humans attempt to understand it. Different crosscutting concepts align with different practices, and when students carry out these practices, they are often addressing one of these crosscutting concepts. For example, when students analyze and interpret data, they are often looking for patterns in observations, mathematical or visual. The practice of planning and carrying out an investigation is often aimed at identifying cause and effect relationships: If you poke or prod something, what will happen? The crosscutting concept of “systems and system models” is clearly related to the practice of developing and using models.

Repetition in different contexts will be necessary to build familiarity. 

Crosscutting concepts are repeated within grades at the elementary level and grade bands at the middle and high school levels so that these concepts “become common and familiar touchstones across the disciplines and grade levels”.

Crosscutting concepts should grow in complexity and sophistication across the grades. 

Repetition alone is not sufficient. As students grow in their understanding of the science disciplines, depth of understanding crosscutting concepts should grow as well. The writing team adapted and added to the ideas expressed in the Framework in developing a matrix for use in crafting performance expectations that describe student understanding of the crosscutting concepts. The matrix is found at the end of this section.

Crosscutting concepts should not be assessed separately from practices or core ideas. 

Students should not be assessed on their ability to define “pattern,” “system,” or any other crosscutting concepts as a separate vocabulary word. To capture the vision in the Framework, students should be assessed on the extent to which they have achieved a coherent scientific worldview by recognizing similarities among core ideas in science or engineering that may at first seem very different, but are united through crosscutting concepts.

Crosscutting concepts can provide a common vocabulary for science and engineering. 

The practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts are the same in science and engineering. What is different is how and why they are used—to explain natural phenomena in science and to solve a problem or accomplish a goal in engineering. Students need both types of experiences to develop a deep and flexible understanding of how these terms are applied in each of these closely allied fields. As crosscutting concepts are encountered repeatedly across academic disciplines, familiar vocabulary can enhance engagement and understanding for English language learners, students with language processing difficulties, and students with limited literacy development.