Critical Thinking: 

• Students have opportunities to review primary materials or sources that allow them to evaluate and integrate new knowledge. 

• Students have opportunities to make predictions based on given information (if X, then Y), and form conclusions or generalizations about phenomena. 

Problem Solving:

• Students have opportunities to develop their ability to generate solutions to a range of STEM-based problems and scenarios, including organizing ideas, defining goals and milestones, and executing plans. 

• Materials support the use and evaluation of a range of approaches to problem solving, including the scientific method and design thinking. 

Creativity:

• Students have opportunities to approach problems from different perspectives and are encouraged to generate and adopt novel, innovative approaches. Teacher and/or student supports are included to facilitate synthesis of activity outcomes and reflection on the value of novel and innovative approaches and solutions. 

• Materials encourage students to develop work products (e.g., explanations, representations, presentations) that express their perspectives or approaches to activities. 

Communication:

• Students have opportunities to practice and demonstrate their ability to communicate clearly, accurately, and/or persuasively about STEM topics. 

• Students use multi-modal methods, such as drawings, images, visual representations, and models, to convey ideas. 

• Communication is integral to instructional activities and goals. Supports are provided to facilitate teacher and student discussion and reasoning about forms and purposes of communication in STEM, as well as evaluation

Collaboration:

• Students have opportunities to engage in group work. Teacher and/or student supports are included to help students work together to plan, organize, and execute activities. 

• Activities are structured to support co-construction of knowledge and work products (e.g., students are assigned roles within groups so that each student can contribute). 

Data Literacy:

• Activities require students to engage with qualitative and quantitative data as part of analytical tasks such as problem solving, investigation, and design. Materials provide teacher and student guidance for data-related activities, including technical support for use of necessary tools or technology. 

• Materials support student reasoning about data generation, analysis, representation, and interpretation, as well as appropriate and ethical uses of data and data methods in various contexts. 

Digital Literacy/ Computer Science:

• Computer science concepts are integrated into STEM content when appropriate (e.g., as part of problem solving, critical thinking, and logic-based reasoning). 

• When technology tools are used, appropriate teacher and student supports are provided to equip students with the digital literacy skills needed to use the tools.