Introduction to High School Science

The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) High School Science Curriculum is designed to be interesting and rigorous.  It also provides the background required to allow every student to interpret and use the scientific information that they need to make informed decisions in daily life.  Upon graduation, students will be able to pursue science and technical careers if they choose.

Following national recommendations, the FNSBSD Science Curriculum Team recommends that science education in grades K-12 be built around three major dimensions. These Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) core ideas in disciplinary areas are:

• • Scientific and Engineering Practices.

  • Crosscutting concepts that unify the study of science and engineering through their common application across fields.

  • Core ideas in four disciplinary areas:

    • • Physical Sciences

      • Life Sciences

      • Earth & Space Sciences

      • Engineering, Technology, & Applications of Science

To support students’ meaningful learning in science and engineering, all three dimensions need to be integrated into standards, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. Engineering and technology are featured alongside the natural sciences (physical sciences, life sciences, and earth and space sciences) for two critical reasons: 

1. to reflect the importance of understanding the human-built world, and 

2. to recognize the value of better integrating the teaching and learning of science, engineering, and technology. (A Framework for K-12 Science Education, 2012)