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This site is being developed by the science teachers at Chalone Peaks Middle School. This is a work in progress and will grow and develop as we use, reflect on, and revise NGSS lessons we will be using this year.

The Next Generation Science Standards is science as it should be taught. Rather than concepts taught in isolation, students will be grappling with essential questions, investigating the concept, designing experiments to test their theories, then applying their findings to their understanding of the concept.

The NGSS are designed to enable students to construct a vision in the sciences and engineering in which they will engage in scientific and engineering practices as it is practiced in the real world. Students and teachers will be integrating scientific content knowledge and practices

essential to engage in scientific inquiry and engineering designs, rather than relying on rote memorization of vocabulary and step by step processes with a pre-determined conclusion to "teach" students about science.

Teachers and students will be using 3-dimensional learning (no worries...no 3D glasses are required.) Three-dimensional learning refers to the 3 dimensions that support each standard (Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas.) This new approach shifts science education away from fact-based learning to the new focus on students' ability to create, analyze, and evaluate information. Science is not static. Scientists are constantly learning new information which requires them to revise current theories to incorporate the new findings. Our students need to be able to understand scientific concepts, use these concepts to answer questions and solve problems, and realize how these concepts connect to concepts in other academic fields. Students need to become critical thinkers who are able to dig deeper into writings to determine the accuracy and validity of the information.

We will be sharing our NGSS journey as we develop more units of instruction along with student demonstration of learning. Please check back often to share our successes and challenges as we go forth and explore the new world of NGSS.