Grades 9-12: Overview

The Waterford Public Schools 9-12 Curriculum is based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).

The National Research Council's (NRC) Framework describes a vision of what it means to be proficient in science. It presents three dimensions that will be combined to form each standard:

Dimension 1: Practices

The practices describe behaviors that scientists engage in as they investigate and build models and theories about the natural world and the key set of engineering practices that engineers use as they design and build models and systems. The NRC emphasizes that engaging in scientific investigation requires not only skill but also knowledge that is specific to each practice

Dimension 2: Crosscutting Concepts

Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science. They include: Patterns, similarity, and diversity; Cause and effect; Scale, proportion and quantity; Systems and system models; Energy and matter; Structure and function; Stability and change. These concepts need to be made explicit for students because they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowled9e from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically-based view of the world.

Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas

Unify K–12 science curriculum. Disciplinary ideas are grouped in four domains:  the physical sciences  the life sciences  the earth and space sciences  engineering, technology and applications of science

Students will be required to take 6 semester courses, equal to 3 credits, to demonstrate knowledge of the NGSS standards.

GRADES 9-12 OVERVIEW

CORE AND COMPONENTS IDEAS IN THE PHYSICAL SCIENCES:

 Core Idea PS1: Matter and Its Interactions o PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter o PS1.B: Chemical Reactions o PS1.C: Nuclear Processes

 Core Idea PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions o PS2.A: Forces and Motion o PS2.B: Types of Interactions o PS2.C: Stability and Instability in Physical Systems

 Core Idea PS3: Energy o PS3.A: Definitions of Energy o PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer o PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces o PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and Everyday Life

 Core Idea PS4: Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer o PS4.A: Wave Properties o PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation o PS4.C: Information Technologies and Instrumentation

GRADES 9-12 OVERVIEW

CORE AND COMPONENT IDEAS IN THE LIFE SCIENCES:

 Core Idea LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes o LS1.A: Structure and Function o LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms o LS1.C: Organization for Matter and Energy Flow in Organisms o LS1.D: Information Processing

 Core Idea LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics o LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems o LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems o LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience o LS2.D: Social Interactions and Group Behavior

 Core Idea LS3: Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits o LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits o LS3.B: Variation of Traits

 Core Idea LS4: Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity o LS4.A: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity o LS4.B: Natural Selection o LS4.C: Adaptation o LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans

GRADES 9-12 OVERVIEW

CORE AND COMPONENT IDEAS IN EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCES:

 Core Idea ESS1: Earth’s Place in the Universe o ESS1.A: The Universe and Its Stars o ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System o ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth

 Core Idea ESS2: Earth’s Systems o ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems o ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions o ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes o ESS2.D: Weather and Climate o ESS2.E: Biogeology

 Core Idea ESS3: Earth and Human Activity o ESS3.A: Natural Resources o ESS3.B: Natural Hazards o ESS3.C: Human Impacts on Earth Systems o ESS3.D: Global Climate Change

CORE AND COMPONENT IDEAS IN ENGINEERING, TECHNOLOGY, AND APPLICATIONS OF SCIENCE

 Core Idea ETS1: Engineering Design o ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting an Engineering Problem o ETS1.B: Developing Possible Solutions o ETS1.C: Optimizing the Design Solution

 Core Idea ETS2: Links Among Engineering, Technology, Science, and Society o ETS2.A: Interdependence of Science, Engineering, and Technology o ETS2.B: Influence of Engineering, Technology, and Science on Society and the Natural World

GRADES 9-12 OVERVIEW

The NGSS based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education, involves the following conceptual shifts:

1. K-12 Science Education Should Reflect the Interconnected Nature of Science as it is Practiced and Experienced in the Real

World.

2. The Next Generation Science Standards are student performance expectations – NOT curriculum. Performance expectations clarify the expectations of what students will know and be able to do be the end of the grade or grade band.

3. The Science Concepts in the NGSS Build Coherently from K–12. The focus on a few Disciplinary Core Ideas is a key aspect of a coherent science education. The Framework identified a basic set of core ideas that are meant to be understood by the time a student completes high school.

4. The NGSS Focus on Deeper Understanding of Content as well as Application of Content. The Framework identified a smaller set of disciplinary Core Ideas that students should know by the time they graduate from high school, and the NGSS are written to focus on the same.

5. Science and Engineering are integrated in the NGSS, from K–12. Engineering and technology provide opportunities for students to deepen their understanding of science by applying their developing scientific knowledge to the solution of practical problems.

6. The NGSS are designed to prepare students for college, career, and citizenship.

7. The NGSS and Common Core State Standards (English Language Arts and Mathematics) are aligned.

GRADES 9-12 OVERVIEW

Performance Expectations were developed from the component ideas. One to four performance expectations (example: HS-PS1-1) correspond to each component idea.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE PS1.A HS-PS1-1 HS-PS1-2 HS-PS1-3 HS-PS1-4 PS1.B HS-PS1-5 HS-PS1-6 HS-PS1-7 PS1.C HS-PS1-8 PS2.A HS-PS2-1 HS-PS2-2 HS-PS2-3 PS2.B HS-PS2-4 HS-PS2-5 HS-PS2-6 PS3.A HS-PS3-1 HS-PS3-2 HS-PS3-3 PS3.B HS-PS3-4 PS3.C HS-PS3-5 PS4.A HS-PS4-1 HS-PS4-2 HS-PS4-3 HS-PS4-5 PS4.B HS-PS4-4 ETS1.A HS-ETS1-1 ETS1.B HS-ETS1-3 HS-ETS1-4 ETS1.C HS-ETS1-2 LIFE SCIENCE LS1.A HS-LS1-1 HS-LS1-2 HS-LS1-3 LS1.B HS-LS1-4 LS1.C HS-LS1-5 HS-LS1-6 HS-LS1-7 LS2.A HS-LS2-1 HS-LS2-2 LS2.B HS-LS2-3 HS-LS2-4 HS-LS2-5 LS2.C HS-LS2-2 HS-LS2-6 HS-LS2-7 LS2.D HS-LS2-8 LS3.A HS-LS3-1 LS3.B HS-LS3-2 HS-LS3-3 LS4.A HS-LS4-1 LS4.B HS-LS4-2 HS-LS4-3 LS4.C HS-LS4-2 HS-LS4-3 HS-LS4-4 HS-LS4-5 HS-LS4-6 LS4.D HS-LS4-6 ETS1.A HS-ETS1-1 ETS1.B HS-ETS1-3 HS-ETS1-4 ETS1.C HS-ETS1-2 EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE ESS1.A HS-ESS1-1 HS-ESS1-2 HS-ESS1-3 ESS1.B HS-ESS1-4 HS-ESS2-4 ESS1.C HS-ESS1-5 HS-ESS1-6 ESS2.A HS-ESS2-1 HS-ESS2-2 HS-ESS2-3 HS-ESS2-4 ESS2.B HS-ESS1-5 HS-ESS2-1 HS-ESS2-3 ESS2.C HS-ESS2-5 ESS2.D HS-ESS2-4 HS-ESS2-6 HS-ESS2-7 HS-ESS3-6 ESS2.E HS-ESS2-7 ESS3.A HS-ESS3-1 HS-ESS3-2 ESS3.B HS-ESS3-1 ESS3.C HS-ESS3-3 HS-ESS3-4 ESS3.D HS-ESS3-5 HS-ESS3-6 ETS1.A HS-ETS1-1 ETS1.B HS-ETS1-3 HS-ETS1-4 ETS1.C HS-ETS1-2