NGSS Earth and Space Science

Professor Michael Wysession
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences
Washington University, St. Louis, MO
The Next Generation Science Standards:
What They Mean for Earth and Space Science

In 2006, what percentage of Americans said
that they thought genetics and evolution were
real?
a) 40%
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 70%
e) 80%

real?
a) 40% 
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 70%
e) 80%

real?
a) 40% 
b) 50%
c) 60%
d) 70%
e) 80%
Out of 34 countries surveyed, only Turkey had
a lower percentage.

Program for International Student Assessment (PISA): 2012

1. The U.S. has an active and productive graduate-level
science research infrastructure
2. The U.S. has a public that is below average in its
appreciation and understanding of science

These two statements are not compatible in the long term

These two statements are not compatible in the long term
Story of the juice box:
Prof. David Hammer
Physics Department
University of Maryland

In what year were the first science standards
used for secondary education in the US?
a) 1852
b) 1893
c) 1965
d) 1995
e) 2013

In what year were the first science standards
used for secondary education in the US?
a) 1852 
b) 1893
c) 1965
d) 1995
e) 2013

Following what year did high school science
primarily consist of biology, chemistry, and
physics, omitting geology and astronomy?
a) 1852
b) 1893
c) 1965
d) 1995
e) 2013

Following what year did high school science
primarily consist of biology, chemistry, and
physics, omitting geology and astronomy?
a) 1852
b) 1893 
c) 1965
d) 1995
e) 2013

Are Science “Standards” Effective?

• Most science standards are content based
 Lead to a memorization of factoids

• Drive “Teach to the Test” school practices

• “A mile wide and and an inch deep” (too much content!)

• Encourage courses about science and not science courses

• Encourage courses about science and not science courses
• Boring!

Teaching kids to play baseball and softball….

[NRC, 2007] [NRC, 2007]
Educational Research promotes Active Learning

[Center on Continuous Instructional
Improvement, 2009]
[NRC, 2012]

A report by the National
Research Council of the
National Academies of
Science
Completed 2011
Published 2012
NRC Framework: Three Dimensions of
(1) Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), (2) Science and
Engineering Practices (SEPs), and Crosscutting
Concepts (CCCs)

In what year were the first US national science
K-12 standards adopted?
a) 1893
b) 1965
c) 1995
d) 2013
e) Never

In what year were the first US national science
K-12 standards adopted?
a) 1893
b) 1965
c) 1995
d) 2013
e) Never 

The 1965 Elementary and
Secondary Education Act,
signed by President Lyndon
Johnson as part of his “War on
Poverty.”
 Expressly forbids a national
curriculum.

The NGSS were a “states-led” process
States that have already adopted the NGSS:
Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State, West Virginia, Washington DC
(But also Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and many schools and districts in other
states and countries….)

Teacher
Development
Curricula
Instructional
Materials
Instruction
Assessment
The NGSS are the result of a
multistep process

NRC Framework: The Content of Science (“Disciplinary
Core Ideas”) is Organized into Three Areas

How is this document different from the NSES?
[NRC, 1996] [NRC, 2012]

How is this document different from the NSES?
[NRC, 1996] [NRC, 2012]
[Natl. Acad. Press, 2013]

NGSS Earth and Space Science Writing Team Members:
Michael Wysession Mary Colson Richard Duschl
Kenneth Huff Paula Mussina Paul Speranza
The NGSS ESS Writing Team

Elementary School:
Grade-level; Integrated across all sciences
Middle School:
1 year of Life Science
1 year of Physical Science (Chemistry & Physics)
1 year of Earth and Space Science
High School:
Performance Expectations

How do you Teach Earth and Space
Science with the NGSS?
PRACTICES CONTENT X-CUTTING CONCEPTS

The scientific method is a way to ask and answer
scientific questions by making observations and doing
experiments.
The steps of the scientific method are to:
• Ask a Question
• Do Background Research
• Construct a Hypothesis
• Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment
• Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion
• Communicate Your Results
The Scientific Method

1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for
engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (for science) and designing
solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
The Practices of Science
and Engineering (SEPs)

1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for
engineering)
2. Developing and using models
3. Planning and carrying out investigations  data
4. Analyzing and interpreting data
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking
6. Constructing explanations (“from data”) and designing
solutions (for engineering)
7. Engaging in argument from evidence
8. Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
The Practices of Science
and Engineering (SEPs)

1. Patterns
2. Cause and effect
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
4. Systems and system models
5. Energy and matter
6. Structure and function
7. Stability and change
The Crosscutting Concepts

Structure and Dimension:
Both “Patterns” and “Scale, Proportion, and Quantity” are ways of
observing, categorizing, and classifying information, whether about
physical objects or phenomena.

Causality of Components:
“Structure and Function” and “Cause and Effect” take a reductionist
view, focusing on processes of individual system components.

Understanding
how a radio
works:

Understanding
how a radio
works:
But will you hear
any music?

Causality of Components:
“Structure and Function” and “Cause and Effect” take a reductionist
view, focusing on processes of individual system components.
Systems:
A holistic approach to science is exemplified by the crosscutting
concepts of “Systems and System Models,” “Energy and Matter,” and
“Stability and Change.” These all deal with understanding nature by
examining how components of a system function together.

Systems:

NRC Framework: The Content of Science (“Disciplinary Core
Ideas”) is Organized into Three Areas
(and also Science, Technology, and Engineering)

Informed Citizenry:
• STEM-related topics are directly related to peoples’ lives
(vaccinations, food content, environmental concerns)
• People are asked to vote based upon many STEM-
related topics (energy resources, natural hazard
mitigation, health care, etc.)
Importance of a STEM-literate public

Can reinforce and be reinforced by Math and English curricula!

MS-ESS3-2: Analyze and interpret data on natural hazards to
forecast future catastrophic events and inform the
development of technologies to mitigate their effects.

[Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on how some natural hazards,
such as volcanic eruptions and severe weather, are preceded by
phenomena that allow for reliable predictions, but others, such as
earthquakes, occur suddenly and with no notice, and thus are not yet
predictable. Examples of natural hazards can be taken from interior
processes (such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions), surface
processes (such as mass wasting and tsunamis), or severe weather
events (such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods). Examples of data
can include the locations, magnitudes, and frequencies of the natural
hazards. Examples of technologies can be global (such as satellite
systems to monitor hurricanes or forest fires) or local (such as building
basements in tornado-prone regions or reservoirs to mitigate
droughts).]
Pick ONE example! Not ALL!

California

California
St. Louis
Oklahoma

California
St. Louis
Chicago

California
St. Louis
Seattle

California
St. Louis
Florida

California
St. Louis
FLORIDA St. Louis

Science Content is More Coherent When It Is Incorporated
Into Integrated “Storylines:”
Example of “Bundling” Performance Expectations:
(High School) - Fossils and Evolution

Example of Bundling PEs: (High School) - Fossils and Evolution
Life Science:
HS-LS4-1: Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and
biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical
evidence.
HS-LS4-5: Evaluate the evidence supporting claims that changes in
environmental conditions may result in: (1) increases in the number of
individuals of some species, (2) the emergence of new species over
time, and (3) the extinction of other species.

Earth Science:
MS-ESS1-4: Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence from
rock strata for how the geologic time scale is used to organize Earth’s
4.6-billion-year-old history.
HS-ESS1-6: Apply scientific reasoning and evidence from ancient Earth
materials, meteorites, and other planetary surfaces to construct an
account of Earth’s formation and early history.

Physical Science:
HS-PS1-8: Develop models to illustrate the changes in the composition of
the nucleus of the atom and the energy released during the processes
of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.

Elementary School:
Grade-level; Integrated across all sciences
Middle School:
High School:
How would you arrange content in middle and high school?
Performance Expectations

Course Map #1: Conceptual Understanding Model
How would you construct a 6-12 curriculum around the NGSS,
given the amount and complexity of Earth and Space Science?

Course Map #1:
Conceptual
Understanding
Model:
Courses to be
constructed based
on the most
efficient and logical
progression of
concepts

Course Map #2: Science
Domains Model:
The 3 courses are
Physical Science, Life
Science, and Earth and
Space Science
(for both middle and high
school)

Course Map #3: Modified
Science Domains Model
(for high school):
Incorporate the Earth and
Space Science into
existing biology, chemistry,
and physics courses.
 Least efficient in terms
of instruction time;
concepts taught out of
order (without adequate
prerequisites)

Number of Years of High School Science Required:
1987 1996 2006 2011
Local Decision 6 7 8 5
1 – 2 Years 40 33 20 15
3 Years 3 8 21 30
4 Years 0 2 1 2
1987 – leaves off Vermont and Arkansas, which both required 5 total math or science years
1996 – still leaves off Vermont for the same reason; includes DC
2006, 2011 – all 50 states and DC
Number of Years of High School Science
Required by Different States

The NGSS were a “states-led” process
States that have already adopted the NGSS:
Arkansas, California, Delaware, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada,
Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington State, West Virginia, Washington DC
(But also Oklahoma, Massachusetts, and many schools and districts in other
states and countries….)
……AND OTHER COUNTRIES ARE EXAMINING THEM.

NGSS Earth and Space Science

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