How to Read the Next Generation Science Standards

Do you teach elementary science using the Next Generation Science Standards?  I’ve found that the standards themselves are REALLY hard to read and understand.  While the Next Generation Science Standards website provides a page that goes in-depth on how to read the NGSS, it’s still time-consuming and difficult to figure out what you should be teaching.

Since we have written Science Stations and 5E units based on the Next Generation Science Standards, we wanted to go one step further and explain how we have used the standards to write our Science Stations and 5E Units. 

This blog post will tell you how to read the Next Generation Science Standards and give you an overview of their components.  For a more in-depth analysis see the NGSS website or the video below.

How are the Next Generation Science Standards Written?

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are written to be “Three-Dimensional.”  This means that the standards are classified first by their Performance Expectations (PE).  These are the scientific skills and abilities that students are expected to master as they learn science content.  

The Performance Expectation(s) are subdivided into three categories, anchored by the Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI). This is the actual science content that students learn as they master the PE.

As students learn the DCI while mastering the PE, they are making connections to Science and Engineering Practices.  They are also observing the Crosscutting Concepts, which are generalized scientific principles that serve as a thread running through all of the fields of science (Patterns, Cause and Effect, Systems and System Models, etc.)

Okay.  That is a lot to grasp even if you have a science background! I know you’re asking . . .

Where Do You Start? 

To create lessons that are NGSS aligned and that are Three Dimensional, you can decide if you will start with the first two dimensions, which are the DCI and the PE.  

They are related, but not mutually exclusive. Together, these components round out the standard and are the targets for assessment.

Starting with the Disciplinary Core Idea

As an example, I’ll use the Third Grade Standard from 3-ESS2, Earth’s Systems.  When I start with the DCI, I look in the center orange box. There are two components of this DCI, each associated with one PE, found in the white box.  

I notice that one component has students learn about the “patterns of the weather across different times and areas” (seasons and regional weather patterns).  

I notice also that students are expected to “make predictions about what kind of weather might happen next.”

The other component wants students to know that the climate in an area “describes a range of an area’s typical weather conditions” (they are to understand the long-term weather conditions in an area, and how that changes from season to season).  I notice also that students are expected to learn how there might be changes in the climate over a number of years.

Combining this with the PE, I would want to make sure that students are collecting and/or analyzing weather data found in tables and graphs.  I also want to make sure that students are familiar with climate zones around the world.

What are the Science & Engineering Practices?

The Science and Engineering Practices, found in the blue box, provides the third dimension of NGSS-aligned instruction.  

There are two components associated with this DCI. The first is that students are to analyze and interpret data. This provides some more illumination to the PE discussed above.  

Not only are they to understand how to read and/or make data tables and graphs, students are expected to understand what these data mean, and how to make inferences based on them.  

The other DCI component in this section has students obtain and evaluate information (which was accomplished with the collecting and/or analyzing data) and communicating that information.  

As part of this unit, I would want to find meaningful ways for students to present their findings. They may make videos, write blogs, present an oral report, participate in a poster presentation, etc.  It might be a more creative presentation, including brochures, dioramas, news/weather reports, etc.

The final component, which is also part of the third dimension of NGSS, is the Crosscutting Concepts.  For this DCI/PE, students are to recognize the patterns found in this topic (weather and climate), and use the pattern to predict future weather and climate.  This will be woven throughout the lesson, but I will make sure to overtly explain that we are looking at patterns in science.

You can Also Start with the Performance Expectation

If I were to start with the PE, I look in the top white box.  There are to PEs (Weather and Climate), each associated with one DCI.  If I go this route, I might break this down into two units, one unit on Weather and the other on Climate.  

In this case, I would make sure that the skills in the Science and Engineering Practices, as well as the Crosscutting Concepts, are interwoven throughout the lessons in both units.

How Have We Created Our Science Products using the NGSS?

We have created two lines of products aligned with Next Generation Science Standards.  The first line includes our Science Stations Set. Each Station Set has eight science stations that are designed to be engaging instructional tools to teach the Next Generation Science Standards.

The second line is our 5E Units.  Each unit has five sections that lead students through the directed inquiry process of science instruction.  Within each of the five sections are three activities. 

We have aligned the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade Science Station Sets with the NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas.  We have aligned the 5th grade Science Station Sets and the 5E Units with the NGSS Performance Expectations.

We are also in the process of creating blog posts that go in-depth on each NGSS Standard for Third Grade.  Included is a description of how each individual Performance Expectation and Disciplinary Core Idea align and relate to each other and teaching ideas that you can use in your classroom.

Click below for each blog post.

• 3-PS2-1 Force and Motion
• 3-PS2-2 Patterns in Motion (combined with Force & Motion)
• 3-PS2-3 Electric Interactions
• 3-PS2-3 Magnetic Interactions
• 3-PS2-4. Design Challenge, Magnetism (combined with Magnetic Interactions)
• 3-LS1-1 Life Cycles
• 3-LS2-1 Animal Groups
• 3-LS3-1 Genetic Inheritance of Traits
• 3-LS3-2 Environmental Pressures on Expression of Traits (combined with Genetic Inheritance of Traits)
• 3-LS4-1. Fossils and Prehistoric Life
• 3-LS4-2. Natural Selection
• 3-LS4-3. Adaptations (combined with Natural Selection)
• 3-LS4-4. Changing Environments: Engineering Challenge
• 3-ESS2-1 Weather
• 3-ESS2-2 Climate (combined with Weather)
• 3-ESS3-1 Engineering Challenge: Natural Hazards (combined with Weather & Climate)

One more resource that might be helpful in understanding the NGSS is this YouTube video on How to Read the Next Generation Science Standards.

Classroom Teaching Resources We Have Written using the NGSS

We have written Science Stations and 5E Instructional Units for Second, Third and Fourth Grade using the Next Generation Science Standards. 

Click here to read more about the 5E Instructional Units.

Click here for the Second Grade Science Stations.

Click here for the Third Grade Science Stations.

Click here for the Fourth Grade Science Stations.