Back to school, back to (NGSS) lesson planning + GIVEAWAYS!


With the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in full swing in my district, I thought it would most helpful to share how I plan my lessons to coincide with its three-dimensional learning requirements.

DCIs, CCCs, SEPs, oh my! So many acronyms, it is no wonder most teachers do not know where to start. But my hope is that this blog post will help you to not only make sense of the meaning of these, but also give you some idea of the process I use to devise an NGSS-aligned lesson.

The DCIs are most similar to the science content that your students need to know, therefore this is the first place I begin my lesson planning. I start here because if you do not know what science content to teach, it is impossible to plan for the science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts the students will use to learn this content. Here is an example of a DCI that I teach to in my atomic structure unit:

“PS 1.A - Each atom has a charged substructure consisting of a nucleus, which is made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.”
 
Some DCIs may need to be broken down into smaller lesson objectives, for example the previous DCI could include lesson objectives for both learning about the history of the atom, ions, isotopes, and atomic mass. However, it is important to note that the NGSS now focuses on depth and not breadth. While it is important to paint an accurate picture of atomic structure, that can be done without necessarily teaching every single concept that the DCI may describe. Ideally, the students would be engaging in their own research and Q/A to uncover these concepts.

Which brings me to the second step in my lesson planning: selecting the crosscutting concepts. When you look at the DCI you must ask yourself, “what theme present in all of science can be used by your students to make sense of this content?” For example, if you are teaching about isotopes – patterns, structure and function, even stability and change are appropriate CCCs.

The final step in my lesson planning for an NGSS-aligned lesson causes me to ask myself, “how can my students act like scientists while learning this content?” Whenever possible I try to introduce a new unit by using some sort of phenomenon. For example, to teach about atomic structure I introduced the unit by using static electricity. Students constructed models, analyzed data they gathered from a simulation, and evaluated and revised their models based on observing the models constructed by their peers. When I am unsure what SEPs to include, I always try to plan my lesson around data – either data that I construct for the students, or data that the students compile. I have found this is the easiest way to ensure my lesson incorporates some sort of SEP and CCC.

Thanks so much for reading! I wish you the best of luck as we head into our second year of NGSS implementation. Please be on the lookout for more NGSS aligned lessons in my Teachers Pay Teachers store!

To celebrate back to school time enter to win one of three $25.00 shopping sprees in my store:
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Ms. Razz is an enthusiastic chemistry teacher in New Jersey.  She often counts herself to sleep at night using molecules or by reciting Avogadro's number. (For real.) She believes that every student has the power to learn anything, even chemistry.  After all, she remembers this hustle didn't always come easy to her. She's also a Teachers Pay Teachers seller and you can view and purchase her lessons here.

39 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas and resources with the world! I would love to see labs, particularly how you differentiate lab materials for different levels of learners!

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    1. That's a great suggestion! Thanks so much for your participation!

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  2. 1. How you have used one of my products in your classroom and how your students liked it.
    I often used your powerpoints, notes, color by numbers and homework with my students. The students find the notes very easy to understand and the homework follows the notes so everything is nicely organized.

    2. What you would like to see me blog about in the coming year.

    My school district is implementing NGSS so I would love to hear and see more products with NGSS alignment.

    3. How you plan to implement the NGSS into your curriculum.

    I am going to try to add more phenomena, inquiry and scientific writing into my classroom to prompt students to think, talk, and act more like scientists.

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    1. You can definitely expect more NGSS aligned lessons in the near future. Last year I developed many modeling lessons and once I run through them once more with my students this year, I will be able to post them. Perfection takes time! Thanks for your patience and support on TPT!

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  3. I'd love to hear about more guided inquiry lessons.

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  4. I love your materials. I am always trying to make my chemistry and anatomy classes more interactive. Thank you for all that you do!

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  5. I'd love to see more on task cards and activities on how to use them!

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    1. That is definitely on my to do list - especially since they are so great for differentiation!

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  6. I have bought nearly every bundle & the notes/worksheets are so straight forward, I think my students have learned so much more/better since I found Ms. Razz!

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    1. THAT IS WONDERFUL TO HEAR! Thank you so much for sharing! :)

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  7. Love your website, and your lesson! I wish I taught chemistry! Thanks for participating in the contest!

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    1. Thank you! If you win, there are some items that are great for all science classes. :)

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  8. I would like to see ideas for incorporating google chrome books into middle school science lessons.

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    1. Yes, my high school students also have Chromebooks. I use them a lot with formative assessments and flipped learning. I plan on incorporating QR codes this year as well.

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  9. How do you handle homework and test retakes?

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    1. Hi! Does your school district or department have a homework policy? In my current district, homework is NOT graded. Homework is used as a formative assessment of learning. Personally, I really like this policy because it assures that any graded work is done in class under the supervision of a teacher. Also, this is a great representation of what college will be like. I would imagine if this is not a policy that other teachers follow, you may get some push-back. My suggestion would be to make homework worth minimal points, say 2 points per assignment. That way there is not that much grade inflation.

      As far as retakes are concerned, I do not do formal retakes. However, I do give small quizzes and a unit test at the end of the unit. If the student bombs a quiz, but masters that content on the unit test, I will excuse the quiz grade.

      I'm so glad you asked these questions. If you have more questions or want to dialogue about what I've learned from the homework policy, I'd be happy to help.

      msrazzchemclass@gmail.com

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    2. I like the idea about not grading homework and using it as a formative assessment. So do you allow time for them to do it in class or how do you ensure they actually work on it outside of class if it doesn't count towards their grade? Hope that makes sense ;)

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    3. Hi! More often than not the students start it in class. However, even when they don't, getting them to do it isn't that much of a struggle. I believe this is mostly the case because I still put these grades in our online grading program (as a check, check minus, incomplete, or missing). These are visible to the parents. I also am careful with the way I talk about homework in my class. Instead of saying "homework doesn't count," I say that homework isn't assessed for points and does not contribute to the overall grade. Not doing it will ultimately be apparent on quizzes and tests. I hope that helps!

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  10. Thank you so much for sharing! I would really like to read more about how to effectively use interactive science notebooks in the middle school classroom.

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  11. I would love to see some learning targets for mastery based learning with regard to NGSS.

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    1. My district will be implementing standards based grading in the coming years. You can definitely expect to see more of that!

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  12. I struggle with teaching Chemistry...more than any other Science subject.

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    1. Why is that? Have you purchased any of my resources? They're perfect for anyone who is new to teaching chemistry!

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  13. I really would like to see more upper level chemistry. Everything is always from the first couple of units with not much difficulty.

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    1. This is true! I'll start posting some of my honors material soon!

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  14. Thanks for sharing how you align your lesson planning with NGSS. Did you know that if you go to the NGSS webpage and hover your cursor over each part of a DCI, it will tell you what the Science and Engineering Practice (SEP) and cross-cutting concept (CCC) is for that particular DCI. Also, you might want to check out this link https://ngss-assessment.portal.concord.org to see the types of assessment NGSS requires.

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    1. Hi! Did you mean move the cursor over the performance expectations? I'm not seeing that result for the DCIs.

      That link to the assessment portal is awesome - I've registered for it, but I only saw information for MS science. I'm hoping they'll post for HS soon!

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    2. Yes, performance expectations. Sorry about that.

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  15. I have used your editable Exit Tickets in my class and my kids have gotten used to that routine.

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    1. GREAT! I'm glad you found that freebie helpful!

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  16. I'm in Canada so no NGSS for us, but in Alberta we are currently working on new curriculum and I think using the NGSS for some inspiration so looking forward to see how your resources could help me with that.

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  17. I love learning about new TpT creators!

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  18. Thanks for participating. I could use more bell-ringers and exit quizzes.

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    1. Good to know. I'm thinking about putting together a years worth of bell ringers. :)

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