1. Crosscutting Concepts
K-12 Alliance
NGSS Rollout
Crosscutting Concepts

2. Session Goals
Understand the Crosscutting Concepts as one of the dimensions of the NGSS
Become aware of how the Crosscutting Concepts may be used to deepen student understanding of science and engineering

4. From the Framework
Some important themes pervade science, mathematics, and technology and appear over and over again, whether we are looking at an ancient civilization, the human body, or a comet. They are ideas that transcend disciplinary boundaries and prove fruitful in explanation, in theory, in observation, and in design.
—American Association for the Advancement of Science (Science for All Americans 1989)

5. What Do You Know About The Crosscutting Concepts?

6. Crosscutting ConceptsH1
Patterns
Cause and Effect
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Systems and System Models
Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
Structure and Function
Stability and Change

7. Why the 3rd Dimension?
How do students benefit by understanding the crosscutting concepts?
How can you connect classroom instruction to the crosscutting concepts?

8. The Crosscutting Concepts
If you are having difficulty getting the video to play, you can access via YouTube:
Dr. Helen Quinn
Theoretical particle physicist & Professor Emerita, Stanford Linear Accelerator Chair, National Research Council’s Board on Science Education
Committee Chair of the “A Framework for K-12 Science Education”
Co-Chair of the California Science Framework Committee

9. New Thinking
What did Dr. Helen Quinn say that was different from what you said?

10. 3D Learning
Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem

11. 3D Learning Dissected Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence
resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem
the effects of resource availability on organisms and populations of organisms in an ecosystem

12. Can You Find the CCC? H2
Take a look at the handout with Performance Expectations
Read the PE’s and decide which crosscutting concept each PE addresses
Patterns
Energy and Matter
Cause and Effect
Structure and Function
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Stability and Change
Systems

13. 3 Dimensional Learning Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs):
What Scientists and Engineers UNDERSTAND
(what students will be able to do after the unit of study)
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs):
What scientists and engineers DO
(how students will learn the DCI’s and the CCC’s)
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs):
How scientists and engineers THINK
(student lens to ask questions make connections within science, across science disciplines, and across content areas)

15. Activity: Water Tower Design
Design a stable water tower
Materials to be used:
One unopened water bottle
Three pieces of copy paper
NOTHING else!
Adapted from Steven Pruitt, NGSS California Early Implementer Summer Institute 2014

16. Criteria for The Water Tower
Build a stable water tower to support the water bottle.
Gravity fed: gain enough height to access all water in the container.
Cost effective: uses only supplies provided.

17. Which Crosscutting Concept do you need to help you solve this problem
Which Crosscutting Concept do you need to help you solve this problem? Which are most critical to help you ask questions about your water tower?
Patterns
Energy and Matter
Cause and Effect
Structure and Function
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Stability and Change
Systems

18. 3-Dimensional Lesson DCI: Forces
SEP: Design solutions, construct models
CCC: Stability and Change

19. Directions Divide into teams of three
Each person creates an individual design. You can use pictures with labels (try to limit words).
Share ideas with teammates and develop consensus on one design.
Materials will be distributed once you have agreed on a design.

20. Criteria for The Water Tower
Build a stable water tower to support the water bottle.
Gravity fed: gain enough height to access all water in the container.
Cost effective: uses only supplies provided.

21. Gallery Walk Observe the work of other groups
Are there patterns for what makes stable and unstable designs?

22. Forces Was your tower stable or unstable?
What forces were working on your tower?
Construct an individual conceptual model to show the forces that you think were working on your tower.
You can start with a picture and use symbols to show unseen forces, scientists use arrows.

23. Read and Revise your ModelH3
Read the articles about forces acting on buildings.
Revise your conceptual model of the forces acting on it based on the information in the article.

25. Another model from an 8th grade alt ed class.

28. 3-Dimensional Lesson DCI: Forces
SEP: Design solutions, construct models
CCC: Stability and Change

29. Resources For more on the Crosscutting Concepts: NGSS Appendix G
Crosscut Symbols (
Bozemanscience: NGSS – Next Generation Science Standards

30. Real World Problems
The challenge of bringing clean water to refugees is far more complex than just designing towers.
What other challenges would
scientists and engineers need to solve
to bring clean water to refugees?

31. Connect to the CCCs H4
What other challenges would
scientists and engineers need to solve
to bring clean water to refugees?
Your group will be assigned a Crosscutting Concept
Study the resources to help you think about the real world problem posed through the lens of your assigned crosscutting concept
Create a poster to share how you see the problem of getting water to refugees through the lens of your crosscutting concept. Include questions that would best help students to see the connection.

32. Sharing Between Teams Work with a neighboring team:
Share the questions you came up with
How did your Crosscutting Concept help you view the real world problem?
What questions did you come up with that would help students understand the real world problem of bringing clean water to refugees?

33. How Would Using CCC Look in Your Classroom?
Matrix of Crosscutting Concepts
Pick a row to examine
How does the CCC change as you move across? What has been added?
Do you notice any patterns?

37. Bringing It Home
Think about a lesson that you are doing in the next couple weeks and how might you use a Crosscutting Concept to deepen student learning
Based on the Crosscutting Concept, what questions would you use?

38. The Crosscutting Concepts
If you are having difficulty getting the video to play, you can access via YouTube:
Dr. Helen Quinn
Theoretical particle physicist & Professor Emerita, Stanford Linear Accelerator Chair, National Research Council’s Board on Science Education
Committee Chair of the “A Framework for K-12 Science Education”
Co-Chair of the California science framework committee

39. Tweet Your Learning
Compose a real tweet about the CCCs if you would like characters or less including spaces and hashtags! #CANGSSrollout #NGSS