Professional Development

This introduction to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) covers all the basics of the “new” standards. Engage in hands-on, minds-on activities to learn about the three dimensions of the NGSS - Science & Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Disciplinary Core Ideas. More importantly, experience the pedagogical and instructional shifts that make the NGSS so different from traditional methods of teaching and learning science. 

Phenomena play a critical role in igniting students’ curiosity and have great potential to drive student learning. Science lessons that are anchored in compelling and relatable phenomena can be the key to reaching all students, but how do we know we’ve chosen a good one? Explore K-8 grade-specific phenomena while learning about the different ways to use and plan instruction around them.

Teaching science at all grade levels has never been more important. The California Science Test (CAST) includes test items that are based on Kindergarten through 8th grade concepts and standards. Learn about the CAST assessment through its sample questions and blueprint, as well as current resources and tools at various grade levels to support student achievement. Utilize strategies that can be implemented to check for student understanding throughout a unit. Let’s set our students on the right trajectory to CAST success!

What’s going on in Hope Valley? Figure out the mysterious happenings in the fictional town through science experimentation, observation, and data analysis. Learn speaking and listening strategies to engage students in meaningful scientific discussions and construct arguments using evidence to show how science can help this small town!

Did you know that the California NGSS has a focus on the deep relationship between humans and the natural world? The Environmental Principles and Concepts (EP&Cs) address our changing world and the impact we humans have upon it. Learn how the NGSS has embedded the EP&Cs to help learners of all ages understand their impact on the environment while encouraging hope. The hands-on activities and rich discussions in this training will leave you feeling inspired to address environmental literacy!

Putting students’ emotional well-being and cultures at the center of learning is critical for their success, and it’s no different when teaching science and engineering. Engage in fun, hands-on activities that will introduce and provide examples of social-emotional learning and culturally responsive practices. Learn more about how to tend to the whole child when teaching TK-8 science and engineering. Walk away with strategies and examples to bring this important element to your science teaching!

California State Law AB 285 requires that all public schools provide climate change education for all students beginning in 1st grade. Through interactive activities and discussion, learn how and why to teach the complex problem of climate change to K-8 students. Using age-appropriate activities and conversation, students of all ages can understand their role in the interdependence of Earth’s systems, the causes and effects of climate change, and the ways in which we can mitigate or adapt to it.

Interactive science notebooks are a piece of the integration puzzle and the perfect tool for sensemaking and metacognition. Empower students to take ownership of their science learning as they demonstrate understanding in this unique sensemaking tool that is backed by brain research. Hands-on science experiences converge with reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills through interactive science notebooks.

From Math Talks to data analysis to classifying, science can be a great vehicle to stimulate the use of mathematical practices. Put on your math and science caps as we go through a series of activities to help Lynne decide whether or not to help a lost whale, experiencing various science, engineering, and math practices along the way. Grade-specific examples that align with math Common Core standards and NGSS will be shared. 

Art and science are complementary! Experience art techniques in different disciplines of art and access science practices firsthand to understand the mutual benefits that integration can bring to your classroom. Allow young scientists to tap into the artists inside them as they process and demonstrate science understanding through art. Encourage creativity while engaging students in scientific discovery.

• Virtual Field Trip
• Earth and Human Activity Lesson Sequence - With this nine-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, you can teach kindergarteners what humans need to survive and how that affects planet Earth. Kindergarteners can save the world, too! Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom. 
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3)
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
   

• Virtual Field Trip
• Sound Lesson Sequence - With this eleven-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, you can engage first graders in learning about sounds through a compelling phenomenon about mysterious sounds heard all around the world. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 1-PS4-1, 1-PS4-4, 1-LS1-2)
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!

• Virtual Field Trip
• Properties of Materials Lesson Sequence - In this ten-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, second grade engineers will consider the properties of materials when used for specific purposes. Knowledge of matter and testing of properties will guide students as they engineer a structure at the end of this lesson sequence. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2)
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!

• Virtual Field Trip
• Changing Environments Lesson Sequence - In this nine-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, involve third graders in figuring out why high numbers of dead barn owls were found along a certain stretch of highway. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom. Adapted from the California NGSS Statewide Rollout.
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4) 
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!

• Virtual Field Trip
• Energy Lesson Sequence - In this six-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, fourth graders get hands-on while exploring different kinds of energy and energy transfers. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-3, 4-PS3-4)
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!

• Virtual Field Trip
• Earth's Systems Lesson Sequence - In this eight-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, fifth graders think about Earth’s systems and how they interact to affect our landforms, weather, and life in California. Adapted from the California NGSS Statewide Rollout.
  (Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS2-2) 
• Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!