How do you align your STEM objectives with NGSS?

2 Identify your STEM objectives

The next step to align your STEM objectives with NGSS is to identify your specific learning goals and outcomes for your STEM unit or lesson. What do you want your students to know, understand, and be able to do? How will you assess their learning? How will you differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners? Your STEM objectives should be clear, measurable, and relevant to the content and context of your STEM topic. You can use verbs from Bloom's taxonomy or other frameworks to help you write your objectives.

3 Map your objectives to the NGSS

The third step to align your STEM objectives with NGSS is to map your objectives to the relevant PEs, SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs from the standards. You can use the NGSS website, app, or other resources to search and browse the standards by grade level, topic, or keyword. You can also use the evidence statements and clarification statements that accompany each PE to help you understand the expectations and criteria for student performance. You should try to find the best match between your objectives and the standards, but you don't have to cover every aspect of every dimension. You can also integrate multiple PEs, SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs within a single STEM unit or lesson, as long as they are coherent and consistent.

4 Design your STEM activities

The fourth step to align your STEM objectives with NGSS is to design your STEM activities that will engage your students in the three dimensions of the standards. You should plan your activities to provide opportunities for your students to apply the SEPs, explore the CCCs, and learn the DCIs through inquiry-based, hands-on, and collaborative learning. You should also consider how to incorporate real-world contexts, phenomena, and problems that are relevant and meaningful to your students and your STEM topic. You can use the 5E model or other instructional models to help you structure your activities and scaffold your students' learning.

5 Evaluate and reflect on your alignment

The final step to align your STEM objectives with NGSS is to evaluate and reflect on your alignment and the impact on your students' learning. You should use formative and summative assessments to measure your students' progress and achievement of your objectives and the standards. You should also collect feedback from your students, peers, and other stakeholders to identify the strengths and weaknesses of your alignment and your activities. You should use the data and feedback to inform your future planning and improvement of your STEM instruction and alignment with NGSS.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?