Possible Sequence for Creating a NGSS Aligned Unit
1. Start with a bundle of Performance Expectations (PE)
a. Bundle=Review and identify the PE related to topic in a unit to find a common thread
b. Use NGSS Topics Arrangement for bundle ideas
c. Eventual release of NGSS Model Content Frameworks
2. Come up with an interesting scenario (storyline)
a. A puzzling event or process (phenomena) that sparks explanatory questions: How and why
did this happen?
b. Look at the Framework for DCI related Focus Questions
c. NOT: How does evaporation/growth/inheritance happen?
3. Develop a Driving Question and Performance Task
a. Create a large Driving Question related to the phenomena
i. It should generate other smaller questions.
ii. This is what you eventually want the students to figure out at the end of the unit.
b. Identify possible culminating activity (end product/project) to demonstrate learning in
answering the driving question
c. End product should be Three Dimensional (SEP, DCI, CC)
d. (Begin to fill out the driving question and phenomena on the NGSS Storyline Chart)
4. Clarify or reassess bundles of PE
a. Review alignment of bundled PE to the scenario/storyline/driving question
b. Add or delete PE that are not related to the storyline
c. Ensure alignment to part of or the whole PE
d. (Brief Lesson Description/Storyline and NGSS PE on 5E lesson plan)
5. Develop phenomena driven questions using criteria of the DCI, SEP and CC in the PE
a. Review DCI, SEP, and CC of the PE in the bundle to ensure they appear in the phenomena
driven questions
b. (Fill out the first and second column on the NGSS Storyline Chart)
6. Select related Maryland College and Career-Ready (MCCR) standards and other discipline
connections
a. MCCR Math and ELA standards (alignment is also shown in NGSS)
b. Disciplinary literacy standards
c. (Fill out MCCR standards on 5E lesson plan)
7. Identify possible lesson activities related to the Driving Question and Performance Task
a. Identify activities that already exist or have used before
b. Does the activity help students to answer one of the phenomena driven questions?
c. Identify the SEP and CC that relate to the activities – Are they covering ones in the PE
bundle?
d. Do the activities need to be made more student centered?
Possible Sequence for Creating a NGSS Aligned Unit
8. Write the statements of evidence that the Performance task requires.
a. Identify what students have already learned about the concepts
i. Review NGSS for links to prior knowledge
ii. How will this new knowledge build upon their prior learning?
b. What must students be able to do in the performance task to show they have met the PE?
i. Review the evidence statements on NGSS
ii. Create evidence statements for the performance task (can become a rubric for
evaluating the task)
c. (Fill out the third column on the NGSS Storyline Chart)
9. Develop a coherent sequence of lessons that blend SEP, DCI, and CC.
a. Each phenomena driven question becomes a 5E lesson cycle that might take several classes
to complete
b. Student centered lessons should be created with students doing science
c. Scaffolding for student understanding
d. (Complete several 5E lesson plans)
10. Develop lesson PE’s (objectives) that align to the original bundle.
a. Lesson level performance expectations identify what the students will be doing to answer
the phenomena driven question
b. Should be three dimensional like the NGSS PE (SEP, DCI, CC)
c. (Fill out Lesson Performance Expectation/Lesson Objective on each 5E Lesson plan)
11. Determine the evidence for assessing lesson level performance (formative and summative)
a. How will student progress be monitored?
b. How does the teacher monitor the student explanation/model/design being incrementally
built and revised?
c. (Fill out the fourth column on the NGSS Storyline Chart)
12. Implement while making sure students are moving towards an understanding of the PE
a. Use evidence generated from lessons to determine if students are demonstrating an
understanding of the PE
b. Are the students using SEP and CC from the PE?
c. Will the students be able to complete the Performance task at the end?