JoinAll Crosscutting Concepts resources
Blog Post
Shoes! Beaks! They’re All About Structure and Function
As we watch students arrive for class, we notice that Alejandra hangs her jacket on a coat hook, while Calder reaches for scissors to make a fringe on...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Exploring Structure and Function in Insects
As an entomologist, one of my greatest challenges is trying to overcome my students’ feelings of fear and disgust regarding insects. Insects often h...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Using Toxic Algal Blooms to Teach Structure and Function
Young children often experience a developmental stage in which they question everything. Why aren’t there dinosaurs anymore? Why do cats purr? Why a...
By Rebecca Brewer
Blog Post
Modeling in Science Instruction
With the shift toward three-dimensional teaching and learning that the Next Generation Science Standards requires, the Crosscutting Concept of Modelin...
By Cindy Workosky
Journal Article
The Early Years: Making Sense of Their World
This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. In this issue students document the apparent movement of t...
Blog Post
What Does 3-Dimensional Space Look Like
When transitioning my classroom instruction to three dimensional learning, I decided to start with one or two areas in each unit or lesson set where I...
By Korei Martin
Blog Post
Global Thinking Inside and Outside the Classroom
Dynamic Equilibrium. These two words represent what is essential in teaching Earth science: the idea that forces are constantly working against one an...
By Cindy Workosky
Blog Post
Cereal to Stream Tables: Putting Stability and Change in Students’ Hands
Stability and Change is one of the seven Crosscutting Concepts (CCs) that can be difficult to convey in a lesson. Other CCs like Patterns, Cause and E...
By Cindy Workosky
Journal Article
The Early Years: Introducing Children to Phenology
This column discusses resources and science topics related to students in grades preK to 2. This issue shares an activity meant to provide children wi...
Journal Article
Teaching Teachers: Designing an NGSS Learning Pathway
This column enhances the repertoire of preservice and inservice teachers. How informal institutions can help teachers implement the NGSS...
Blog Post
Seeds of Science, Roots of Reading Program Helps Students Develop Explanations
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) encourage three-dimensional thinking in students. 3-D thinking, and the process of developing scientific ...
By Jim McDonald
Blog Post
How Teachers Are Retooling Lessons Using the EQuIP Rubric
Sometimes finding the right book or article can be the key to opening our minds to new ideas. A few years back, NSTA published a special journal serie...
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