Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations. Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)  The idea that rainfall, water, ice, wind, and living organisms help to shape the land (ESS2.A as in 4-ESS2-1) connects to the idea waves, which are regular patterns of motion, can be made in water by disturbing the surface, and can cause objects to move (PS4.A as in 4-PS4-1).  Another concept related to affecting the land is that living things affect the physical characteristics of their regions (ESS2.E as in 4-ESS2-1). And the relationship between living things and the land connects to the ideas that the presence and location of certain fossil types indicate the order in which rock layers were formed (ESS1.C as in 4-ESS1-1), and that rainfall affects the types of living things found in a region (ESS2.A as in 4-ESS2-1).  The engineering design idea that testing a solution involves investigating how well it performs under a range of likely conditions (ETS1.B as in 3-5-ETS1-2) could be applied to multiple science concepts such as that water, ice, wind, living organisms, and gravity break rocks, soils, and sediments into smaller particles and move them around (ESS2.A as in 4-ESS2-1), and that waves can cause objects to move (PS4.A as in 4-PS4-1). Connections could be made through tasks such as by having students design a solution to reduce effects of erosion by wind, or by having students design a solution to ocean waves moving beach sand. Either kind of design should be tested within a range of likely conditions since rates of erosion can vary, as can the size of waves. Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of developing and using models (4-PS4-1), planning and carrying out investigations (4-ESS2-1), and constructing explanations and designing solutions (4-ESS1-1 and 3-5-ETS1-2). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction. Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Patterns (4-PS4-1 and 4-ESS1-1) and Cause and Effect (4-ESS2-1). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. All instruction should be three-dimensional. 

CSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students. Course Description: Three-Dimensional Learning shifts the focus of the science classroom to environments where students use disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts with scientific practices to explore, examine, and explain how and why phenomena occur and to design solutions to problems. Three-dimensional learning helps students build their research, communication, and analytical thinking skills.More informational regarding Three-Dimensional learning can be accessed at the following address:What exactly IS three-dimensional learning? | Teaching ChannelEach year, students in Connecticut should be able to demonstrate greater capacity for connecting knowledge across, and between, the physical sciences, life sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering design. During Grade 5, students will begin to form deeper connections between concepts previously learned in grades K–4, such as collecting evidence and drawing conclusions, understanding relationships between objects, and critical thinking that leads to designing effective solutions for problems. Upon completion of Grade 5, students should have a deeper understanding of: Understanding of Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems Identification of Earth's Systems Familiarization of Structure and Properties of Matter Realization of Space Systems: Stars and the Solar System Optimize design solutions. Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. Alignment of all content materials across the grades and vertically in the grade band must be communicated to all staff. Additional Course Information: NGSS has unique features. To better understand the make-up of NGSS visit the following website for a more detailed break-down of the CT Science standards from which this curriculum was based.  Nextgenscience  Assessment Information:There are many ways to assess student learning. Besides annual statewide summative testing, the Connecticut State Department of Education has developed NGSS Interim Assessment blocks specific to the grade 3 – 5 grade band. These can be accessed through the CSDE Website in the Performance Office tab. Many websites also offer assessment materials aligned to the NGSS, specifically through the NSTA, and Defined Learning. ELA/Math Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The following Practices Venn Diagram illustrates the connections and commonalities in the major content areas. This diagram attempts to cluster practices and capacities that have similar tenets and/or significant overlaps in the student expectations. Likewise, we have placed practices and capacities within the disciplinary domains if there was not a significant overlap or relationship to another discipline. One could argue certain practices/capacities could be placed in other positions within the Venn diagram. These placements are not definitive and the intention of the standards documents may not have conceptualized the three disciplinary areas In this manner.  ​

Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations. Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)   The disciplinary core ideas in this unit are linked through the concept of Earth’s major systems. The idea that matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-1) can connect to the concept that Earth’s major systems interact in multiple ways to affect Earth’s surface materials and processes (ESS2.A as in 5-ESS2-1), since matter sometimes moves through the systems as particles that are too small to see.  Earth’s major systems also connect to the concept that nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean, and most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere (ESS2.C as in 5-ESS2-2) as this concept is about the hydrosphere.  The Earth’s major systems are affected by gravity as the gravitational force of Earth acting on an object near Earth’s surface pulls that object toward the planet’s center (PS2.B as in 5-PS2-1). Finally, the idea that human activities in agriculture, industry, and everyday life have had major effects on the land, vegetation, streams, ocean, and air also connects to our understanding of Earth’s major systems.  The engineering design concept that different proposals for solutions can be compared on the basis of how well each one meets the specified criteria for success (ETS1.A as in 3-5-ETS1-1) could connect to multiple science concepts, such as that the ocean supports a variety of ecosystems and organisms (ESS2.A as in 5- ESS2-1) and that nearly all of Earth’s available water is in the ocean, and most fresh water is in glaciers or underground; only a tiny fraction is in streams, lakes, wetlands, and the atmosphere (ESS2.C as in 5-ESS2-2). The first connection could be made by having students propose solutions regarding threatened ecosystems that are supported by the ocean. The second connection could be made by having students design processes to locate and identify drinkable water. In either case, students should have an opportunity to compare different proposals on the basis of how well they meet given criteria. Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of asking questions and defining problems (3-5- ETS1-1); developing and using models (5-PS1-1 and 5-ESS2-1); using mathematical and computational thinking (5-ESS2-2); engaging in argument from evidence (5-PS2-1); and obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information (5-ESS3-1). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction. Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Patterns (5-ESS1-2); Cause and Effect (5-PS2-1); Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5-PS1-1 and 5-ESS2-2); and Systems and System Models (5-ESS2-1). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. 

Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations. Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) The idea that matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die (LS2.B as in 5-LS2-1) connects to the idea that matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-1) because matter is subdivided into particles as it flows between organisms and the air and soil. The idea that matter flows also connect to the ideas that plants acquire their material for growth chiefly from air and water (LS1.C as in 5-LS1-1) and that food provides animals with the materials they need for body repair and growth (LS1.C in 5-PS3-1).  Just as matter flows, energy can flow as well. As such, the idea that matter can flow connects to the concept that the energy released [from] food was once energy from the sun that was captured by plants in the chemical process that forms plant matter (PS3.D as in 5-PS3-1).  The engineering design concept that communicating with peers about proposed solutions is an important part of the design process, and shared ideas can lead to improved designs (ETS1.B as in 3-5-ETS1-2) could connect to multiple science concepts, such as that a healthy ecosystem is one in which multiple species of different types are each able to meet their needs in a relatively stable web of life (LS2.A as in 5-LS2-1) and that gases are made from matter particles that are too small to see and are moving freely around in space (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-1). The first connection could be made through having students share designs for solutions to improve the health of a given ecosystem. The second connection could be made by having students share design for a device that uses the understanding that gases are made from matter particles too small to see. In either case, students should have an opportunity to communicate with their peers throughout the design process and reflect on how sharing their ideas affected their designs. Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of developing and using models (5-PS1-1, 5-PS3-1, and 5-LS2-1); constructing explanations and designing solutions (3-5-ETS1-2); and engaging in argument from evidence (5-LS1-1). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction. Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5- PS1-1); Systems and System Models (5-LS2-1); and Energy and Matter (5-PS3-1 and 5-LS1-1). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. All instruction should be three-dimensional. 

Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations.  Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)  The idea that matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-1) connects to the idea that the amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-2). The total weight of substances also does not change no matter what reaction or change in properties occurs (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-2). Change in properties connects to the idea that when two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-4). Measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify materials (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-3), including the new ones that may be formed when two or more substances are mixed.  The engineering design idea that different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints (ETS1.C as in 3-5-ETS1-3) could connect to multiple science concepts, such as that when two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-4), and that measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify materials (PS1.A as in 5- PS1-3). Students can be challenged to create a new substance with particular properties (i.e., given criteria). In order to test the solution, measurements of the properties need to be taken to determine that the new substance with the desired properties has been created.  Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of developing and using models (5-PS1-1); planning and carrying out investigations (5-PS1-3, 5-PS1-4, and 3-5-ETS1-3); and using mathematics and computational thinking (5-PS1-2). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction.  Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Cause and Effect (5-PS1-4) and Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2, and 5-PS1-3). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. All instruction should be three-dimensional. 

Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations. Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)  The idea that matter of any type can be subdivided into particles that are too small to see (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-1) connects to the idea that the amount (weight) of matter is conserved when it changes form, even in transitions in which it seems to vanish (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-2). The total weight of substances also does not change no matter what reaction or change in properties occurs (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-2). Change in properties connects to the idea that when two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-4). Measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify materials (PS1.A as in 5-PS1-3), including the new ones that may be formed when two or more substances are mixed.  The engineering design idea that different solutions need to be tested in order to determine which of them best solves the problem, given the criteria and the constraints (ETS1.C as in 3-5-ETS1-3) could connect to multiple science concepts, such as that when two or more different substances are mixed, a new substance with different properties may be formed (PS1.B as in 5-PS1-4), and that measurements of a variety of properties can be used to identify materials (PS1.A as in 5- PS1-3). Students can be challenged to create a new substance with particular properties (i.e., given criteria). In order to test the solution, measurements of the properties need to be taken to determine that the new substance with the desired properties has been created.  Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of developing and using models (5-PS1-1); planning and carrying out investigations (5-PS1-3, 5-PS1-4, and 3-5-ETS1-3); and using mathematics and computational thinking (5-PS1-2). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction.  Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Cause and Effect (5-PS1-4) and Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5-PS1-1, 5-PS1-2, and 5-PS1-3). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. All instruction should be three-dimensional. 

Unit Overview/Summary:  Summary  The unit organizes performance expectations with a focus on helping students build understanding of traits of organisms. Instruction developed from this unit should always maintain the three-dimensional nature of the standards and recognize that instruction is not limited to the practices and concepts directly linked with any of the unit performance expectations. Connections between unit Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs)  The idea that the sun is a star that appears larger and brighter than other stars because it is closer (ESS1.A as in 5-ESS1-1) connects to the idea that there are observable patterns – such as different positions of the sun at different times of the day, month, and year – caused by the orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis (ESS1.B as in 5-ESS1-2), as both address the appearance of objects in the sky based on our position relative to other objects in the solar system and universe. Unit Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the practices of analyzing and interpreting data (5-ESS1-2) and engaging in argument from evidence (5-ESS1-1). Many other practice elements can be used in instruction. Unit Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs)Crosscutting concepts have value because they provide students with connections and intellectual tools that are related across the differing areas of disciplinary content and can enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science.Instruction leading to this unit of PEs will help students build toward proficiency in elements of the crosscutting concepts of Patterns (5-ESS1-2) and Scale, Proportion, and Quantity (5-ESS1-1). Many other crosscutting concepts elements can be used in instruction. All instruction should be three-dimensional. 

​ OpenSciEd Demo Video ​OpenSciEd Scope & Sequence VideoCSDE Model Curricula Quick Start Guide Equitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description: Using 3-Dimesional design pedagogy, Connecticut’s NGSS employ: Science/Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI’s) and Crosscutting Concepts that are used to make up Student Expectations: ​Each year, students in Connecticut should be able to demonstrate greater capacity for connecting knowledge across, and between, the physical sciences, life sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering design. During Grade 6, students will begin to form deeper connections between concepts previously learned in grades K–5, such as collecting evidence and drawing conclusions, understanding relationships between objects, and critical thinking that leads to designing effective solutions for problems. Upon completion of Grade 6, students should have a deeper understanding of: • Physical and chemical interactions that affect the world around us;• Factors that affect organism survival and reproduction; • Factors that influence the Earth and our solar system including important concepts regarding climate and changes in climate/weather; and • How to optimize design solutions.Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. The CSDE has identified OpenSciEd as a highly aligned core resource after a rigorous review process. Additional Course Information: NGSS has unique features. To better understand the make-up of NGSS visit the following website for a more detailed break-down of the CT Science standards from which this curriculum was based. Nextgenscience Assessment Information:To support teachers with being able to use the OpenSciEd instructional materials, a set of professional learning resources has been developed that accompany each unit. All of the resources can be accessed by adding them to your Google Drive or by downloading into Microsoft Office documents from the Google Drive folder using the links below. To access the student and teacher versions of these units, visit the Instructional Materials Page.Additionally, the Connecticut State Department of Education has developed NGSS interim Assessment blocks specific to the grade 6-8 grade band. These can be accessed through the CSDE Website in the Performance Office tab.ELA/Math Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The following Practices Venn Diagram illustrates the connections and commonalities in the major content areas. This diagram attempts to cluster practices and capacities that have similar tenets and/or significant overlaps in the student expectations. Likewise, we have placed practices and capacities within the disciplinary domains if there was not a significant overlap or relationship to another discipline. One could argue certain practices/capacities could be placed in other positions within the Venn diagram. These placements are not definitive and the intention of the standards documents may not have conceptualized the three disciplinary areas In this manner. ​ 

Unit SummaryHow does a one-way mirror work? Though most everyone knows that one-way mirrors exist, having students model how they work turns out to be a very effective way to develop their thinking about how visible light travels and how we see images. Initial student models in this 6th grade light and matter science unit reveal a wide variety of ideas and explanations that motivate the unit investigations that help students figure out what is going on and lead them to a deeper understanding of the world around them.A video of an experience with a one-way mirror, gets students to organize and write down their initial ideas and then they dig in to test those ideas and figure out what is really happening. Students build a scaled box model of what they saw in the video to test out their ideas. Using two boxes combined together with a one-way mirror in between the two, students vary the presence of light in the two boxes to figure out how a one-way mirror works and improve their initial models so they accurately explain how light is reflected and transmitted through materials and the basics of how these behaviors of light result in the images we see.As the first 6th grade science unit in the OpenSciEd program, during the course of this unit, students also develop the foundation for classroom norms for collaboration that will be important across the whole program while answering several questions.

What keeps different cups or containers from warming up or cooling down? Students begin this 6th grade science unit by experimenting whether a new plastic cup sold by a store keeps a drink colder for longer than the regular plastic cup that comes free with the drink. Students find that the drink in the regular cup warms up more than the drink in the special cup. This prompts students to identify features of the cups that are different, such as the lid, walls, and hole for the straw, that might explain why one drink warms up more than the other.In this 6th grade science unit, students investigate the different cup features they conjecture to explain the phenomenon, starting with the lid. They model how matter can enter or exit the cup via evaporation. However, they find that in a completely closed system, the liquid inside the cup still changes temperature. This motivates the need to trace the transfer of energy into the drink as it warms up. Through a series of lab investigations and simulations, students find two ways to transfer energy into the drink: (1) the absorption of light and (2) thermal energy from the warmer air around the drink. They are then challenged to design their own drink container that can perform as well as the store-bought container, following a set of design criteria and constraints.

This 6th grade science unit on weather, climate, and water cycling is broken into four separate lesson sets. In the first two lesson sets, students explain small-scale storms. In the third and fourth lesson sets, students explain mesoscale weather systems and climate-level patterns of precipitation. Each of these two parts of the unit is grounded in a different anchoring phenomenon.The unit starts out with anchoring students in the exploration of a series of videos of hailstorms from different locations across the country at different times of the year. The videos show that pieces of ice of different sizes (some very large) are falling out of the sky, sometimes accompanied by rain and wind gusts, all on days when the temperature of the air outside remained above freezing for the entire day. These cases spark questions and ideas for investigations, such as investigating how ice can be falling from the sky on a warm day, how clouds form, why some clouds produce storms with large amounts of precipitation and others don’t, and how all that water gets into the air in the first place.The second half of the 6th grade science weather and climate unit is anchored in the exploration of a weather report of a winter storm that affected large portions of the midwestern United States. The maps, transcripts, and video that students analyze show them that the storm was forecasted to produce large amounts of snow and ice accumulation in large portions of the northeastern part of the country within the next day. This case sparks questions and ideas for investigations around trying to figure out what could be causing such a large-scale storm and why it would end up affecting a different part of the country a day later.

Mountains move! And there are ocean fossils on top of Mt. Everest! In this plate tectonics and rock cycling unit, students come to see that the Earth is much more active and alive than they have thought before. The unit launches with documentation of a 2015 Himalayan earthquake that shifted Mt. Everest suddenly to the southwest direction. Students also discover that Mt. Everest is steadily moving to the northeast every year and getting taller as well. Students wonder what could cause an entire mountain to move during an earthquake.Students investigate other locations that are known to have earthquakes and they notice landforms, such as mountains and ridges that correspond to earthquake patterns. They read texts, explore earthquake and landform patterns using a data visualization tool, and study GPS data at these locations. Students develop an Earth model and study mantle convection motion to explain how Earth’s surface could move from processes below the surface. From this, students develop models to explain different ways plates collide and spread apart, ultimately explaining how Mt. Everest could move all the time in one direction, and also suddenly, in a backward motion, during an earthquake. The unit ends with students using what they have figured out about uplift and erosion to explain how a fossil was found at Mt. Everest without having to dig for it.

This unit begins with students experiencing, through text and video, a devastating natural event that caused major flooding in coastal towns of Japan. This event was the 2011 Great Sendai or Tōhoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami that caused major loss of life and property in Japan. Through this anchoring phenomenon, students think about ways to detect tsunamis, warn people, and reduce damage from the wave. As students design solutions to solve this problem, they begin to wonder about the natural hazard itself: what causes it, where it happens, and how it causes damage. The first part of the unit focuses on identifying where tsunamis occur, how they form, how they move across the ocean, and what happens as they approach shore. The second part of the unit transitions students to consider combinations of engineering design solutions and technologies to mitigate the effects of tsunamis. Finally, students apply their understanding to consider how to communicate about another natural hazard to stakeholders in a community.*Note about recent changes to this unit - In February 2022 the development team adjusted the unit to include a new section building towards MS-PS4-3: Integrate qualitative scientific and technical information to support the claim that digitized signals are a more reliable way to encode and transmit information than analog signals. This updated version integrates a new Lesson 8 into the storyline that focuses on developing PS4-3 through further exploration of hazard communication systems and different signals used to send alerts to communities. Using text, images, and videos, students explore the evolution of emergency communication systems over time. They obtain information about the benefits and challenges of different systems, and in particular, the types of signals used to alert people. Students gather information from the text and multimedia to support the claim that digital signals are more reliable ways to transmit information. The remaining lessons in the unit are unchanged.

This unit launches with students hearing about an injury that happened to a middle school student that caused him to need stitches, pins, and a cast. They analyze doctor reports and develop an initial model for what is going on in our body when it heals. Students investigate what the different parts of our body are made of, from the macro scale to the micro scale. They figure out parts of our body are made of cells and that these cells work together for our body to function.Once students have figured out what their bodies are made of and how the parts of their body work together to be able to move, they wonder how the parts of our body heal. They start by watching a timelapse of a knee scrape and notice that over time the part that was scraped is filled in with new skin cells. Students investigate what happens when cells make more cells, what cells need to make more cells, and how cells get what they need to make more cells. Students return to the healing timeline they made at the start of the unit and apply what they have figured out about the interactions between the different systems in the body to explain the various events of healing that took place for the injury at the start of the unit. Finally, they apply their model for healing to explain growth at growth plates in children's bodies as they become adults.

OpenSciEd Demo VideoOpenSciEd Scope & Sequence VideoCSDE Model Curricula Quick Start GuideEquitable and Inclusive Curriculum  The CSDE believes in providing a set of conditions where learners are repositioned at the center of curricula planning and design. Curricula, from a culturally responsive perspective, require intentional planning for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the development of units and implementation of lessons. It is critical to develop a learning environment that is relevant to and reflective of students’ social, cultural, and linguistic experiences to effectively connect their culturally and community-based knowledge to the class. Begin by connecting what is known about students’ cognitive and interdisciplinary diversity to the learning of the unit. Opposed to starting instructional planning with gaps in students’ knowledge, plan from an asset-based perspective by starting from students’ strengths. In doing so, curricula’s implementation will be grounded in instruction that engages, motivates, and supports the intellectual capacity of all students.Course Description: Using 3-Dimesional design pedagogy, Connecticut’s NGSS employ: Science/Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI’s) and Crosscutting Concepts that are used to make up Student Expectations:Each year, students in Connecticut should be able to demonstrate greater capacity for connecting knowledge across, and between, the physical sciences, life sciences, earth and space sciences, and engineering design. During Grade 7, students will begin to form deeper connections between concepts previously learned in grades K–6, such as collecting evidence and drawing conclusions, understanding relationships between objects, and critical thinking that leads to designing effective solutions for problems. Upon completion of Grade 7, students should have a deeper understanding of: • Physical, chemical and metabolic reactions; • Factors that affect the cycling of matter and photosynthesis; • Human impact on natural resources, and; • The dynamics of our ecosystem.Aligned Core Resources:Core resources is a local control decision.  Ensuring alignment of resources to the standards is critical for success. The CSDE has identified OpenSciEd as a highly aligned core resource after a rigorous review process. Additional Course Information: NGSS has unique features. To better understand the make-up of NGSS visit the following website for a more detailed break-down of the CT Science standards from which this curriculum was based. Nextgenscience Assessment Information:To support teachers with being able to use the OpenSciEd instructional materials, a set of professional learning resources has been developed that accompany each unit. All of the resources can be accessed by adding them to your Google Drive or by downloading into Microsoft Office documents from the Google Drive folder using the links below. To access the student and teacher versions of these units, visit the Instructional Materials Page.Additionally, the Connecticut State Department of Education has developed NGSS interim Assessment blocks specific to the grade 6-8 grade band. These can be accessed through the CSDE Website in the Performance Office tab.ELA/Math Transferable Skills Addressed in the Course: The following Practices Venn Diagram illustrates the connections and commonalities in the major content areas. This diagram attempts to cluster practices and capacities that have similar tenets and/or significant overlaps in the student expectations. Likewise, we have placed practices and capacities within the disciplinary domains if there was not a significant overlap or relationship to another discipline. One could argue certain practices/capacities could be placed in other positions within the Venn diagram. These placements are not definitive and the intention of the standards documents may not have conceptualized the three disciplinary areas In this manner. ​​ 

Seventh grade chemistry students' conceptual understanding of chemical reactions for middle school science is foundational to much science learning. Understanding atomic level reactions is crucial for learning physical, life, earth, and space science. Even more importantly, they open up new windows of curiosity for students to see the world around them. By seventh grade, students are ready to take on the abstract nature of the interactions of atoms and molecules far too small to see.To pique 7th grade students’ curiosity and anchor the learning for the unit in the visible and concrete, students start with an experience of observing and analyzing a bath bomb as it fizzes and eventually disappears in the water. Their observations and questions about what is going on drive learning that digs into a series of related phenomena as students iterate and improve their models depicting what happens during chemical reactions for middle school science. By the end of the unit, students have a firm grasp on how to model simple molecules, know what to look for to determine if chemical reactions have occurred, and apply their knowledge to chemical reactions to show how mass is conserved when atoms are rearranged.Embedded in this 7th grade chemistry unit are a variety of assessments, including self, peer, formative, and summative assessment tasks. This unit concludes with a transfer task in which students apply what they have figured out to two different related phenomena, elephant’s toothpaste and the crumbling of the marble that makes up the Taj Mahal.

In this 21-day unit, students are introduced to the anchoring phenomenon—a flameless heater in a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) that provides hot food to people by just adding water. In the first lesson set, students explore the inside of an MRE flameless heater, then do investigations to collect evidence to support the idea that this heater and another type of flameless heater (a single-use hand warmer) are undergoing chemical reactions as they get warm. Students have an opportunity to reflect on the engineering design process, defining stakeholders, and refining the criteria and constraints for the design solution.In the second lesson set, students develop their design solutions by investigating how much food and reactants they should include in their homemade heater designs and go through a series of iterative testing and redesigning. This iterative design cycle includes peer feedback, consideration of design modification consequences, and analysis of impacts on stakeholders. Finally, students optimize their designs and have another team test their homemade heater instructions.

This unit on metabolic reactions in the human body starts out with students exploring a real case study of a middle-school girl named M’Kenna, who reported some alarming symptoms to her doctor. Her symptoms included an inability to concentrate, headaches, stomach issues when she eats, and a lack of energy for everyday activities and sports that she used to play regularly. She also reported noticeable weight loss over the past few months, in spite of consuming what appeared to be a healthy diet. Her case sparks questions and ideas for investigations around trying to figure out which pathways and processes in M’Kenna’s body might be functioning differently than a healthy system and why.Students investigate data specific to M’Kenna’s case in the form of doctor’s notes, endoscopy images and reports, growth charts, and micrographs. They also draw from their results from laboratory experiments on the chemical changes involving the processing of food and from digital interactives to explore how food is transported, transformed, stored, and used across different body systems in all people. Through this work of figuring out what is causing M’Kenna’s symptoms, the class discovers what happens to the food we eat after it enters our bodies and how M’Kenna’s different symptoms are connected.

Unit SummaryThis unit on the cycling of matter and photosynthesis begins with 7th grade students reflecting on what they ate for breakfast. Students are prompted to consider where their food comes from and consider which breakfast items might be from plants. Then students taste a common breakfast food, maple syrup, and see that according to the label, it is 100% from a tree.Based on the preceding unit, students argue that they know what happens to the sugar in syrup when they consume it. It is absorbed into the circulatory system and transported to cells in their body to be used for fuel. Students explore what else is in food and discover that food from plants, like bananas, peanut butter, beans, avocado, and almonds, not only have sugars but proteins and fats as well. This discovery leads them to wonder how plants are getting these food molecules and where a plant’s food comes from.Students figure out that they can trace all food back to plants, including processed and synthetic food. They obtain and communicate information to explain how matter gets from living things that have died back into the system through processes done by decomposers. Students finally explain that the pieces of their food are constantly recycled between living and nonliving parts of a system.

Unit SummaryThis unit on ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity begins with students reading headlines that claim that the future of orangutans is in peril and that the purchasing of chocolate may be the cause. Students then examine the ingredients in popular chocolate candies and learn that one of these ingredients--palm oil--is grown on farms near the rainforest where orangutans live. This prompts students to develop initial models to explain how buying candy could impact orangutans.Students spend the first lesson set better understanding the complexity of the problem, which cannot be solved with simple solutions. They will figure out that palm oil is derived from the oil palm trees that grow near the equator, and that these trees are both land-efficient and provide stable income for farmers, factors that make finding a solution to the palm oil problem more challenging. Students will establish the need for a better design for oil palm farms, which will support both orangutans and farmers. The final set of lessons engage students in investigations of alternative approaches to growing food compared to large-scale monocrop farms. Students work to design an oil palm farm that simultaneously supports orangutan populations and the income of farmers and community members.