Unleashing the Power of NGSS and STEM

(Grades 3-5) / Flex Course

PDI Course Number: 4T02 / UCSD Course Number: EDUC40122

Course Description

Have you been trying to find a way to incorporate the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into your STEM classroom using a more hands-on approach to learning? This online course takes teachers of grades 3-5 through a step-by-step explanation of the standards and includes examples and suggestions of how to incorporate them into their science lessons. The course also guides teachers through how to interpret the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas contained within the NGSS. Teachers will be introduced to various instructional models for learning, including the 5Es of inquiry, the 4E x 2 model, and Universal Design for Learning. Teachers will learn how to create an active learner-centered classroom so that various STEM strategies can be used to connect the design and implementation of NGSS-based science lessons, labs, and stations. Teachers will be introduced to an overview of assessment and how it applies to the Next Generation Science Standards, as well as a brief overview of how to blend technology and flip a science classroom to make it more student-centered. By the end of this course, teachers will have a solid understanding of the NGSS Standards and how to create engaging lessons to put them into practice and action in the classroom. This course is worth 3 ⅓ semester units/5 quarter units (50 hours of training) from University of California San Diego (UCSD) Division of Extended Studies. For detailed information on university credit, click here.

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