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Physics and 21st Century Science Standards: The Role of Physics in the NGSS
Mathematical Methods
•
1-dimensional
•
Basic algebraic
expressions or
computations
•
Trigonometry
•
Calculus
•
Big Bang Theory
•
Photoelectric effect
•
Materials
Depth of the Standards
Each of the standards in the NGSS have a significant depth that must not be overlooked
by teachers. Take, for example, the first standard for high school students associated with
mechanics. Experienced teachers recognize that this standard requires multiple layers of
student understanding before it can be achieved.
HS-PS2-1:
Analyze data to support the claim
that
Newton’s second law of motion
describes the
mathematical relationship
among the
net force
on a macroscopic object,
its
mass
, and its
acceleration
.
Taking the
Core Disciplinary Idea
alone, students need to have an understanding
of fundamental kinematics, which might take weeks or months to develop in an
introductory
physics
setting. Indeed, many teachers report spending upwards of a half
of a semester to develop models (verbal, graphical, mathematical, physical, etc.) for
conceptual and quantitative understanding of the following:
•
Vectors
•
Constant velocity
•
Uniform acceleration
•
Forces (tension, weight, normal force, friction)
•
Force diagrams in balanced and unbalanced systems
•
Newton’s laws
•
Conservation of mass
The standard’s associated
Science and Engineering Practice, Analyzing and Interpreting
Data
, closely associated with the
Common Core State Standards
for literacy, require
students to:
“Analyze data using tools, technologies, and/or models (e.g., computational,
mathematical) in order to make valid and reliable scientific claims or determine an
optical design solution.”
Logistically, one might interpret this standard by having
students perform an inquiry lab to determine the relationship between net force,
mass, and acceleration using probeware (i.e. sonic motion detector, force meter)
and data analysis tools (i.e. graphical analysis software, graphing calculator) to make
meaning of the data as displayed on a graph. Graphical analysis also entails students
understanding mathematical models, such as linear algebraic relationships and the
calculation and meaning of slope and intercept. Asking students to support the claim
also requires students to engage in communication with their peers or with the teacher
in order to share data, come to a conclusion, and defend their results, all of which can
happen in some way through whiteboarding sessions, lab reports, and/or whole class
discussion carefully guided by the teacher and through the development of a respectful
environment.
The
Crosscutting Concept
associated with the standard,
Cause and Effect
, requires
that students demonstrate and understanding that “
Empirical evidence is required
to differentiate between cause and correlation and make claims about specific causes
and effects.”
Looking more deeply at this concept, students need to understand how to
perform a controlled experiment in which causal relationships are determined. Because
experiments associated with Newton’s second law require students to understand the
relationship among three potential variables (net force, mass, and acceleration), students
need to understand how to perform two controlled experiments, and then merge the
relationships together to make a claim about their interrelationship.
The above is just one of the many standards associated with physics. Each standard
needs to be read not only for its physics content, but for the associated performance
objective, skills, and understandings about science as well.
Engineering and HS Physics-Related Standards
Perhaps one of the biggest shifts that physics teachers, in particular, will notice upon
adoption of the NGSS is the heavy emphasis on engineering. Although engineering
is interwoven into specific standards, the NGSS also does have a set of stand-alone
engineering standards for each grade band.
In Figure 7 and Figure 8 on the following page, the physics-related standards are shown
in concept webs. Although the NGSS only explicitly describes the relationships between
topics, not between specific standards, an attempt has been made here to show example
learning pathways, and how physics concepts (DCIs) from each grade band support
other physics concepts in later grade bands. However, the nuances of each standard
could result in a myriad of interconnections, especially if one is instead looking at the
complexity or depth of the SEPs or CCs within each standard.
Figure 7 displays the most relevant physics standards across the grade bands. Please note
that this is not a complete listing of the standards. For simplicity, it does not include
most physics-related standards that fall outside of the largest groupings of physics
standards (Structures and Properties of Matter, Forces and Interactions, Energy, and
Waves). It also does not directly incorporate the engineering standards, although the
standards with ties to engineering are denoted by the
gold
outline.
Figure 8 displays an example pathway of a single DCI that begins at the Kindergarten
grade band and supports additional standards all the way through to the high school
grade band.