Graphic Organizer Tools to Support the Crosscutting Concepts

Secondary (Grades 6-12)

Available online @ bit.ly/CCCGOs

Jeremy Peacock, K-12 Science/STEAM Specialist, Jackson County School System (Georgia)

Using the Crosscutting Concepts

“Crosscutting concepts have application across all domains of science. As such, they are a way of linking the different domains of science. … The Framework emphasizes that these concepts need to be made explicit for students because they provide an organizational schema for interrelating knowledge from various science fields into a coherent and scientifically based view of the world.”

The graphic organizers that follow are intended to scaffold student thinking as they apply the crosscutting concepts to various scientific phenomena. These tools were designed based on the content and language of the elements of each crosscutting concept listed in the middle and high school grade bands in the learning progression matrices. High school students will typically need to move beyond these tools to gain a full mastery of the crosscutting concepts.

Within a unit of study, students should be expected to repeatedly apply one or two crosscutting concepts in a deep and meaningful way. Across units, and across grade levels, students should be expected to apply all seven crosscutting concepts in a deep and meaningful way to a variety of phenomena across the science disciplines.

Email peacock.jeremy@gmail.com with any questions about these tools. See student work samples here.

Reference: http://ngss.nsta.org/CrosscuttingConceptsFull.aspx

Achieve: http://www.businessandeducation.org/science

1. Patterns
2. Cause and Effect
3. Scale, Proportion, & Quantity
4. Systems & System Models
5. Energy and Matter
6. Structure and Function
7. Stability and Change

Applying Patterns to the Phenomenon of ____________________

1) Describe the system

3) Illustrate the pattern through a graph, chart, image, or formula.

2) What kind of pattern have you identified?

• Over time (temporal)
• Across space (spatial)
• Relationship between two variable
• Other: _________________

4) Is there a pattern at a different scale that helps explain the pattern you identified? If so, describe/illustrate that pattern?

5) What cause-effect relationship might this pattern suggest? Explain.

Applying Cause & Effect to the Phenomenon of ______________

1. List any additional or alternative causes.

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• What evidence do you have that this is a cause-effect relationship and not just a correlation?

2) CAUSE

Describe the cause.

1) EFFECT

Describe the phenomenon.

3) MECHANISM

Describe the process that connects the cause & effect.

Applying Scale, Proportion, & Quantity to the Phenomenon of

_________________________________

1) Use the chart to describe and draw the phenomenon on the scale at which you observed it.

2) Complete the chart at other scales as much as possible.

3) Explain how looking at other scales helps you understand the phenomenon.

Adapted from: http://www.pathwaysproject.kbs.msu.edu/?page_id=51

Applying Scale, Proportion, & Quantity to the Phenomenon of

_________________________________

3) Graph the relationship between the variables. Include title, axes labels, and key.

1) Describe the phenomenon.

2) Describe the key variables that will help you explain the phenomenon.

4) Can you describe the relationship as a proportion or ratio? If so, how?

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5) Can you describe the relationship with an algebraic expression or equation? If so, how?

Applying Systems & Models to the Phenomenon of

_________________________________

1) Describe the system.

2) List the components of the system.

3) Illustrate the system in the space provided, and include any relevant interactions among the components of the system.

4) Describe the boundary of the system and any inputs and outputs of matter and energy.

Model the System

Adapted from: George Stickel

Applying Matter & Energy to the Phenomenon of _____________

1) Describe the process and complete the inputs and outputs above.

2) Does your evidence show that matter and energy were conserved? If not, how can you account for this?

3) How is the movement of matter connected to the flow of energy in this process?

4) How are energy and matter transformed during this process?

Adapted from: http://www.pathwaysproject.kbs.msu.edu/?page_id=51

Applying Structure & Function to the Phenomenon of _________________________________

1) Describe the phenomenon.

4) How will this structure- function relationship help you explain the phenomenon?

2) Draw and label the structure, including any important subcomponents or material properties.

3) Explain how the function of the system depends on the structure and properties of the components.

Applying Stability & Change to the Phenomenon of

_________________________________

1) Describe the system & complete the flowchart.

2) Over what timescale does the system change?

3) Under what conditions is the system stable?

4) Under what conditions does the system change?

Describe Component A

Describe Component B

Describe Connection 1

(Exists? +/-? Mechanism?)

Describe Connection 2

(Exists? +/-? Mechanism?)