An accessible, engaging primer on the eight science practices at the heart of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), providing K—8 instructional leaders with the grounding they need to ensure excellent science instruction in every classroom. The NGSS reconceptualize science instruction by redefining the teacher as someone who helps students construct their own knowledge by "thinking like scientists" and engaging in discrete science practices. However,...

Where is U.S. secondary-level science education heading today? That's the question that The Essentials of Science, Grades 7-12 sets out to answer. Over the last century, U.S. science classes have consistently relied on lectures, textbooks, rote memorization, and lab demonstrations. But with the onset of NCLB-mandated science testing and increased concern over the United States' diminishing global stature in science and technology, public pressure...

"Details how to use snack packages in projects that demonstrate scientific principles"--