Project-based learning (PBL) is an instructional approach to science teaching that supports the "Next Generation Science Standards" (Krajcik 2015; NGSS Lead States 2013). In a PBL lesson, students design and solve real-world problems or explain scientific phenomena. Students using a PBL model learn and retain more than those not using…

The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") emphasizes content and scientific practices, but what does this actually look like in a classroom? The "NGSS" integrates scientific and engineering practices with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, merging the three dimensions from "A Framework for K-12 Science…

Reform based curriculum offer a promising avenue to support greater student achievement in science. Yet teachers frequently adapt innovative curriculum when they use them in their own classrooms. In this study, we examine how 19 teachers adapted an inquiry-oriented middle school science curriculum. Specifically, we investigate how teachers'…

Science education standards urge less emphasis on memorizing decontextualized scientific facts and more emphasis on students investigating the everyday world and developing deep understanding from their inquiries. This paper describes work in developing science curriculum materials that support current reform movements. It includes assumptions for…