Science Literacy 

There are many ways to approach NGSS for lesson planning.  Performance expectations can be bundled by topics, or by disciplinary core ideas.  It is ideal to use bundles tailored to Montessori curriculum but their development  will require extensive expertise and resources.  A more feasible approach for classroom teachers is to use those suggested by NGSS which are organized by grade level.  Of course this creates a dilemma for multi-age Montessori classrooms.  Using the same set of expectations for three grade levels puts Montessori students at a disadvantage because they are unlikely to engage with all three domains in their natural progression.  And developing a new set of expectations that are multi-age will again require team of expertise and dedicated resources.

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One way to get around these problems and still create dynamic lessons that are both Montessori and NGSS aligned is to start with a three-year cycle overview of the performance expectations for each science strand.  As you become familiar with three-dimensional learning and assessment, you’ll be able to combine science strands and different practices into your lessons.  Meanwhile the priority is to ensure students engage with all aspects of the three domains (SEP, DCI & CCC) for their grade band.

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For example, in lower elementary there are two NGSS grade bands to consider (K-2 & 3-5).  NGSS concepts and practices are designed to build on each other over the years.  By grade 3, a student is expected to know and apply the K-2 concepts and practices as he is beginning to engage with the higher complexities of the 3-5 band.

It is important to point out performance expectations (PE) are not learning objectives.  They are indicators of what students should be able to do after learning.  In lesson planning you are designing activities that help students learn the science and engineering practices (SEP), the disciplinary core ideas (DCI) and the crosscutting concepts (CCC).  But it is not as simple as making separate exercises for each domain.  Deep learning requires that all three domains are learned and practiced together organically.  That is where phenomenon comes in.  In NGSS Phenomenon is what drives instruction, in the same way that sparking the imagination with stories drives learning in Montessori. 

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1.  Find DCI stated in the PE.  

2. Search for a phenomenon.

3. Choose the SEP and CCC to incorporate. 

4. Unpack and analyze the relevant domain elements to decide on the appropriate learning objectives and corresponding activities.  

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At this stage you’ll need to choose an instructional design model to organize the sequence of lessons and activities.  An effective model and one that is compatible with Montessori is the BSC 5E Model.  It consists of five parts:  Engage, explore, explain, elaborate,  evaluate.  Please refer to the video and the template for detailed explanations.

When planning the lessons and activities it is important to keep in mind not only the NGSS requirements but also Montessori principles.  NGSS assumes science education is applied in a traditional classroom.  Interestingly, the very environment and instructional strategies NGSS requires to succeed are integral part of Montessori education.  However, when planning lessons, Montessori teachers need to pay close attention to these principles so they don't get lost in translation.  

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Learning with NGSS is a cyclical process that mimics how scientists and engineers operate in the real world.   Teaching with NGSS requires close observations of the learning process and continuous fine tuning of lessons and activities to meet individual students' needs.  In both Montessori education and NGSS, evaluation is for the purpose of improving the learning experience and understanding.  Therefore, formative assessments play an important role in the lesson planning.

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Observations and reflections are also critical in improving instruction for the next 3-year cycle.  This is especially true since implementation of NGSS is new in both Montessori and traditional settings.  Reflections help in highlighting what worked and what needs improvement, as well as the need to modify instructions.