Pi-WRF and NGSS
The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) cover many different science
disciplines. (More information on NGSS can be found below.) The concepts
of weather and climate cut across most science disciplines, and Pi-WRF is
used to teach weather and climate concepts. Therefore, the Pi-WRF team
uses standards from NGSS to ensure that learners have a firm grasp of
important science concepts.
The NGSS performance expectations and 3-D learning approach help educators teach key science concepts more easily. Therefore, the Pi-WRF team is very proud to build the Pi-WRF teaching boxes with these standards in mind. By using this NGSS approach, Pi-WRF allows educators the flexibility to creatively connect students’ interests and life experiences to the important concepts of weather forecasting and exploration. It is important for both educators and students to understand the complex relationships between the weather and climate domains and other science domains. By using the Pi-WRF teaching boxes, other Pi-WRF activities, and the NGSS learning approach, educators can help students develop a coherent understanding of these relationships.
A key feature of the Pi-WRF application is an interface for analyzing data, and for integrating different types of data. Some of the types of data that Pi-WRF can easily integrate are weather data, climate data, and environmental data such as data on greenhouse gas saturation. Teachers can make use of the real and ideal weather data provided by Pi-WRF to analyze various data and answer scientific questions. However, this is not the extent of Pi-WRF’s analysis capability; notably, it also contains libraries for analysis of tabular data. (Examples of tabular data formats are csv, xlsx, and netcdf.) These features of Pi-WRF allow educators to easily collect data about different weather-related events, and to analyze these data, either independently or in conjunction with weather data.
By using Pi-WRF, educators can introduce students to many concepts of weather and climate science, including:
- Weather, including simulation and modeling
- Reading and understanding maps
- Data analysis and visualization
- Communication of scientific findings
Overview of the Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
The Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS) are designed to standardize expectations for skills and knowledge. Specifically, these standards list the skills and knowledge that K-12 students should be able to apply across various science disciplines. NGSS utilizes a research-based approach to K-12 science education. This approach allows educators to design more creative and engaging learning experiences, and to connect science to the individual interests and everyday life of each student.
NGSS promotes a three-dimensional approach to K-12 science learning, called 3-D learning. This approach utilizes intersections between three elements of learning: (a) Crosscutting Concepts, (b) Science and Engineering Practices, and (c) Disciplinary Core Ideas. These three elements, referred to as dimensions (hence the name “3-D learning”), are integral components of every standard in NGSS. By using these dimensions in science curricula, educators can provide K-12 students with a rich understanding of science concepts.
A brief overview of the components (dimensions) of NGSS 3-D learning can be found below. For more information, please visit the NGSS official website.
Practices: Components of NGSS described as practices define real-world behaviors and engineering techniques. Specifically, only behaviors and techniques adopted by way of scientific investigation and theory can be listed as NGSS practices. Examples of NGSS practices include engineering-based design, scientific inquiry, problem-solving, and computational thinking.
Crosscutting Concepts: NGSS crosscutting concepts are scientific methods and bodies of knowledge that can be applied to any domain of science. These concepts can help students develop a coherent and scientifically sound view of the world. Examples of these concepts are measurement, energy/matter, systems, structure, and function.
Disciplinary Core Ideas: NGSS core ideas are science-related content elements and activities. In order to be considered NGSS core ideas, these elements and activities must have broad implications across various scientific fields, and must also be related to students’ real-life experiences. In addition, NGSS core ideas must meet at least two of these four criteria:
- The idea must have broad importance across multiple science and engineering disciplines.
- The idea must be connected to students’ interests and real-life experiences.
- The idea must be able to be taught and learned across multiple grade levels, and with increasing depth and breadth.
- The idea must provide at least one key tool for investigating more complex ideas, and/or for solving problems.
Finally, NGSS disciplinary core ideas are grouped into four domains:
- Physical sciences
- Earth and space sciences
- Life sciences
- Engineering, technology, and application of science
The Pi-WRF project focuses on the concept of weather research and forecasting, which fits primarily within the Earth and space sciences domain. However, it is important to realize that the impacts of weather research and forecasting cut across all four domains identified above.
The next sections provide NGSS standards for weather science at the middle
and high school levels, along with overviews of the NGSS 3-D learning
approach for each standard, as well as examples of the usage of Pi-WRF in
teaching these concepts.
Note:
As stated above, the concept and implication of weather science cuts across most science disciplines. Therefore, the Pi-WRF team encourages middle and high school educators to explore ways that Pi-WRF can be used to teach concepts relating to NGSS standards in other fields.