Water Kit© Connections to: A Framework for K-12 Science Education Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas*

Dimension 1: Scientific and Engineering Practices

1. Asking questions (for science) and defining problems (for engineering)
2. Developing and using models
5. Using mathematics and computational thinking

Dimension 2: Cross-Cutting Concepts

1. Patterns
2. Cause and effect: Mechanism and explanation
3. Scale, proportion, and quantity
4. Systems and system models
5. Energy and matter: Flows, cycles, and conservation
6. Structure and function
7. Stability and change

Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas:

Physical Sciences

PS1: Matter and Its Interactions

PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter
PS1.B: Chemical Reactions

PS2: Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions

PS2.A: Forces and Motion
PS2.B: Types of Interactions
PS2.C: Stability and Instability in Physical Systems

Life Sciences

LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

LS1.A: Structure and Function

LS2: Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS2.A: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems
LS2.B: Cycles of Matter and Energy Transfer in Ecosystems
LS2.C: Ecosystem Dynamics, Functioning, and Resilience

Earth and Space Sciences

ESS2: Earth’s Systems

ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems
ESS2.C: The Roles of Water in Earth’s Surface Processes
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate

ESS3: Earth and Human Activity

ESS3.A: Natural Resources
ESS3.D: Global Climate Change

*The NSTA Reader’s Guide to A Framework for K-12 Science Education, National Research Council (NRC), 2011. A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press.