Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Crosscutting Concepts are woven together to empower students to experience science as an interrelated world of inquiry, rather than static and separate sets of science concepts.
Benefits of three-dimensional science instruction
What is three-dimensional science?
Middle school students see
that their learning in class is interconnected and applicable to the world around them and are excited to jump into science investigations.
Increases student engagement with complex topics
Students learn to think
scientifically and support claims with evidence by exploring phenomena, conducting investigations, and solving problems.
Enhances scientific and critical thinking skills
Learning through an inquiry-driven foundation of scientific concepts and principles enables middle schoolers to gain confidence in their test-taking abilities, without relying on rote memorization.
Boosts test-taking
confidence
Learn how the three dimensions
work together
In BrainPOP Science, the three dimensions are woven together throughout an investigation, like this one on seed dispersal.
Skills and activities needed to investigate the natural world and to design, build, and test solutions to problems.
Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs)
Fundamental scientific concepts and principles needed to understand the natural world.
Disciplinary Core
Ideas (DCIs)
Overarching themes that cut across all scientific disciplines and connect real-world concepts to one another.
Crosscutting Concepts
(CCCs)
Guiding Question
"Why does fruit have seeds?”
Students explore the structure and function of fruit, seeds, and flowers to provide evidence-based explanations of how animal-mediated seed dispersal supports planet populations.
Investigation Objective
DCIs
Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features for reproduction.
Growth and Development of Organisms
Multiple types of formative assessments check for understanding and include quizzes that mimic high-stakes testing.
Structure and Function
Complex and microscopic structures and systems can be visualized, modeled, and used to describe how their function depends on the shapes, composition, and relationships among its parts, therefore complex natural structures/systems can be analyzed to determine how they function.
Patterns
Graphs, charts, and images can be used to identify patterns in data.
CCCs
Students deepen their understanding of what they are learning by manipulating data comparing the mass and number of seeds in a variety of fruits.
Hear more from BrainPOP Science
Q
How do I get students to be at the center of their own learning in three-dimensional science?
Kick off investigations with a guiding question to spark curiosity. By simply restructuring the order of your lesson, you set inquiry-driven learning in motion and empower students to ask questions while building a strong science foundation.
A
Q
How do I get my students to use three-dimensional science vocabulary in their work?
Q
How do I incorporate phenomena into my three-dimensional science units?
How to get started with
three-dimensional science
Q & A
SEPs
Apply scientific ideas, principles, and/or evidence to construct, revise and/or use an explanation for real-world phenomena, examples, or events.
Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Developing and Using Models
Develop and/or use a model to predict and/or describe phenomena.
To activate inquiry-driven learning, students are introduced to phenomena and answer prompts to connect with prior knowledge.
