Gathering is what scientists (and students) do when they are getting new information about a phenomenon. They could be gathering information from their own investigations, from data from others' investigations, from research, or from models.
Once scientists (and students) have gathered some new information, their next step is reasoning. This involves analyzing data, thinking through what they have gathered, making a claim, or making predictions based on data.
Finally, scientists (and students) have to communicate their findings. This could come in the form of a written or oral argument, a model, or any other presentation mode that fits the nature of what they are trying to communicate.
Brett Moudling, one of the authors of the NGSS, has placed each of the science and engineering practices in one (or more) of these three categories.
Gathering includes
- Obtaining Information
- Asking Questions/Defining Problems
- Planning & Carrying Out Investigations
- Using Models to Gather Data
- Using Mathematics/Computational Thinking
Reasoning includes
- Evaluating Information
- Analyzing Data
- Using Mathematics/Computational Thinking
- Developing Evidence
- Constructing Explanations/Solving Problems
- Using Models to Predict & Develop Evidence
Communicating includes
- Communicating Information
- Arguing from Evidence (written & oral)
- Using Models to Communicate
As you plan lessons that are aligned to the NGSS, think about what the students are doing. Are you purposefully having them gather, reason, and communicate? If the answer is yes, (and it's not because you are having students read a textbook, think about the information, and answer some comprehension questions), then you are on your way to successfully implementing the science and engineering practices. Just make sure that you are utilizing various methods for gathering, reasoning, and communicating.
If the answer is no, then you just need to be deliberate as you plan. Make sure that students are going to be gathering, reasoning, and communicating daily. This one little step can offer big payoffs as we move forward in our implementation of the NGSS.