Implementation of Next Generation Science Standards Through Museum Geoscience Outreach Program

Abstract:

Museums can play a pivotal role in helping school instructors transition to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), as they can (1) provide large numbers of schools and students access to existing resources and specialized education, (2) implement standards faster as their programming is more focused; and (3) leverage family involvement in learning through their intrinsic informal nature. We present the Rice Mineral Museum’s Family Earth Science Night (FESN), our hands-on earth science outreach program. The program utilizes the educational vision of the NGSS, providing practical activities to engage in core ideas in minerals, rocks, fossils and earth systems and to place these experiences in a crosscutting framework. FESN has already reached 1100 students and families in nine schools in Oregon and Washington during the 2014-2015 academic year.