Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (Next Gen PET)

We will give an overview of the Next Generation Physical Science and Everyday Thinking (Next Gen PET) curriculum materials, developed specifically for use in physical science courses for prospective elementary teachers. The Next Gen PET materials consist of both in-class activities and online homework extensions that are aligned with the physical science core ideas, science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts of the NGSS. In addition, supplementary sets of activities are available to help students make explicit connections between their own learning, the teaching and learning of elementary children and to address the important skill of designing and carrying out investigations. In this workshop we will discuss three different implementation modes for Next Gen PET (studio, large-class, and hybrid) and look at some classroom video clips that illustrate the structure of a Next Gen PET class. A brief overview will also be given of an adaptation of the pedagogical structure for an algebra-based physics course sequence (LEAP).