Middle School Teachers Can Learn Better Ways to Sequence Science Lessons with a New NSTA Book

ARLINGTON, Va. – Business Wire – Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 6–8: Structuring Lessons With the NGSS in Mind, shows how simple shifts in the way teachers arrange and combine activities can help improve student learning. The new NSTA Press book introduces the “explore-before-explain” method while making it easier to put the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) into practice.

Instructional Sequence Matters discusses two popular approaches for structuring science lessons: POE (Predict, Observe, and Explain) and 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate). The book explains what contemporary research says about sequencing and how you can make the needed changes. Ready-to-teach physical science lessons use either a POE or 5E sequence to cover heat and temperature, magnetism, electric circuits, and force and motion. Detailed examples show how specific aspects of all three dimensions of the NGSS can translate into the classroom.

The book helps both novice teachers and classroom veterans discover the rationale and the real-life examples they need to restructure the hands-on approach they now use.

Browse sample pages of this title for free at the NSTA Science Store website.

For additional information or to purchase a copy of Instructional Sequence Matters, Grades 6–8 and other books from NSTA Press, visit the NSTA Science Store.

Featured

  • New Arizona Fine Arts School Reaches Construction Milestone

    Construction of the new Hilltop School for the Arts and Theater in Litchfield Park, Ariz., recently hit a significant milestone, according to a news release. The Agua Fria High School District held a beam-signing ceremony to celebrate the building’s topping out, or the placement of its last structural beam.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Little Grand Market

    Designing for Belonging: Why Student Wellness Starts with Space

    From walkable site planning to flexible interiors, intentional design choices play a critical role in how students experience comfort, connection, and community.

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.