7 The STEM Road Map

for Grades 9-12

Erin E. Peters-Burton, Padmanabhan
Seshaiyer, Stephen R. Burton, Jennifer
Drake-Patrick, and Carla C. Johnson

Overview of 9-12 STEM Road Map

This chapter will provide a detailed overview of the integrated
STEM Road Map for the high school grade levels 9-12. The STEM
Road Map for grades 9-12 continues to be anchored in the
overarching five STEM themes which include: (a) Cause and
Effect, (b) Innovation and Progress, (c) The Represented World,
(d) Sustainable Systems, and (e) Optimizing the Human
Experience. Each STEM Road Map theme is designed as a five-
week sequence including integrated instruction where the theme
and associated problem or project is implemented across core
content areas. High school teachers may not be as familiar with
integrated content as elementary teachers; therefore, guidance
for ways to integrate different disciplines is included in this
chapter. For the high school level STEM Road Map, we provide a
sample five-week module for 11th grade which includes the
complete module and all instructional and assessment materials
necessary. It is understood that high school teachers have areas
of specialization such as earth science, chemistry, biology, and
physics, in addition to their understanding of science in general.
This is taken into account in designing the STEM Road Map, which
focuses mainly on earth science in 9 th grade, biology in 10th
grade, chemistry in 11th grade, and physics in 12th grade.
However, the curriculum in the STEM Road Map is flexible and
can be moved from year to year based on the need of the
students, teachers, and school organizations.
The STEM Road Map for grades 9-12 is designed to be
delivered in an integrated fashion. High school teachers may take
several approaches to integrating content throughout instruction
such as enlisting colleagues from other disciplines (e.g. science,
social studies, mathematics, language arts) to insert instruction
into the teacher’s lessons or to have colleagues continue to build
the theme through lessons in other classrooms to reinforce
learning.
There are three ways to approach integration at the high
school level, depending on the type of class scheduling offered at
the school. First, if the school schedule is organized by
department and not teams, the teacher integrating the course
can take on the roles of the other content area teachers. For this
approach, some of the curriculum leading up to
 134 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
and including the challenge may need to be streamlined to fit
into a reasonable timeframe. In this first approach, the teacher
doing the course integration must take on the responsibility of
the other content areas. The teacher could also take a second
approach and ask the other content area teachers to guest teach
in his or her classroom. The curriculum leading up to and
including the challenge would also have to be streamlined for this
second approach. The third approach can occur if the school
schedule allows for co-teaching or teamed teaching. In this
approach, all of the content teachers take equal responsibility in
their classes for the curriculum leading up to and including the
challenge.
The STEM Road Map and associated STEM Road Map modules
reflect an integration of Common Core Mathematics, Common
Core English/Language Arts, Next Generation Science Standards,
and the 21st Century Skills Framework and should be delivered
by one lead teacher with other content areas making distinct ties
to the project within their own curriculums as suggested in the
maps and associated modules. Implementation of the STEM Road
Map at the high school level is critical because high school
students are equipped with ample background knowledge and
skills positioning them to make rich contributions and
connections while engaging with Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
scenarios. Working across disciplines enhances students’ ability
to gain deeper conceptual understanding of the content, and the
PBLs encourage students to apply and evaluate their learning
within the context of the real-world STEM projects. Even in the
high school grades (9-12), all content areas (including art and
music) play an important role in the inclusive, integrated STEM
approach.

STEM Themes in the 9-12 STEM Road Map

The five overarching STEM themes continue to be reinforced and
spiraled within the 9-12 STEM Road Map. Cause and Effect is the
real-world STEM theme that consists of the dynamic relationships
between various phenomena in the world. Students in grades 9-
12 will explore formation of the earth, biodiversity, conservation
of matter in the universe, and electromagnetic radiation within
this STEM theme.
Innovation and Progress relate to the various landmark
developments driven by human ingenuity that have moved our
society and understandings forward across generations. At the
high school level, topics in the STEM Road Map within the theme
of Innovation and Progress include erosion and weathering
management, environmental management, designing new
materials, and communications technologies.
The Represented World will take a look at the various models
that humans have developed to make sense of the world around
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 135
them. Students will explore topics including global models and
their uses, modeling ecosystems, modeling energy in chemistry,
and use of models for prediction.
In the Sustainable Systems STEM theme, students will be
engaged in challenges including vital systems of the earth,
survival and reproduction, chemistry of plants, and human
influence on the earth’s energy flow.
The STEM Road Map theme of Optimizing the Human
Experience focuses on innovations that have improved the
quality of life. Students in grades 9-12 will investigate evaluating
human impact on nature, rebuilding the natural environment,
developing and maintaining resources, and natural occurrences
and their impact on humans.
Each of these topics will immerse high school students in an
authentic, problem and project-based curriculum that spans
across traditional content barriers, bringing engineering and
technological design, scientific inquiry, mathematical reasoning
to life through the process of developing potential prototypes for
future innovations. Further, 21st Century Skills such as critical
thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration, information,
and media literacy will be emphasized daily within the STEM
Road Map as students continue to develop their skills in lead-
ership and responsibility for their own learning.
The STEM Road Map 9-12 builds on skills and knowledge
learned in elementary and middle school by including compelling
topics that require analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of
information in order to reach a conclusion. Additionally, the STEM
Road Map 9-12 gives students responsibility for their own
learning and promotes meaningful learning in authentic, relevant
contexts that help students connect their existing knowledge
with new knowledge and skills.

The STEM Road Map for Ninth Grade

In middle school, students learned about Amusement Parks,
Human Impacts on Our Climate, Communication, Global Water
Quality, Natural Hazards, Transportation, Space Travel, Genetic
Disorders, Populations, and Genetically Modified Organisms
(GMOs), Earth on the Move, Medicine, Learning from the Past,
Minimizing our Impact, and The Role of the Sun in Life on Earth.
The skills and knowledge that students acquired through their
work in middle school will continue to be built upon by iteratively
connecting topics to the five themes. In ninth grade, students will
explore STEM Road Map Theme inspired topics that align with
grade-level academic content standards (e.g. Common Core and
Next Generation Science Standards). The topics for ninth grade
include: Formation of the Earth, Erosion and Weathering Man-
agement, Global Models and their Uses, Vital Systems of the
Earth, and Evaluating Human Impact on Nature. Each topic is
 136 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
organized around a challenge/problem or project that student
teams are assigned to tackle in the course of learning necessary
content and skills in the various disciplines (see Table 7.1).

(Continue
d)
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 137
Table 7.1 Ninth-Grade STEM Road Map Themes, Topics, and Problems/
Challenges

STEM Theme Topic Problem/Challenge

Cause and Student teams will create a multi-
Effect media production for use by an
Formation of environmental consulting firm that
the Earth relates how Earth’s internal
processes operate, including
LEAD interactions involving water, to
Science evidence from ancient Earth
materials, meteorites, and other
planetary surfaces to explain how
Earth’s formation and early history
have led to current processes on
the Earth.
Innovation Disruptive
Forces Student teams will use the
and Progress of the Earth computational thinking practice of
pattern recognition to determine
LEAD the long-term effects of their
Social Studies chosen disruptive force challenge.
Teams will engage in research on
erosion and weathering and
propose a management plan,
weighing the costs and benefits of
the long-term implications, and
communicate their ideas through a
policy paper.
The Represented Computer- World Students will research highly
Based Mapping complex topics and synthesize the
for information into a meaningful and
Addressing understandable infographic
Pandemics generated from computer- based
and Global mapping models. In this project,
Challenges students will first explore a myriad
of major global challenges, such as
LEAD pandemics (COVID-19 and SARS),
Science
identifying one global challenge
that they will further research in
detail. Students will use the
computational thinking practice of
abstraction when doing this
research because students must
understand what ancillary
information is and what is core
information. Student teams will
communicate posed solutions to
these problems using computer
modeling to examine ways to
mitigate spread of the virus. After
refining and making meaning from
this information, teams are to
communicate it succinctly in an
infographic.
 138 Erin E. Peters-Burton
Table
et al.7.1 (Continued)
STEM Theme Topic Problem/Challenge

Sustainable Vital Systems of Systems are interconnected and

Systems the Earth often one change can influence the
whole. In this challenge, students
LEAD will be assigned to investigate one
ELA change within the Earth’s surface
system that has had various impacts
associated with it. Students will use
the computational thinking practice
of pattern recognition in this PBL to
identify connections across systems.
Teams will explore this on a local
and global scale and will develop a
documentary video that will detail
the pros and cons of this change.
Optimizing Evaluating Student teams will be challenged to
Human
the Human develop a prototype or a model of a
Experience Impact on Nature technological innovation that could
reduce the impact of human
LEAD activities on natural systems,
Social Studies or including a detailed plan for testing
Science or the prototype and taking the
English/ innovation to market. Students will
Language Arts use the computational thinking
practice of algorithmic thinking
when they learn to apply the criteria
and constraints across different
contexts as they brainstorm and
work through the prototype.

Cause and Effect: Formation of the Earth

By ninth grade, students most likely have formed some ideas about the
early history of the Earth but have not yet connected the theory about
the formation of the Earth to the current processes taking place. In this
project, students will use their prior knowledge of early Earth formation,
but will learn more about the progression of processes such as interac-
tions involving water, erosion, transportation, deposition, convection,
and Earth’s materials to explain how the formation and early history
have led to current processes on the Earth to develop a multimedia pre-
sentation for an environmental consulting firm to foresee how events
and processes affect the Earth’s surface. Students will apply the compu-
tation thinking practice of decomposition in this module by observing
processes of geomorphology and breaking these processes down into
their components (erosion, transportation, deposition). Students will
research how geologists and other Earth science professionals gather
information about very old and very slow phenomena in order to formu-
late and support their claims about the connections between formation
and current processes. Two motivational components are built into
this project: connecting to prior knowledge and designing a
multimedia project for an environmental consulting firm. Not only
will students acquire new knowledge on the topic, but they will also
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 139
learn new skills in communicating the information effectively
through different media such as audio, video, diagrams, and
narrative (see Table 7.2).
Table 7.2 STEM Road Map - Ninth-Grade Cause and Effect Theme: Formation
of the Earth
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS2-1 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
MP1, MP3, MP5, MP6, Reading Standards Themes:
MP8 CCSS.ELA. Global Awareness
RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.2
RI.9-10.7
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-ESS1-2 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-ESS1-6 HSN-VM.B.4b CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
W.9-10.1a. W.9- Creativity and
10.1b, W.9-10.1c, Innovation Critical
W.9-10.1d, W.9- Thinking and
10.1e Problem Solving
W.9-10.2a, W.9- Communication
10.2b, and
W.9-10.2c, W.9- Collaboration
10.2d,
W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f
W.9-10.4
HS-ESS2-1 CCSS.Math.Content. W.9-10.6
HS-ESS2-5 HSN-VM.B.4c Speaking and Information,
Listening Standards Media, and
CCSS.ELA. Technology Skills:
SL.9-10.2 Information
SL.9-10.4 Literacy Media
SL.9-10.5 Literacy ICT
SL.9-10.6 Literacy
HS-ETS-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Language Standards
HSN-VM.B.4a CCSS.ELA.
Life and Career
L.9-10.2
Skills:
L.9-10.6
Flexibility and
Adaptability
Initiative and Self-
Direction Social and
Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility
Innovation and Progress: Disruptive Forces of the Earth
In the Disruptive Forces of the Earth PBL, students will apply what
they learned about erosion, transportation, and deposition of Earth’s
materials from the Cause and Effect PBL. This project is inspired
from conservation organizations around the world and intends to
raise students’ awareness of a little-known problem, the
conservation, and management of the movement of soils to prevent
 140 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
landslides. Erosion, although normally occurring as part of the
natural order, has become detrimental to the environment due to
long-term human impact. Storms that were once harmless now leave
the land damaged and vulnerable. Tourism is affected by rapid sand
erosion from beaches. For example, the state of Delaware must
pump a million pounds of sand back onto the beach each year to
maintain the same size beach. California is facing unprecedented
erosion and is having to build barriers to save houses on the coast.
Rain, which seems harmless enough, has become so acidic in areas
that it wears away statues. The increasing rate of landslides has
stolen nutrients from agricultural environments, which can in turn
cause problems with food distribution. Students will use the
computational thinking practice of pattern recognition to determine
the longterm effects of their chosen issue. Once students research
these and other current problems with erosion and weathering, they
will propose a management plan, weighing the costs and benefits of
the long-term implications, and communicate their ideas through a
policy paper. Writing a policy brief can pose a new challenge for
students because it is a way of writing that may not be familiar;
however, the task can lay the foundation for students to be
advocates for future issues (see Table 7.3).

The Represented World: Computer-Based

Mapping for Addressing Pandemics and Global
Challenges
In the Represented World PBL, students will discover the vast
information about interactions of processes on the Earth and how it
impacts human life. Students will research highly complex topics and
synthesize the information into a meaningful and understandable
infographic generated from computer-based mapping models. In this
project, students will first explore a myriad of major global
challenges, such as pandemics (COVID-19 and SARS), identifying one
global challenge that they will further research in detail. Students
will use the computational thinking practice of abstraction when
doing this research because students must understand what
ancillary information is and what is core information. After finding
causes of the problems based on evidence, students will
communicate posed solutions to these problems using computer
modeling to examine ways to mitigate the spread of the virus. In
analyzing the solutions, students will also need to examine societal
implications, identifying the differences between needs and wants of
different members of society.
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 141
Table 7.3 STEM Road Map - Ninth-Grade Innovation and Progress: Erosion and
Weathering

NGSS Common Core 21st Century

Performance Skills
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS2-3 CCSS.Math.Practices Reading Standards
MP1, MP3 CCSS.ELA. 21st Century
RI.9-10.1 Themes:
RI.9-10.2 Global
RI.9-10.3 Awareness
RI.9-10.4 Environmental
RI.9-10.6 Literacy
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-ETS-2 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards
HSA-CED.A.3 CCSS.ELA.
Learning and
W.9-10.1a., W.9-
Innovation Skills:
10.1b, W.9-10.1c,
Creativity and
W.9-10.1d, W.9-10.1e
Innovation Critical
W.9-10.2a, W.9-
Thinking and
10.2b, W.9-10.2c,
Problem Solving
W.9-10.2d, W.9-
Communication
10.2e, W.9-10.2f W.9-
and
10.4 W.9-10.5 W.9-
Collaboration
10.7 W.9-10.8 W.9-
10.9a,
W.9-10..9b W.9-10.10
HS-PS2-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking and
HSN-CN.B.6 Listening Standards
CCSS.ELA. SL.9-
10.1a, SL.9-10.1b,
SL.9-10.1c, SL.9-
10.1d SL.9-10.2 SL.9- Information, Media,
10.4 and Technology
Language Standards Skills:
CCSS.ELA. Information
L.9-10.1a, L.9-10.1b Literacy Media
L.9-10.2a, L.9-10.2b, Literacy ICT
L.9-10.2c Literacy
L.9-10.3a
SL.9-10.6
Life and Career
Skills:
Flexibility and
Adaptability
Initiative and
Self-Direction
Social and
Cross Cultural
Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility
 142 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
After refining and making meaning from this information, students
are to communicate succinctly in an infographic. Information
graphics or infographics present graphic visual representations of
complex information, data, or knowledge quickly, clearly, and
concisely (see Table 7.4).
Table 7.4 STEM Road Map - Ninth-Grade Represented World: Global Models
and their Uses
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-ESS1-4 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
HS-ESS1-5 MP1, MP2, MP3, MP4, Reading Standards Themes: Global
MP5, MP6, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Awareness Civic
RI.9-10.1 Literacy
RI.9-10.2 Environmental
RI.9-10.3 Literacy
RI.9-10.4
RI.9-10.6
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-ETS-1 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-IF.B.5 CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
W.9-10.2a, W.9- Creativity and
10.2b, W.9-10.2c, Innovation
W.9-10.2d, W.9- Critical Thinking and
10.2e, W.9-10.2f Problem Solving
W.9-10.5 Communication and
W.9-10.6 Collaboration
W.9-10.8
W.9-10.9a,
W.9-10.9b
HS-ESS2-6 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking and Information, Media,
HS-BF.B.4 Listening Standards and Technology
CCSS.ELA. SL.9- Skills:
10.1a, SL.9- 10.1b, Information Literacy
SL.9-10.1c, SL.9- Media Literacy ICT
10.1d SL.9-10.2 Literacy
SL.9-10.4 SL.9-10.5

HS-ESS3-5 CCSS.Math.Content. Language Life and Career

HSN-Q.A.2 Standards Skills: Flexibility and
CCSS.ELA. Adaptability Initiative
L.9-10.3 and Self-Direction
L.9-10.4a-d Social and Cross
L.9-10.5 Cultural Skills
L.9-10.6 Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

Research shows that infographics can improve student cognition by

enhancing students’ abilities to see patterns and trends (Card, 2009;
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 143
Heer, Bostock, & Ogievetsky, 2010).

Sustainable Systems: Vital Systems of the Earth

The ninth-grade students participating in the prior PBLs have gained
valuable knowledge about complex systems including linkages
between the formation of the Earth and current processes, erosion
and weathering impacts on the environment, and cycling of carbon.
The PBL in the Sustainable Systems theme builds on that knowledge
to challenge students to predict future implications when one part of
a surface system on the Earth changes (atmosphere, geosphere,
hydrosphere, biosphere) and the impacts that this has on other
components. Students will use the computational thinking practice
of pattern recognition in this PBL to identify connections across
systems. A broad understanding of systems theory underpins this
work, emphasizing interactions between different subsystems and
humans. To accomplish this task, students must first find all parts of
the system and how they interact, then predict the interaction
effects of the system on other components over a progression of
time, as well as the feedback systems that are cyclic in the system.
Students will demonstrate what they know about spacial and
temporal scale by completing the PBL scenario of creating a
documentary detailing the pros and cons of the interactions (see
Table 7.5).

Optimizing the Human Experience: Evaluating

Human Impact on Nature
The PBL for Optimizing the Human Experience theme, Evaluating Hu-
man Impact on Nature, again extends the knowledge discovered in
the PBLs from the prior themes’ PBL experiences. However, this PBL
poses a different challenge that involves the engineering design
process, which is defined in this chapter by the NASA model
(National Aeronautic and Space Administration, 2014). Now that
students have proficient knowledge in the systems on Earth, how
they interact, how one change might influence other changes, and
how to communicate complex information in an understandable
way, students will be compelled in this PBL to pose a real solution
and implement the solution in a societal context. Students will work
in teams to identify a problem regarding the negative impact of
human activities on natural systems. Then, they will identify criteria
and constraints, brainstorm possible solutions, generate ideas,
explore possibilities, select an approach, and build a prototype or
model of a technological innovation that can help solve this
program. Students will use the computational thinking practice of
algorithmic thinking when they learn to apply the criteria and
constraints across different contexts
 144 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et7.5
Table al.STEM Road Map - Ninth-Grade Sustainable Systems: Vital Systems of
the Earth
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS3-1 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century Themes:
MP1, MP3, MP8 Reading Standards: Global Awareness Civic
CCSS.ELA. Literacy Environmental
RI.9-10.1 Literacy
RI.9-10.2
RI.9-10.3
RI.9-10.4
RI.9-10.6
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-LS1-6 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and Innovation
HSA-REI.A.1 CCSS.ELA. W.9- Skills:
10.1a. W.9- 10.1b, Creativity
W.9-10.1c, W.9- and
10.1d, W.9-10.1e Innovation
W.9-10.2a, W.9- Critical Thinking and
10.2b, W.9-10.2c, Problem Solving
W.9-10.2d, W.9- Communication and
10.2e, W.9-10.2f Collaboration
W.9-10.4 W.9-10.5
W.9-10.7 W.9-10.8
W.9-10.9a, W.9-
10.9b W.9-10.10

HS-LS2-5 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking and Information, Media, and

HS-IF.C.7c Listening Standards Technology Skills:
CCSS.ELA. SL.9- Information Literacy
10.1a, SL.9- 10.1b, Media Literacy ICT
SL.9-10.1c, SL.9- Literacy
10.1d SL.9-10.2 SL.9-
10.4 SL.9-10.6

HS-ESS2-2 CCSS.Math.Content. Language Standards Life and Career Skills:

HS-ESS2-3 HSA-CED.A.4 CCSS.ELA. L.9-10.1a, Flexibility and
HS-ESS2-7 L.9-10.1b L.9-10.2a, Adaptability Initiative
L.9-10.2b, L.9-10.2c and Self-Direction Social
L.9-10.3a and Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

HS-ETS-1

as they brainstorm and work through the prototype. They will

design how they might go about testing their product to ensure
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 145
proof-of-concept and redesign based on the results of their
testing. Finally, when students choose a variation of their
innovation that balances benefits and risks, then they must
design a way to market the innovation and convince the general
public to use the innovation (see Table 7.6).
Table 7.6 STEM Road Map - Ninth-Grade Optimizing the Human Experience:
Evaluating Human Impact on Nature
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-ESS3-4 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
MP1, MP3, MP5, MP6, Reading Standards Themes: Global
MP7, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Awareness
RI.9-10.1 Financial, Economic,
RI.9-10.2 Business, and
RI.9-10.3 Entrepreneurial
RI.9-10.4 Literacy Civic
RI.9-10.6 Literacy
RI.9-10.8 Environmental
RI.9-10.10 Literacy
HS-LS4-6 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-BF.B.3 CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
W.9-10.2a, W.9-10.2b, Creativity and
W.9-10.2c, W.9-10.2d, Innovation Critical
W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f Thinking and
W.9-10.5 W.9-10.6 Problem Solving
W.9-10.8 Communication and
W.9-10.9a, W.9-10.9b Collaboration

HS-ETS-4 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking and Information, Media,

HS-BF.A.1 Listening Standards and Technology
CCSS.ELA. SL.9-10.1a, Skills:
SL.9- 10.1b, SL.9- Information Literacy
10.1c, SL.9-10.1d Media Literacy ICT
SL.9-10.2 SL.9-10.4 Literacy
SL.9-10.5

Language Standards
CCSS.ELA.
Life and Career
L.9-10.3
Skills: Flexibility and
L.9-10.4a-d
Adaptability
L.9-10.5
Initiative and Self-
L.9-10.6
Direction Social and
Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility
Sample STEM Careers in the Ninth-Grade STEM Road Map
Ninth grade is an ideal time for students to explore career
possibilities. The website, O*Net Online
(www.onetonline.org), based on the US Department of
Labor statistics, is a valuable tool to learn about career options.
146 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.website explores a wide range of occupations and shows
The
types of tasks the professionals are expected to perform, skills
and education needed, the tools and technologies used in the
field, work styles that best suit the profession, and the wage and
employment trends for the occupation. Occupations can be
searched on this site by keyword, career cluster, industry, level
of education and experience (Job Zone), amount of expected
growth of the industry (Bright Outlook), jobs in the green
economy sector, groups of occupations based upon work
performed, or by STEM discipline. A key word search of “Earth
systems” brings up 544 occupations; the most relevant listed as
Earth drillers (except oil and gas), atmospheric, Earth, marine,
and space science teachers, geographers (bright outlook
indication), geoscientists (green job), and construction laborers
(bright outlook and green job).

The STEM Road Map for Tenth Grade

In the tenth grade, students will continue to explore STEM Road
Map Theme inspired topics that align with grade-level academic
content standards (e.g. Common Core and Next Generation
Science Standards). The topics for the tenth grade include:
Healthy Living, Environmental Management, Modeling
Ecosystems, Survival and Reproduction, and Rebuilding the
Natural Environment. Each topic is organized around a
challenge/problem or project that student teams are assigned to
tackle in the course of learning necessary content and skills in
the various disciplines (see Table 7.7).

Cause and Effect: Healthy Living

As Americans, we are bombarded with information about living a
healthier lifestyle daily through advertisements, the news,
magazines, and food labels. Sometimes, this information is
conflicting and at many times, confusing. In order to become
more informed citizens, students are going to look at living a
healthy lifestyle in a way that is not common, by looking at
healthy living at a cellular level. In this project, students can
research at the cellular level why healthy eating and exercise
result in optimal conditions for health. Students can explore why
certain plant, animal, and industry-produced foods can be either
healthy or unhealthy. Students can examine whole organism
metabolism from a cellular perspective, reflecting on how
exercise is beneficial in a healthy lifestyle. Students will use the
computational thinking practice of decomposition when they
examine the whole organism and break down the parts of
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 147
Table 7.7 Tenth-Grade STEM Road Map Themes, Topics, and Problems/
Challenges
STEM Theme Topic Problem/Challenge
Cause and Healthy Living Student teams will address the problem of
Effect obesity in the United States though
LEAD Science conducting research, interviewing key
or English/ stakeholders locally, and developing a
Language Arts video documentary and associated print
materials to promote healthy living habits.
Teams will present their work to local city
or county officials in an effort to inform
policy.
Innovation and Resource Student teams will design methods to keep
Progress Management track of the relationships of management of
natural resources, sustaining human, plant,
LEAD and animal populations, and maintaining
Science biodiversity. Students can use a range of
tools to help them computationally manage
the resources, from an electronic
spreadsheet to designing a simulation,
embracing the computational thinking
aspect of automation.
Represented Modeling Design, build, test, and rebuild a self-
World Ecosystems sustaining ecosystem accompanied with a
video that presents how complex
LEAD interactions in the ecosystem are as well as
Science the fragility of the ecosystem. Students will
use the computational thinking practice of
pattern recognition to seek commonalities
and uniqueness within their chosen
ecosystem.
Sustainable Survival and Student teams are challenged to create
Systems Reproduction an app (or storyboard for the app) based on
probability and statistics that models the
LEAD phenomena that organisms with an
Mathematics advantageous heritable trait tend to
increase in proportion to organisms lacking
the trait. Students will use the computation
thinking practice of algorithmic thinking to
apply the logic of statics to the lineage of
their organism.
Optimizing Rebuilding Student teams are challenged to create a
Human the Natural new renewable energy company with a
Experience Environment specific focus on an innovative way to
create energy in a cost-effective manner.
LEAD Teams will research current renewable
Social Studies sources of energy then design and pitch a
or Science company that will provide an innovative
renewable energy product. Teams will need
to create a model for the change in energy
consumption in the United States or the
world if your company is successful.

that system into components at the cellular level. Students can

find out why certain plants are healthy for us to eat while others
148 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
are poisonous (these plants are often in the same genus) as well
as finding out what the food industry creates and how that might
affect the animals and us involved on a cellular level. Students
will continue their extensive research on this subject by
interviewing key stakeholders locally such as school nutritionists
or doctors. To summarize all of the findings in a coherent way,
students will communicate what they have learned through a
documentary and associated print materials that espouse the
practices they have found. Students will present their final
products to local officials in an effort to inform policy (see Table
7.8). This module has been published in 2020 by NSTA Press.
See https://my.nsta.org/resource/121548.

Innovation and Progress: Resource Management

Managing resources is a life skill that all students can learn and
refine and can be applied to a range of topics from core
academic ones such as using natural resources to daily
household topics such as saving for college. In this project,
students will design methods to keep track of the relationships
of management of natural resources, sustaining human, plant,
and animal populations, and maintaining biodiversity. Students
can use a range of tools to help them computationally manage
the resources, from an electronic spreadsheet to designing a
simulation, embracing the computational thinking aspect of
automation. An example scenario can entail an opportunity
where a small wetland conservation organization has an interest
in stopping the development of a four-lane highway bridge over
the wetland. In doing so, the organization must first develop an
inventory of what is sustained in the wetland and how the
systems work to sustain life and the environment. The
organization must then also determine what portions of the
systems that are maintained will be affected and determine the
short and long-term implications of building the highway.
Teachers are encouraged to partner with local conservation
organizations and ask professionals in the organization to come
and hear the presentations of the students. In enlisting local
community members to evaluate the students’ work
authentically, students may become engaged and volunteer for
conservation management activities outside of the classroom
(see Table 7.9).

Represented World: Modeling Ecosystems

According to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report of the United
Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2014)
citing over 6,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies, increasing
global temperature means that ecosystems will change.
Lessened snow cover, receding glaciers, rising sea levels, and
weather changes influence ecosystems, causing some species to
be forced out of their habitats, while other species flourish. In
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 149
this PBL,
 150 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
Table 7.8 STEM Road Map - Tenth-Grade Cause and Effect:
Healthy Living
NGSS Common Core 21st Century
Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-LS1-1 CCSS.Math.Practice Reading Standards 21st Century
HS-LS1-7 s MP1, MP3, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Themes: Health
RI.9-10.1 Literacy
RI.9-10.2 Environmental
RI.9-10.3 Literacy
RI.9-10.4
RI.9-10.5
RI.9-10.6
RI.9-10.7
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.9
RI.9-10.10
Writing Standards
HS-ETS-4 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
CCSS.ELA.
HS-BF.B.4a Innovation Skills:
W.9-10.1a. W.9-
CCSS.Math.Content. Creativity and
10.1b, W.9-10.1c,
HS-BF.B.4b Innovation
W.9-10.1d, W.9-
CCSS.Math.Content. Critical Thinking and
10.1e
HS-BF.B.4c Problem Solving
W.9-10.2a, W.9-
Communication and
10.2b,
Collaboration
W.9-10.2c, W.9-
10.2d,
W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f
W.9-10.3a, W.9-
10.3b,
W.9-10.3c, W.9-
10.3d,
W.9-10.3e
W.9-10.4
W.9-10.5
W.9-10.6
HS-LS2-3 CCSS.Math.Content. W.9-10.7 Information, Media,
HS-SSE.A.1 W.9-10.8 and Technology
CCSS.Math.Content. W.9-10.9a, W.9- Skills:
HS-SSE.A.1a 10.9b W.9-10.10 Information Literacy
Speaking and Media Literacy ICT
Listening Standards Literacy
CCSS.ELA. Life and Career
Language
SL.9-10.2 Skills: Flexibility and
Standards
SL.9-10.3 Adaptability
CCSS.ELA.
L.9-10.3 Initiative and Self-
L.9-10.4a-d Direction Social and
L.9-10.5 Cross Cultural Skills
L.9-10.6 Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility
The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 151
 152 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
Table 7.9 STEM Road Map - Tenth-Grade Innovation and Progress:
Environmental Management
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts

HS-ESS3-3 CCSS.Math.Practices Reading Standards 21st Century

MP1, MP2, MP3, CCSS.ELA. Themes:
MP4, MP5, MP6, RI.9-10.1 Global Awareness
MP7, MP8 RI.9-10.2 Health Literacy
RI.9-10.3 Environmental
RI.9-10.4 Literacy
RI.9-10.6
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-ETS-1 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-LE.A.1b CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
CCSS.Math.Content. W.9-10.2a, W.9-10.2b, Creativity and
HS-LE.A.1c W.9-10.2c, W.9-10.2d, Innovation
W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f Critical Thinking
W.9-10.5 and Problem
W.9-10.6 Solving
W.9-10.8 Communication
W.9-10.9a, W.9-10.9b andCollaboration
CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking and Information,
HS-LE.A.2 Listening Standards Media, and
CCSS.ELA. Technology
SL.9-10.1a, SL.9- Skills:
Information
10.1b, SL.9-10.1c, Literacy
SL.9-10.1d Media Literacy
SL.9-10.2 ICT Literacy
SL.9-10.4
SL.9-10.5
CCSS.Math.Content. Language Standards Life and Career
HS-CED.A.1 CCSS.ELA. Skills:
L.9-10.3 Flexibility and
L.9-10.4a-d Adaptability
L.9-10.5 Initiative and
L.9-10.6 Self-Direction
Social and
Cross
Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

students will create a short documentary about the complex

interactions in a chosen ecosystem and explain how the trends of
current changes, if unchecked, can lead to a new ecosystem.
Students will use the computational thinking practice of pattern
recognition to seek commonalities and uniqueness within their
chosen ecosystem. Some examples of ecosystem changes include
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 153
terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity where warming of 3°C,
relative to 1990 levels, it is likely that global terrestrial
vegetation would become a net source of carbon and a 4°C
increase globally would lead to major extinctions (Schneider et
al., 2007); marine ecosystems and biodiversity where a warming
of 2°C above 1990 levels would result in mass mortality of coral
reefs globally (Schneider et al., 2007); and freshwater
ecosystems where a 4°C increase in global mean temperature
by 2100 (relative to 1990-2000) would cause the extinction of
many species of freshwater fish (Schneider et al., 2007).
Producing a documentary allows students to be creative while
still convincing an audience of a change in ecosystems based on
empirical data. Students will acquire yet another style of
communication through writing narrative scripts for the video
and learn to associate images with words and use graphs
effectively to communicate change (see Table 7.10).

Sustainable Systems: Survival and Reproduction

In the Age of Information, we deal with making sense of large
amounts of information that is constantly streamed through
media outlets available 24 hours a day. Students have the world
of information at their fingertips by performing an electronic
data search of anything they desire through their smart phone or
computer. Being able to interpret statistics is a key part of
making sense of the information we receive in the modern world.
For example, people use statistics to interpret weather forecasts,
predict disease and emergency situations, making health and
medical decisions, engaging in political campaigns, considering
insurance options, and making decisions on consumer choices.
In this PBL, students will gain skills in probability and statistics by
using this basis to design an app or a storyboard of an app that
mimics the phenomena that organisms with advantageous
heritable traits tend to increase in proportion to those lacking
the trait. Students will use the computation thinking practice of
algorithmic thinking to apply the logic of statics to the lineage of
their organism. In doing so, students must first learn about the
types of traits that might be advantageous regarding group
behavior, individual behavior, and/or environmental factors.
Then, students will apply this knowledge to develop a systematic
and logical app (or storyboard for an app) that utilizes this
knowledge and how the trait might affect populations over time
(see Table 7.11).

Optimizing the Human Experience: Rebuilding the

Natural Environment
The inclusion of the category of “Green Economy Sector” in The
O*- Online Data Base (2014) is a strong indication that future
businesses will need to consider not only their financial progress
but also their positive contributions to the human experience,
 154 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
including careers that focus on rebuilding the natural
environment. In this PBL, students will connect to their prior
knowledge about energy production and the effects
Table 7.10 STEM Road Map - Tenth-Grade Represented World: Modeling
Ecosystems
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-LS2-1 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
HS-LS2-2 MP1, MP3, MP8 Reading Standards
CCSS.ELA. Themes: Global
HS-LS2-4 Awareness Civic
HS-LS2-6 RI.9-10.1
RI.9-10.2 Literacy Health
RI.9-10.7 Literacy
RI.9-10.8 Environmental
RI.9-10.10 Literacy
HS-LS3-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
HS-BF.A.2 Innovation Skills:
Creativity and
Writing Standards
Innovation Critical
CCSS.ELA. W.9-
Thinking and
10.1a. W.9- 10.1b,
Problem
W.9-10.1c, W.9-
Solving
10.1d, W.9-10.1e
Communication and
W.9-10.2a, W.9-
Collaboration
10.2b, W.9-10.2c,
W.9-10.2d, W.9-
10.2e, W.9-10.2f
W.9-10.4 W.9-10.6
W.9-10.8 W.9-10.10
HS-ETS-4 CCSS.Math.Content.
HS-SSE.B.3 Speaking Standards Information, Media,
CCSS.ELA. and Technology
SL.9-10.2 Skills:
SL.9-10.4 Information Literacy
SL.9-10.5 Media Literacy ICT
SL.9-10.6 Literacy
Language Standards Life and Career
CCSS.ELA. Skills: Flexibility and
L.9-10.2 Adaptability
L.9-10.6 Initiative and Self-
Direction Social and
Cross
Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and Responsibility

of this process on the natural environment to create innovations

in renewable sources of energy based on research evidence in a
cost-effective way. Various skills from different academic
disciplines are integrated into this PBL by requiring the students
to design a company based on their innovative idea and to
develop a pitch for the marketability of the company, focusing on
how the innovation will optimize human experiences while being
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 155
mindful of the natural environment. Students will use
 152 Erin E. Peters-Burton et al.
Table 7.11 STEM Road Map - Sustainable Systems: Survival and
Reproduction
NGSS Common 21st Century
Core Skills
Performance Language
Objectives Mathematics Arts

HS-LS1-2 CCSS.Math.Practices Reading Standards 21st Century

HS-LS1-3 MP1, MP2, MP3, CCSS.ELA. Themes: Global
HS-LS1-4 MP4, MP5, MP6, RI.9-10.1 Awareness
MP7, MP8 RI.9-10.2 Environmental
RI.9-10.3 Literacy
RI.9-10.4
RI.9-10.6
RI.9-10.8
RI.9-10.10
HS-LS2-8 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HSS-ID.A.1, CCSS. CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
Math.Content. W.9-10.2a, W.9- Creativity and
HSS-ID.A.2 10.2b, W.9-10.2c, Innovation
CCSS.Math.Content. W.9-10.2d, W.9- Critical Thinking and
HSS-ID.A.3 10.2e, W.9-10.2f Problem Solving
CCSS.Math.Content W.9-10.5 Communication and
. W.9-10.6
Collaboration
HSS-ID.A.4 W.9-10.8
W.9-10.9a,
W.9-10.9b
Speaking
HS-LS4-1 CCSS.Math.Content. Standards Information, Media,
HS-LS4-3 HSS-ID.B.5 CCSS. CCSS.ELA. SL.9- and Technology
Math.Content. 10.1a, SL.9- 10.1b, Skills:
HSS-ID.B.6 SL.9-10.1c, SL.9- Information
CCSS.Math.Content 10.1d SL.9-10.2 Literacy Media
. SL.9-10.4 SL.9- Literacy ICT
HSS-ID.B.6a CCSS. 10.5 Literacy
Math.Content. Language
HSS-ID.B.6b Standards Life and Career
HS-ETS-3 CCSS.Math.Content. CCSS.ELA. Skills: Flexibility and
HSA-SSE.B4 L.9-10.3 Adaptability
L.9-10.4a-d Initiative and Self-
L.9-10.5 Direction Social and
L.9-10.6 Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

the computational thinking practice of abstraction to cull out the

unnecessary or extraneous information to present only the
critical information. Further, students will have to use predictive
skills to consider how their innovation will affect energy
consumption and the implications of this consumption over a
long period of time. In effect, students will be
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 153
thinking about making the world a better place, being able to
make a career from this idea, and finding ways to sustain
progress and conservation in the same effort (see Table 7.12).

Table 7.12 STEM Road Map - Tenth-Grade Optimizing the Human

Experience: Rebuilding the Natural Environment

NGSS Common Core 21st Century

Performance Skills
Objectives Mathematics Language
Arts
HS-PS3-3 CCSS.Math.PracticeReading Standards 21st Century
s MP1, MP3, MP5, CCSS.ELA. Themes: Global
MP6, MP7, MP8 RI.9-10.1 Awareness
RI.9-10.2 Financial, Economic,
RI.9-10.3 Business, and
RI.9-10.4 Entrepreneurial
RI.9-10.6 Literacy Civic
RI.9-10.8 Literacy
RI.9-10.10 Environmental
Writing Standards Literacy
HS-LS2-7 CCSS.Math.Content.
HS-BF.A.la CCSS.ELA. Learning and
W.9-10.1a. W.9- Innovation Skills:
10.1b, W.9-10.1c, Creativity and
W.9-10.1d, W.9- Innovation
10.1e Critical Thinking and
W.9-10.2a, W.9- Problem Solving
10.2b, Communication and
W.9-10.2c, W.9- Collaboration
10.2d,
W.9-10.2e, W.9-10.2f
W.9-10.4
W.9-10.5
W.9-10.7
W.9-10.8
HS-ETS-3 W.9-10.9a, W.9- Information, Media,
10.9b W.9-10.10 and Technology
Speaking Standards Skills:
CCSS.ELA. SL.9- Information Literacy
10.1a, SL.9-10.1b, Media Literacy ICT
SL.9-10.1c, SL.9- Literacy
10.1d SL.9-10.2 SL.9- Life and Career
10.4 Skills: Flexibility and
Language Standards Adaptability
CCSS.ELA- Initiative and Self-
Literacy.L.9-10.1a-b, Direction Social and
L.9-10.2a-c, L.9- Cross Cultural Skills
10.3a, SL.9-10.6 Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility
 154 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al. STEM Careers in the Tenth-Grade STEM Road Map
Sample
As mentioned previously, the inclusion of the categories of “Green
Economy Sector” and “STEM Discipline” fields on the opening page of
the O*Online occupations data base (2014) is a strong indication that
these types of jobs are going to be central to a tenth-grader’s career
in the future. Categories of jobs listed under Green Economy Sector
include Agriculture and Forestry, Energy and Carbon Capture and
Storage, Energy Efficiency, Energy Trading, Environment Protection,
Government and Regulatory Administration, Green Construction,
Manufacturing, Recycling and Waste Reduction, Renewable and
Energy Generation, Research, Design and Consulting Services, and
Transportation. STEM Discipline occupations on the website include
Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Science,
Geosciences, Mathematics, Life Sciences, and Physics/Astronomy.
Researching the tasks, abilities, and education needed for these
occupations has potential to motivate students to see that the study
of integrated fields and learning through PBL can help them prepare
for careers of the future. Teachers can scaffold these understandings
for students by demonstrating how the learning tasks students are
performing in the PBLs are identical to the list of tasks and abilities
recognized by the Department of Labor to be successful in the various
STEM fields.

The STEM Road Map for 11th Grade

The 11th-grade year will engage students in exploring STEM Road
Map Theme generated topics that also align with grade-level
academic content standards (e.g. Common Core and Next Generation
Science Standards) which include: Standing on the Shoulders of
Giants, Construction Materials, Radioactivity, Green Building
Rooftops, and Mineral Resources. Each of these topics is organized
around a challenge/problem or project that student teams are
assigned to tackle in the course of learning necessary content and
skills in the various disciplines (see Table 7.13).

Cause and Effect: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

The phrase “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants” is attributed to
Isaac Newton when he was giving a speech to the Academies, “If I
have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.”
However, the metaphor was first recorded in the 12th century and
attributed to Bernard of Chartres (Merton, 1965). Regardless, the
meaning remains the same and refers to building your work on the
work of others and is an acknowledgement that even the most unique
work has a foundation in others’ ideas. Traditional textbooks rarely
refer to how scientists build from other work and often communicate
the contrary that scientists think of
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 155
Table 7.13 Eleventh-Grade STEM Road Map Themes, Topics, and
Problems/ Challenges
STEM Theme Topic Problem/Challenge

Cause and Standing on Student teams are challenged to create a

Effect the Shoulders museum display prototype that explains
of Giants how chemists, beginning with Galileo
Galilei, have discovered the world around
LEAD
Social Sudies them including patterns of chemical
properties, creation of the periodic table,
rates of reactions, and large-scale
production of chemicals in modern day.
Conclude the book with proposals about
how chemistry may create better living
Innovation conditions in the future.
Construction Student teams are challenged to use
and
Progress Materials knowledge of molecular-level structure to
examine the collapse of the World Trade
LEAD Center twin towers and develop a proposal
Science and prototype for new or improved building
materials that could be incorporated into
the design of future high-rise buildings in
US cities.
Represented Radioactivity Student teams will be challenged to
World construct a scale model of the atom
LEAD (virtually or physically) that will illustrate
Mathematics fission, fusion, and radioactive decay.
Teams will also prepare a persuasive essay
indicating potential future uses or dangers
of the energy sources.
Sustainable Rooftop Student teams will work together to plan
Systems Gardening and implement a rooftop mini garden in
their community. This project will include
LEAD securing sponsors for the mini garden,
Social Studies/ developing a business model to sustain the
Science work and constructing a marketing plan to
make the products available to families in
the community. Students will use the
computational thinking practice of
abstraction when they do research to
separate out the essential information from
the noise. A key component of this work will
be developing the green plan.
Optimizing Mineral Student teams will develop an op-ed article
Human Resources for a local publication or website that will
Experience evaluate competing design solutions for
LEAD Science developing, managing, and utilizing mineral
English/ resources based on cost-benefit ratios with
Language Arts both qualitative and quantitative criteria.
Student teams will use the computational
thinking practice of abstraction to focus on
the key information to communicate.
 156 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
ideas just from a stroke of brilliance (e.g. Newton being hit on the
head with an apple and conjuring the law of gravitation in an
afternoon). The intention of this PBL is to help students to see how
ideas continue to be elaborated by continuing research over time by
having students create a prototype of an interactive museum
installation that explains the progression of ideas about the nature of
matter. The product, an interactive museum display, gives students
enough latitude to have technical detail, while still needing to be
scaled down from their own work, thus giving students an opportunity
to synthesize their own research. Students will use the computational
thinking practice of decomposition to break down the different
components of a museum display and the role of each component.
The museum installation topics begin with Galileo Galilei, then
proceeds through various experiments with chemical properties of
matter, creation of the periodic table, rates of reactions, gas laws, and
large-scale production of chemicals in modern day. The objective for
students is to link the ideas that are traditionally presented as singu-
lar genius events, thus demonstrating that everyone is capable of
being a scientist and that scientists work as collaborators. The book
should conclude with proposals about how chemistry may create
better living conditions in the future, which requires students to think
about how the past informs the future (see Table 7.14).

Innovation and Progress: Construction Materials

In our busy modern world, it is easy to overlook the building blocks of
the magnificent engineering feats such as bridges, roadways, and the
various materials used in constructing buildings of all shapes and
sizes. The purpose of this PBL is to guide students to learn about how
construction materials are made, the specifications that are necessary
in different types of construction, and why these materials work the
way they do at a molecular level through an investigation of the
collapse of the World Trade Center twin towers. The field of structural
materials science is a robust one, and recent movements in the field
are rapidly developing in biomaterials (Boom time for Biomaterials,
2009). In addition to building awareness of engineering achievements
and learning about new advances in materials science, students will
also learn about how failures inform future work, particularly in
engineering, by using the computational thinking practice of pattern
recognition as they look at how different failed engineering designs
led to innovations. The proposal format of the product of this PBL will
assist in building student skills in technical writing and should include
detailed and coherent information, allowing for some creativity while
still upholding rigorous accuracy in describing the natural (science
and mathematics) and designed (engineering and technology) world
(see Table 7.15). This module has been published in 2017 by NSTA
Press. See https://my.nsta.org/resource/110052.
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 157
Table 7.14 STEM Road Map - 11th-Grade Cause and Effect: Standing on the
Shoulders of Giants
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts

HS-PS1-2 CCSS.Math.PracticesReading 21st Century

HS-PS1-5 MP1, MP2, MP3, Standards Themes:
HS-PS1-6 MP4, MP5, MP6, CCSS.ELA. Global
MP7, MP8 RI.11-12.1 Awareness Civic
RI.11-12.2 Literacy
RI.11-12.3
RI.11-12.4
RI.11-12.5
RI.11-12.7
RI.11-12.8
RI.11-12.10
HS-ESS1-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
HSN-Q.A.1 Writing Standards
Innovation Skills:
CCSS.ELA.
Creativity and
W.11-12.1a-e
Innovation Critical
W.11-12.2a-f
Thinking and
W.11-12.3a-e
Problem Solving
W.11-12.4
Communication
W.11-12.5
and
W.11-12.6
Collaboration
W.11-12.7
W.11-12.8
W.11-12.9a-b
W.11-12.10
HS-ETS-1 Speaking Information, Media,
Standards and Technology
CCSS.ELA. Skills:
SL11-12.1a-e Information
SL11-12.2 Literacy Media
SL11-12.5 Literacy ICT
Language Literacy
Standards Life and Career
CCSS.ELA. Skills: Flexibility
L.11-12.1a-b and Adaptability
L.11-12.2a-b Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.3a Direction Social and
L.11-12.4a-e Cross Cultural Skills
L.11-12.5a-b Productivity and
L.11-12.6 Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

Represented World: Radioactivity

Radioactivity has been a subject of interest in developing clean en-
ergy sources since the early 1930s. Fission is widely used in
thermonuclear power generation, although there are serious
complications with
 158 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
Table 7.15 STEM Road Map - 11th-Grade Innovation and Progress:
Construction Materials
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS2-6 CCSS.Math.Practices
MP1, MP2, MP3, MP4, Reading Standards 21st Century
MP5, MP6, MP7, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Themes:
RI.11-12.1 Global Awareness
RI.11-12.2 Financial, Economic,
RI.11-12.3 Business, and
RI.11-12.4 Entrepreneurial
RI.11-12.5 Literacy
RI.11-12.7 Environmental
RI.11-12.8 Literacy
HS-ETS-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-LE.B.5 CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
W.11-12.1a, W.11- Creativity and
12.b, W.11-12.1c, Innovation Critical
W.11- 12.1d, W.11- Thinking and
12.1e W.11-12.2a, Problem Solving
W.11- 12.2b, W.11- Communication and
12.2c, W.11-12.2d, Collaboration
W.11- 12.2e, W.11-
CCSS.Math.Content. 12.2f
Speaking Standards Information, Media,
HSA-CED.A.2 CCSS.ELA. and Technology
SL.11-12.1a, SL.11- Skills:
12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Information Literacy
SL.11-12.1d Media Literacy ICT
SL.11-12.2 Literacy
SL.11-12.3
SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5
SL.11-12.6
Language Standards Life and Career
CCSS.ELA. Skills: Flexibility and
L.11-12.1a Adaptability
L.11-12.4 Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.5 Direction Social and
L.11-12.6 Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

containment and waste that still need to be worked through.

Fusion has been the focus of famous projects such as the
Manhattan Project, and although research has been conducted
on fusion for the past 80 years, generating more energy out of
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 159
the reaction than is being put into the reaction has not yet been
overcome, rendering it a somewhat useless energy source.
However, scientists, mathematicians, and engineers continue to
explore these phenomena in hopes of a breakthrough (see
National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California, and
International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in the south
of France). In this PBL student, teams are to look deeply into the
processes of fission, fusion, and radioactive decay to develop a
physical or virtual scale model of the changes in composition of
the nucleus and the amounts of energy released. Students will
employ the computational thinking practice of pattern
recognition to see similarities and differences in fission, fusion,
and radioactive decay as they make sense of the information.
Scale modeling in this PBL could take on many flexible forms
such as visual modeling, computer simulations, and
mathematical modeling, all of which focus on the relative
interactions in the descriptions of the phenomena. Teams will
also prepare a persuasive essay indicating potential future uses
or dangers of the energy sources (see Table 7.16). This module
has been published in 2019 by NSTA Press. See
https://my.nsta.org/resource/116903.

Sustainable Systems: Rooftop Gardening

Placing plants on rooftops of urban buildings (or urban greening)
has long been regarded as a way to aesthetically add more
green space to areas dominated by concrete as well as
contributing waste diversion, managing stormwater run-off,
curbing urban heat island effects, and improving air quality.
Additional benefits include increasing energy efficiency, fire
retardation (Koehler, 2004), reduction of electromagnetic
radiation (Herman, 2003), and noise reduction (Peck and
Callaghan, 1999). Clearly, green building rooftops have various
beneficial outcomes. The purpose of this PBL is to build an
awareness of the phenomena of transfer of energy. Student
teams will work together to plan and build a rooftop mini garden
at their school or in their community. This project will include
securing sponsors for the mini garden, developing a business
model to sustain the work, constructing a marketing plan to
make the products available to families in the community.
Students will use the computational thinking practice of
abstraction when they do research to separate out the essential
information from the noise. A key component of this work will be
developing the green plan. Not only will students learn about the
environmental pros and cons of developing a rooftop mini
garden, but they will learn core 21st century skills in
development of the business model and market plan to connect
to the community (see Table 7.17).
160 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
Optimizing the Human Experience: Mineral Resources
Citizens in a democratic society have a responsibility to
contribute to the good of the community and to be
knowledgeable about controversial
 160 Erin E. Peters-Burton et al.
Table 7.16 STEM Road Map - 11th-Grade Represented World: Radioactivity

NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills

Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
21st Century
HS-PS1-1 CCSS.Math.Practices Reading Standards Themes:
HS-PS1-4 MP1, MP3, MP4, CCSS.ELA. Global Awareness
HS-PS1-7 MP7 RI.11-12.1 Financial, Economic,
HS-PS1-8 RI.11-12.2 Business, and
RI.11-12.3 Entrepreneurial
RI.11-12.4 Literacy
RI.11-12.5 Civic Literacy
RI.11-12.7 Environmental
RI.11-12.8 Literacy
HS-ETS-2 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards Learning and
HS-IF.B.4 CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
CCSS.Math.Content W.11-12.1a, W.11- Creativity and
HS-IF.B.6 12.1b, W.11-12.1c, Innovation
W.11-12.1d, Critical Thinking
W.11-12.1e and Problem
W.11-12.2a, W.11- Solving
12.2b, W.11-12.2c, Communication and
W.11-12.2d, W.11- Collaboration
12.2e, W.11-12.2f
CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking Standards Information, Media,
HSA-APR.D.6 CCSS.ELA. and Technology
SL.11-12.1a, SL.11- Skills:
12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Information Literacy
SL.11-12.1d Media Literacy
SL.11-12.2 ICT Literacy
SL.11-12.3
SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5
SL.11-12.6
Language Life and Career
Standards
CCSS.ELA. Skills:
Flexibility and
L.11-12.1a, Adaptability
L.11-12.1b Initiative and
L.11-12.4 Self-Direction
L.11-12.5 Social and Cross
L.11-12.6 Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

subjects. It is of particular importance in a democracy that its

citizens be able to make decisions based on evidence and to be
able to distinguish between a reliable and an unreliable
resource. The purpose of this PBL is to give students an
opportunity to write an opinion article based on evidence that is
designed to be published in a newspaper and to convince
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 161
Table 7.17 STEM Road Map - 11th Grade Sustainable Systems: Green
Building Rooftops
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts

HS-PS3-1 CCSS.Math.Practice Reading 21st Century

HS-PS3-2 s MP1, MP3, MP7 Standards Themes: Global
CCSS.ELA. Awareness Financial,
RI.11-12.1 Economic, Business,
RI.11-12.2 and Entrepreneurial
RI.11-12.3 Literacy Civic
RI.11-12.4 Literacy Health
RI.11-12.6 Literacy
RI.11-12.8 Environmental
RI.11-12.10 Literacy
HS-LS1-5 CCSS.Math.Content.
HS-BF.A.1c Writing Standards Learning and
CCSS.ELA. Innovation Skills:
W.11-12.2a, W.11- Creativity and
12.2b, W.11- Innovation
12.2c, Critical Thinking and
W.11-12.2d, W.11- Problem Solving
12.2e, W.11-12.2f Communication and
W.11-12.5 Collaboration
W.11-12.6
W.11-12.8
W.11-12.9a,
HS-ETS-4 CCSS.Math.Content. W.11-12.9b Information, Media,
HS-IF.C.7 Speaking and Technology
CCSS.Math.Content. Standards Skills:
HS-IF.C.8 CCSS.ELA. SL.11- Information
12.1a, SL.11- Literacy Media
12.1b, SL.11- Literacy ICT
12.1c, SL.11-12.1d Literacy
SL.11-12.2 SL.11-
12.4 SL.11-12.5
Life and Career
Language
Skills: Flexibility and
Standards
Adaptability
CCSS.ELA.
Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.3a
Direction Social and
L.11-12.4a-d
Cross Cultural Skills
L.11-12.5a-b
Productivity and
L.11-12.6
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

readers of the effectiveness of a particular design solution for

developing, managing, and utilizing mineral resources. In this,
PBL students will use the computational thinking practice of
abstraction to focus on the key information to communicate. In
this activity, students will find reliable qualitative and
quantitative resources to present a cost-benefit analysis
 162 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et 7.18
Table al. STEM Road Map - 11th-Grade Optimizing the Human
Experience: Mineral Resources

NGSS Common Core 21st Century

Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS3-3 CCSS.Math.PracticeReading Standards 21st Century
s MP1, MP2, MP3, CCSS.ELA. Themes: Global
MP4, MP5, MP6, RI.11-12.1 Awareness
MP7, MP8 RI.11-12.2 Financial, Economic,
RI.11-12.3 Business, and
RI.11-12.4 Entrepreneurial
RI.11-12.6 Literacy Civic
RI.11-12.8 Literacy
RI.11-12.10 Environmental
Writing Standards Literacy
HS-ESS3-2 CCSS.Math.Content.
CCSS.ELA. Learning and
HSA-REI.D.10
W.11-12.1a, W.11- Innovation Skills:
CCSS.Math.Content.
12.1b, W.11-12.1c, Creativity and
HSA-REI.D.11
W.11-12.1d, W.11- Innovation Critical
12.1e W.11-12.2a, Thinking and
W.11- 12.2b, W.11- Problem
12.2c, W.11-12.2d, Solving
W.11- 12.2e, W.11- Communication and
12.2f W.11-12.4 W.11- Collaboration
12.5 W.11-12.7 W.11-
12.8
W.11-12.9a, W.11-
12.9b W.11-12.10
Speaking Standards
CCSS.ELA.
HS-ETS-1 SL.11-12.1a, Information, Media,
SL.11-12.1b and Technology
SL.11-12.2 Skills:
SL.11-12.4 Information Literacy
Language Standards Media Literacy ICT
CCSS.ELA. Literacy
L.11-12.1a-b Life and Career
L.11-12.2a-c Skills: Flexibility and
L.11-12.3a Adaptability
L.11-12.6 Initiative and Self-
Direction Social and
Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

for their chosen mineral resource. The USGS Mineral Resources

Program (MRP) is an excellent resource of scientific information
for objective resource assessments and research results on
mineral potential, production, consumption, and environmental
effects (see Table 7.18).
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 163
Sample STEM Careers in the 11th-Grade STEM Road Map
The variety of integrated content and contexts in the PBLs taught
during 11th grade offer a foundation to explore a variety of
careers. In doing so, teachers may want to choose a specific career
and go through the various indicators of tasks and abilities and
education during this year because 11th graders will need to begin
thinking about narrowing down and preparing for college or a
career. For example, a keyword search for “radioactivity” in the
O*Online website mentioned in the ninth and tenth-grade STEM
Careers sections yields the career of a nuclear engineer, marked
with a green job notation. Examples of the ten tasks listed on the
website that a nuclear engineer would perform are:

• Perform experiments that will provide information

about acceptable methods of nuclear material usage, nuclear
fuel reclamation, or waste disposal.
• Conduct tests of nuclear fuel behavior and cycles or
performance of nuclear machinery and equipment to optimize
performance of existing plants.
• Keep abreast of developments and changes in the
nuclear field by reading technical journals or by independent
study and research.

Tools used in this job include desktop computers, facial shields,

nuclear reactor control rod systems, nuclear tools, and respirators.
Knowledge required to be a nuclear engineer as indicated on the
website include understanding of engineering, chemistry,
mathematics, physics, design, computers, public safety, security,
administration, and management. Skills of a nuclear engineer
include active listening, critical thinking, operations analysis,
reading comprehension, speaking, science, systems analysis,
writing, complex problem solving, and monitoring. A nuclear
engineer would also need the qualities of problem sensitivity, oral
comprehension, oral expression, written comprehension, inductive
reasoning, category flexibility, and prioritizing. In the PBLs taught
during 11th grade, teachers may want to actively incorporate the
knowledge, skills, and abilities of a particular career relevant to the
problem and have students indicate when they are enacting those
qualities. In doing so, teachers may help students identify with a
career that they might not have previously considered.

The STEM Road Map for 12th Grade

The 12th-grade year will engage students in exploring STEM Road
Map Theme generated topics that also align with grade-level
academic content standards (e.g. Common Core and Next
Generation Science Standards) which include The Business of
Amusement Parks, Creating the Next Smart Phone, Car Crashes,
Creating Global Bonds, and Dealing with Natural Catastrophes.
Each of these topics is organized around a challenge/problem or
project that student teams are assigned to tackle in the course of
 164 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
learning necessary content and skills in the various disciplines (see
Table 7.19).

Cause and Effect: Amusement Park Management

People who design and build amusement park rides are constantly
innovating. In this PBL, student teams are challenged to create a
prototype for an amusement park ride powered by a combination
of electricity and magnetism. Teams can acquire information about
the current innovations of transportation where magnets and
electricity can optimize velocity and fuel economy such as the
superconducting Maglev train in Central Japan. Teams will create a
marketing and financial plan for the ride as well as a detailed risk
assessment to ensure safety. Researching and designing such
innovative amusement park rides involve the topics of
electromagnetic radiation, electricity and magnetism, motors, gen-
erators, and transformers. Students will use the computational
thinking practice of abstraction to find the essence of the ideas to
apply to their business plan. Additionally, student teams will need
to develop a theme for the ride based on its characteristics
including a marketing and financial plan. Finally, student teams
need to consider the safety innovations that must accompany any
thrill ride. As the PBL is created, students will need to design the
ride, which requires not only knowledge of facts but also an overall
understanding of how the facts fit together (see Table 7.20).

Innovation and Progress: Innovating the Next Smartphone

Progressive technology development is characterized by
responding to the needs of the users. Successful technologies are
designed to upgrade product performance and improve product
solutions with more effective techniques of analysis of users’
needs. This PBL captures these principles in the overall objective to
create a model or prototype of an upgraded smart phone that is
based on a needs analysis. Smartphones are ubiquitous and
perhaps indispensable in students’ lives, but they may not have
much of an idea of how they work. In order to accomplish this,
students must first understand the basics of wave behavior,
transmission, and storage and apply these principles to the current
structure of a smartphone, including how a phone is like a
transmitter and a receiver of radio waves and the role of cell
towers in that transmission. Then, student teams must develop a
survey to find out what changes others may want to make to their
current smartphone. Students will use the computational thinking
practice of pattern recognition to interpret the results of the
survey. Once students have an understanding of how a
smartphone works, coupled with the knowledge of what other
people
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 165
Table 7.19 Twelfth-Grade STEM Road Map Themes, Topics, and Problems/
Challenges
STEM Theme Topic Problem/Challenge

Cause and Amusement Park Student teams are challenged to create

Effect Management a prototype for an amusement park ride
powered by a combination of electricity
LEAD and magnetism. Students will use the
Social Studies computational thinking practice of
abstraction to find the essence of the
ideas to apply to their business plan.
Teams will create a marketing and
financial plan for the ride as well as a
detailed risk assessment to ensure
safety.
Innovation and Innovating the Student teams will create a model or a
Progress Next Smart prototype of improvements for a smart
Phone phone based on a needs analysis survey
of your friends, fellow students, and
LEAD
Science family. Students will use the
computational thinking practice of
pattern recognition to interpret the
results of the survey and will explain all
technical information in a prospectus
including wave behavior, transmission,
Represented and storage.
Student teams will develop models and
World Car Crashes mathematical representations of
different car crash scenarios to illustrate
LEAD how analysis of momentum and forces
Mathematics can inform law enforcement how the
crashes occurred.
Sustainable Creating Global Student teams are challenged to build
Systems Bonds and
implement an international blog focused
on energy consumption and links to
LEAD climate change. The teams will identify
Social Studies/ potential school partners in three other
Science countries to join the blog and share
ideas. Each team will prepare a
presentation and white paper that
summarize their findings from
international discussions and will provide
an argument for one mitigation strategy
that could be implemented locally and
globally.
Optimizing Navigating Student teams are challenged to create
Human Geographical marketing materials including electronic
Experience Challenges and paper-based that promote the
development of new luxury homes built
LEAD on a fault line. In these materials,
Science student teams will demonstrate pros and
cons of these natural hazards and
demonstrate the innovative safety
features and energy consciousness of
the new development.
 166 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
Table 7.20 STEM Road Map - 12th-Grade Cause and Effect: The Business of
Amusement Parks
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS1-3 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
MP1, MP2, MP3, MP5, Reading Standards Themes:
MP6, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Global Awareness
RI.11-12.1 Environmental
RI.11-12.2 Literacy
RI.11-12.3
RI.11-12.4
RI.11-12.6
RI.11-12.8
RI.11-12.10
HS-PS2-5 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
Writing Standards
HS-LE.A.1, Innovation Skills:
CCSS.ELA.
HS-LE.A.1a Creativity and
W.11-12.2a, W.11-
Innovation Critical
12.2b, W.11-12.2c,
Thinking and
W.11-12.2d, W.11-
Problem
12.2e, W.11-12.2f
Solving
W.11-12.5
Communication and
W.11-12.6 Collaboration
W.11-12.8
W.11-12.9a,
W.11-12.9b
HS-ESS1-1 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking Standards Information, Media,
HS-TF.A.1 CCSS.ELA. SL.11- and Technology
12.1a, SL.11- 12.1b, Skills:
SL.11-12.1c, SL.11- Information Literacy
12.1d SL.11-12.2 Media Literacy ICT
SL.11-12.4 SL.11- Literacy
12.5

HS-PS4-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Language Life and Career

HS-PS4-4 HS-IF.A.2 Standards Skills: Flexibility and
CCSS.ELA. Adaptability
L.11-12.3 Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.4a-d Direction Social and
L.11-12.5 Cross
L.11-12.6 Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility
HS-ETS-2

would like in a smartphone, they must create a model or prototype

of an improved phone. The presentation of the model or prototype
can serve as an assessment of how students show what they know
(see Table 7.21).
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 167
Table 7.21 STEM Road Map - 12th Grade Innovation and Progress: Creating
the Next Smart Phone
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS4-1 CCSS.Math.Practices
HS-PS4-2 MP1, MP2, MP3, MP5, Reading Standards 21st Century
HS-PS4-5 MP6, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Themes:
RI.11-12.1 Global Awareness
RI.11-12.2 Financial, Economic,
RI.11-12.3 Business, and
RI.11-12.4 Entrepreneurial
RI.11-12.5 Literacy
RI.11-12.7 Environmental
RI.11-12.8 Literacy
HS-ETS-4 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards
HS-LE.A.2 CCSS.ELA. Learning and
CCSS.Math.Content. W.11-12.1a, W.11- Innovation Skills:
HS-LE.A.3 12.1b, W.11-12.1c, Creativity and
W.11-12.1d, W.11- Innovation Critical
12.1e W.11-12.2a, Thinking and
W.11- 12.2b, W.11- Problem Solving
12.2c, W.11-12.2d, Communication and
W.11- 12.2e, W.11- Collaboration
12.2f
Speaking Standards Information, Media,
CCSS.ELA. and Technology
SL.11-12.1a, SL.11- Skills:
12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Information Literacy
SL.11-12.1d Media Literacy ICT
SL.11-12.2 literacy
SL.11-12.3
SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5
SL.11-12.6
Language Standards Life and Career
CCSS.ELA. Skills: Flexibility and
L.11-12.1a-b Adaptability
L.11-12.4 Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.5 Direction Social and
L.11-12.6 Cross Cultural Skills
Productivity and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

Represented World: Car Crashes

As students in 11th grade are learning to be new drivers, a PBL
focusing on analyzing the forces involved in different types of car
crashes
may be timely and informative. There are many resources
available such as videos, simulations, and car manufacturer
 168 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al. that can help students understand the forces on a driver
reports
and passengers as well as impacts on cars. There is even The
Stapp Car Crash Journal published annually by the Society of
Automotive Engineers that provides mathematical modeling and
results of many scenarios. This PBL asks student teams to take
relevant information from the large range of materials on this
well-studied phenomenon and synthesize it into a model and
mathematical representation, documenting several different
scenarios. Students can investigate car crash variables
according to orientations (head-on collision, side swiping), sizes
of vehicles (car vs. truck), or variables in momentum (fast vs.
slow), in addition to other relevant variables of their choosing.
Students will use the computational thinking practice of
decomposition to break down the relevant variables to study.
The intended audience for communication of the synthesis of
information is law enforcement, so students can direct their
efforts to inform police at the scene of an accident, provide
evidence at a legal trial, or persuade policy makers in traffic
laws (see Table 7.22). This module has been published in 2018
by NSTA Press. See https://my.nsta. org/resource/114554.

Sustainable Systems: Creating Global Bonds

In our global economy and technologically oriented world, we
are connected in ways that couldn’t be imagined in the 1950s.
These global connections among people and resources have
tremendous benefits, but also carry a great deal of responsibility
and negotiation to suit the needs of all members. Therefore, it is
imperative that students have educational experiences that
require them to interact with people who have different views in
a positive way. This PBL challenges student teams to build and
implement an international blog focused on energy consumption
and links to climate change. The teams will identify potential
school partners in three other countries to join the blog and
share ideas. In communicating with the school partners,
students need to use abstraction to find the core ideas so that
they succinctly describe their ideas. Each team will prepare a
presentation and white paper that summarize their findings from
international discussions and will provide an argument for one
mitigation strategy that could be implemented locally and
globally. Because the issues of energy flow in the atmosphere,
ocean and land that can contribute to climate change are vast
and complex; students can form working groups on different
aspects of the problems in order for the work to be manageable.
The PBL helps students to develop communication and
technology skills by creating a blog, discovering and considering
all sides of an issue based on evidence, communicating with
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 169
Table 7.22 STEM Road Map - 12th-Grade Represented World: Car Crashes
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS2-2 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
HS-PS2-4 MP1, MP2, MP3, MP4, Reading Standards Themes:
MP5, MP6, MP7, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Global Awareness
RI.11-12.1 Civic Awareness
RI.11-12.2 Environmental
RI.11-12.3 Literacy
RI.11-12.4
RI.11-12.5
RI.11-12.7
RI.11-12.8
HS-ETS-3 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
HS-IF.B.4 Writing Standards
Innovation Skills:
CCSS.ELA. W.11-
12.1a, W.11- Creativity and
12.1b, W.11-12.1c, Innovation Critical
W.11-12.1d, W.11- Thinking and
12.1e W.11-12.2a, Problem Solving
W.11- 12.2b, W.11- Communication and
12.2c, W.11-12.2d, Collaboration
W.11- 12.2e, W.11-
12.2f
HS-PS3-5 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking Information, Media,
HSN-VM.B.5 Standards and Technology
CCSS.Math.Content. CCSS.ELA. Skills:
HSN-VM.B.5a SL.11-12.1a, SL.11- Information Literacy
CCSS.Math.Content. 12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Media Literacy ICT
HSN-VM.B.5b SL.11-12.1d Literacy
SL.11-12.2
SL.11-12.3
SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5
SL.11-12.6 Life and Career
Language
Standards Skills:
CCSS.ELA. Flexibility and
L.11-12.1a-b Adaptability
L.11-12.4 Initiative and Self-
L.11-12.5 Direction Social and
L.11-12.6 Cross
Cultural Skills
Productivity
and
Accountability
Leadership and
Responsibility

students from other countries in other contexts, and negotiating

with other perspectives to author the white paper and
presentation constructing an argument for one mitigation
strategy (see Table 7.23).
 170 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et 7.23
Table al. STEM Road Map - 12th-Grade Sustainable Systems: Creating Global
Bonds

NGSS Common Core 21st Century

Performance Skills
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS3-1 CCSS.Math.Practices Reading Standards
HS-PS3-4 MP1, MP3, MP8 CCSS.ELA. 21st Century
RI.11-12.1 Themes:
RI.11-12.2 Global
RI.11-12.3 Awareness Civic
RI.11-12.4 Literacy Health
RI.11-12.5 Literacy
RI.11-12.7 Environmental
RI.11-12.8 Literacy
RI.11-12.10
HS-PS3-4 CCSS.Math.Content. Writing Standards
HSA-REI.B.3 CCSS.ELA.
Learning and
W.11-12.1a, W.11-
Innovation Skills:
12.1b, W.11-12.1c,
Creativity and
W.11-12.1d, W.11-
Innovation Critical
12.1e
Thinking and
W.11-12.2a, W.11-
Problem Solving
12.2b,
Communication
W.11-12.2c, W.11-
and
12.2d,
Collaboration
W.11-12.2e, W.11-
12.2f
W.11-12.3a, W.11-
12.3b,
W.11-12.3c, W.11-
12.3d,
W.11-12.3e
W.11-12.4
W.11-12.5
W.11-12.6
W.11-12.7 Information, Media,
W.11-12.8 and Technology
W.11-12.9a-b Skills:
W.11-12.10 Information Literacy
HS-ESS2-4 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking Standards HSA- Media Literacy ICT
REI.A.2 CCSS.ELA. Literacy
SL.11-12.1a, SL.11-
12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Life and Career
SL.11-12.1d, SL.11- Skills: Flexibility
12.1e SL11-12.2 SL11- and Adaptability
12.5 Initiative and Self-
HS-ESS3-6 Language Standards Direction Social and
CCSS.ELA. Cross Cultural Skills
L.11-12.1a-b Productivity and
L.11-12.2a-b Accountability
L.11-12.3a Leadership and
L.11-12.4a-e Responsibility
L.11-12.5a-b
L.11-12.6
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 171
Optimizing the Human Experience: Navigating
Geographical Challenges
Throughout the STEM Road Map, there are several PBLs that
focus on habitat conservation and natural resources. Therefore,
students should have quite a bit of background knowledge from
which they can draw and have a sense of the importance of
these topics for future generations. In this PBL, students will
create a marketing package, both electronic and paper-based,
to promote the development of new luxury homes on a fault line
explaining the safety features and energy conscious innovations.
For example, student teams can focus their efforts on
researching how new materials and new building procedures
help people be prepared for inevitable earthquakes in San
Francisco. Alternatively, students could focus on the patterns of
forest fires in California. Students have the opportunity to learn
about natural disasters or effects of climate change that they
may not have otherwise known about. In their research, stu-
dents will use decomposition to break down the factors involved
in the geographical challenges and to reverse engineer the
solution to the problem. The product for this PBL, a marketing
plan, is intentionally open- ended to allow for student creativity
that may result in a policy such as an emergency evacuation
plan, a technology such as an app that tracks information for
residents, a structural innovation for buildings or transportation,
or other ways to enhance lives of people who must face natural
hazards daily. An emphasis on energy needs creates a higher
level of rigor for students to accomplish during this PBL. Of
course, all of the innovations should be based on evidence (see
Table 7.24).

Sample STEM Careers in the 12th-Grade STEM Road Map

The variety of integrated content and contexts in the PBLs
taught during 12th grade continue to offer a foundation to
explore a variety of careers. In doing so, teachers may want to
choose a group of related careers and go through the various
indicators of prospect and growth during this year because 12th
graders will need to begin thinking about career sustainability
for the long term to meet their life goals. On the www.
onetonline.org website, there is a category of occupations called
“Bright Outlook” which are expected to grow rapidly in the next
several years or are new and emerging fields. A search for the
“Rapid Growth” occupations, categorized by an employment
increase of 22% or more over the next 10 years, yields 112
occupations, and the list of occupations can be downloaded into
an electronic spreadsheet with one button click. On the website,
teachers can find categories for each occupation, and for the
12th-grade level the interests and work values categories will be
detailed as a demonstration of how the information can be used
to support the PBLs. The interests under the Bright Outlook
occupation of actuary include conventional, investigative, and
 172 Erin E. Peters-Burton
et al.
enterprising. Conventional
Table 7.24 STEM Road Map - 12th-Grade Optimizing the Human Experience:
Dealing with Natural Catastrophes
NGSS Common Core 21st Century Skills
Performance
Objectives Mathematics Language Arts
HS-PS3-3 CCSS.Math.Practices 21st Century
MP1, MP2, MP3, MP4, Reading Standards Themes: Global
MP5, MP6, MP7, MP8 CCSS.ELA. Awareness
RI.11-12.1 Environmental
RI.11-12.2 Literacy
RI.11-12.3
RI.11-12.4
RI.11-12.5
RI.11-12.7
RI.11-12.8
HS-ESS3-1 CCSS.Math.Content. Learning and
HS-BF.A.1b Innovation Skills:
Writing Standards
Creativity and
CCSS.ELA. W.11-
Innovation
12.1a, W.11- 12.1b,
Critical Thinking and
W.11-12.1c, W.11-
Problem Solving
12.1d, W.11-12.1e
Communication and
W.11-12.2a, W.11-
Collaboration
12.2b, W.11-12.2c,
W.11-12.2d, W.11-
12.2e, W.11-12.2f
HS-ETS-2 CCSS.Math.Content. Speaking Standards Information, Media,
HSA-REI.C.5 CCSS.ELA. and Technology
CCSS.Math.Content. SL.11-12.1a, SL.11- Skills:
HSA-REI.C.6 12.1b, SL.11-12.1c, Information Literacy
CCSS.Math.Content. SL.11-12.1d, Media Literacy ICT
HSA-REI.C.7 SL.11-12.2 Literacy
CCSS.Math.Content. SL.11-12.3
HSA-REI.C.8 SL.11-12.4
SL.11-12.5
SL.11-12.6
Language
Standards Life and Career Skills:
CCSS.ELA. Flexibility and
L.11-12.1a-b Adaptability Initiative
L.11-12.4 and Self-Direction
L.11-12.5 Social and Cross
L.11-12.6 Leadership and Responsibility
Cultural Skills Productivity and Accountability
 The STEM Road Map for Grades 9-12 173
occupations describe those careers that tend to work with data
and details than with broad ideas. Investigative occupations
involve searching for evidence and solving problems. Enterprising
occupations involve initiating projects. Another characteristic of
the job of actuary listed on the website is work values, which
include the offer of job security and good working conditions, a
feeling of accomplishment, and ability to make your own
decisions in this career. The extensive lists and descriptions of
characteristics of each occupation supplied by the Department of
Labor on this website can help students decide if they would like
the types of work that a particular career requires and whether
there is growth, maintenance, or decline for positions in the field
so that 12th graders can make informed decisions about their
future in the workforce.

Summary
This chapter presented the STEM Road Map for grades 9-12 as an
engaging, real-world approach to integration of core content areas
for implementation in high school. With the use of the ideas
presented in the STEM Road Map, instruction can be transformed
into coordinated modules of instruction. These modules require
teams of students to grapple with global and local challenges and
problems as they master the content for their grade level. As
students mature through grade levels, the instruction becomes
increasingly rigorous, which requires students to develop skills
and habits of mind necessary for success in future careers. The
spiraling approach of the STEM Road Map is intended to equip
students with the skills to be life-long learners who can think flexi-
bly, be informed consumers of information, and be aware of
possibilities for their future.

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