Disciplinary Core Ideas

The Ultimate Guide to

Disciplinary Core Ideas

What Are Disciplinary Core Ideas?

The foundation of STEM learning

Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) represent the big ideas that drive our understanding of science. They are organized into four key areas: Life Science, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Engineering. As students progress, these ideas grow in complexity, enabling them to better comprehend the phenomena around them.

Importantly, DCIs are not taught in isolation but are integrated with Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Practices, creating a holistic approach to STEM learning.

Helping Students Understand the World Around Them

Life Science

Life Science explores living organisms as part of whole systems, studying how they interact in the biosphere with their environments and other organisms.

Life Science explores living organisms as part of whole systems, studying how they interact in the biosphere with their environments and other organisms. Students learn how all living things are related through evolutionary processes and ecological interactions, which have produced all the incredible diversity of life on earth. They study how life begins, adapts, and survives. As students progress, they delve into the structures of organisms, ecosystems, heredity, and biological evolution, gaining a deeper understanding of how living things function, interact, and evolve over time.

Physical Science

Everything in the world depends on physical and chemical processes, and physical science explores these through the study of matter, forces, motion, and energy.

Everything in the world depends on physical and chemical processes, and physical science explores these through the study of matter, forces, motion, and energy. Students learn how all living things are related through evolutionary processes and ecological interactions, which have produced all the incredible diversity of life on earth. These concepts and processes help us develop an understanding of organic life — how it begins, how it changes, and what it needs to survive. This deepens their understanding of how physical systems work, from the atomic level to large-scale energy transfers, students have the tools to analyze and predict natural phenomena.

Earth and Space Science

Earth and Space Science explores the structure, composition, and history of the universe while examining the conditions necessary to support life.

Earth and Space Science explores the structure, composition, and history of the universe, while examining the conditions necessary to support life. Looking through the lens of geological evidence, students investigate the Earth’s place in the universe, and the threats faced by Earth — from human activity to natural disasters — through developing an overview of our geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. As they progress, students also consider solutions to mitigate environmental impact and address climate change.

Engineering, Technology, and the Application of Science

This final DCI focuses on developing a scientific approach to problem-solving, where students use engineering design to create new technologies or apply scientific concepts to real-world challenges.

This final DCI focuses on developing a scientific approach to problem-solving, where students use engineering design to create new technologies or apply scientific concepts to real-world challenges. Rather than memorizing facts, students learn to think critically, innovate, and refine their own designs. Starting with simple problem-solving in early grades, students progress to incorporating design criteria and constraints. By middle school, they analyze complex systems, evaluate multiple solutions, and understand how scientific principles drive innovation in engineering design.

DCI posters for the classroom

These free printable posters highlight each Disciplinary Core Idea, helping your students grasp key scientific concepts and build a deeper understanding of how the world works.

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A collation of five downloadable DCI classroom posters

Experience the difference with 3-D learning

It’s easy to hit all three dimensions of 3-D learning with Twig Science — the robust, NGSS-aligned science program for K–8. Through phenomena-based exploration, students seamlessly integrate Crosscutting Concepts, Science and Engineering Practices, and Disciplinary Core Ideas, gaining a deeper, interconnected understanding of science.

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