Next Generation Science Standards Unit

Stem Cell Units based on the Next Generation Science Standards: 9th-12th Grade Beginning Biology and Advanced/AP Biology Students

In September 2013, the State of California adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a national effort to transform K-12 science into an interdisciplinary, practical, real-world endeavor accessible to all students.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine has created the first NGSS-based high school units that teach fundamental cell biology, organismal biology, and genetics concepts through the lens of stem cell research. Ideally, these units can be taught toward the end of a semester, when students have a grasp of transcription and translation. The units are both a review of basic concepts and an expansion on current knowledge into the realms of stem cell biology, research, and regenerative medicine.

These resources are free and require only a classroom internet connection. The two stem cell units are similar in content, yet one is designed for beginning students and one for advanced students. They combine ideas and activities from CIRM’s comprehensive Model Stem Cell Curriculum with new online resources.

• Visit the Beginning Unit
• Visit the Advanced/AP Unit

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