Teacher Background Information is available for every module online. It provides information on the phenomena/problems and DCIs addressed in every Driving Question (DQ) and is explained simply in Question & Answer format with supporting diagrams and visuals. A glossary of scientific terms is also provided. For example, in Grade 4 Module 4 Earthquake Engineering:

● DQ1 (How are waves involved in earthquakes?) is provided on seismic waves, earthquake magnitude, and the effects of earthquakes.

● DQ4 (How can our understanding of earthquakes and materials help us build safer buildings?) explains fair tests.

Evidence

A Module Overview , available online and in print (TE p. i), sets out at a high level how students will make sense of the Module Phenomenon or Module Investigative Problem.

Evidence

● A digital Guide to SEPs and CCCs provides a clear explanation for each practice and concept, with guidance on what these skills should look like in different grades, and specific references to learning activities in different modules.

● Additional module-specific support is frequently given at point of use in the instructional materials for all dimensions, NoS, and ETS—often in the Connect section of a lesson. For example, in Grade 4 Module 4 DQ1L3 Connect (TE p. 26), support is given on connecting the learning activity to CCC-2 and ETS.

The Module Contents helps teachers identify the sequence of the three dimensions addressed in each module, and states how they build on each other. For example, in Grade 1 Module 1 Module Contents (TE pp. ii–iii):

● DQ1: Students review prior knowledge with a class read-aloud about living things, then sort cards into living and non-living things (DQ1L1 and DQ1L2). (K-LS1-1)
● DQ2: Students observe seedling roots, and learn about the different parts plants have through hands-on, video, close reading, and interactive investigations. They learn a song about plant parts, then write about what each part does. (CCC-1, CCC-6, LS1.1)
● DQ3: Students compare different seeds and gather information about how they disperse. Then they design, make and text a seed model that can be dispersed by wind.(LS1.A, CCC-6, SEP-2)
● DQ4: Students compare different plants, listing similarities and differences, through hands-on and video investigations. (LS1.A, 1-LS3-1)
● DQ5: Students investigate how different plants use their external structures for defense and protection. They use video and close readings to gather information. (LS1.A, SEP-2, CCC-6)
● DQ6: Students apply what they have learned so far in the module to design a solution to a human problem that mimics the structure of plants. (1-LS1-1, LS1.A, ETS1.A, ETS1.B, SEP-2, SEP-6, CCC-6)
● DQ7: The module culminates in the class preparing to present their museum rooms to the family and friends,

Evidence

All modules include a Module Introduction video, which gives the teacher an engaging overview of the overarching Module Phenomenon/Investigative Problem that students will explore and investigate, as well as the sequence of learning, and an explanation of how the Performance Expectations (PEs) are addressed and build on each other (Grade 1 Module 1 Module Introduction video and Kindergarten Module 2 Module Introduction video).

Kindergarten Module 2 Marble Run Engineers Module Introduction video