Creating STEM Lessons That Balance NGSS and TEKS

Designing meaningful STEM lessons is a rewarding challenge. As teachers, we want our students engaged, curious, and prepared for real-world problem solving. But for many of us, curriculum writing involves balancing two powerful sets of standards: the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).

At first glance, these frameworks might seem like competing checklists. NGSS emphasizes scientific practices and cross-cutting concepts, while TEKS provides highly detailed grade-level content expectations. But the truth is: these standards can complement one another beautifully. The key is knowing how to weave them together so your STEM lessons are both engaging and compliant.

In this post, I’ll walk through the essentials of NGSS and TEKS, highlight their similarities and differences, and share strategies (with classroom-ready examples) for creating lessons that honor both.

Why Balancing Standards Matters

Teachers often find themselves pulled between content-heavy state standards and broader national frameworks. If you’re in Texas, you are required to follow TEKS, but as STEM education becomes more nationally connected, NGSS is increasingly influential in curriculum design and instructional resources.

Balancing both has several benefits:

Consistency: Students can succeed on state assessments while also gaining skills valued nationwide.
Transferable Skills: NGSS ensures learners practice critical thinking, engineering design, and cross-disciplinary problem solving.
Curriculum Depth: TEKS ensures rigorous content knowledge in biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering.
Future Readiness: Students who move outside of Texas or participate in national STEM competitions will be well-prepared.

In short, combining NGSS and TEKS helps you write lessons that are standards-aligned, skill-focused, and future-proof.

A Quick Breakdown: NGSS vs TEKS

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

NGSS is structured around three dimensions:

Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) – What students do (e.g., asking questions, designing solutions, analyzing data).
Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) – What students know (key concepts in life, physical, earth, and engineering sciences).
Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) – How students connect (themes like cause and effect, patterns, systems).

Lessons aligned to NGSS are inquiry-driven and encourage students to act like scientists and engineers.

The Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS)

TEKS outlines grade-level expectations for every subject. In science, it emphasizes:

Content Mastery – Detailed facts and processes (e.g., photosynthesis, Newton’s laws, chemical reactions).
Process Skills – Using scientific methods, collecting and analyzing data.
Engineering Connections – Added in recent revisions, highlighting design challenges and problem solving.

Lessons aligned to TEKS are often structured to meet precise objectives and support state testing readiness.

Key Differences (and How to Bridge Them)

NGSS	TEKS	Bridge Strategy
Broad, concept-driven	Specific, detail-oriented	Use TEKS objectives as content anchors within NGSS-style inquiry lessons.
Emphasizes practices & processes	Emphasizes content mastery	Pair TEKS “what to know” with NGSS “how to apply it.”
Includes engineering design as equal to science	Engineering more supplemental	Use engineering challenges to reinforce TEKS knowledge.
Encourages cross-disciplinary connections	Organized by discipline	Frame TEKS content through NGSS crosscutting concepts.

Rather than choosing one over the other, think of TEKS as the “content spine” and NGSS as the “teaching approach.”

Strategies for Writing Balanced STEM Lessons

1. Start With an Anchoring Phenomenon or Problem

NGSS Influence: Begin with a real-world scenario or guiding question (e.g., “How can we design a water filter for a community with limited clean water?”).
TEKS Integration: Identify the specific TEKS content students need (e.g., properties of mixtures and solutions, filtration processes).

This approach sparks curiosity while ensuring content alignment.

2. Map Standards Side by Side

Before drafting your lesson, place the relevant NGSS performance expectations and TEKS standards in a chart. Look for overlap and identify which elements are unique. This makes it easier to design activities that check both boxes.

Example:

TEKS Biology (9)(C): Describe the process of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
NGSS HS-LS1-5: Use a model to illustrate how photosynthesis transforms light energy into stored chemical energy.

Lesson idea: Have students build a 3D model or digital simulation of photosynthesis, then connect it to food webs and ecosystems.

3. Use the 5E Instructional Model

The Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate framework is a natural bridge between TEKS and NGSS.

Engage: NGSS anchoring phenomenon.
Explore: Hands-on lab or design challenge.
Explain: TEKS vocabulary, concepts, and required knowledge.
Elaborate: NGSS-style application to new contexts.
Evaluate: Assess both TEKS mastery and NGSS skills.

4. Prioritize Inquiry with Structured Content

Allow students to investigate like scientists, but embed clear checkpoints where TEKS content must be articulated. This satisfies assessment needs while maintaining the open-ended, creative spirit of NGSS.

5. Incorporate Engineering Design Challenges

Engineering design is the perfect bridge. TEKS ensures students learn the core content, while NGSS pushes them to apply it creatively.

Example:

Unit on Forces & Motion
- TEKS: Calculate speed, velocity, acceleration.
- NGSS: Design a prototype vehicle that minimizes collision force.
- Lesson: Students build crash-test cars from cardboard and test them on ramps, analyzing data to meet design goals.

Classroom Examples

Example 1: Middle School Chemistry – Physical vs Chemical Changes

TEKS: Distinguish between physical and chemical changes in matter.
NGSS: Analyze data to determine if a change is physical or chemical.
Lesson: Kitchen Chemistry Lab – students cook scrambled eggs, dissolve sugar, melt butter, and observe baking soda + vinegar. They record evidence for each type of change.

Example 2: High School Biology – Genetics

TEKS: Describe how traits are transmitted through DNA.
NGSS: Use models to illustrate the role of DNA and chromosomes in inheritance.
Lesson: Students build interactive Punnett square simulations and design a “genetic counseling” case study for fictional patients.

Example 3: Physics – Energy Transformations

TEKS: Investigate conservation of energy and transformation between forms.
NGSS: Plan and carry out an investigation to provide evidence that energy is conserved.
Lesson: Students design roller coasters in a simulation, then build scaled models to demonstrate energy conversion.

Assessment Ideas

Balancing NGSS and TEKS also means balancing what you assess and how you assess.

Traditional Assessment (TEKS-heavy): Quizzes, multiple choice, vocabulary checks.
Performance Assessment (NGSS-heavy): Lab reports, prototypes, engineering journals, group presentations.
Hybrid Example: Give a quiz on Newton’s Laws (TEKS), then have students design and test balloon rockets to demonstrate the laws (NGSS).

Challenges and Solutions

Challenge: Feeling like there isn’t enough time to cover both.

Solution: Identify overlap first; design one rich activity that covers multiple standards.

Challenge: TEKS requires detail that NGSS doesn’t.

Solution: Build mini-lessons for detail mastery within an NGSS-style project.

Challenge: Assessments lean heavily toward TEKS.

Solution: Layer NGSS skills into projects and labs, even if the final exam is TEKS-based.

Why This Balance Benefits Students

When students experience lessons that blend TEKS precision with NGSS exploration, they:

Master the required content for Texas assessments.
Develop critical thinking, collaboration, and problem-solving skills.
See connections between science disciplines and real-world issues.
Become adaptable learners ready for college, careers, and global challenges.

Final Thoughts

Balancing NGSS and TEKS in STEM lesson writing isn’t about doing double the work—it’s about being strategic. Use TEKS to anchor your content and NGSS to enrich the process. Together, they create lessons that are rigorous, engaging, and transformative.

As teachers and curriculum writers, we have the unique opportunity to prepare students for success in Texas and beyond. When we align our lessons with both standards, we’re not just checking boxes—we’re building learners who can think, question, design, and solve.

That’s the real power of STEM education.

The STEM Loft