Cross-cutting concepts are a set of overarching big ideas that exist across all STEM domain areas. You can explore children’s thinking through the cross-cutting concepts.
There are 3 cross-cutting concepts: Cause and Effect, Form and Function, and Connections.
Cause and Effect
The relationship between two actions and/or events where action/event A (cause) makes action/event B (effect) happen or where action/event B is the result of action/event A.
Takes action to cause events
Example: Child pushes snack off highchair tray
Recognizes that a simple conditional (e.g. “if…then”) connects a condition to an outcome
Example: Child pushes snack off highchair tray and watches dog eat it
Identifies what made the event happen
Example: Child playing in sand box requests a cup of water to make more of the sand hold together
Form and Function
Form and function considers the characteristics of living and non-living things, and how these characteristics affect how they function.
Explores the characteristics and properties of observable systems in the living and non-living world
Example: Child exploring how to hold the spoon
Recognizes that the structure (i.e., characteristics such as shape and materials) of living and non-living things affects how they function for a specific purpose
Example: Adult asks child while holding a spoon and a fork, “Which one do you think would be best to use to eat cereal?” Child chooses the spoon.
Identifies how the structure (i.e., characteristics such as shape and materials) of living and non-living things affects how they function for a specific purpose
Example: Child identifies why would they use a spoon instead of a fork for eating cereal
Connections
“Connections” focuses on relationships and patterns. These are noticed intuitively at first and more explicitly as children develop. Children make connections between pieces of information that come through one or more senses, predictable event order, characteristics and properties that help children classify, or patterns in natural phenomena that allow for prediction.