The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) include a set of crosscutting concepts that help students make connections across different scientific disciplines. These concepts are like tools that scientists use to understand the world around them. Here is a student-friendly explanation of the NGSS crosscutting concepts:

1. Patterns: Scientists look for patterns in the natural world to help them understand how things work. Just like how you can recognize patterns in a sequence of numbers or shapes, scientists look for patterns in data and observations to make predictions and draw conclusions.

2. Cause and Effect: Scientists investigate how one thing can cause another thing to happen. They want to know why things happen the way they do. By studying cause and effect relationships, scientists can understand how different factors interact and influence each other.

3. Scale, Proportion, and Quantity: Scientists study things at different scales, from tiny particles to the vastness of the universe. They also look at how things are related in size or amount. Understanding scale, proportion, and quantity helps scientists make accurate measurements and compare different objects or phenomena.

4. Systems and System Models: Scientists study how different parts work together to form a system. A system can be as small as a cell or as large as an ecosystem. By creating models of systems, scientists can better understand how they function and predict how they might change.

5. Energy and Matter: Scientists investigate how energy and matter move and interact in the natural world. Energy is what makes things happen, like when you kick a ball or turn on a light. Matter is what everything is made of, like the air you breathe or the food you eat. Understanding energy and matter helps scientists explain how things work and how they can be transformed.

6. Structure and Function: Scientists study the structures of living and non-living things to understand how they work. Just like how a bicycle has different parts that work together to make it move, everything in the natural world has a specific structure that allows it to perform its function. By studying structure and function, scientists can design and improve technologies and understand how organisms are adapted to their environments.

7. Stability and Change: Scientists investigate how things stay the same or change over time. They want to know why some things are stable while others are constantly changing. By studying stability and change, scientists can predict how things might behave in the future and understand how systems can be disrupted or restored.

These crosscutting concepts help scientists think like scientists and make connections between different scientific disciplines. By understanding these concepts, you can become a better problem solver and critical thinker in science and in everyday life.