12th Grade · Week 1 of 36 · Science
Capstone launch: pick an NGSS investigation or an engineering problem
1. Hook
- Read (or listen to) what you’re learning. Don’t jump to the quiz.
- Walk the worked example. Then use the interactive lab on this page.
- Guided set → independent set → mastery check → teach-back.
- If you write a paper, stay on campus: Citation Helper, Source Library, Paper Studio.
This is self-paced homeschool on Life Academy. Everything you need is on this page.
Capstone launch: pick an NGSS investigation or an engineering problem. A capstone lives or dies by its design. A vague question ("does music affect plants?") cannot be tested; a sharp one can.
Then: lab → guided → quiz → teach it back. The lab is the lesson, not a decoration.
2. Teach
Design a capstone investigation: a testable question, defined variables, sources, a repeatable method, and a safety plan.
Standards alignment: NGSS HS-ETS1 (Engineering Design) + Science and Engineering Practices (domain-level; works with any state’s standards)
STEM this week is Capstone launch: pick an NGSS investigation or an engineering problem: change one thing, measure one thing, write claim + evidence + because.
- A testable question names one independent variable (IV, what you change), one dependent variable (DV, what you measure, with units), and the controls you hold constant.
- A literature brief summarizes credible sources (peer-reviewed articles, government or university sites). For each one, record the citation and one claim it supports.
- A methods section is detailed enough for someone else to repeat: materials, quantities, steps, number of trials, and the safety plan (hazards, PPE, disposal, adult supervision, and consent if people are involved).
Weak: "Does temperature affect batteries?" Strong: "How does storage temperature (0, 20, 40 °C) affect the run time in minutes of AA batteries powering a 100 mA load?"
Design defense: a strong design has a control group, at least three trials per condition, one IV, and a measurable DV. A weaker design changes two things at once, so it cannot say which change caused the result.
- Topic: plant growth and light.
- IV: hours of light per day (8, 12, 16).
- DV: height gain in cm after 21 days.
- Controls: plant species, soil volume, water per day, temperature.
Write your capstone question in IV/DV form. List three controls and three credible sources, each with one claim. Draft a numbered method and a safety table with hazard, risk and precaution.
Picking a question you cannot measure within the year, or changing the question after you see the data ("topic-hopping").
Grant proposals, engineering design reviews, and college research programs all use this same design-first process.
No classroom teacher today — this page is the lesson. Follow the how-to, then the lab, then the quiz. Follow Lesson Studio, then the lab, then the quiz. Open Transcripts for credits and grades.
Quick check · from this week’s lesson
Tap the answer that fits. Every item comes from this week’s lesson.
Your work — type it here
Do the lab first. Then write what you noticed. Then a because-sentence. That is the assignment.
3. Guided practice
Try these with me — type the missing word, then check.
Reveal the thinking
Question → variables → sources → method → safety → defend the design.
4. Independent practice
Work the set. Check when finished — this is practice (mastery quiz is next).
5. Mastery check
Scored quiz — results save to your gradebook.
The lab is on this page
Do the experiment here. Change one thing. Read what happened. We do not send you to an outside simulation site. Today: Capstone launch: pick an NGSS investigation or an engineering problem.
Research Desk · Transcripts · Gradebook
Honest limit: We did not film a custom movie for every core lesson. The teach-back, the on-page lab, and the campus library are the curriculum. The teach-back, the on-page lab, and Lesson Studio are the lesson.
6. Reflection / teach-back
Teach-back: Explain Capstone launch: pick an NGSS investigation or an engineering problem in your own words. Give one example and name the usual mistake.