heat capacity

Prologue: The application of Hess's Law frequently presents students with conceptual problems, and I believe that performing a series of experiments that confirms Hess's Law, is probably the best way to impart a robust understanding of this principle. A plaque on the wall of the Oxford University Biochemistry Department reads:

In an effort to align my lessons with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), I have tried to take the content I have traditionally taught, and shift the design to focus on student engagement with the science and engineering practice

What am I doing to help kids achieve? How do I know when they are there? What is the evidence?