A consensus of key nature of science ideas appropriate for inclusion in the K-12 science curriculum has begun to emerge from a review by science educators of the extensive literature in the history and philosophy of science. The authors in this issue of "The Science Teacher" suggest surprisingly parallel sets of NOS content goals for K-12 science teaching that do not oversimplify science itself or overburden the existing science curriculum. This article presents nine key ideas, which represent both a concise set of ideas about science and a list of objectives to shape instruction in any science discipline.