Join us to experience how students make decisions and engage in class discussion as part of their sensemaking. Learn how the OpenSciEd Elementary’s instructional approach supports all students in figuring out complex science issues in their world through a coherent storyline.

TAKEAWAYS:
OpenSciEd Elementary units are designed to support students in collaborative sensemaking through use of Science and Engineering Practices and engagement in equitable discussions.

SPEAKERS:
Janna Mahfoud, Yanira Vazquez, Susan Gomez Zwiep

At OpenSciEd, our teams of experts work tirelessly to design materials for the latest research AND we know you can make them even better. In this session we will map your customization “why” to a customization “what” and “how” to support you to make the materials your own.

TAKEAWAYS:
Thoughtful, collaborative customization of high quality materials can result in better materials while simultaneously deepening understanding of how to get the most from both customized and the original high quality materials.

SPEAKERS:
Erika Palys, Renee Affolter, Matt Krehbiel, Austin Moore

Join NSTA and middle school educators from across the country to delve into using OpenSciEd instructional materials to hand over to your students the joyful responsibility of thinking, talking and acting like scientists to deeply learn science. You’ll experience science learning in an OpenSciEd unit from both student and teacher perspectives with emphasis on specific teacher moves and strategies that will support your continuing shift toward student-driven science learning.

In addition, the NSTA professional learning team will help you tailor a professional learning path forward for additional support in implementing OpenSciEd curriculum and helping all of your students build confidence as the knowers in your classroom. 

This session is for those newer to OpenSciEd and investigating the middle school curriculum for classroom, school, or district implementation.

Experience student-driven, rigorous science learning fueled by students’ curiosity and concern for coastal communities through immersions in the OSE high school chemistry Unit C.1 Thermodynamics in Earth’s Systems (How can we slow the flow of energy on Earth to protect vulnerable coastal communities?). See how students’ sensemaking develops across this unit through careful analyses of classroom videos, real student work, and student and teacher interviews.

Whether you teach high school chemistry, biology, physics, or Earth and space sciences, you will walk away from this experience with an understanding of the instructional routines that comprise storyline units across the OSE high school curriculums and the supports you need to confidently implement an OSE high school unit in your classroom. In addition, you’ll become adept with navigating the resources embedded in the OSE unit materials so you can maximize your impact on student engagement and learning.

All conference attendees are invited to continue their professional learning virtually in the OSE High School Chemistry Unit C.1 Curriculum Launch Workshop (24 total hours) and Facilitator Training (32 total hours).

• 6 hours onsite at the Philadelphia Conference PLI
• 18 hours virtual to complete 4-day curriculum launch*
• 8 additional hours virtual to complete facilitator training* (optional)

Virtual workshop sessions will be held over the month of April 2025.

*Registration for virtual sessions incurs additional cost

What approach can science educators use to create assessment tasks that support instructional practice and students’ three-dimensional learning? Participants will experience an approach for designing 3-D assessment tasks that will help their students build toward the NGSS performance expectations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to construct 3-dimensional assessment tasks that they can use in their classroom to promote student learning of the NGSS performance expectations.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Harris, Joseph Krajcik