Virtual Workshop

This is Option 2. OpenSciEd High School Biology Unit B.4 Unit Launch AND Facilitator Workshop Series

NSTA is providing an OpenSciEd Unit Launch Workshop series for educators who plan to implement the High School Biology Unit B.4 Natural Selection and Evolution of Populations in their classrooms. Five live sessions are scheduled on November 17, 20, 24, and December 1, and 4, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern time.

This dynamic professional learning experience will immerse you in OpenSciEd’s Unit B.4 through the lens of a compelling, real-world storyline: How does urbanization affect nonhuman populations, and how can we minimize harmful effects?

In this virtual workshop series, you will experience key lessons just as your students would by engaging in science practices and using the cross-cutting concepts to sensemake science ideas. Together, we will build an explanation for how cities create new selection pressures and why genetic diversity is critical for healthy ecosystems.

Whether you are new to OpenSciEd or deepening your implementation, this workshop offers meaningful strategies and insights to bring phenomena-driven instruction to life in your classroom.

This virtual workshop series will prepare you to implement this OpenSciEd unit successfully by:

• Providing practical strategies to support student thinking, sensemaking, and engagement
• Letting you experience lessons through a student lens to better understand the learning process
• Showcasing real classroom examples through student work, videos, and discussions
• Sharing insights, tools, and best practices from experienced OpenSciEd educators

Let’s make science meaningful and connected to the world around us—join us!

In this Option, two additional seminars are scheduled for Facilitators on Saturdays November 22 and December 13, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Eastern time, for a total of seven live sessions.

The Facilitator Workshop Series is for educators who plan to implement the High School Biology Unit B.4 Natural Selection and Evolution of Populations in their classrooms and/or want to develop a professional learning facilitator “tool kit” to provide the Unit Launch workshop for high school science teachers in their school or district.

Program dates and times:

The five live sessions are scheduled on Mondays and Thursdays, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern time. Two additional live sessions are scheduled on Saturdays, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Eastern time. Specific program dates are below: 

• November 17, 20, 24, and December 1, and 4 (Mondays and Thursdays)
• November 22 and December 13 (Saturdays)

During the program participants have access to:

• Digital resources and all NSTA online community tools (My Library, My Profile, Community Forums)
• All archive versions of the sessions to watch on-demand.

Participants will receive a certificate from NSTA for attending the live sessions.

Note about Option 1 of the OpenSciEd High School Biology Unit B.4 Unit Launch Workshop Series:

You may instead register to attend only Option 1 of this program, the Unit Launch Workshop Series, which includes only the five live sessions on Mondays and Thursdays from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM Eastern time.