Can the physics course be used for a ‘physics-first’ 9th grade course?

Yes, it is possible to use our physics course in 9th grade, and we had many teachers do so during our field test. There are a few sections in each unit's teacher materials that will be helpful in determining what support may be necessary for use with 9th grade students. Specifically, in the Teacher Background...

High School Classroom Culture PL Materials Download

Absent Student Support Strategies

It can be a significant challenge for students to catch up on missed lessons, even if they have only been absent for one day. Students may have missed crucial discussions or activities that are vital for their understanding. Some days of instruction are more challenging than others to catch up on. Instructional days involving investigations...

Substitute Plan Strategies

As an educator, being absent from the classroom for even a single day can disrupt the planned instructional sequence and impact student learning. However, by utilizing a high-quality curriculum that is widely adopted, one can tap into a collaborative network to co-create resources that support students effectively. The following guide offers crowd-sourced substitute plans and...

Can the OpenSciEd high school courses be used for “honors” classes?

There is a great amount of variability in how schools utilize the ‘honors’ distinction, so this is not a question we can provide a standard answer for. That being said, our materials deeply engage students in learning the full scope of the Next Generation Science Standards, which were designed to rigorously prepare students for college...

Are OpenSciEd Physics and OpenSciEd Chemistry algebra-based courses?

There is not a uniform definition of “algebra-based,” but OpenSciEd students definitely use algebra to make sense of the phenomena and answer questions they have generated. The specific connections to mathematics standards are made clear in the teacher’s edition of each unit.

How can I download the OpenSciEd units?

We provide two different methods for downloading and using the OpenSciEd materials:

What are the arrows that go along the outsides connecting the course in the High School Scope & Sequence (e.g., B.1 => B4, another example is B2 => C4)?

This document provides a detailed description of the scope and sequence image. Many of the performance expectations (standards) are developed across units and sometimes across courses. They're not necessarily fully addressed in one unit. These PEs are marked with the "*" or "+" on that image. The arrows on the image represent those connections where ideas...

OpenSciEd at NSTA 2024: Experience the Power of Phenomena-Based Learning

Mark your calendars for the 2024 National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference in Denver, Colorado!

Unit C.3 Kit Materials

Each OpenSciEd unit has a list of materials necessary to teach the unit. The materials lists are provided for illustrative purposes only. If you would prefer purchasing pre-assembled kits from a vendor who maintains a ready inventory, we have partnered with vendors to provide Certified Kits for OpenSciEd units.