Transforming ALL Students into Scientists

IQWST instructional materials rely heavily upon students engaging in the scientific practices of NGSS as they uncover scientific ideas and discover content through the DCIs in the context of authentic learning opportunities that are fueled by the IQWST storylines. Although IQWST technically pre-dates NGSS, it's the same people and the same ideas.

Activate Learning was able to recommend a customized OpenSciEd/ IQWST implementation. Both curricula share the same pedagogy and even some of the same authors, providing a seamless experience to teachers and students through Activate Learning's Interactive Digital Platform. 

Activate Learning is a great support system for me, for the district, for the teachers, and for the kids. It's a one-stop-shop for everything the we need to support our science program and science instruction in our district. 

I love using IQWST online for 7th grade science!! Both me and my students use the digital platform. The storyline for 7th grade is clear and builds upon previous learning.  The labs are engaging, the digital platform makes lesson planning easy, and each lesson seems to flow into the next seamlessly.  

Lesson planning is fast and easy, allowing me to prep for labs, meet accommodations, and reserve my brain power and time for meeting the needs of my students year to year, day to day, and even hour to hour.  The students appreciate the digital platform as well, when asked, students liked the digital platform for typing their responses. 

"This was the most extensive pilot process we ever went through. In March (2019) when we concluded the pilot our decision was close. We decided to go back and pilot again to evaluate the remote learning support and Activate Learning really stepped up, delivering great professional learning support and a remote learning plan."

The concepts within the curricula build within each unit to ensure students have a strong foundation for each big idea. Concepts are revisited in later grades, reviewing prior knowledge and continuing to connect and grow the student knowledge. Model building is strongly emphasized.

“IQWST is based upon the development of student understanding through student-focused activities, reading and writing articles, and spirited claim, evidence, reasoning, discussions. I have not come across a text series in 25 years of education that approaches science education in this manner. ”

This curriculum easily identifies all 3 dimensions of NGSS and suggests pathways of student thinking for teachers who are new to model-based teaching.

The driving question board allows students to visually track their thinking and learning. With the constant updates made to the board, students learn that changing your beliefs based upon the scientific evidence in front of you is ok, encouraged, and what scientists do.

It does a great job of beginning with Phenomena, using the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning format, having students create models.

As you see the storyline develop, you see the core concepts, and how they connect with past and future learning. My teaching of 2 grade levels also helps me with the interconnections.

Activate Learning supports NGSS and 3-dimensional learning by incorporating crosscutting concepts and science and engineering practices into the disciplinary core ideas through hands-on activities that promote inquiry.

Students really understand what they learn, and they remember it and can connect it to other concepts in the future. Teaching 7th they remember more from 6th, and teaching 8th, the connections to 6th and 7th are huge.

Students often struggle with open-ended discussion and collaborative norms … once norms for risk-taking and making thinking visible is established, they transition to more conceptual reasoning and gain the confidence to ‘own their ideas.’ I don't know of any other resource that is a conduit for this change other than IQWST.