Let's talk aboutScience Curriculum Implementation
Personalized professional learning plans and science educator workshops to help you implement Activate Learning science curriculum. We'll be with you every step of the way.
Meaningful and ongoing support gives teachers the tools to implement a curriculum with fidelity.
Activate Learning offers highly personalized services to fully support science curriculum implementation. We provide unique learning experiences for all educators, and we stay involved for the duration of your program adoption.
We consider the needs of your students and the goals of your science programs when we design a Professional Learning Plan. Our approach aligns with the Science Professional Learning Standards and provides an unparalleled level of expertise and attention from facilitators who remain focused on teacher and student success.
This menu is a sample of our Service Offerings. Please contact us for help designing your personalized Professional Learning Plan for science curriculum implementation.
OpenSciEd
Our comprehensive professional learning resources provide the necessary content, structure, and support to experience three-dimensional teaching and learning with OpenSciEd.
IQWST
We introduce the IQWST program and share best practices for getting started. Participants become familiar with program components: equipment kits, Teacher Editions, Student Science Notebook, and the IQWST portal.
Community Learning
Communities of Practice (CoP) are personalized for each district and support ongoing teacher learning and growth throughout the life of an adoption.
PRIME
The Introductory PL introduces educators who are new to our curriculum to its scope and design prior to implementing the curriculum in their classrooms.
High School
Teachers set up and engage in several activities, identifying and unpacking the complexities of those activities, and developing a plan to approach these ideas and practices with students.
OpenSciEd
Activate Learning is a Certified OpenSciEd Professional Learning Provider
Curriculum Launch
Essential to a successful start with OpenSciEd, the Curriculum Launch supports teachers in understanding the shifts called for by the NGSS and the framework for K-12 Education. Both are brought to life with the dynamic instructional materials. The launch prepares teachers to teach their first unit and empowers them to identify and build on the resources that students bring to the classroom.
Ongoing Support with Unit Deep Dives
These sessions help teachers advance their understanding of the OpenSciEd approach while going deep into a specific science unit. This learning actualizes the practice of equitable science classrooms and takes teachers’ instructional practices to the next level. Teachers find opportunities to deepen content knowledge and get support with planning, instruction, and data analysis practices.
Unit Into/Overview
These 3-hour sessions are geared to give the teacher an overview of their next unit. Anchoring phenomenon and storyline review become building blocks to teaching the next unit. There is also time for teachers to talk about their successes and the challenges they have had with the previous unit/units.
Modules to strengthen scientific practices
These 1.5-hour modules are designed to build teacher expertise and facilitate student growth in specific scientific practices. Modules can be selected as needed. Current topics include Driving Question Board, Modeling, Student Discourse, Note booking, and Claims Evidence Reasoning
Using Digital tools
These two 90-minute digital sessions give the teachers a deep dive into our online materials. The Interactive Digital Edition session walks teachers through every aspect of the OpenSciEd online materials.
Train the Trainers
During year 2 of curriculum implementation, the Activate Learning PL team works with district leaders to create a Train the Trainers program. This bridge allows the district to start doing their own PL with support from the Activate Learning team. Our team stays involved with all training and supports the district for the duration of the adoption.
IQWST
Activate Learning has a rich history of providing high-quality Professional Learning across the country for over 10 years. Our team of expert facilitators provides learning experiences that help teachers achieve success in three-dimensional teaching and learning.
Sessions are designed to prepare teachers with the practical elements of enacting a curriculum for the first time and provide a vision for the long-term goals of the implementation of A Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
IQWST Professional Learning opportunities are structured around the following categories to support the goals for teacher and student learning:
Introduction to IQWST
The Introductory PL introduces educators to the scope and design of their new curriculum prior to implementing it in the classroom. Teachers experience an opening sequence of activities as learners. Next we introduce our core research-based design principles as a tool that the teacher can use to analyze their experience. Finally, teachers set up and engage in several follow-up activities, identifying and unpacking the complexities of those activities, and developing a plan to approach these ideas and practices with students.
Getting to Know IQWST
In this session, we introduce the IQWST program and share best practices for getting started. Participants become familiar with program components: equipment kits, Teacher Editions, Student Science Notebook, and the IQWST portal. We will share specific strategies to help teachers implement the program and how to manage both materials and students. Teachers will be shown how to set up the activities using the initial grade level unit.
Implementation of Next Unit
The implementation PL engages teachers in a sequence of activities specific to their next unit, focusing on how the instructional sequence supports students in building and applying big science ideas over time.
IQWST Interactive Digital Edition
Teachers are shown how to access and navigate the IDE to identify the many resources available for both teachers and students.
ONPAR
Teachers are shown how to navigate the ONPAR assessment platform so they better understand how to use it in their classrooms. We’ll help you access ONPAR’s engaging multimedia content to quickly assess students’ knowledge of complex science, so you can get timely reports that help you quickly address learning challenges.
PRIME
Introduction to PRIME
The Introductory PL introduces educators who are new to our curriculum to its scope and design prior to implementing the curriculum in their classrooms. Teachers experience an opening sequence of activities as learners. We then introduce our core research-based design principles as a tool the teacher uses to analyze their experience. Finally, teachers set up and engage in several follow-up activities, identify, and unpack the activities, and develop a plan to approach these ideas and practices with students.
Implementation of Next Unit
The implementation PL is designed to engage teachers in a sequence of activities specific to their next unit, focusing specifically on how the instructional sequence supports students in building and applying big ideas in science over time.
PRIME Interactive Digital Edition (IDE)
Teachers are shown how to access and navigate the IDE to identify the many resources available for both teachers and students.
High School
Introduction to Active Learning HS Series
The Introductory PL introduces educators who are new to our curriculum to its scope and design prior to implementing the curriculum in their classrooms. Teachers experience an opening sequence of activities as learners. We then introduce our core research-based design principles as a tool that the teacher can use to analyze their experience. Finally, teachers set up and engage in several follow-up activities, identifying and unpacking the complexities of those activities, and developing a plan to approach these ideas and practices with students.
Active Learning HS Series - Interactive Digital Edition
Teachers are shown how to access and navigate the IDE to identify the many resources available for both teachers and students.
Communities of Practice (CoP) are personalized for each district and support ongoing teacher learning and growth throughout the life of an adoption. CoPs enhance participants' understanding of teaching strategies, curriculum materials, and the overall educator learning experience.
Community of Practice (CoP)
Communities of Practice (CoP) are personalized for each district and support ongoing teacher learning and growth throughout the life of an adoption. CoPs enhance participants' understanding of teaching strategies, curriculum materials, and the overall educator learning experience.
Focus can include (but not limited to):
- Sharing a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic
- Sharing best practices and creating new knowledge to advance a domain of professional practice
- Building confidence in implementing the curriculum
- Developing peer-to-peer mentorship and leadership skills
CoPs are conducted through a web-based environment and sessions are tailored to fit teachers' schedules. Read the article What is a Community of Practice and How Does It Support 3-Dimensional Science Curriculum Adoption? or contact us to learn more about establishing a Community of Practice with your science teachers.
