JoinProfessional Learning Institute
OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch Workshops
Join middle school science teachers from across Massachusetts for OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch professional learning workshops! You’ll leave with everything you need to confidently implement your chosen unit, including a deeper understanding of the OpenSciEd middle school curriculum and a familiarity with the wealth of resources available on the OpenSciEd website to support teaching and learning in your classroom.
In each round, you will also come together with participants from all three unit-specific groups to discuss to reflect on the focal topic (see below) to help ensure equitable sensemaking opportunities for all your students within a unit and across the OpenSciEd middle school curriculum.
Unit Launch Workshops
OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch workshops support educators to implement one of the following units.
Workshops will run daily 8:00am-3:30pm, with sign-in beginning at 7:15am. Breakfast and lunch are provided.
Workshop locations:
- Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood Hotel and Conference Center - Norwood, MA
- UMass Amherst – Amherst, MA
Round 2: Elevating Student Sensemaking
Two-day Workshop
$750 per person
- OpenSciEd Unit 8.2 Sound Waves - MA Unit 6.2
- OpenSciEd Unit 6.2 Thermal Energy - MA Unit 7.2
- OpenSciEd Unit 7.2 Chemical Reactions & Energy - MA Unit 8.2
- Provide a structure and time to reflect on successes and challenges from the first unit.
- Share expertise and collaboratively address challenges.
- Dig deeper into teacher moves and instructional supports that support student sensemaking.
Training Dates - Choose 1 | |
|---|---|
| February 3-4, 2025 | Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood Hotel and Conference Center Norwood, MA |
| February 5-6, 2025 | Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood Hotel and Conference Center Norwood, MA (OSE Unit 6.2 ONLY) |
| February 10-11, 2025 | UMass Amherst Amherst, MA |
Round 4: Universal Design for Learning
Two-day Workshop
$750 per person
- OpenSciEd Unit 8.4 Earth in Space - MA Unit 6.4
- OpenSciEd Unit 7.4 Matter Cycling & Photosynthesis - MA Unit 7.3
- OpenSciEd Unit 6.3 Weather- MA Unit 8.6
- Identify ways that OpenSciEd lessons are designed to address the principles of UDL.
- Identify instructional strategies that align with the UDL Principles to support student learning.
- Analyze lessons to identify goals, potential barriers, and ways to use the UDL Principles to remove barriers and create flexible paths to learning.
- Identify strategies for Emergent Multilingual Learners (EML) that align with the UDL principles.
Training Dates - Choose 1 | |
|---|---|
| February 3-4, 2025 | Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood Hotel and Conference Center Norwood, MA |
| February 10-11, 2025 | UMass Amherst Amherst, MA |
Round 6: Making Thinking Visible
Two-day Workshop
$750 per person
- OpenSciEd Unit 6.6 Cells & Systems - MA Unit 6.6
- OpenSciEd Unit 7.6 Earth’s Resources & Human Impact - MA Unit 7.5
- OpenSciEd Unit 8.6 Natural Selection - MA Unit 8.5
- Reflect on your students’ writing/drawing and potential barriers.
- Analyze lessons and student work to understand the focus, role, and varied opportunities of writing and drawing for sensemaking in OpenSciEd.
- Consider how to customize OpenSciEd materials in ways that support our students’ and align with the key goals of OpenSciEd.
Training Dates | |
|---|---|
| February 5-6, 2025 | Four Points by Sheraton, Norwood Hotel and Conference Center Norwood, MA |
Not able to attend?
Contact professionallearning@nsta.org to learn about scheduling a workshop for your school or district.