OpenSciEd is a comprehensive middle school science curriculum that empowers students to ask questions, design investigations, and solutions, and figure out the interesting and puzzling world. OpenSciEd empowers students to be the knowers and doers of science and develops a classroom in which the ideas we hear from our peers help to move our thinking forward as we develop our abilities to think, read, write and argue as scientists and engineers.
● Phenomenon Based - Centered around exploring phenomena or solving problems
● Driven by Student Questions - Storyline based on students’ questions and ideas
● Grounded in Evidence - Incremental building and revision of ideas based on evidence
● Collaborative - WE, the class and the teacher, figure out ideas together
● Equitable - Builds a classroom culture that values ideas and learning of all

The OpenSciEd Instructional Model:
The OpenSciEd Instructional model uses a storyline approach in which students are presented with puzzling phenomena that elicit a variety of questions that motivate the learning in the unit. In OpenSciEd units, phenomena are carefully selected to anchor a storyline and inspire the development of target disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. These anchoring phenomena draw students into the storyline by presenting the natural challenge of explaining something or solving a problem. Other phenomena may be introduced at key points in a storyline to maintain interest or push students to delve more deeply.

To help teachers and students advance through a unit storyline, the instructional model takes advantage of five routines—activities that play specific roles in advancing the storyline with supports to help students achieve the objectives of those activities. The routines typically follow a pattern as students kick off a unit of study, surface and investigate different questions they have, put the pieces together from those investigations, and then
problematize the next set of questions to investigate.

Built to engage, inspire and empower:
Educators can leverage OpenSciEd to bring three-dimensional learning to life for their students, confident that the materials have been tested in classrooms with thousands of students across the country. Data from the field tests show that our materials engage students and support them in developing the skills, knowledge, and mindset they need to be successful in high school and beyond.

OpenSciEd was developed through collaboration between science educators, curriculum developers, science content experts, and researchers. It provides the support all students and teachers deserve.
● Anchoring phenomena explored through diverse interdisciplinary contexts serve as the foundation for compelling, coherent storylines.
● Research-based multimodal learning allows students to develop expertise in all Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and a deep
understanding of Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs).
● Simulations and data visualization tools enable students to create and refine models of their ideas of key scientific phenomena.
● Embedded engineering in units focused on problem-solving and technology emphasize that there is not always one right answer, as students
balance competing constraints to design the best justifiable solutions.
● Developed utilizing Universal Design for Learning principles to support a diverse student population and emerging multilingual learners.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by OpenSciEd.org

OpenSciEd was launched to improve the supply of and address demand for high quality, open-source, full-course science instructional materials, while at the same time supporting the implementation of middle school science instructional units. The goals of