​NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award

2021 Summer Institute OpenSciEd

OpenSciEd is a free and open curriculum resource that brings science to life with phenomenon-based storylines, hands-on science investigations and engineering design projects aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and three-dimensional science teaching and learning that is described in The Framework for K-12 Science Education.  Based on research regarding how students learn, what motivates learning, and the implications for teaching, the instructional materials were developed and designed to be used with low-cost, standard laboratory equipment.  Over time, the exemplary instructional materials have been improved based on feedback from teachers and field testing. 

New Jersey is one of ten states to have piloted @OpenSciEd curricula for middle school students. 

This summer, the NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award (MPSMA) Committee is excited to sponsor this professional development opportunity. Through this workshop, Scholars will deepen their understanding of best practices and equitable strategies in science instruction, experience an OpenSciEd unit from the student perspective and collaborate with other NJ educators. 

This introductory professional development will focus on the OpenSciEd instructional model and a choice of one of three grade-specific units: 

6.1 Light and Matter 

7.1 Chemical Reactions 

8.1 Contact Forces

For more information about OpenSciEd please visit the website at https://www.openscied.org/

For further information about this 2021 MPS Memorial Award Summer Institute, please contact Cheryl Zanone njstasimmons@gmail.com.