|
- Home
- 2026-Simmons-Institute
NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award2026 Summer Institute OpenSciEd Elementary OpenSciEd High School Curriculum Launch |
.jpg){kind=spacer}
Calling Elementary teachers in Grades 3-5! The NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award (MPSMA) Committee is excited to sponsor this professional development opportunity for elementary school educators AND high school educators who are interested in learning how to incorporate anchoring phenomena-based Science into their classrooms. Teachers who attend the 2026 NJSTA MPSMA Summer Institute will use OpenSciEd free and open curriculum resources that are centered around recognizable real-world phenomena which spark children’s curiosity and fuel their enthusiasm to figure things out. Coherent storylines, hands-on science investigations and student-driven discussions bring science to life by providing meaningful understandings with a goal of explaining the phenomenon and/or solving a problem. Educators will experience and reflect on the three-dimensional routines of a Next Generation Science classroom using anchoring phenomenon. Specifications integrate the three-dimensions of science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas while aligning with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science (NJSLS). This immersive professional learning experience will develop teacher knowledge in the phenomenon-driven instructional model. Elementary teachers, select your choice of one of three different units specific for Grades 3, 4, or 5. Grade 3 - Unit 3.1 Forces & Interactions Grade 4 - Unit 4.1 Energy Transfer: Collisions Grade 5 - Unit 5.1 Ecosystems & Matter Cycling High School teachers, select your choice of three subject-specific units: Biology Unit B.1 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy and Dynamics Chemistry Unit C.1 Thermodynamics in Earth's Systems Physics Unit P.1 Energy Flow from Earth's Systems OpenSciEd is the Model Curriculum for science instruction in New Jersey. To review the 2020 New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science please visit the NJ Department of Education. For more information about the OpenSciEd instructional model and resources for , please click on the OpenSciEd logo below.
Fill out my online form. For further information about the MPS Memorial Award Summer Institute, please contact Cheryl Zanone njstasimmons@gmail.com. | Target Audience: Teachers and Leaders of Elementary School Science (Grades 3-5) AND Teachers and Leaders of High School Science (Grades 9-12) Dates/Times: This four-day Institute will take place June 29 - July 2, 2026. Scholars who are accepted must commit to attend each full day of the program. Location and Dates: The NJ Center for Science, Technology and Mathematics at Kean University, Union, NJ from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Light breakfast and lunch will be served daily. Sponsor: The Institute is supported by the NJSTA Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award (MPSMA) Endowment which covers ALL Institute costs for those who attend the full 4-day Institute. Participants, known as MPSMA Scholars, will also receive upon completion of the 4-day Institute:
Successful applicants will be notified by May 1, 2026. After May 1, any additional remaining spaces will be filled on a rolling basis and/or a waitlist will be used. For more information, please contact Cheryl Zanone at njstasimmons@gmail.com. |
