Leander ISD Insider

Dear Parents and Guardians,

This letter is to provide information about the innovative new middle school science program in Leander ISD, OpenSciEd. The resource offers students engaging opportunities to explore science, sparking students' interest and providing them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field. The National Academy of Sciences conducted extensive research to help inform state-level decisions around science education effectiveness, resulting in the publication of A Framework for K–12 Science Education. The Framework was the primary resource Texas’ TEA referenced in revising the state science standards (TEKS), and is the foundation for a “three-dimensional approach” to science teaching in Texas. The three dimensions of Texas’ science TEKS include the recurring themes and concepts (RTCs), the scientific and engineering practices (SEPs), and science content. Middle school teachers on the Leander ISD Instructional Materials Adoption (IMA) Committee thoroughly reviewed multiple resources, and ultimately recommended OpenSciEd, delivered via the Activate Learning platform, for grades 6-8. OpenSciEd received a ‘green’ rating from EdReports, indicating the highest quality of science education instructional materials. The LISD school board adopted OpenSciEd for implementation starting in the 2024-2025 school year.

OpenSciEd is designed to increase science accessibility for each and every student. The units use a science storyline approach to learning, grounded by the students’ own desire to explain what they don’t understand. Storylines are sequenced lessons that encourage students to answer their own questions in order to figure out a piece of a science idea or observable event, referred to as phenomena. Students use scientific talk to make sense of these phenomena. Their talk, in the form of words and drawings (“models”) progress from exploring their own thinking to deepening their reasoning. This process relies on how students engage with others by agreeing, disagreeing, and providing feedback as guided by the teacher. Teachers and students have a responsibility to work together to figure things out as a community of learners, just as scientists do in the real world.

Your child will learn about specific topics in-depth through OpenSciEd. As a result, there will be fewer units of study, but more time spent on each. Your child will also be expected to use scientific and engineering practices to make sense of these topics, rather than string together a list of disconnected facts. Examples of phenomena include:

• Grade 6 How can containers keep stuff from warming up or cooling down?
• Grade 7 How can we make something new that was not there before?
• Grade 8 Why do things sometimes get damaged when they hit each other?

These phenomena have been carefully selected to anchor the storylines and motivate students to want to learn more about the world around them. We hope that you see your students’ excitement for science at home, just as we do at school. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher or me.

Sincerely,

Anna Wydeven

Sr. Secondary Science Curriculum Coordinator

Leander ISD