How to use the template
There are a number of different use cases for the MBI template and resources on the website. Here we provide some thoughts on ways to use these resources in different ways.
Classroom Teachers
Our website offers a comprehensive planning template specifically designed for MBI units. Developed and tested in collaboration with secondary science teachers, this template serves as a roadmap to guide you through the entire process of planning and implementing your MBI unit. The template facilitates the unpacking of standards, the selection of a phenomenon to anchor instruction, and the development of models and explanations that foster core sense-making activities throughout the unit.
The planning template acts as a scaffold to support your instructional design by providing prompts, guiding questions, and suggested activities. By following this structured approach, you can ensure that your MBI unit is well-organized, coherent, and aligned with the goals of three-dimensional learning. The template also promotes equitable instruction, encouraging the inclusion and engagement of all students in the classroom.
In addition to our planning template, we offer a wealth of resources and tools to supplement your work on MBI. These resources are continually updated and expanded, ensuring that you have access to the latest developments and strategies in science education. Here's an overview of the resources available on our website:
Phenomena Library: Explore our curated collection of real-world phenomena that can serve as compelling anchors for your MBI units. These phenomena help students connect their learning to authentic and meaningful contexts, fostering curiosity and driving inquiry.
Student Engagement Strategies: Discover a variety of instructional strategies, techniques, and activities designed to actively engage students in the scientific practices central to MBI. These strategies promote collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Assessment and Evaluation: Access guidelines and examples for effectively assessing student learning in MBI units. Learn how to design formative and summative assessments that capture students' abilities to develop and use models, construct explanations, and engage in scientific argumentation.
MBI Unit Examples: On our website, you will find a collection of exemplary MBI unit examples that have been successfully implemented in classrooms. These units cover various science topics and grade levels, providing you with a valuable reference to spark your own creativity and adaptability. Feel free to adapt and modify these MBI unit examples to suit the unique needs and interests of your students and curriculum. We encourage you to use them as a springboard for designing your own MBI units, incorporating your own teaching style, and integrating local phenomena that resonate with your students. By exploring these MBI unit examples, you can leverage the collective wisdom and experiences of fellow educators, enhancing your own instructional practices and furthering the success of your MBI units.
By utilizing our planning template and exploring the wealth of resources on our website, you can confidently embark on designing and implementing impactful MBI units in your science classroom. We aim to empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to create engaging, equitable, and rigorous learning experiences that foster scientific literacy and promote a deep understanding of the natural world. Remember to check back regularly, as we continually update our resources to support your ongoing professional growth and development as a science teacher.
Teacher Educators
Science teacher educators can use the template to structure their university methods courses, helping to organize and deliver lessons that cover all necessary topics in a comprehensive and engaging manner. Additionally, the resources provided on our website can be used by science teacher educators to enrich their methods courses and provide additional insights for their pre-service teachers into effective science instruction. We use the template to structure the semester of methods focusing on unit design. Used in conjunction with other resources, such as the Ambitious Science Teaching book, this scaffolds the students' work towards designing their own MBI unit.
For pre-service teachers, the curricular template can serve as a guide for their own unit planning, and the resources on the website can help them to deepen their understanding of model-based inquiry and develop their own teaching practices. The template can also serve as a model for pre-service teachers, helping them to understand what a well-structured and NGSS-aligned unit plan looks like.
Curriculum developers
Our website is a valuable asset for curriculum developers who are dedicated to creating comprehensive and impactful science curricula. We provide a range of resources specifically designed to support curriculum development efforts focused on model-based inquiry (MBI). By leveraging our planning template, MBI unit examples, and additional tools, you can design curricula that foster three-dimensional learning, engage students in scientific practices, and promote deep conceptual understanding.
Using Our Resources:
Planning Template: Our website offers a comprehensive planning template tailored for MBI units. This template serves as a valuable guide to support curriculum developers in structuring coherent and rigorous instructional sequences. By incorporating the planning template, you can ensure that the curriculum aligns with the goals of MBI and promotes equity in science education.
MBI Unit Examples: Explore our collection of MBI unit examples, which showcase successful implementations of inquiry-based instruction. These examples serve as a source of inspiration and guidance, allowing curriculum developers to observe effective instructional strategies, assessments, and student engagement techniques. By examining these examples, you can refine your curriculum design and identify key components that contribute to successful MBI units.
Alignment with Standards: Our resources emphasize the unpacking of standards and the integration of disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific practices. By incorporating these elements into your curriculum, you can ensure alignment with national and state science education standards. Our website provides support and guidance for incorporating the dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or other relevant standards frameworks.
Assessment and Evaluation: We offer resources and strategies for designing authentic and formative assessments that effectively measure student understanding and competency in scientific practices. These resources can help curriculum developers embed assessment opportunities throughout the curriculum, promoting ongoing feedback and evaluation of student progress.
As a curriculum developer, you hold a critical role in shaping the educational experiences of students. By utilizing our resources, you can design robust and impactful curricula that promote model-based inquiry and engage students in the practices of science. We encourage you to leverage our website as a valuable source of guidance and inspiration throughout your curriculum development journey. Together, let's transform science education and empower students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and lifelong learners.
Classroom Teachers
Our website offers a comprehensive planning template specifically designed for MBI units. Developed and tested in collaboration with secondary science teachers, this template serves as a roadmap to guide you through the entire process of planning and implementing your MBI unit. The template facilitates the unpacking of standards, the selection of a phenomenon to anchor instruction, and the development of models and explanations that foster core sense-making activities throughout the unit.
The planning template acts as a scaffold to support your instructional design by providing prompts, guiding questions, and suggested activities. By following this structured approach, you can ensure that your MBI unit is well-organized, coherent, and aligned with the goals of three-dimensional learning. The template also promotes equitable instruction, encouraging the inclusion and engagement of all students in the classroom.
In addition to our planning template, we offer a wealth of resources and tools to supplement your work on MBI. These resources are continually updated and expanded, ensuring that you have access to the latest developments and strategies in science education. Here's an overview of the resources available on our website:
Phenomena Library: Explore our curated collection of real-world phenomena that can serve as compelling anchors for your MBI units. These phenomena help students connect their learning to authentic and meaningful contexts, fostering curiosity and driving inquiry.
Student Engagement Strategies: Discover a variety of instructional strategies, techniques, and activities designed to actively engage students in the scientific practices central to MBI. These strategies promote collaborative learning, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Assessment and Evaluation: Access guidelines and examples for effectively assessing student learning in MBI units. Learn how to design formative and summative assessments that capture students' abilities to develop and use models, construct explanations, and engage in scientific argumentation.
MBI Unit Examples: On our website, you will find a collection of exemplary MBI unit examples that have been successfully implemented in classrooms. These units cover various science topics and grade levels, providing you with a valuable reference to spark your own creativity and adaptability. Feel free to adapt and modify these MBI unit examples to suit the unique needs and interests of your students and curriculum. We encourage you to use them as a springboard for designing your own MBI units, incorporating your own teaching style, and integrating local phenomena that resonate with your students. By exploring these MBI unit examples, you can leverage the collective wisdom and experiences of fellow educators, enhancing your own instructional practices and furthering the success of your MBI units.
By utilizing our planning template and exploring the wealth of resources on our website, you can confidently embark on designing and implementing impactful MBI units in your science classroom. We aim to empower you with the knowledge and tools necessary to create engaging, equitable, and rigorous learning experiences that foster scientific literacy and promote a deep understanding of the natural world. Remember to check back regularly, as we continually update our resources to support your ongoing professional growth and development as a science teacher.
Teacher educators
Science teacher educators can use the template to structure their university methods courses, helping to organize and deliver lessons that cover all necessary topics in a comprehensive and engaging manner. Additionally, the resources provided on our website can be used by science teacher educators to enrich their methods courses and provide additional insights for their pre-service teachers into effective science instruction. We use the template to structure the semester of methods focusing on unit design. Used in conjunction with other resources, such as the Ambitious Science Teaching book, this scaffolds the students' work towards designing their own MBI unit.
For pre-service teachers, the curricular template can serve as a guide for their own unit planning, and the resources on the website can help them to deepen their understanding of model-based inquiry and develop their own teaching practices. The template can also serve as a model for pre-service teachers, helping them to understand what a well-structured and NGSS-aligned unit plan looks like.
Professional LEARNING Specialists
Our website is a valuable resource for professional learning specialists who are dedicated to enhancing the instructional practices of educators. We provide a range of resources specifically designed to support professional development initiatives focused on model-based inquiry (MBI). By using our materials, professional learning specialists can facilitate engaging and effective learning experiences that equip educators with the knowledge, skills, and strategies necessary to implement MBI in their classrooms.
Supporting Professional Development Initiatives:
Workshop Facilitation: Our website offers a comprehensive planning template, MBI unit examples, and supplemental materials that can be utilized to design and facilitate dynamic professional development workshops. These resources provide a framework for guiding educators through the process of planning and implementing MBI units. Professional learning specialists can leverage these materials to create interactive workshops that encourage collaboration, reflection, and the exploration of effective instructional strategies.
Customized Learning Modules: Our resources can be adapted to create customized learning modules for educators. Professional learning specialists can curate content from our website, including the planning template, MBI unit examples, and assessment support, to develop targeted modules that align with the specific needs and goals of their audience. These modules can be delivered through in-person sessions, online platforms, or a combination of both, providing educators with flexible and accessible professional learning opportunities.
As a professional learning specialist, you play a crucial role in supporting educators in their journey towards implementing model-based inquiry. Our website offers a wealth of resources, including planning templates, MBI unit examples, and assessment support, to enhance your professional development initiatives. By leveraging these resources, you can create engaging workshops, customized learning modules, and mentoring opportunities that empower educators to effectively implement MBI in their classrooms. Let's work together to cultivate a community of educators who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide meaningful and impactful science education experiences for their students.
Curriculum developers
Our website is a valuable asset for curriculum developers who are dedicated to creating comprehensive and impactful science curricula. We provide a range of resources specifically designed to support curriculum development efforts focused on model-based inquiry (MBI). By leveraging our planning template, MBI unit examples, and additional tools, you can design curricula that foster three-dimensional learning, engage students in scientific practices, and promote deep conceptual understanding.
Using Our Resources:
Planning Template: Our website offers a comprehensive planning template tailored for MBI units. This template serves as a valuable guide to support curriculum developers in structuring coherent and rigorous instructional sequences. By incorporating the planning template, you can ensure that the curriculum aligns with the goals of MBI and promotes equity in science education.
MBI Unit Examples: Explore our collection of MBI unit examples, which showcase successful implementations of inquiry-based instruction. These examples serve as a source of inspiration and guidance, allowing curriculum developers to observe effective instructional strategies, assessments, and student engagement techniques. By examining these examples, you can refine your curriculum design and identify key components that contribute to successful MBI units.
Alignment with Standards: Our resources emphasize the unpacking of standards and the integration of disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and scientific practices. By incorporating these elements into your curriculum, you can ensure alignment with national and state science education standards. Our website provides support and guidance for incorporating the dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) or other relevant standards frameworks.
Assessment and Evaluation: We offer resources and strategies for designing authentic and formative assessments that effectively measure student understanding and competency in scientific practices. These resources can help curriculum developers embed assessment opportunities throughout the curriculum, promoting ongoing feedback and evaluation of student progress.
As a curriculum developer, you hold a critical role in shaping the educational experiences of students. By utilizing our resources, you can design robust and impactful curricula that promote model-based inquiry and engage students in the practices of science. We encourage you to leverage our website as a valuable source of guidance and inspiration throughout your curriculum development journey. Together, let's transform science education and empower students to become critical thinkers, problem solvers, and lifelong learners.