The Full Option Science System™ (FOSS) philosophy is to engage students in science through active learning. Whether you want to generally embrace the vision of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) or follow more closely the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with the integration of the Common Core State Standards in ELA and Math, there's a FOSS edition that will support your goals. Each edition shares the same research-based strategies that the FOSS developers at the Lawrence Hall of Science have been refining for more than 25 years.
Every FOSS investigation follows a similar design to provide multiple exposures to science concepts. The design includes these pedagogies:
Active investigation, including outdoor experiences
Recording in science notebooks to answer the focus question
Reading in FOSS Science Resources
Assessment to monitor progress and motivate student reflection on learning
In practice, these components are seamlessly integrated into a continuum designed to maximize every student's opportunity to learn. An instructional sequence may move from one pedagogy to another and back again to ensure adequate coverage of a concept.
FOSSweb is the official website of FOSS. FOSSweb has resources for educators and engaging activities for students and families. Most of the instructional material in these unit guides comes from FOSS curriculum. In order to access FOSSweb resources, you must first create a FOSSweb account. Once you have an account, use the links below to go to the appropriate pages.
Instructions for Account Registration
Go to http://fossweb.com/registration. You can register on the site "as an organization" with your school. If your school is not in the database, register as an individual.
Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your account username (email address) and information such as school, district, and grade(s).
To finish your registration, look for an email from loginhelp@schoolspecialty.com.
Click the link included in the email to complete registration. If you do not receive it shortly after your registration submission, you may need to check your spam folder or add loginhelp@schoolspecialty.com to your email's safe list.
Return to http://www.fossweb.com and log in.
Enter Access Code
On your Teacher Page, click "Activate a New Module" under the FOSS User’s Teacher Homepage menu bar
Enter access codes. (Codes are on a letter in your Kit. Contact us if you need a code.)
On the following screen, select the FOSS Second Edition Modules you want to appear in the “My FOSS Modules” section of your Teacher Page. Choose the modules you use on a regular basis. You will be able to add additional modules later if you decide to have additional modules to appear in your “My FOSS Modules” section.
The FOSS Modules you selected will now appear as modules in your "My FOSS Modules." You can remove any module from this section and add it back later without entering an access code.
Links to the FOSS Support pages: