The OpenSciEd Instructional Model employs a storyline approach – a logical sequence of lessons motivated by students’ questions that arise from their interactions with phenomena. To help teachers and students progress through a unit storyline, the instructional model utilizes five routines—activities that play specific roles in advancing the storyline, accompanied by structures designed to help students achieve the objectives of those activities. The routines typically follow a pattern as students kick off a unit of study, investigate different questions they have, put the pieces together from those investigations, and then problematize the next set of questions to investigate.

The Five Routines

Anchoring Phenomenon Routine

Purpose: Kick off a unit and maintain student motivation.

Activity: Provides a common, shared experience with an engaging and puzzling phenomenon.

Outcome: Elicits student questions and a drive to figure things out.

Connection: Students link the classroom experience to their own life experiences and resources.

Unit Role: Generates the excitement and curiosity that drives the entire unit.

Result: Establishes a shared mission between students and the teacher to investigate phenomena or solve design problems.

Navigation Routine

Connection: Enables students to link learning across different lessons and activities.

Relevance: Helps students see how their learning connects back to their original questions about the phenomena.

Role: Positions students as problem solvers and partners in understanding how the world works.

Investigation Routine

Purpose: Gather additional information necessary to answer questions on the Driving Question Board (DQB).

Planning: Students develop the plans for their investigations and data collection.

Execution: Students conduct the investigations and then interpret the data.

Contrast: The approach is student-driven, rather than following pre-dictated lab procedures from the teacher.

Problematizing Routine

Function: Reveals potential problems or shortcomings in the current model, explanation, or design solution.

Motivation: The problems and disagreements that arise serve as a motivator for students.

Outcome: Drives students to extend or revise their thinking.

Putting the Pieces Together Routine

Action: Students gather the ideas developed across multiple lessons.

Synthesis: Students determine how to connect these ideas to explain the phenomenon the class is investigating.

Assessment: Helps students evaluate their learning.

Outcome: Students engage with the class to develop a consensus model (or explanation/solution).

Before piloting OpenSciEd, science department staff attended OpenSciEd Community Days and visited schools implementing OSE in order to learn more about the structure and process of the curriculum. These folders contain information, materials, and resources to help with our pilot of OSE.