Science Pathway

Who is Boise State Writing Project?

The Boise State Writing Project was established in 2005 and has become a robust site with a strong sense of community, including teachers across southern and central Idaho. The BSWP hosts an invitational summer institute each June for writing teachers across all content areas. Through this common experience, teacher-consultants participate in a culture of teaching demonstrations, learning autobiographies, writing retreats, and thinking partnerships. Stances of inquiry and community engagement frame and guide that work.

What is the Science Pathway?

Our intention was to take the heart of the traditional National Writing Project summer institute and translate it into a content-specific focus. Our science focus allowed us to work with educators within their specific content areas, collectively engaging in inquiry, integrating the language arts, and cultivating leaders. The Summer Institute served as a springboard for our continued work throughout the Fellowship Year.

The implementation of the Fellowship Year was an effort to consolidate gains and growth within the Project. The Fellowship Year allows teachers to put their learning from the ISI into practice in their classroom contexts. A requirement of the Fellowship Year is to reframe an existing unit around the principles of inquiry and citizen science, tenets of the ISI. Throughout the year, teachers receive feedback and continual support as they implement strategies gained from the ISI.

Why Did BSWP Create a Summer Institute Dedicated to Science?

The Next Generation Science Standards and new Idaho State Science Standards urged the Idaho State Department of Education (SDE) to partner with BSWP to cultivate science teacher leaders who could examine the standards, build inquiry units around those standards to share with colleagues, and lead professional development across the state.

Scott Cook, Content Director at the Idaho State Department of Education, said, “The new science standards ask students to demonstrate their knowledge by actually doing science and requires a paradigm shift from how science is currently taught. Because of the Boise State Writing Project’s success in helping Idaho teachers integrate the Common Core Standards across the state, our State Department of Education wanted to use and fund our model to build a cadre of science teacher leaders essential for the longevity and sustainability of the effort.”