The California Science Center Professional Development team is committed to helping educators grow in awareness and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards. Our workshops infuse your practice with innovative ideas and strategies to engage students in science learning! Explore activities and materials designed to inspire student-driven inquiry and critical thinking. Deepen your own science knowledge and expand your teaching practices by participating in one of our workshops today!
Professional Development
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For more information, or to inquire about a customized program for your school or district, email Professional Development at [email protected]
Elementary Science Partnership Program
The California Science Center Foundation is offering an intensive, interactive partnership program that supports the implementation of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for elementary schools or networks of schools. The program will help schools increase familiarity with the NGSS and provide a basis for planning instruction around the new standards. Available modules include:
- NGSS 101
- Phenomenon-Based Learning
- Interactive Science Notebooks
- Discourse and Argumentation
- Assessment and the CAST
- Environmental Principles and Concepts
- ELA, Math, or Art Integration
- Instructional Materials Adoption Support
- Social-Emotional Learning and Culturally Responsive Teaching in Science
Program Components View Details
- Administrator Overview & Needs Assessment
- Professional Development & Coaching
- Administrative Support and Training
- Evaluation
- Additional Opportunities with the California Science Center
- IMAX tickets
- Special exhibit experiences
- Fees
- The base fee for the program is $25,000 per school, per year. Pricing models for districts and/or networks of schools will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
It was an awesome year filled with numerous opportunities to learn to incorporate science, engineering, math, and technology, through these intense trainings. We learned and practiced using many resources to utilize in the classroom to make these subjects fun and engaging for our students.
Second Grade Teacher
TK-5 Grade Level Resources
TK-5 Activities and Resources View Details
- Activities
- Crosscutting Concept (CCC) Introductory Activities (coming soon)
- Posters
- Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCI) (coming soon)
- Science and Engineering Practices (SEP) (coming soon)
Kindergarten View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Earth and Human Activity Lesson Sequence - With this nine-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, you can teach kindergarteners what humans need to survive and how that affects planet Earth. Kindergarteners can save the world, too! Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations K-ESS2-2, K-ESS3-1, K-ESS3-3) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
1st Grade View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Sound Lesson Sequence - With this eleven-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, you can engage first graders in learning about sounds through a compelling phenomenon about mysterious sounds heard all around the world. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 1-PS4-1, 1-PS4-4, 1-LS1-2) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
2nd Grade View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Properties of Materials Lesson Sequence - In this ten-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, second grade engineers will consider the properties of materials when used for specific purposes. Knowledge of matter and testing of properties will guide students as they engineer a structure at the end of this lesson sequence. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 2-PS1-1, 2-PS1-2) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
3rd Grade View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Changing Environments Lesson Sequence - In this nine-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, involve third graders in figuring out why high numbers of dead barn owls were found along a certain stretch of highway. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom. Adapted from the California NGSS Statewide Rollout.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 3-LS4-3, 3-LS4-4) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
4th Grade View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Energy Lesson Sequence - In this six-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, fourth graders get hands-on while exploring different kinds of energy and energy transfers. Embedded within this document, you will find links to all the digital resources you’ll need to teach this sequence in your classroom.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 4-PS3-1, 4-PS3-2, 4-PS3-3, 4-PS3-4) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
5th Grade View Details
- Virtual Field Trip
- Earth's Systems Lesson Sequence - In this eight-lesson, NGSS-aligned lesson sequence, fifth graders think about Earth’s systems and how they interact to affect our landforms, weather, and life in California. Adapted from the California NGSS Statewide Rollout.
(Aligns with NGSS Performance Expectations 5-ESS2-1, 5-ESS2-2) - Instructional Segments Resource Alignment spreadsheet - A curated list of resources aligned to the NGSS Performance Expectations for each grade level. Find the tab at the bottom for your grade!
