The 2026 National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Conference in Anaheim, CA is almost here, and OpenSciEd is excited to connect with educators from across the country! Whether you teach elementary, middle, or high school, our team is ready to support you in bringing engaging, high quality, student-centered science learning to your classroom.
This year, OpenSciEd and our partners are offering 30+ interactive sessions, including opportunities within the Professional Learning Institute (PLI), designed to strengthen your instructional practice and support successful implementation.
Explore Your Pathway
To help you make the most of your time at NSTA, we’ve organized our sessions into clear pathways so you can dive deeper into what matters most for your grade level, role, and goals.
OpenSciEd Teacher Training (NSTA Expert-Led)
Led by NSTA expert facilitators, this pathway is designed for educators seeking practical tools to strengthen instruction and support student sensemaking. These sessions focus on helping teachers translate high quality instructional materials into effective classroom practice through routines, tools, and structures that support all learners.
- Best Practices for Success: Student Notebooks and Progress Trackers
- Best Practices for Success: Making Participation Inclusive During Discussions
- Best Practices for Success: The “Putting the Pieces Together” Routine
OpenSciEd Elementary (K–5)
Elementary educators will explore how to spark curiosity and support all students in making sense of complex science ideas through coherent, phenomenon-based instruction. From leveraging students’ questions to strengthening classroom discussions and integrating literacy and math, these sessions offer practical strategies you can use right away. You’ll also dive into OpenSciEd’s newly released full elementary curriculum and learn how assessments and instructional routines can support student thinking and classroom community.
Explore sessions like:
- Flippers, Phenomena, and a Fully Released Curriculum – Professional Learning Institute (PLI)
- Using Students’ Questions to Drive Learning
- Enhancing Multilingual Learners’ Participation
- Math and Literacy Integration in Science
OpenSciEd Middle School (6–8)
Discover how OpenSciEd is transforming middle school science by embedding computer science directly into instruction, not as add-ons, but as essential tools for sensemaking. These sessions highlight how integrated STEM approaches expand access for all learners while making science more relevant, engaging, and connected to real-world challenges.
Explore sessions like:
OpenSciEd High School (9–12)
High school educators will explore how OpenSciEd preserves the rigor of traditional science content while organizing learning through coherent, phenomenon-based storylines. Through interactive sessions, you’ll unpack where core topics in chemistry, biology, and physics live within OpenSciEd units and how these approaches support deeper understanding and more meaningful student learning.
Explore sessions like:
AI & Emerging Technologies in Science Teaching
Explore how AI and emerging technologies can meaningfully support science teaching and learning across grade levels. From planning and assessment to supporting student engagement in science and engineering practices, these sessions offer practical strategies for integrating AI in ways that strengthen, not replace, high quality instruction.
Explore sessions like:
- GenAI to Enhance Science and Engineering Practices
- Integrating AI into Middle School STEM
- Designing 3D Assessments with AI
