On May 28th, teachers from across the Puget Sound region came together with district leads, developers, and IslandWood staff to share and celebrate the work they did this year on eight new โlocalizing guidesโ for OpenSciEd and Amplify Science units. Each localizing guide supports students in making meaningful and authentic connections between a specific national science unit and their personal experiences, family understandings, local communities, and regional phenomena.
Working group participants started off their time together at IslandWoodโs Bainbridge Island campus for four days in August to build a common understanding of localization and develop localized adaptations. The teachers then tested their ideas during the school year and wrote personal vignettes about their experience with localization in their classrooms. The adaptations they created will be piloted with groups of teachers during the 2025-26 school year before being provided to Western Washington teachers asynchronously. When completed, each localizing guide will provide teachers and districts with ideas on how to localize their science curriculum content, elevate studentsโ personal and cultural identities, find and use regional data sets, and make science and climate science learning more relevant to their communities.
Mayโs final gathering offered an opportunity to provide feedback on the process and reflect on the impact and importance of localizing to their students.
Word cloud from the May 28th gathering
Heather Herschi, a middle school teacher who developed adaptations for an OpenSciEd unit, reflected on the value of the work, โNot only is it worth it, it is NECESSARY for students to feel intrinsically motivated and connected to NGSS and science learning.โ
Keep an eye out for our upcoming pilots and completed guides (plus localizing workshops) on IslandWoodโs localizing webpage.
