Texas Instruments Education Technology

About Science Nspired

Science Nspired uses the power of TI-Nspire™ technology to help students learn science concepts in a deeper, more engaging way, providing ready-to-use lessons that cover essential science topics. A flexible lesson design not only supports an active, hands-on approach to learning science, but also helps promote inquiry-based instruction.

Designed to be used by new educators as well as their experienced colleagues, Science Nspired lessons can be taught "as is" or modified by educators to meet the needs of their students and their curricula.

The site is organized by units, and related activities are clustered into Lesson Modules. The Lesson Module design is aligned with the BSCS 5E Instructional Model (engage, explore, explain, elaborate and evaluate). This model effectively builds on students' prior knowledge. Individual activities also utilize the 5E model as a framework, where appropriate, to take students through a progression of understanding. Educators may choose to rearrange the order of activities to create an emphasis on different stages of the 5E model if they choose.

All activities can be aligned to national, state and textbook standards as well. In addition, T³ - Teachers Teaching with Technology™ professional development from TI using Science Nspired lessons can be customized to meet educator, school and district needs.

Flexibility is Key

Whether you're new to TI-Nspire technology or already use TI-Nspire solutions in the classroom, Science Nspired offers a variety of activities that vary in complexity, materials and time required, giving you the flexibility to choose something that meets your needs. You may use the entire lesson module to teach a topic in detail or employ individual activities within a module that can easily be used as stand-alone activities.

Lesson Guides for each module will allow you to preview the variety of activities provided, as well as a suggested flow of the lesson. The Lesson Guides are contained in a TI-Nspire PublishView™ document (.tnsp), which can contain rich text and multimedia content that can be published to the Web. Short, easy-to-use Activity Preview videos are also provided.

The activities here have been developed hand-in-hand with educators. Each lesson module contains a cluster of ready-made activities that could include:

Activity Types
Bell Ringer	Bell Ringer lessons feature high-interest video clips or images to set the stage for student learning in a real-world context. Each lesson module contains a Bell Ringer in PublishView™ format (.tnsp), ideal for large group instruction using TI-Nspire software and a projection device.
Data Collection Lab	Data Collection Labs give students the opportunity to collect and analyze real-world data. TI-Nspire technology is compatible with more than 50 data collection sensors from Vernier Software & Technology™. These classic labs promote exploration of concepts through step-by-step instructions, student handout and a TI-Nspire document (.tns).
Interactive Exploration	Interactive Exploration lessons (simulations) utilize the dynamic capabilities of TI-Nspire technology and help students experience phenomena at scales that are difficult to see, such as molecular interactions – as well as processes hard to represent in static images, such as energy transfer. These lessons include teacher guide, student handout, and a TI-Nspire document (.tns).
Partner Content	TI works with leading supplemental and textbook publishers, and key national organizations such as NASA to produce engaging lessons, including STEM activities. Selected lesson modules may feature partner content.
Assessment	Opportunities for formative and summative assessment are embedded throughout each activity. Navigator Tips in select activities suggest ways to use the TI-Nspire™ Navigator™ System to promote an active, engaging learning environment for students. A separate assessment file has also been provided with each module and may contain questions that are not covered directly in the activities, but related to the material covered.