The Full Option Science System™ (FOSS) philosophy is to engage students in science through active learning. Whether you want to generally embrace the vision of A Framework for K-12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas (2012) or follow more closely the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) with the integration of the Common Core State Standards in ELA and Math, there’s a FOSS edition that will support your goals. Each edition shares the same research-based strategies that the FOSS developers at the Lawrence Hall of Science have been refining for more than 25 years.

Every FOSS investigation follows a similar design to provide multiple exposures to science concepts. The design includes these pedagogies:

• Active investigation, including outdoor experiences
• Recording in science notebooks to answer the focus question
• Reading in FOSS Science Resources
• Assessment to monitor progress and motivate student reflection on learning

In practice, these components are seamlessly integrated into a continuum designed to maximize every student’s opportunity to learn. An instructional sequence may move from one pedagogy to another and back again to ensure adequate coverage of a concept.