In the science curriculum, several options frequently pop up for middle school science teachers. This is the first in a multi-blog post series in which we’ll be digging into several of the leading science curriculum options available to middle school science teachers. Kesler Science curriculum is one of the more popular options for middle-grade teachers looking for science lessons that encourage student engagement and a deep understanding of important unit topics.
ABOUT KESLER SCIENCE CURRICULUM
Kesler Science LLC is a program specifically designed for 4th-8th grade classrooms. The company boasts of having a team of teachers that support the instructional design and help put together complete lesson plans that align with the practical wants, needs, and desires of real classroom teachers today. In other words…it’s not just some corporate leader or out-of-touch instructional coach developing these programs. From the curriculum writer to the researcher, Kesler Science relies on the input and influence of real classroom teachers.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Kesler Science curriculum includes physical science, life science, and earth science resources for middle school classrooms. Each unit offers differentiated lesson materials that cover standards-aligned concepts within each of these science disciplines. Each unit comes with plenty of hands-on inquiry activities to enrich your students’ science class experience. The Kesler Science escape rooms and inquiry labs are popular features of this program. These activities offer an interactive experience your students are bound to enjoy.
ASK THE TEACHERS!
Did you know I lead a Facebook group of over 13,000 middle school science teachers?! This group is truly such a wealth of science teacher inspiration and encouragement! This spring, I decided to “ask the audience” to share their thoughts about different science curriculum options. Of course, there was no shortage of feedback about the Kesler Science curriculum. Here’s what real-life middle school teachers had to say about this resource:
PRO’S OF KESLER SCIENCE
- EASY TO USE:
Teachers in my Facebook group found Kesler Science to be relatively easy to use. They enjoy the options for customizing resources to better meet their preferred instructional methods. They also found it simple to pick and pull different lessons and activities to suit the needs of their classrooms. - HANDS-ON LEARNING:
Over and over again, my audience shared that their favorite part of Kesler Science is the numerous hands-on inquiry labs, escape rooms, and other interactive activities. Kesler truly does have an interactive, hands-on learning option for every topic covered in their unit curriculum. - GREAT FOR INTRODUCTORY LESSONS:
Several teachers shared that they find Kesler Science helpful in front-loading new information. They often use these resources to kick off new units and get students interested in upcoming science topics.
CON’S OF KESLER SCIENCE
- VERY REPETITIVE:
According to several of the teachers I surveyed, one drawback of the Kesler Science curriculum is the repetitiveness of the lessons. This can have a potentially negative impact on student engagement. - CHALLENGING ACTIVITIES:
Some of the real teacher feedback I received indicated that many of the instructional activities were quite challenging for middle school students. The escape rooms and several of the labs may be above your students’ ability level. - NOT GREAT FOR ELL STUDENTS:
If you have a large population of ELL students, Kesler Science probably isn’t for you. While this program has excellent English resources, it does not currently offer Spanish (or any other language) resources.
This graphic contains additional feedback and information gathered from real teachers who’ve used Kesler Science.
You can see practical ways teachers have implemented Kesler Science materials (and other instructional resources) in the group Middle School Science Teachers.
WANT MORE?!
If you enjoyed this curriculum review and would like more information, ideas, and feedback about all things “middle school science” — I HIGHLY encourage you to join my Facebook group for middle school science teachers! In this active online community, we regularly share tips, ideas, and encouragement to support you in your science teaching journey! Oh, and I should mention… joining this community is totally free. Truly, you’ve got nothing to lose.