Spark Science is open for enrollment!

You can quit the teacher hustle.

What is your time and energy worth?

Get the tools and know-how to shift ownership to your students today.

✨ Forget battling for student engagement. ✨

✨ Let go of doing all the work. ✨

✨ Invest in yourself. 

Bring joy and ease back into your teaching experience.

Spark Science

Empower your students to become learners and leaders.

Co-construct your classroom and curriculum with Spark Science.

You know there is more to science class than textbook facts, recipe-book labs, and one-size-fits-all curriculum.

You know learning doesn’t look the same for every student.

You know the greatest teachers are responsive

and the greatest learning happens when students are engaged.

But how...

How do you then turn that experience into a journey that ultimately meets the standards of the system?

How do we truly turn our students into scientists in a learner-centered classroom…

     while building partnerships that give our students the opportunity to lead?

How do we transform today’s challenges into fuel for the emergence of an authentically learner-centered system?

Most importantly:

How do we do it all without losing ourselves

    our free time, our quality moments with friends and family, our own wellbeing

in the process?

 

In case you need to hear this:

You can be the amazing teacher you want to be

You can change the system

You can make a difference

You can thrive in the time between school bells

               and have a full and joyful life outside the classroom.

 

You don’t have to choose.

 

Are you ready to embrace

a new world of teaching

that brings you more ease and satisfaction

— and ultimately transforms the way your students learn science?

Hey, I’m Nicole.

For years, I was the “overachiever teacher.” I was the first one in the building and the last one to leave. I had it all mapped out all the time, the explorations and the labs and the discussions. I had all the pieces together and every journey planned. 

And still, I found myself struggling with engagement. I wondered why my students didn’t seem to care? Why weren’t they curious? Why didn’t they get how cool this stuff really was!?

So I burnt myself out with late nights of lesson planning, endless grades to “hold students accountable,” and long days in class as I fought to keep their attention, stretch their motivation, and push my students to learn.

I thought that was what made me great. 

But no surprise — it wasn’t sustainable.

It wasn’t fair — to my husband, to my newborn, to myself.

It was when I couldn’t keep it up, when I couldn’t keep running the whole show the whole time that I realized — it had never been serving my students at all. 

When I just couldn’t do it anymore – that’s when I realized there was a path with less resistance.

MyAhaMoment

The best teachers aren’t the ones carrying the torch.

They just light the spark and kindle the flame.

And once I figured that out, everythingchanged.

My work day ended when it ended.

My life was more balanced.

And my students were the better for it.

They knew they were capable, because they had experienced it.

And they stepped up.

My students were really engaged today. They were into it. I even heard, "I want to practice at home!"
Debbie J.
Middle School Teacher, Ohio
student using chemical kitchen lesson

Spark Science isn't just about your students.

Yes, Spark Science was designed to empower you to create a truly student-owned science experience for your learners.

But it was created for you

– 

to provide you with the knowledge, with the support, and with a foundation of curricular resources to reimagine the education experience 

to create a place where learning flows from curiosity and wonder, where students share the weight of the work, and all within your classroom’s walls are empowered to grow into the unique, creative, capable individuals they have the power to be.

Are you ready to create your student-owned science classroom?

"Joining [the iExploreScience] community has been the best professional development I have ever done! I have learned so much about the NGSS and how to implement them in my classroom. I have been able to shift the way I teach to the point that my students don't even know they are learning... My kids love it... I have really been able to transform things "we have always done" into the NGSS way."
Mercedes G.
Middle School Teacher, Wisconsin

What IsIncluded?

On-Demand Professional Learning Library

Grow as an educator on a schedule that works for you. Learn how to build your classroom on a foundation of curiosity and internal drive, learning partnerships, and student empowerment. Explore how to create flow and ease, while bringing joy back into education, through co-constructed learning journeys.

Browse the library here.

The SOS System

Foundations Formula For A Student-Owned Science Classroom

Begin your journey with The SOS System: Foundations Formula. Through short, focused workshops, you can expect to

  • reevaluate how you launch science learning in order to better engage and motivate your students to step up and into their own learning journey
  • rethink how you get your students from “A to Z” in order to reach curriculum goals while empowering students to take more responsibility for their experience and meet their own needs, and
  • transform your role in the classroom from teacher to guide to create space for exploration and discovery in order to deepen learning and improve understanding and retention.

Explore the curriculum here.

Designing 5E Instructional Sequences

Understanding And Implementing The 5E Model

The 5E Model is a great way to develop our own understanding of how students construct knowledge from the experiences that happen within our classrooms.

In this workshop series, we will explore 

  • how conceptual understanding of science content develops for your students, so you can create instructional sequences that work
  • how to create 5E activities and learning sequences [“chunks” within your student-driven storyline] for your own classroom, so you can truly engage your students in 3D exploration and discovery

Amplify Authentic Engagement

Understanding The Brain Science Behind Engagement And Learning

Authentic engagement is the foundation for all true learning. We can talk at our students, we can assign work, and we can issue consequences for failing to comply… but we can’t actually make our students learn. We can’t make them think.

Learning is a two-person job… and it requires the active engagement of the learner. So how do we get that active engagement?

In the Amplify Authentic Engagement workshop series, we will be exploring the basics of engaging and motivating our students to become self-driven learners in order to set the stage for the transition to a more student-owned science experience.

The Spark Curriculum Collection

Access the Spark Curriculum Collection to take advantage of Storyline Frameworks that:

use relevant phenomena and anchor experiences to spark student curiosity and wonder and launch learning journeys

provide foundational lessons that move students along potential pathways to your standards, while simultaneously empowering students and teachers to follow their own way there

engage students in authentic work while evaluating growth and mastery through three dimensional assessment tasks

and you don’t have to recreate the wheel each and every day.

The Spark Circle

Connect with a community of other teachers who “get it” to care for your own passion for teaching and your students’ love for science learning. 

Give and take in the Spark Circle, our exclusive digital community – accessible right on the site – and experience the satisfaction and joy of collaborating and communicating with like-minded teachers who can share your values and experiences. 

We are on a journey to transform how our students learn.

Are you ready to embark?

The resources, education and support offered by Nicole are truly invaluable. She has a gift for taking the overwhelming process of implementing the NGSS in the classroom and making it actionable from the very first day that you interact with her! Nicole's enthusiasm and clear guidance make unpacking and implementing the NGSS not only manageable, but exciting as well. Her student-centered approach encourages educators to take a deep dive and do the hard work. I will be a member for the rest of my teaching career.
Missy I.
Middle School Teacher, New Hampshire

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Spark Curriculum Collection meet my lesson planning needs?

Explore the Storyline Frameworks below. For each Storyline Framework, the Spark Curriculum Library has foundational resources — anchor experiences, investigative phenomena, supporting explorations, assessment tasks, and bonus materials.

Storyline Frameworks are designed to support you and your students in co-constructing your learning journeys. Materials are designed to be used flexibly, and the beauty of the Spark Curriculum Collection is precisely that it is not a one-size-fits-all curriculum.

Targets: MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-2, MS-PS1-4, MS-PS1-5, MS-PS3-3, MS-PS3-4, MS-PS3-5
Targets: MS-LS1-1, MS-LS1-2, MS-LS1-3, MS-PS1-3
Targets: MS-ESS1-1, MS-ESS1-2, MS-ESS3-2, MS-ESS3-5, MS-PS2-4, MS-PS4-1, MS-PS4-2
Targets: MS-ESS1-4, MS-LS4-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-PS3-1, MS-ESS2-1, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4
Targets: MS-LS3-1, MS-LS3-2, MS-LS4-5, MS-LS1-8, MS-ESS3-3, MS-ESS3-5, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4
Targets: MS-ESS2-6, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, MS-ESS3-5
Targets: MS-LS2-2, MS-LS1-5, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS2-5, MS-ESS3-4, MS-ESS3-3
Targets: MS-ESS2-1, MS-ESS2-2, MS-ESS2-3, MS-ESS3-1, MS-PS4-1
Targets: MS-ESS2-4, MS-LS2-1, MS-LS2-4, MS-LS1-5, MS-ESS3-4, MS-LS2-3, MS-ESS3-3, MS-PS1-3
Browse All Available Resources
"I am SO EXCITED to do [Body Wars] with my kids! This is my first bundle from you, and I'm reading through the teacher guides... one of the most detailed resources I've ever purchased. Thank you so much, and I know I can come back and purchase your other bundles because they are amazing.
Cheska R.
Middle School Teacher

What will I learn in The SOS System?

The SOS System: Foundations FormulaWorkshopSeries

LAUNCH

Reevaluate how we launch science learning in order to better engage and motivate our students to step up and into their own learning journey.

EMPOWER

Rethink how we get our students from “A to Z” in order to reach curriculum goals while empowering students to take more responsibility for their experience and meet their own needs.

GUIDE

Transform our role in the classroom from teacher to guide to create space for exploration and discovery in order to deepen learning and improve understanding and retention

Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Overview
Curriculum Overview
It looks like I'm searching for some "meat and potatoes" guidance that fits the NGSS guidelines and I feel that I have finally found that with iExploreScience.
Martin M.
Middle School Teacher, Illinois

Nitty Gritty Details

This program is for upper elementary, middle, and high school teachers who are willing and able to consider new ideas and approaches. You aren’t in “survival mode” – you are ready and able to grow! More than that, you believe there is room for your students to grow, too. You believe there is an opportunity for greater student success in your classroom, and you are driven to help your learners achieve it. Finally, you have some freedom (and maybe even encouragement) to adapt your curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of your students and your situation. 

This program is a one-time, all-access purchase for iExploreScience curricular materials and the foundational workshops available in the Professional Learning Library. With a single payment, you get lifetime* access to Spark Science.

*To be clear, “Lifetime Access” indicates access for the “lifetime of this program and/or lifetime of this business” and it is not a guarantee of access throughout your lifetime.*

Legal Terms: iExploreScience LLC reserves the right to withdraw or amend this website and any service or materials we provide on the website in our sole discretion. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the website is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the website, or the entire website, to users, including registered users.

The only commitment I ask from you is a willingness to explore new ideas and how they might impact your teaching practice. There is no commitment to participate in any parts of this program or utilize any particular resource. You may find certain aspects of the program — the professional development, the curricular resources, the community support — more useful than others, and your needs may change over time. Spark Science can be what you need it to be in any given moment.

Due to the digital nature of the Spark Curriculum Collection, which makes all materials available to you immediately upon purchase, we can offer only a 50% refund on your Spark Science (Lifetime All-Access) purchase.

Refund requests must be received within 3 days of enrollment. Contact nvantassel@iexplorescience.com to request your partial refund.

Just ask! Most schools reserve funds for professional development programs, and the On-Demand Professional Learning Library (and Spark Circle Community) fits the bill! If you aren’t sure how to talk to your school decision-makers, check out this guide. Then, contact nvantassel@iexplorescience.com for an estimate or invoice to provide your administrators.

Can I take a peek inside?

I just wanted to say thank you for the amazing work you are doing! I finished up parent teacher conferences today and so many were impressed and excited about what is happening in my classroom. The kids are talking about science at home and are loving science!! You deserve all the credit! The Body Invaders unit is incredible, and my students are thriving. I have never had a class so engaged and learning at this level ever before!!
Cadena P.
Middle School Teacher, South Dakota

Whathappensnext?