New Science Studies Weekly Sparks Student Curiosity While Saving Time

If you’ve ever tried to squeeze science into an already packed elementary schedule, you’re not alone. Between ELA and math instruction, assemblies, and everything else that happens during your school day, science often gets pushed aside. Teachers just don’t always have the time, materials, prep, or bandwidth to pull it off consistently.

That’s exactly the problem the new Science Studies Weekly was designed to solve.

Science Studies Weekly, which we affectionately refer to as “Science 2.0”, keeps what teachers already love about Studies Weekly: a predictable, hands-on magazine-style format. But we’ve built in something elementary teachers desperately need: flexibility without losing purpose.

This new Science is simple to implement, repeatable, and realistic for classrooms where science time varies week to week (or even day to day). Teachers can pick and choose to keep it streamlined when schedules are compressed, or go deeper when time allows — without feeling like you’re “doing it wrong.”

And that’s where one of the most important new features comes in: Quick Paths.

The Science Studies Weekly Quick Paths are built-in instructional options that help teachers prioritize when time is limited. The Quick Paths cover 100% of the grade level’s Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs) and embed SEPs and CCCs throughout. The best part is: each Quick Path takes only about 20 minutes of instructional time to complete.

Quick Path Benefits:

• • Removes barriers to 3D learning
  • Brings in a more dynamic structure
  • Allows teachers to prioritize instruction needs
  • Gets students reading, thinking, and speaking with science skills, even with limited time
  • Allows for customization: non-quick path articles and activities can be integrated if the teacher wishes
  • Doesn’t require any additional materials
  • No forced singular instructional model

The Science Studies Weekly Quick Paths help teachers get students excited about science, without the heavy lift. So when you only have 15–20 minutes, science can still happen — no extra materials, no special kits, no heavy prep.

The Science Studies Weekly Teacher Edition has straightforward lesson guides with a predictable and repeated structure. Every unit is based around a phenomenon, and has flexible teaching resources to use with the time you have, whether that means teaching a Quick Path or going deeper with elaboration articles and extension activities.

Because Science Studies Weekly provides approachable in-depth science content, you can expand your science instruction when you are ready or have the time. You can add the additional articles provided, engage in discussions (with prompts found in the Teacher Edition), perform data analysis, or do hands-on activities or experiments.

Features of the Teacher Edition:

• • Highlighted key ideas
  • Embedded differentiation
  • Simple lesson steps to follow
  • Included discussion prompts
  • Answer keys
  • Options for Quick Paths or deeper instruction

The Science Studies Weekly Student Editions have been upgraded as well. Every grade is in the magazine format, so students have room to read, work, and do — without taking up extra space on their desk.

In keeping with NGSS goals for more student-driven learning and inquiry, all directions, instructions, and DCIs are student-facing on the publication. If needed, students can be very self-guided in most units. Every Student Edition also contains visible Math integrations and ELA-building strategies.

Want to include experiments and activities, but don’t have the space or the materials? Science Studies Weekly has you covered. The new Science Studies Weekly includes hands-on activity videos that demonstrate experiments without giving away the “answer” — so students still analyze results, synthesize information, and form conclusions themselves.

With the new Science Studies Weekly, you can pick and choose, or do it all!

No time? No Materials? No Problem! Students will still consistently read, think, talk, and learn like scientists — even in the tightest schedules.