Full Option Science System (FOSS) is a Lawrence Hall of Science (LHS) research-based project with more than 25 years experience in developing successful active-learning science curricula for grades K-8. FOSS program materials are designed to meet the challenge of providing meaningful science education for all students in diverse American classrooms. Development of the FOSS program was, and continues to be, guided by advances in the understanding of how youngsters think and learn.

Discovery of exoplanets and the Kepler mission is featured in a new investigation in the FOSS middle school course Planetary Science (for grades 6–8). You can see a draft version of it: Transit Tracks — Using a model of a planet transiting a star, students learn what a transit is, under what conditions a transit may be seen, and what effects a planet’s size and distance from its star have on transit behavior. They interpret graphs of brightness vs time to deduce characteristics of a star-planet system.

In the Professional Development realm, Kepler EPO will support in-person teacher workshops in connection with FOSS, in particular their middle school course Planetary Science. Kepler EPO sponsors five teacher workshops to implement the FOSS Planetary Science middle school module, a full-length kit-based course. The teacher workshops feature Kepler Mission concepts and exciting results in the Earth-size planet finding venture. The LHS Research, Evaluation, and Assessment (REA) team coordinates the workshop evaluation.

Impact: FOSS middle school materials are implemented in thousands of classrooms around the United States. In addition to the hundreds of teachers that will have exposure to Kepler science through the Kepler-funded FOSS workshops, there is connection with thousands more teachers through FOSS newsletters and the FOSS website.

All Kepler Education Projects