Ensure excellent, standards-aligned STEM instruction in every classroom
Connections delivers engaging activities, investigations, and assessments aligned to the NGSS, Texas TEKS, Florida SASS, and Pennsylvania STEELS that support students in making sense of scientific phenomena through the use of science and engineering practices. At the high school level, Connections emphasizes hands-on investigation using Vernier wireless Go Direct® sensors.
Three-dimensional learning aligned with state standards:
NGSS
Texas TEKS
Florida SASS
Pennsylvania STEELS
Hands-on Investigations (Grades 9–12)
Real-world Phenomena
Data collection with Vernier sensors
Data analysis and model building
Interactive simulations
Activities
Phenomena-based activities
Differentiated reading levels
Purposeful use of multimedia
Gamified to motivate learning
Assessments
Quick checks for understanding
Formative and summative assessments
Progress monitoring tools for teachers and admins
High-stakes test prep
Seamlessly integrate Connections into your science classrooms
Our expert team will align Connections activities, investigations, and assessments to your district’s scope, sequence, and pacing. The platform also integrates seamlessly with your existing systems—making Connections easy to implement and adopt across your science classrooms.
Learning Managment System
SSO
Rostering
Deliver inclusive learning that supports all students
Connections makes STEM learning more accessible with scaffolded instruction, activities at both emerging and achieving reading levels, and support for students of all abilities. Capabilities such as translation in 100+ languages, read-aloud functionality, and Immersive Reader integration help every learner engage with confidence.
Give teachers more time to focus on high‑impact activities
Save time with ready-to-use activities and assessments aligned with your curriculum, educator instructional guides, autograding, and LMS integration. With Connections, teachers can focus more time on supporting students’ learning.
Gain critical insight into students’ learning and adjust instruction as needed
Connections offers a full suite of assessments and customizable reports that provide insight into student progress and mastery. Teachers and administrators can monitor individual, class, school, and district progress—and make data-driven decisions to target instruction.
Develop students’ proficiency with science and engineering practices
Connections high school investigations are designed to build students’ critical thinking and collaboration skills. Using Vernier Go Direct sensors to collect real experimental data, students engage in authentic scientific practices—such as asking questions, developing models, analyzing data, and constructing explanations—while deepening their understanding of core concepts.
Boost student motivation with gamified learning
Connections enhances the learning experience with built-in gamification tools—such as points, badges, and leaderboards—that motivate students and celebrate progress. These features help keep learners engaged and invested in their educational success.
Take a Tour
Connections engages students in the exploration of real-world phenomena by enabling them to observe and interact with bulk properties and their atomic-level causes. Through the combination of digital content, simulations, and hands-on investigation, students develop evidence-based explanations of phenomena and draw connections to their own lives.
Lesson Library
Inquiry Cycle
Data Collection and Analysis
Multidimensional Formative Assessment
Progress Monitoring
Customization
Lesson Library
With Connections, it’s easy to find the right high school science lesson—one that aligns with the NGSS or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and engages students in developing and communicating their understanding of phenomena through multidimensional tasks. Search the lesson library by standard, topic, keyword, grade level, or subject (physics, chemistry, biology, etc.), to quickly locate the lesson you need to enrich students’ learning and deepen their understanding.
Inquiry Cycle
Connections lessons follow a predictable pattern of instruction that forms an inquiry cycle, guiding the exploration of observable phenomena and their causes. Within each lesson, students develop their own explanations, apply learning in new contexts, and draw connections to their own lives.
Data Collection and Analysis
Connections provides students with opportunities to engage in the same practices as scientists when they investigate natural phenomena. Within each lesson, students use Vernier probeware to collect and analyze experiment data in order to develop an explanation supported by evidence while strengthening their understanding of key scientific concepts.
Multidimensional Formative Assessment
Formative assessment tasks embedded throughout each lesson focus on student reasoning and provide evidence of mastery of the 3D elements. Knowledge and skills are elicited through a variety of modes such as model-building, data interpretation, and communicating scientific ideas in writing. Automated grading for many assessment types saves teachers time and provides students with immediate feedback.
Progress Monitoring
Teachers and students gain real-time, actionable insight into learning progress. Dashboards provide class-wide overviews and student-level detail, so teachers can take timely action to support and extend learning for struggling and accelerated learners. Automated and in-the-moment feedback empowers students to monitor and adjust their own learning during the lesson.
Customization
Connections lessons are fully customizable so you can modify content to better fit the needs of your students and teaching style. Adjust wording, add assessment items, and insert images and videos. You can even duplicate lessons and modify content to differentiate instruction for various student groups.
Interested in learning more about Connections? Request a demo today.
