Web-based interactive lessons designed to put hands-on investigation at the heart of students’ learning.
Vernier Connections delivers phenomenon-based lessons that deepen students’ understanding of scientific concepts and develop the critical skills needed—such as inquiry, problem solving, communication, and collaboration—to become STEM-literate citizens.
Aligned with the TEKS
Relevant and inclusive
Accessible on any device using Chrome™
Kelsey Harrison
Chemistry, Southside High School, Texas
Connections integrates with every major Learning Management System (LMS), saving teachers time with automated rostering and one-click grade passback, while streamlining student access with single sign-on.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Each Connections lesson is built upon the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL), aimed at ensuring that all students can access and participate in a meaningful way. Lessons are designed by the Vernier team and then reviewed by the Lesson Advisory Board (LAB), a group of seasoned educators with expertise in creating culturally inclusive learning experiences. The Connections LAB works with our Vernier team to identify opportunities to improve relevancy and inclusivity within each lesson.
Connections supports the Vernier STEM Classroom—an integrated approach to ensuring a high-quality and accessible STEM education for all high school students. The Vernier STEM Classroom brings together our hardware, software, content, assessment, professional development, and technical support to help teachers deliver an engaging and impactful learning experience in their science classrooms.
Kyle Thompson
Science Dept. Chair, Lincoln Public Schools, Nebraska
