What people are saying
“TCI is Hazelwood School District’s primary source for social studies texts, materials, and electronic resources. We have used TCI products since 1998 and continue to adopt new TCI programs as they become available. Social studies teachers know that using TCI means having structures for cooperative learning, providing text that all students can comprehend and supporting the literacy goals of the district, using graphic organizers, teaching summarization skills, and engaging diverse students in learning about social studies in a real world context. I especially appreciate TCI technology, which is very user friendly; no one needs to know much about technology to make things happen in the classroom. Student usage of the technology has also increased student involvement in classroom activities.”
“Using the TCI materials has led to increased student engagement. We use it throughout our district, from elementary school through high school and have recently been pleased to add the use of TCI’s technology component in many of our classrooms. Using the TCI’s technology has been a great teaching tool for teachers. In January 2011, 49 of our teachers attended a TCI Academy. Every single teacher said it was the best professional development experience they ever had. They came away with a stronger sense of how to use the TCI materials within their curriculum to increase student engagement and achievement.”
“As a teacher, it’s so much more enjoyable teaching with TCI, even after 23 years in the classroom. I’m having a great time teaching and my students are loving learning. If I had to give any advice to other teachers going through an adoption, I’d say absolutely go with TCI. Hands down. I’m having fun and my students are having fun. In all my years of teaching, this is the most student friendly, teacher friendly program I have ever had the privilege of using.”
“As a Curriculum Coordinator I helped teachers adopt TCI for elementary school. I was so impressed that I quickly expanded our adoption into middle school. I believe Geography Alive! is the finest textbook out there. After spending years in the early part of my career trying to design my own lessons I was so pleased to come upon Geography Alive! All of the lessons are first-rate and truly do meet all of the different learning styles. I am proud to say that we now have TCI throughout our district, in elementary, middle, and in many high school classes.”
Latest Tweets
TCI In the News
We look forward to seeing you at NSTA this year! Check out the workshop descriptions below to learn more about how TCI’s Bring Science Alive! programs fit right into your classroom.
Want to learn even more – sign up to chat over coffee!
Integrating Crosscutting Concepts into Your Classroom
April 12, 8-9:30 Rm. 265
Join TCI in an engaging Bring Science Alive! investigation that will get you linking the different domains of science. Participants will experience this lesson from the students’ perspective as they observe patterns, cause and effect, and other crosscutting concepts to enrich their application of practices and their understanding of core ideas.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 5, Unit 2, L4: How Do Farming and Industry Affect Earth’s Systems?
Presenter: Brian
Beyond Building: Teaching Engineering Design
April 12, 10-11:30 Rm. 265
In this session, participants will take on the role of students as they learn about the Engineering Design Process. They will participate in fun investigations where they learn about all aspects of being an engineer, including designing processes for solving problems, like algorithms.
Possible Program/Lesson: Cells Unit 2 Engineering Challenge: Designing a Prosthetic Hand and Cells Unit 5 Engineering Challenge: Designing a Dog Breeding Process
Presenter: Deanna
Discussing the Inevitable – Preparing Students for the State Tests
April 12, 12-1:30 Rm 265
The new NGSS state tests are around the corner. Join TCI as we dive into what’s new in the tests, and how Bring Science Alive! prepares students from the start of the school year.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 8, Integrated, Segment 1, Lesson 2: Forces in Interactions (AKA Forces & Energy, Unit 1, Lesson 2)
Presenter: Nathan
Performance Assessments: Creating Engaging Tasks
April 12, 2-3:30 Rm 265
Join TCI as we examine Performance Assessments as resources for students to demonstrate their mastery of NGSS performance expectations. Participants will learn how to create their own Performance Assessments, including a storyline, student guidelines, and rubrics that truly show the three-dimensional aspect of NGSS. Participants will take home complete performance assessments for immediate use in the classroom.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 8, Integrated, Segment 2, Designing a Light Art Piece, (AKA Waves, Unit 2, Performance Assessment)
Presenter: Dawn
Using a Variety of Methods to Assess for the Three Dimensions
April 12, 4-5:30 Rm 265
What does a Three-Dimensional Assessment look like? Join us as we explore the ways TCI helps teachers assess the three dimensions throughout an entire unit. Participants will walk away with a better understanding of the different assessments which have been created around 3-D and ways to implement them throughout the lessons.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 3, Unit 3, Lesson 4: Why Do Some Members of Species Survive and Not Others
Presenter: Deanna
The Components of a Truly Integrated Program
April 13, 8am – 9:30 Rm 265
What are the differences between an Integrated Science Curriculum and a Discipline Science Curriculum? Join us in this session as we dive into the components of a truly integrated program. Participants will walk away with tactics to seamlessly incorporate multiple disciplines into the same lesson.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 8, Integrated, Segment 6, Lesson 33: Human Population and Global Change, Investigation 1, (AKA Adaptations, Unit 3, Lesson 9: Human Population and Global Change, Investigation 1)
Presenter: Nathan
Is there such a thing as too much phenomena?
April 13, 12-1:30 rm 265
More than just a buzzword, phenomena are essential to truly learning science by making science more meaningful for students. Bring Science Alive! programs have many opportunities for students to engage with, investigate, and make sense of natural phenomena. Participants will learn how to incorporate a variety of phenomena at different levels of the lesson.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 6, Integrated, Segment 1, Lesson 5 Parts of a Cell, (AKA Cells and Genetics, Unit 3, Lesson 7)
Presenter: Brian
Integrating Literacy Skills in Elementary Science Investigations
April 13, 2-3:30 Rm 265
Essential to good scientific practice is the ability to communicate an argument effectively. Join TCI for an interactive science investigation using Bring Science Alive! We will demonstrate how to integrate reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language skills while guiding students in developing their science knowledge.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 4, Unit 2, Lesson 1: How are Energy and Motion Related?
Presenter: Dawn
Let’s Get into (Particle) Motion! States of Matter Using Three-Dimensional Learning
April 13, 10-11:30 am
In this session, we’ll use a powerful online learning system to develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance under given conditions. Participants will experience learning from a student’s perspective and see how all three dimensions are incorporated into the lesson.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 7, Integrated, Segment 3, Lesson 23: The Motion of Particles – Investigation 1 & 2, (AKA Matter, Unit 2, Lesson 4)
Presenter: Nathan
How to Develop and Revise Models in Order to Explain Phenomena
April 13, 4-5:30 Rm. 265
In this hands-on session, we’ll conduct a Bring Science Alive! investigation that gets students engaged in explaining phenomena and solving problems like real-world scientists and engineers. Join TCI and leave with everything you need to implement phenomena-driven lessons in the science classroom.
Possible Program/Lesson: Gr. 8, Integrated, Segment 4, Engineering Challenge: Engineering a Damping Device, (AKA Space, Unit 3, Engineering Challenge)
Presenter: Brian
November 13, 2018 —
TCI, the award-winning online K-12 publishing company, announces that their K-8 Science Curriculum has been adopted by the California State Board of Education. The program, Bring Science Alive!, will be among the new curriculum that school districts can choose from to support the implementation of student-driven, hands-on and phenomena-based learning that the California Next Generation Science Standards recommends.
August 14, 2018 – Today California-based K-12 publishing company, TCI, announced that its science programs, Bring Science Alive! California Program grades K-5, Bring Science Alive! California Program grades 6-8 and Bring Science Alive! California Integrated Program grades 6-8, are recommended to the California Board of Education (CDE) to be among the new resources that school districts can choose from to support the implementation of the student-driven, hands-on and phenomena-based California Next Generation Science Standards (CA NGSS).
May 10, 2018 – Students and teachers at the Palo Alto school district’s elementary and middle schools will use new history-social studies curricula next school year. Two separate committees, one for elementary and one for middle school, presented their curriculum recommendations to the school board on Tuesday night.
November 16, 2017 – K-12 publishing company, TCI, announced today that its interactive programs, Social Studies Alive! California Series (K-5) and History Alive! California Series (6-8), were adopted by the California State Board of Education on November 9 and recommended for adoption for California’s schools.
November 1, 2017 – Building on the success of Bring Science Alive! for grades K-5, the first program built from the ground up to align to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and the Common Core, the middle school program combines hands-on learning with technology and was developed with the guidance of an advisory board composed of the best minds in science instruction.
July 05, 2017 – Bert Bower, CEO and president of TCI, an award-winning online K-12 publishing company created by teachers, for teachers, recently attended the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine’s Workshop on the Design, Selection, and Implementation of Instructional Materials for the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
March 16, 2017 – Both Common Core and NGSS emphasize the importance of speaking, listening and communicating about mathematical and scientific concepts. Integrating literacy tools into STEAM subjects does more than help students and teachers fulfill objectives. Better literacy helps students identify and more thoroughly understand key concepts.
