Scott has been an educator for 27 years.  He currently serves as Silver Lake’s STE Coordinator, a role he has held for 12 years, and has taught PLTW high school Engineering courses for the last 5 years.  The Activity, Project, Problem-Based (APB) approach is a critical component of the instruction in Scott’s class; the culminating transfer task engages students and challenges them to directly apply their knowledge and skills. During visits students will be working on the affordable house problem – both CAD drawings and specific attributes associated with other aspects of house design and construction.  

Learn more about Scott’s school here: Silver Lake Regional High

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A teacher for 21 years, Kate teaches Automation & Robotics in grades 7 and 8 and Computer Science for Innovators & Makers in Grades 5 and 6  at Webster Middle School. She is also a PLTW MA Community Lead.  Kate is a frequent participant in Student Programming and collaborates regularly with PLTW colleagues.  She gets most excited during Student Solve, Industry Connects and Showcase!  In addition to holding 6 classroom showcases a year in all classes, she runs the STEM Club which focuses on Green Architecture and Forensics.

Learn more about Kate’s school here: Webster Middle School

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Jessica has been teaching for 9 years and has been a Project Lead The Way science specialist teacher for the last 5 years.  Jes teaches PLTW in a related-arts rotation for students in kindergarten through 5th grade. Over the years she has focused on organization and implementation of multiple modules at the same time, and creating routines and skills for students that build over the years. Currently her focus is on scaffolding for diverse needs across grade multiple levels. 

Learn more about Jes’s school here: Green Meadows School

• Nov 17 – 4th Grade Energy Explorations
• Dec 1 – 5th Grade Earth’s Water and Interconnected Systems

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Gretchen has been teaching high school science for 20 years and has been a Project Lead The Way BioMed teacher for the last 5 years.  Gretchen currently teaches Principles of Biomedical Science and Human Body Systems. Currently her focus is on pacing while promoting a deeper understanding and mastery of content & skills.  Gretchen teaches in a school that also offers PLTW Computer Science and PLTW Engineering, culminating in a Common Capstone course.

Learn more about Gretchen’s school here: Leominster High School

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Now in his 19th year of teaching, David has spent the last seven years implementing PLTW curricula. After starting with Gateway Design & Modeling, he transitioned to teaching Computer Science at both the middle and high school levels. He appreciates PLTW for its exceptional rigor and focus on critical thinking skills. David is currently teaching high school computer science exclusively and working to cultivate a strong feedback culture in his classes—helping students develop habits around reading, responding to, and, most importantly, acting on teacher and peer feedback.

Learn more about David’s school here: Leominster High School

• Dec 2 – Computer Science Essentials
• Dec 3 – Computer Science Principles

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Holly has been teaching for 9 years and has been a Project Lead The Way teacher for 8 years.  Students in her BioMed classes use interactive notebooks as a one-stop-shop of all learning materials for students to reference and reflect on.  By honing students’ transferable skills in a lab-heavy science curriculum, she aims to support students completing the BioMed pathway and being successful in college and careers beyond class. 

Learn more about Holly’s school here: Waltham High School

• Nov 19 – Medical Interventions 2.1.3
• Dec 1 – Common Capstone

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Jess has been a Project Lead The Way teacher for the last 10 years in both Springfield, MA and Northampton Public Schools.  Prior to PLTW, Jess taught elementary and middle school math and science for 14 years mostly in an EL Education school.  One of the things Jess loves most about PLTW is the confidence and skills students are able to build to tackle open-ended problems through a structured curriculum.  The feedback that students give each other in her class also lends itself to students taking ownership of their learning and building a culture where helping each other is expected. In addition to hosting visitors, Jess also serves as a PLTW MA Community Lead for Gateway.

Learn more about Jess’s school here: John F. Kennedy Middle School

• Nov 17 – Design & Modeling – student feedback on puzzle cube drawings
• Dec 15 – App Creators – student feedback on apps

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Tracy has been teaching Project Lead The Way Computer Science and Engineering for six years.  This year, she is teaching Computer Science Principles (CSP), Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM), and Engineering Design and Development (EDD)/Capstone.  As part of developing a classroom culture supporting mistake-making and feedback-seeing, she has routines for documenting and feedback that are driven by students.  Students in her classes are often completing courses for Leicester’s Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Innovation Pathway.  

Learn more about Tracy’s school here: Leicester High School

• Nov 12 – HS Engineering CIM 1.2.9
• Dec 10 – HS Computer Science CSP 2.2.2

Both visits will culminate in time to chat and lunch provided by the school’s culinary program.

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Alex has been teaching 5th grade for 14 years.  Now in her second year with Investigating History, Alex serves as a mentor teacher in the IH Magnify community.  Over the past year, Alex has developed a focus wall and binder system, plus incorporating the Inquiry Chart into her students’ routines.  She teaches both ELA and History and has one section co-taught with both EL and Special Education teachers.  

Learn more about Alex’s school here: Westfield Intermediate School

All visits will fall during Unit 1.  Classes that begin at 12:15 have both an EL and Special Education co-teacher; classes that begin at 1:39 have no co-teachers.

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Jen is a 16 year veteran teacher of Medway Middle School.  She started her career as a Special Education teacher in a language-based program.  Jen now teaches both ELA and History to 5th graders and frequently leads Professional Learning for teachers in the One8 | Investigating History Magnify grant program.  Jen teaches two sections, one of which has a paraprofessional supporting history.  

Learn more about Jen’s school here: Medway Middle School

All October visits will fall during Unit 1.  November visits fall during Unit 2.

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Caroline has been teaching for 15 years and is in her third year of implementing Investigating History.  She currently serves as her school’s Social Studies Lead Teacher and a Mentor Teacher in the IH Magnify community.   Working in a school where more than 60% of students’ first language is not English, Caroline has worked extensively on creating scaffolds to support her English learners’ reading, writing, and speaking skills with the goal of building skills across their middle school department so upper grade students can more independently participate in IH and DKP routines.   

Learn more about Caroline’s school here: 1st Lieutenant Charles W. Whitcomb Middle School

Visits through November 6th will fall during Unit 1.  The November 16th visit will fall during Unit 2.

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Lynne is in her 25th year teaching at Northbridge Middle School, where she has taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade social studies. Lynne is in her fourth year of Investigating History adoption, teaching 6th grade.  Lynne’s classroom was featured as entry 02 as part of In Plain Sight, Vol 1.

Learn more about Lynne’s school here: Northbridge Middle School

October 19-20 will fall during Unit 1, Cluster 3.  November 2-10 will fall during Unit 1, Cluster 4.  November 17 visitors will see Unit 2, Cluster 1.

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Neil has been teaching for 12 years and is in his 4th year of implementing Investigating History.  He serves as both a Mentor Teacher in the IH Magnify community and the History Department Chair for grades 6-12 at Argosy Collegiate.  In his four sections of Global Literacy, which combines history, geography, and literacy instruction, his scholars regularly use inquiry charts, source analysis, structured discussion, and evidence-based writing to build historical understanding. Visitors may see routines such as Turn and Talk, whole-class discussion, collaborative source analysis, and short written reflections. Neil is especially interested in helping scholars ask strong questions, support their thinking with evidence, and see themselves as historians. 

Learn more about Neil’s school here: Argosy Collegiate Charter School

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Gabriela has been teaching for 12 years and is in her 4th year of implementing Investigating History, her 3rd as part of the grant program.  She also serves as a Mentor Teacher for the IH Magnify Community.  The know/wonder routines around the a Unit Essential Question form the foundation of her instruction and are frequently referenced.  This year, she is working on preparation and skill building for summative assessments.  

Learn more about Gabriela’s school here: Silver Lake Regional Middle School

October 14th will see Unit 1, Cluster 4.  October 20-21 will see Unit 1, Cluster 5.  October 28 will see Unit 2, Cluster 1.  November 10 will see Unit 2, Cluster 2.

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