Oklahoma Experience Chemistry – High School Chemistry Curriculum

Oklahoma Experience Chemistry® is a custom high school chemistry program built for how your students learn—hands-on, visual, and connected to real life. Fully aligned to the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (OAS-S), this modern framework organizes learning around custom state-specific phenomena to give students an authentic, real-world experience. The program includes a flexible variety of hands-on and print-supported activities designed to reach every learner. Students complete hands-on inquiry labs, data analysis, Claim-Evidence- Reasoning (CER) exercises, and modeling activities on their sensemaking journey. A comprehensive assessment package provides multiple ways for students to demonstrate three-dimensional mastery. Instructors have access to a robust, single-volume print Teacher Guide and digital resources designed to streamline lesson planning and classroom management.

The program components includes:

• Teacher Guide - Available in a single print volume and online, this guide provides complete lesson planners based on the predictable 5E learning model. It features point-of-use instructional strategies, embedded Oklahoma correlation charts, and dedicated "Fast Track" pathways to confidently prioritize high-impact activities when classroom instructional minutes are limited.
• Student Experience Notebook - This text (available in hardcover or softcover) transforms traditional instruction into an active learning resource. It anchors learning in hands-on exploration of local phenomena, allowing students to investigate real-world chemistry firsthand before reinforcing content mastery with targeted readings, built-in formative assessments, and math fluency practice. 
• Flinn Scientific Lab Kits - Flinn Scientific is our exclusive partner for the Oklahoma Experience Chemistry® curriculum, providing robust support for hands-on, active learning. Optional, ready-made lab kits are available to simplify setup and streamline preparation for your classroom. Every Flinn Scientific kit supports standard classroom sizes, with convenient refill options also available to facilitate continuous inquiry-based exploration and practical science discovery. 
• Oklahoma Digital Course on Savvas Realize®: Savvas Realize® provides educators a secure central hub to access editable planners, print-ready worksheets, and customizable assessments mapped directly to the unique Oklahoma standards sequence. Teachers have full flexibility to utilize a print, digital, or blended format to manage their classroom workflow efficiently. All digital course assets, presentations, and practice tests align directly to state science benchmarks. 

Making sense of phenomena drives student learning throughout Oklahoma Experience Chemistry®. This program directly engages students in local, custom examples of phenomena that connect to authentic real-world scenarios.

Every Storyline begins with an Anchoring Phenomenon or an Engineering Problem that sparks curiosity as students make observations and ask questions. This anchoring phenomenon gives students a clear purpose as they engage in hands-on and visual activities to connect chemistry concepts through a unique, unifying state connection. Throughout the Storyline, students repeatedly return to the anchoring phenomenon question, refining their ideas and proposing evidence-based solutions. By the end of the unit, students use their sense-making journey to completely explain the anchoring phenomenon.

An Investigative Phenomenon video launches every Investigation to open targeted lines of inquiry related to the unit's core concept. Students ask questions, make observations, and track their developing understanding of the phenomenon through customized Claim-Evidence- Reasoning (CER) and modeling activities. Throughout the lessons, students regularly revisit their CER worksheets to review, revise, and add to their explanations using evidence—building deep scientific understanding over time.

The lessons, called Experiences, are where students encounter everyday chemistry concepts firsthand. Teachers can easily facilitate learning through Flinn Scientific inquiry labs, data analysis, modeling activities, animations, teacher demonstrations, and engineering design challenges. This wide variety of student-centered activities builds authentic three-dimensional mastery by integrating Disciplinary Core Ideas (DCIs), Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs), and Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) directly at point of use.

The Oklahoma Experience Chemistry program includes a variety of print and digital resources that help teachers facilitate learning and address diverse student needs, skills, and interests. The comprehensive teacher support package includes targeted strategies that seamlessly integrate into your daily planning:

• Four Versions of Every Lab: Hands-on Flinn Scientific inquiry labs are available in four distinct versions—Open-Ended, Guided, Shortened, and Advanced. This allows you to customize instruction and differentiate lab exploration without increasing your preparation time.
• Embedded Differentiated Instruction: Point-of-use margin notes in the Teacher Guide provide specific instructional strategies and tips to support struggling readers, advanced learners, and students with special needs.
• Actionable Remediation Suggestions: Found at the Evaluate phase of each lesson, these embedded tips help educators quickly troubleshoot student weaknesses and reinforce key content.
• Flexible Classroom Modifications: The Teacher Guide features quick callouts and built-in options to modify aspects of the environment, helping you easily adapt lessons based on student abilities or classroom schedules.
• Multilingual Learner (MLL) Support: Informed by the English Learner Success Forum (ELSF), point-of-need strategy notes address three distinct stages of language development—Substantial, Moderate, and Light—with visual scaffolds and structured routines to aid students learning English.
• Engaging Visual Models: Digital resources on Savvas Realize®, such as animations and interactivities, simplify complex concepts and provide strong visual models to assist student comprehension.
• Approachability with Math Tools: To assist students who struggle with quantitative tasks, the program provides embedded step-by-step tutorials, Virtual Nerd instructional videos, and a built-in Desmos calculator to build mathematical fluency and support success on state assessments.
• Localized Related Phenomena: The Teacher Guide offers alternative suggestions and discussion prompts for introducing anchoring or investigative phenomena, allowing you to use localized examples that connect to student experiences.

Yes, the instructional model is based on research conducted by the Instructional Leadership for Science Practices (ILSP), a National Science Foundation project whose goal was to develop tools that support educators in integrating Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) along with three-dimensional standards.

Per the ILSP framework, these science and engineering practices provide a clear pathway for Oklahoma students to engage sequentially in the core processes of investigation, sense-making, and critique.

This research-backed approach has been adapted by incorporating the BSCS 5E Instructional Model to create a predictable five-stage learning progression: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate. Furthermore, the role of phenomena has been explicitly intensified in the pedagogy to address the state's focus on authentic, phenomenon-based learning opportunities. This ensures that your classroom instruction actively drives student curiosity while supporting deep three-dimensional science mastery.

The custom Oklahoma Experience Chemistry digital courseware on Savvas Realize includes robust planning and instructional tools that give you full flexibility to use a digital, print, or blended format in your classroom. The platform puts complete control back in your hands, allowing you to easily customize the program, rearrange content, upload your own resources, and edit assessments to match your daily schedule. All program-specific resources, Oklahoma state test prep, and editable lesson planners are housed in one secure location for effortless preparation.

To explore these features firsthand, visit Savvas Contact Support to sign up for your digital demo.

Go HERE for the full Oklahoma edition Scope and Sequence.