Built for the Michigan Science Standards
Stile helps students build scientific understanding and reasoning through connected learning experiences that deepen thinking over time and prepare students for success in high school science and beyond.
Purposeful tasks. Evidence-based revision. Lessons that advance student thinking.
Thoughtfully designed three-dimensional learning
Michigan's science standards ask students to do more than learn scientific facts. They ask students to develop and revise explanations as they build understanding over time.
That process is at the heart of Stile. Throughout each unit, students return to meaningful scientific questions, use evidence to support their thinking, and revise their explanations as they learn more. This iterative explanation-building is a core part of authentic three-dimensional learning, and it happens within every lesson and across every unit.
Drawing on the strongest elements of our middle school science curriculum, Stile has been tailored for Michigan. The result is a coherent, sequenced program for grades 6–8 that meets the full depth and specificity of the Michigan Science Standards.
Real-world phenomena from right here in Michigan
Stile's phenomena are rooted in real science happening all around the world. But there's nothing more fascinating than investigating what's happening right where you live. Stile's curriculum for Michigan includes brand-new lessons drawn directly from the state.
Michigan's invasive species
Michigan is under pressure from invasive species that threaten native organisms and disrupt ecosystems statewide.
Students investigate how the marbled crayfish could harm Michigan ecosystems, analyzing case studies and species interactions to explain impacts on biodiversity.
Food Chains and Food WebsGrade 7MS-LS2-2
Finding ghost ships
The Great Lakes provide ideal conditions for preserving shipwrecks. Hundreds of wrecks remain lost under the water. Despite their incredible preservation, invasive quagga mussels now threaten these wrecks. The race is on to find as many as possible before they are destroyed.
Students describe how the transmission of sound and light waves can be used to locate and create images of the lost “ghost ships” of the Great Lakes.
Weather patterns
Each winter, parts of Michigan experience intense snowstorms that form in narrow bands east of Lake Michigan, dumping heavy snow over small areas.
Students analyze data from a lake-effect snow event to identify patterns in wind, temperature, and precipitation, and explain how air mass interactions produce extreme winter weather.
Prepare your students for the Michigan science assessment
Michigan's science assessment measures three-dimensional learning aligned to the Michigan Science Standards. Stile's curriculum precisely scaffolds both the content and the practices, with plenty of opportunities to think like scientists and excel on the assessment. Stile also assesses Michigan's unique Performance Expectations to ensure full alignment.
M-STEP Grade 8 Sample Items
Question
The students want to redesign the hand warmer bag in such a way that the hand warmer would take less time to get warm but would also remain a safe product. The new design includes more small holes in the fabric of the hand warmer bag.
Which statement best evaluates if the new design would or would not work?
- The new design would not work, because the additional holes in the bag would allow oxygen from the air to move into the bag and cool the iron.
- The new design would not work, because the only way to increase the temperature is to generate more energy by adding iron.
- The new design would work, because when the iron in the hand warmer is exposed to more oxygen in the air, the temperature will increase at a faster rate.
- The new design would work, because when pieces of iron are able to move out of the additional holes, they will be in contact with more oxygen, which will quickly increase the temperature.
Stile Practice Test
Question
A sports scientist tested two prototype cooling vests designed to help marathon runners recover after a race. The criteria for a successful design are:
- Reduce body temperature by at least 1.2°C within the first 5 minutes
- Maintain a cooling effect for a minimum of 40 minutes
- Weigh no more than 900 g
The test results are shown in the table below.
Using data from the table, identify which criterion each prototype fails to meet. Then describe a combined design that meets all three criteria and explain why it is better than either prototype alone.
Watch a Stile classroom in action
See exactly how a real Stile implementation works in practice. In this spotlight, teachers share how Stile has saved prep time, boosted student engagement, and made science class the highlight of the day.
Pilot Stile with a team of experts behind you
Stile is all about giving teachers the best possible start. Every Stile pilot comes with hands-on support from a dedicated Teaching and Learning Specialist who understands middle school science and knows how to make curriculum implementation work.
They'll work with your teachers. Learn your context. Help you get the most out of every lesson.
