Inventing Tomorrow
Equipping Teachers to Inspire the Next Generation
Inspiration to Action
Inventing Tomorrow, the acclaimed PBS documentary, follows brilliant young scientists from around the world as they tackle urgent environmental challenges through innovation and perseverance. The filmmakers wanted students across the U.S. to be inspired not just by the film—but through it.
To do that, they needed a national strategy to help STEM educators integrate the film into their classrooms in a way that aligned with standards, built scientific inquiry skills, and sparked local environmental action.
The Big Idea
In partnership with PBS and the Inventing Tomorrow team, Cogrounded designed and delivered a two-year national teacher training initiative to help STEM teachers use the film to inspire real-world problem solving in their classrooms.
By combining project-based learning, NGSS-aligned instruction, and educator support, the goal was to empower students to investigate environmental issues in their own communities—just like the students featured in the documentary.
Activate – Build – Grow
Activate
Collaborated with the film’s producers and education team to align content to middle and high school science standards and inquiry-based pedagogy.
Build
Designed a hands-on, interactive teacher training experience that modeled how to teach with the film, implement the curriculum, and launch student-led investigations.
Grow
Delivered professional learning sessions to teachers nationwide via virtual workshops hosted by PBS member stations and educational partners.
The Impact
- Provided free teacher training workshops to STEM educators across the U.S.
- Equipped classrooms with custom science kits and learning materials to launch their own local environmental investigations.
- Enabled educators to integrate the Inventing Tomorrow curriculum into Earth science, biology, environmental science, and general STEM courses.
- Helped teachers cultivate student agency, critical thinking, and civic engagement through place-based, project-based learning.
- Created ripple effects in classrooms—inspiring young changemakers to take environmental action in their own communities.
Enduring Legacy
The Inventing Tomorrow curriculum and educator training experience continues to be available as an open resource, and the film’s legacy endures in classrooms where students are turning curiosity into impact.
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