Summer Science Teaching Fellow

2025 - Science Summer Teaching Fellow Job Description

Our Mission
Fueled by the belief that talent is ubiquitous, the Academy Group unlocks opportunity for young people from the most resilient communities to realize their full potential.

Program Model
The Academy Group is a fourteen-year journey that develops students’ core understanding of wealth creation, business, leadership, and justice topics. We accept rising fourth-grade and tenth-grade students. Their journey begins with summer and school year programming, including experiential learning, high school, college, and career awareness. The students also have access to academic acceleration and differentiated enrichment experiences.

Science Summer Teaching Fellow Summary
The Academy Group is seeking a Summer Middle School Advising Teaching Fellow to support students during our Summer Academy, held at Kenwood Academy High School, from June 23rd to July 18th, with July 4th off. This is a 19-day commitment, with full-day responsibilities from 8 am - 3 pm. There will be a two day mandatory orientation the week preceding the program.  Dates will be announced if offered a role.

This is innovative educational programming with a pedagogical focus on Project-Based Learning, differentiated for rising 4th-6th graders. The teaching fellow will be responsible for teaching a series of rigorous, student-centered science activities, ideally incorporating a range of Chemistry, Biology, and/or Physics concepts, demonstrating creativity in devising hands-on experiments that engage students. Improvisational skills will be crucial in adapting experiments to non-lab environments. In addition, the teaching fellow will develop structures to effectively facilitate a student-centered learning environment that fosters active participation.

This Fellow will be responsible for:

• Administering 15 science lessons for their assigned grade level.

• Overseeing their grade-level’s culminating science fair project, ensuring alignment with Academy Group values, skills development, and project-based learning principles.

• Providing support to programmatic courses as needed in, collaboration with the Director of Elementary programs when not teaching to foster creativity, teamwork, and collaborative thinking.

The ideal candidate will foster a student-centered, supportive learning environment that encourages pertinacity, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Knowledge and experience with designing creative instructional units and/or projects.

• Knowledge and experience with developing authentic student assessments.

• Experience creating a student-centered advisory environment focused on social-emotional learning, team building, and leadership development.

• Resourceful in strengthening and expanding advising and project-based learning experiences.

• Strong interpersonal skills to build trusting relationships with middle school students.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Effective multi-tasker who can balance advisory lessons, project management, and student support.

• Resilience under pressure and ability to adapt to evolving program needs.

• Manage student safety, classroom culture, and positive relationships.

Education and Experience Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree; Master’s in education or related field preferred

• Minimum of 3 years of teaching experience

• Minimum of 2 years of teacher-leadership experience

• Successful experience serving African American and Latino students

Proven Track Record
The Summer Teaching Fellow will also demonstrate:

• Understanding of current trends and best practices in education and curriculum development

• Ability to identify the core scientific principles that 7th and 8th graders should focus on during the summer break

• Strong written and verbal communication skills; a persuasive and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills

• Ability to work effectively in collaboration with a diverse group of people

• Passion, idealism, integrity, positive attitude, mission-focus, and autonomous nature

• Knowledge of current community challenges and opportunities relating to the mission of the organization

• Ability to work under dynamic, evolving conditions

Location
This position will be based at Kenwood Academy High School in Chicago.

Compensation
The Academy Group offers a competitive hourly rate ranging from $65.00 to $75.00 per hour, based on teaching experience.