Navigate your first National NSTA Conference with ease! Join our session for an orientation to the conference, tips on selecting sessions, and an opportunity to meet other first-time attendees. We will share a few insider tips from experienced conference attendees and give an overview of the conference app. This session will help you discover why you belong at NSTA and how to make the most of your experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to get the most out of your conference experience in addition to becoming an engaged learner.

Join us for an opening reception to mark the start of NSTA ANA26! We’ll keep it casual—enjoy beverages and small bites while networking with old and new friends. The event is complimentary and open to all registered conference attendees.

Navigate your first National NSTA Conference with ease! Join our session for an orientation to the conference, tips on selecting sessions, and an opportunity to meet other first-time attendees. We will share a few insider tips from experienced conference attendees and give an overview of the conference app. This session will help you discover why you belong at NSTA and how to make the most of your experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to get the most out of your conference experience in addition to becoming an engaged learner.

STEM is often pushed aside in 1st and 2nd grade, but it plays a critical role in building thinking, language, and confidence. In this session, a teacher from a rural Title I school in North Carolina shares how simple, hands-on STEM experiences can create powerful learning moments for students with limited access to real-world opportunities. Participants will engage in classroom-tested activities like a paper airplane design challenge and a chain link engineering task using basic materials. These experiences show how STEM supports literacy, problem-solving, and collaboration. Attendees will leave with practical, realistic strategies they can use immediately.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use simple, low-cost STEM activities in 1st and 2nd grade to build student language, problem-solving, and real-world understanding, especially in classrooms with limited resources.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Calhoun-Minnis

What if elementary students could explore real careers while building essential STEM skills? In this session, discover how micro:bit and the engineering design process can introduce students to CTE pathways through hands-on, career-connected learning. Participants will experience ready-to-implement lessons that integrate coding, problem-solving, and career exploration in fields such as engineering, marketing, transportation, and animal science. These engaging strategies help students build early awareness of workforce opportunities while making learning relevant and meaningful. Walk away with practical tools, lesson ideas, and a framework for embedding career-connected STEM into your classroom—starting tomorrow.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use micro:bit and design-based STEM lessons to introduce elementary students to CTE career pathways through engaging, real-world, hands-on experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Kelly

Purposeful use of quality media can be an engaging strategy for supporting the STEM learning of young learners. Familiar characters can help students build important foundational knowledge and skills such as computational thinking, accessing and creating informational text, and observing and asking questions about the world around them. We will showcase free, standards-aligned media-rich resources that can be seamlessly integrated into the elementary science curriculum. Friends can model how to engage in scientific practices to prepare learners to investigate and make sense of phenomena themselves through three-dimensional instruction. We will highlight how this strategy can be used to support young learners’ investigations into Earth, space, and physical science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
You’ll leave the session with a list of free resources from PBS LearningMedia and ideas for actively engaging your students with media to support science instruction that aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Stevens

Students often see science as a static body of knowledge instead of a dynamic human endeavor. Join the author of Notable Notebooks, Exemplary Evidence, and Wild Wonderings to learn how these books (and the stories of the scientists in them) can illuminate the nature of science. We’ll use the classic Draw-A-Scientist Test (DAST, Chambers 1983) to guide reflection on our own perceptions of scientists, as well as that of our students, and we’ll learn more about scientists featured in each book through story, primary source analysis, and discussion. Finally, we’ll utilize portions of the NGSS’s Appendix H (Understanding the Scientific Enterprise) and discuss how this integrated approach can help students gain age-appropriate understanding of the nature of science. Chambers D.W. 1983. Stereotypic images of the scientist: The draw-a-scientist test. Science Education 67 (2): 255–265.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the lives and work of historical and contemporary scientists, why telling these stories is an important strategy for helping students understand the nature of science, and how they might use these books in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Fries-Gaither

Participation in science classroom discussions is often uneven, with multilingual learners (MLs) contributing less frequently despite having valuable ideas to share. Because scientific learning depends on engaging in practices such as argumentation from evidence and constructing explanations, limited participation can restrict opportunities for MLs to develop and demonstrate understanding. This presentation synthesizes research from science education, language development, and classroom discourse to examine factors that shape who participates in science discussions. Particular attention is given to how classroom norms, teacher responses, and interactional structures influence MLs’ opportunities to engage in evidence-based reasoning. Drawing on literature and classroom examples, the session highlights approaches that support more equitable participation and meaningful engagement in scientific discourse.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will examine how classroom structures shape participation in science discussions and how to make multilingual learners’ thinking visible in scientific discourse.

SPEAKERS:
Tina Ahmadi

What happens when 5th graders think like real scientists and engineers? In this interactive poster session, explore a high-energy engineering design lesson that gets students asking questions, solving problems, and making sense of the world around them. You’ll see exactly how the lesson unfolds from sparking curiosity at the start, to hands-on investigation, to meaningful reflection and extension. Walk away with ready-to-use resources, student examples, and simple strategies you can bring straight into your classroom. If you’re looking for ways to boost engagement, deepen thinking, and make science come alive for your students, this session is for you.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a complete, ready-to-implement 5th-grade science/STEM lesson, along with practical strategies to increase student engagement through inquiry. Attendees will walk away with clear, actionable approaches for aligning science instruction to standards.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Henery

Augmented Reality (AR) tools, including Merge Cubes, offer an engaging way to make abstract science concepts more visible (and interactive) for elementary students. This poster highlights how pre-service teachers (PSTs) integrated AR into inquiry-based, NGSS-aligned lessons within an educational technology course. Using a 5E instructional model, PSTs learned to move beyond the novelty of using AR to embed purposeful questioning and scaffolding strategies that support student sensemaking. We will share common implementation challenges and offer practical supports such as lesson templates and classroom routines. Findings suggest that intentional, pedagogy-driven integration of AR builds confidence and supports meaningful science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
AR tools like Merge Cubes can enhance elementary science learning when paired with intentional pedagogy. Using the 5E model and structured supports helps teachers move beyond novelty to create meaningful, inquiry-based lessons aligned to standards.

SPEAKERS:
KIRTIKA PANWAR, Sarah McDowell

This session presents three low-prep, high-impact instructional routines for PreK–3 classrooms that advance student sensemaking, science discourse, and science practices. Grounded in purposeful questioning, co-constructed anchor charts, and class-generated science books, these function as efficient, reusable instructional structures that support inquiry, evidence-based reasoning, and equitable participation. Designed for implementation within typical time, material, and planning constraints, the strategies embed formative assessment by capturing student thinking in real time. PreK inclusive classroom-tested examples illustrate how these approaches scaffold language development, support diverse learners, and promote coherent understanding of core science concepts over time. This presentation shares adaptable templates, questioning frameworks, differentiated instruction and replicable routines that enhance instructional rigor while streamlining planning and materials management.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ready-to-implement approaches with examples–purposeful questioning, anchor charts, and class science books—that strengthen student sensemaking and discourse while embedding formative assessment and reducing planning time for Inclusive, PreK classroom-tested, science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Jue Wang, Karen Rinehart

What does digital literacy actually look like in a classroom? In this lesson showcase, step inside an Inquisitive Technology lesson and experience how students move from clicking to thinking. Through a real classroom example, see how inquiry-based routines help students use digital tools with purpose, communicate responsibly, and make informed choices online. Watch how a simple, open-and-go lesson builds understanding of digital systems, online safety, and responsible decision-making. Notice how student thinking is surfaced, supported, and extended through discussion, interaction, and reflection. With built-in supports and multiple entry points, these lessons make digital literacy meaningful for students and manageable for teachers. Walk away with practical ideas you can use right away.

TAKEAWAYS:
Seeing a digital literacy lesson in action reveals how simple, structured routines can help students think critically, make informed choices, and act responsibly in a digital world.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Shaw

The lesson presented in this showcase from The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis focuses on the principles, protocols, and technology needed to successfully collect evidence from the scene of a mystery. Teachers will be empowered to lead their students through an activity where they will have the opportunity to practice following procedures, making observations, and using the tools that forensic technicians use in their work. Teachers will also be able to lead students in the analysis of the evidence collected, allowing them to draw conclusions as to who might be responsible for leaving the evidence behind.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see how to set up a simulated crime scene and learn how to guide students through the collection of evidence using real forensics techniques.

SPEAKERS:
John McCollum

The session will showcase literacy integration examples from ML-PBL Science Classrooms. Handouts will provide links to the FREE OER ML-PBL units of instruction for Grades K-5, unit/lesson framework showcasing coherence, cross-disciplinary connections; lesson overviews and instructional routines; guidance for formative and summative assessment; literacy integration affordances; and alignment with The Framework/NGSS. ML-PBL units are designed to address ALL grade level NGSS, provide guidance for three-dimensional instruction and learning, engaging all students in sensemaking, and developing and using language literacy and mathematics tools to develop usable science knowledge. Examples of trade books included in the units will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will peruse plans for integrating science and literacy, and for extending science ideas throughout the school day as shared by ML-PBL Elementary Teachers. They will learn how to access FREE OER Elementary Science Units.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere

Receive resources that will inspire your students to connect with nature...and write about it! Participants will see examples of student writing inspired by the "Next Time You See" picture book series and gain access to free resources that will guide students through the writing process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how a mentor text study can help your students write their own nature-based book.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Morgan

As the climate continues to change, so should our approach to teaching environmental science. Join the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as we showcase how we adapted a beloved water cycle game to teach about climate change. In this program, students have the chance to become a water droplet and roll their way through the water cycle. During their first round, the dice will represent the standard way water has moved around the planet. On their second trip, dice will be swapped with our climate change dice. This trip will illustrate the changes in how water moves and where water is stored as the planet warms. After the two trips, students will compare their two trips by mapping their journey, allowing them to directly compare how climate change affects the water cycle.

TAKEAWAYS:
With a few tweaks, existing lessons can be adapted to teach about our changing world.

SPEAKERS:
Meghan Carpenter

In this session teachers will explore research-based strategies for teaching science in the era of the science of reading, aiding in developing understandings in reading, as well as science content, nature of scientific knowledge, and scientific inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Strategies for combining reading and science teaching will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Gayle Buck, Valarie Akerson

Bring STEM to life without breaking your budget! In this hands-on session, educators will learn how to guide students in designing, building, and testing balloon-powered cars using recycled and everyday materials. Participants will explore key science concepts such as force, motion, friction, and air resistance while engaging in an engineering design challenge that promotes creativity and problem-solving. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies, classroom management tips, and ideas for differentiating instruction for diverse learners. Perfect for elementary and middle school teachers, this session shows how “trash” can be transformed into high-impact learning that supports standards and excites students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and facilitate a low-cost, standards-aligned STEM challenge where students build and test balloon-powered cars from recycled materials to explore force, motion, and engineering design.

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

The EDP or Engineering Design Process is not just for older students! Any teacher of any class can teach using the EDP as a framework. This interactive poster session will prove it. The poster will allow participants to choose a "lesson" that has been divided into sections and actively connect the sections to the parts of the EDP. This will facilitate valuable conversation and aspects of fun! Blank handouts of the EDP will be available for takeaways in order for partipants to engage themselves in creating their own lesson using the EDP. It's not just simple, it's Elementary!

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway is the Engineering Design Process, and its parts. The poster will feature an interactive portion where participants can choose a "lesson" that has been divided into sections and actively connect the sections to the parts of the EDP aiding valuable conversation and aspects of fun!

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Clark

Participants will explore the importance of building a positive STEM identity and integrating it into the K–12 curriculum. This poster will highlight strategies for fostering an environment that promotes competence, curiosity, and confidence in students as they pursue STEM learning. Attendees will discover ways to leverage students’ existing “working knowledge” to deepen engagement and connection to STEM concepts. Resources and examples will be provided to help educators support students in developing a strong and lasting STEM identity. This session is ideal for educators seeking to empower their students in STEM, regardless of background or experience. Participants will leave inspired and equipped to make a meaningful impact on their students’ STEM identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unlock students' STEM IDENTITY with hands-on strategies that inspire confidence, curiosity, and STEM skills. Learn how aviation and aeronautics can promote a growth mindset and create real-life engineering scenarios and career connections. Get free resources and actionable steps at this session.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Davis

What if the true origin of scientific thinking begins with what students see? In this visually rich, graphic novel–inspired session, discover how Visual Wonder acts as the catalyst for engaging students in Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). Through compelling imagery and simple, classroom-ready routines, you’ll explore how noticing, questioning, and interpreting visuals can spark curiosity and lead students into authentic investigation and sensemaking. Grounded in NGSS and aligned with a Wonder → Investigation → Sensemaking structure, this session offers practical strategies that are both meaningful for students and manageable for teachers. Walk away with ready-to-use tools that help students think and act like scientists, starting with the power of what they see.

TAKEAWAYS:
Visual Wonder sparks curiosity that leads directly to Science and Engineering Practices. With simple routines, teachers can turn what students see into meaningful investigation and sensemaking, helping them think and act like scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Shaw

Elementary students make sense of the natural world through curiosity, discussion, investigation, and meaningful connections, and children’s literature can play a powerful role in that process. Children’s literature can support science sensemaking and go beyond the traditional read-aloud or topic introduction. Using engaging examples and classroom applications for the PK-2 classroom, this session highlights ways teachers can intentionally integrate literature to spark wonder, support evidence-based discussions, encourage modeling and explanation, and help young children connect science ideas across experiences. Participants will leave with developmentally appropriate strategies, book recommendations, and practical ideas for integrating literacy and science in meaningful and authentic ways.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with practical ideas for moving beyond the traditional read-aloud to create literacy-rich science experiences that deepen curiosity, thinking, and sensemaking in the PK-2 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Pesnell

Is your classroom bringing learning to life, or is it simply a space where students learn? Dr. Chad LeDune draws on 22 years of public education experience to demonstrate how innovative, student-centered learning environments can transform science instruction into a launchpad for career-connected success. This session explores how technology tools function best not as the focus, but as process-driven supports that enhance inquiry, problem-solving, and real-world application of content knowledge. Participants will examine how iterative instructional design builds entrepreneurial thinking, career awareness, and durable, AI-resilient skills. Through practical examples, attendees will learn how to create engaging environments where students apply science concepts to authentic challenges, develop solutions, and communicate outcomes with purpose. Walk away with strategies to foster engagement, learning, and clear connections between classroom experiences and future career pathways.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will leave understanding how to design learning experiences where technology supports an iterative process of inquiry, application, entrepreneurship, and career-connected problem solving

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Chad LeDune

What does it take to build and sustain an effective district Professional Learning Community (PLC) that improves teaching and learning? This session equips teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators with a practical framework for creating and leading high-impact PLCs that drive collaboration, instructional coherence, and student achievement. Participants will learn to design and facilitate PLCs by setting clear goals, using data protocols, and maintaining a focus on student learning. Through discussion and authentic examples, attendees will examine how educators use data to identify trends, address misconceptions, and plan targeted Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction aligned to NGSS. The session highlights how PLCs support teacher growth, strengthen collaboration, and demonstrate value for school leaders. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to create, sustain, and improve PLCs while addressing common challenges like inconsistent participation and lack of focus.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to design, implement, and sustain effective science PLCs using structured protocols, data-driven practices, and facilitation strategies that improve collaboration, student learning, and Tier 1 and Tier 2 instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Tonya Flannery

This session provides an overview of the RECF Aerial Drone Competition (ADC) program and its advanced progression, ADC Pro. Participants will learn how ADC serves as an entry-level program where students develop foundational drone piloting, coding, teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills through engaging competition experiences. The session will then explore how ADC Pro expands on these fundamentals by introducing advanced autonomous operations, mission-based challenges, air and ground robotics integration, and real-world applications inspired by industry needs. Attendees will gain insight into the competition model, competition timeline, workforce development opportunities, and how both programs create meaningful STEM pathways for students while preparing them for future education and careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain insight into the competition model, competition timeline, and workforce development opportunities while learning how RECF Aerial Drone Competition and ADC Pro create meaningful STEM pathways that prepare students for future education and career success.

SPEAKERS:
Louann Cormier, Shelli Brasher, Nicole Mills

We know that elementary students can make sense of phenomenon but often elementary curriculum materials do not give them to the opportunities to dig deeply and develop rich explanations. In this session, we will explore how we can have learners engage meaningfully with phenomenon, engage in wondering and create questions that inspire awe, design the investigations to answer their own questions, and explain phenomenon using multiple formats. Guided by the recommendations in the Brilliance and Strengths report of 2022, we will engage in advocacy to provide support for finding more time in the elementary day for science learning. We won't leave out literacy as part of the plan. We will share our broad view of literacy in science and examples of high-quality trade books!

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will envision elementary learners' sense making as an asset we can build from to engage young learners in true science (interdisciplinary) learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Starr

The NSTA Sensemaking Tool can help educators be critical consumers of instructional materials and create/revise lessons that reflect the shifts required by new standards (sensemaking). Gain experience using the tool and facilitating criteria-based consensus conversations with your colleagues!

TAKEAWAYS:
Use the NSTA Sensemaking Tool to evaluate instructional materials (lessons) and provide feedback.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Mathews

Learn how to connect your students with nature and inspire them to write about it with Emily Morgan, author of the "Next Time You See" picture book series, and Terri Collins, Senior Lecturer of Elementary Education at Kennesaw State University. They will share free resources - teacher guide, videos, and templates - to guide your students through writing their own “Next Time You See” book about a natural object of their choice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with everything they need to guide a mentor text study where their students can write their own "Next Time You See" book.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Morgan

The first human beings who will ever set foot on Mars are very likely in elementary or middle school right now. Learn how you can use this fact to inspire success in both literacy and science through the speaker’s book, Max Goes to Mars, which has been read from the International Space Station (ISS) in both English and Spanish and is currently being made into a movie/planetarium show that you will be able to FREELY stream into your classrooms. This session will also introduce you to the FREE Story Time From Space program (storytimefromspace.com), in which books are read aloud from the ISS and to other ways the speaker/author can support your teaching, including through his free school visits.

TAKEAWAYS:
Inspire your students across the STEAM curriculum by thinking about the fact that some of today’s students are likely to be the first humans to visit Mars.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Bennett

# The Hunt for the Mill Race Monster: Building Community-Connected Learning with Lovable AI Follow the clues and discover how a local legend became an engaging, cross-curricular learning experience. In this hands-on session, participants will explore how Lovable AI helped transform the story of the Mill Race Monster into a community-connected unit that engaged students while saving teachers valuable planning time. Learn how we partnered with the Columbus Area Arts Council to support and promote a community arts event through our public schools, creating authentic connections between classroom learning and the local community. Participants will see how Lovable AI can generate lessons, projects, communication tools, websites, and student activities in minutes. Attendees will leave with a working AI-created classroom resource, ready-to-use prompts, practical strategies for creating community-based learning experiences, and ideas they can implement immediately in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how a local legend—the Mill Race Monster—became an engaging cross-curricular learning experience, and learn how Lovable AI can help you transform community stories, events, and partnerships into authentic student learning in minutes.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa HAINES

How do teacher leaders, coaches, and site leaders develop the vision, language, and tools to support teachers making the shifts called for by NGSS? In this session, participants will experience 3-dimensional, phenomenon-driven science instruction through a learner lens using the same high-quality materials their teachers use. Then participants will examine that experience through a coaching lens. We'll surface the real barriers to implementation that coaches encounter, build a shared set of observation look-fors grounded in firsthand experience, and develop coaching conversation starters tied directly to 3D learning in the classroom. Through this dual lens of learner and coach, participants will leave with a clearer picture of what effective NGSS implementation looks like, sounds like, and feels like and what it takes to support teachers in getting there.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders who have been inside the learning coach with more precision. Walk away with observation look-fors and coaching moves built from firsthand experience with OpenSciEd Elementary materials and prepared for your next classroom visit and coaching conversations.

SPEAKERS:
Guy Ollison

Ready to energize your science block without adding more to your plate? In this fast-paced Speed Sharing session, you’ll rotate through five high-impact, classroom-tested strategies designed for immediate use. From quick phenomena starters that spark curiosity to simple routines for building Claim-Evidence-Reasoning, each idea is practical, low-prep, and aligned to three-dimensional science learning. Walk away with ready-to-use tools, student-friendly structures, and fresh inspiration to increase engagement, deepen thinking, and make science stick all starting tomorrow!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with ready-to-use phenomena starters, CER frameworks, formative assessment tools, and low-prep science strategies that can be implemented immediately to increase engagement and support three-dimensional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Samantha Henery

What does digital literacy actually look like in a real lesson? In this fast-paced 15-minute session, take a speed tour through an Inquisitive Technology lesson using the 5E model. See how students move from initial curiosity to making thoughtful decisions in digital spaces through structured, inquiry-based learning. Experience how each phase, Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate, supports students in thinking critically, communicating responsibly, and making informed choices online. With simple routines, built-in supports, and ready-to-use materials, this approach makes digital literacy both meaningful for students and manageable for teachers. Walk away with practical ideas you can apply immediately.

TAKEAWAYS:
A 5E lesson structure helps teachers turn digital literacy into meaningful, manageable learning by guiding students from curiosity to informed decision-making.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Shaw

This session presents a secure, fully offline AI system for K-12 science classrooms that supports assignment generation, auto-grading, and real-time AI tutoring. Aligned with the AI and Data education strand and the NRC Framework for K-12 Science Education, the tool demonstrates how instructional design and feedback can support NGSS three-dimensional learning, including Science and Engineering Practices such as analyzing and interpreting data and constructing evidence-based explanations. Participants will explore classroom-ready workflows showing how assignments are created, how student work is evaluated using consistent rubrics, and how tutoring responses adapt to learner input using performance data. The system enables continuous instructional feedback loops grounded in student work. Designed for privacy-sensitive and low-bandwidth environments, the platform operates entirely offline to ensure equitable access while reducing teacher workload and improving feedback consistency.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn an offline AI workflow for K-12 science education that supports NGSS-aligned instruction through assignment generation, auto-grading, and adaptive tutoring, enabling data-informed feedback, reduced teacher workload, and equitable implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Nitindra Chowdary Pavuluri

AI and instructional technologies are everywhere, but how do we use them to strengthen science learning without adding complexity? This session presents a classroom-tested framework that integrates AI, data tools, and Project-Based Learning (PBL) to build career-connected, three-dimensional science experiences. Grounded in Beyond the Algorithm: Reimagining STEAM and Project-Based Learning for a Human-Centered AI Future and the Tapas Approach to PBL, participants will explore how to use technology to enhance -not replace- student thinking while streamlining planning, feedback, and assessment. Through real classroom examples, educators will examine how students take on authentic roles (engineers, data analysts) while using simulations, data tools, and AI-supported workflows. Attendees will leave with practical tools, templates, and strategies that connect science learning to real-world careers while saving time and improving instructional decision-making.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use AI, data tools, and PBL to design career-connected science experiences that build transferable skills, improve feedback and decision-making, and remain feasible within everyday classroom constraints.

SPEAKERS:
Tara Koehler, John Sammon

How do you create a robotics competition that engages hundreds of elementary students while supporting STEM learning across an entire school district? This session shares a practical framework for designing, launching, and sustaining a district-wide elementary robotics competition. Participants will explore strategies for securing stakeholder support, developing equitable participation opportunities, creating age-appropriate challenges, training teachers, managing logistics, and measuring impact.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with planning tools, implementation timelines, sample competition structures, and lessons learned that can be adapted to districts of any size.

SPEAKERS:
Kiera Elledge

What happens when young learners are invited to notice first and explain later? This session challenges PK–2 educators to reimagine science instruction by stepping outside—literally—and embracing a phenomena-based, inquiry-driven approach that nurtures curiosity, sensemaking, and a lasting connection to the natural world. Through practical examples, we’ll share strategies for lesson design, integrating STEM and literacy, and using themes like birds or trees to build connections. Learn how to overcome barriers, use available space and resources, and embrace “messy” science without needing all the answers. Leave with simple, adaptable ideas, increased confidence, and a clear message: meaningful science learning can happen anywhere—starting just outside your door.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to use curiosity and everyday outdoor spaces to drive phenomenon-based, inquiry science. You’ll gain practical, easy-to-apply strategies, integrate STEM and literacy, build confidence, and leave thinking, “I can do this.”

SPEAKERS:
Joel Eichenauer, Susan Gnagy

Learning in Places supports all elementary learners, their families, communities, and educators in creating relationships with the outdoors. Join us to learn more about how to effectively engage learners in identifying important phenomenon in their place, creating Should We questions, answering them through inquiry experiences students design, and designing models that help support developing understanding. Ultimately, Learning in Places advances change making and decision making as durable skills but through the lens of science exploration, transdisciplinary learning, and explanation of relationships with phenomenon. We will explore a storyline and some of the critical pieces of this amazing education resource.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will explore Learning in Places and learn more about how transdisciplinary explorations by elementary students elevate decision making and change making in their community.

SPEAKERS:
Jordan Sherry-Wagner, Mary Starr

What if you could turn any lesson into a science-rich experience? In this interactive session, explore how to layer meaningful STEM connections into the curriculum you already teach—without rewriting your plans. Discover simple strategies to deepen understanding, spark curiosity, and boost student engagement across subjects. Hear about some out-of-the box ways to plan and connect with grade level partners to maximize the minimum minutes together. Science educator or classroom teachers benefit from the interactive session. Make it easy, make it effective and make it fun for you and your students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn ways to infuse science into existing curriculum areas, if applicable. If they are science educators, they can learn how to think about new ways to enrich their lessons and to add a dash of STEM to their already rich lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Maureen Lee

Discover how mathematics becomes a powerful tool for science sensemaking in elementary classrooms through the lens of OpenSciEd Elementary units. In this session, participants will experience how elementary-age learners engage with mathematics and computational thinking and data—measurements, observations, sketches, photos, and recordings—to make sense of real-world phenomena featured in OpenSciEd investigations. We’ll explore how children notice and describe variability, create visual displays to organize their ideas, and analyze and interpret patterns to answer questions and spark new inquiries. Through an immersive experience grounded in OpenSciEd materials, participants will experience how integrating mathematics, computational thinking, and data science practices into elementary science instruction deepens reasoning, supports a range of learners, and empowers children to think critically about the data they encounter every day.

TAKEAWAYS:
OpenSciEd K-5 units create rich opportunities to use math as a tool for sensemaking by exploring variability, creating data displays, and analyzing and interpreting patterns—strengthening students' mathematics, computational thinking, and data literacy while supporting grade-level standards.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Belcastro

This interactive session explores how hands-on, project-based STEM experiences increase student engagement, academic achievement, and workforce readiness for learners of all backgrounds. Participants will discover proven strategies for creating robust STEM learning environments that expose students to real-world STEM applications, inspire curiosity, engage learners through experiential activities, and empower them to pursue STEM pathways and careers. Drawing from STEM NOLA’s nationally recognized Cradle-to-Career Model, which has impacted more than 250,000 students across the United States and internationally, attendees will learn how vertical mentorship, industry partnerships, workforce development initiatives, and community-centered programming create sustainable pathways . The session includes practical examples, scalable models, and take-home resources that educators, administrators, and community leaders can use to expand STEM access, participation, and long-term success.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain actionable strategies and a scalable Cradle-to-Career framework that leverages hands-on STEM learning, vertical mentorship, and workforce development partnerships to increase engagement, build confidence, and create pathways to STEM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Mills

Discover a powerful, replicable model for community partnership (local and national), student leadership and vertical alignment in STEM education. This session details the creation and execution of a STEM Ambassador Program where high school students partner with an elementary school to teach 4th graders the Design Thinking Process. We will provide a practical blueprint covering essential components: high school student selection and training, curriculum development, securing materials and funding, and managing the necessary time commitment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with actionable strategies for building a thriving community partnership as well as cross-grade partnership and experience a hands-on, simulated 4th-grade lesson to see the curriculum in action! Learn how to transform your high school students into effective, inspiring STEM educators.

SPEAKERS:
Melinda Clark, Lauren Allman

We grew up with encyclopedias. Our students grew up on Google. Now AI is here and the digital divide is widening every day we wait. This is not a debate about whether to use it. It is a conversation about whether our students can afford for us to keep stalling. This workshop skips the hype and gets to work. You will open your actual state standards, identify a vertically aligned strand, and build one real standards-aligned artifact using AI before you leave this room. Grounded in NGSS Science and Engineering Practice 8, obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, AI literacy is science literacy. Then you will consider what honest, responsible student use looks like, grounded in a classroom-tested model where Title I students were quizzed, challenged, and guided without ever getting an answer handed to them. Real concerns get named. Policy gets addressed. In April 2025, a federal executive order directed schools to advance AI education for every student.

TAKEAWAYS:
One self-built artifact tied to your own state standards, a plain-language guide for locating your district AI policy, and a framework for teaching students to use AI as a thinking tool, not a shortcut, before they need it.

SPEAKERS:
Jacqueline Cormier

For more than 50 years, the National Inventors Hall of Fame has celebrated inventors while advancing creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. At the heart of this work is Invention Education, which builds STEM interest and confidence alongside essential life skills. During this interactive session, participants will explore how Invention Education drives a student-centered approach through real-world problem solving, hands-on exploration, and exposure to innovative role models. They will also examine how triangulating data—from third-party evaluations to program observations—accelerates continuous improvement and impact. Participants will take the driver’s seat to build momentum and design their own high-impact roadmap for empowering STEM experiences through Invention Education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will get in the fast lane as they explore how Invention Education uses real-world problem solving, hands-on STEM learning, and data insights to empower students and drive meaningful, measurable impact.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Mills

How do literacy and science practices strengthen one another, and what can that look like in elementary classrooms? In this session, participants will learn about key research-based principles for integrating literacy and science in elementary classrooms. We will also engage with K-5 materials from the OpenSciEd Elementary curriculum as a model for how to enact these principles in classrooms. This will include a review of student-facing materials, including a variety of grade-level science texts, to showcase how integrating literacy practices into science lessons enhances both science and literacy learning. We will also examine teacher-facing materials and other curricular resources to understand how these tools help make the connections between science and ELA explicit. Finally, the presentation will highlight how teachers can apply these key principles in their classrooms to support young children’s sensemaking and ELA development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrating literacy practices within elementary science strengthens learning in both science and ELA. Participants will learn key research-based principles for integrating literacy into science time to support students’ sensemaking in science, while also building their ELA skills.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Belcastro

Dinosaurs are a high engagement topic for elementary students, and not only captivate imaginations but have rich scientific connections. As books on dinosaurs or featuring dinosaurs as main characters are reading available provide rich opportunities to connect literacy and STEM. During this session we will explore the overlap of literacy skills and STEM practices through the lens of dinosaurs. When students are responding to and reflecting on what they have read, they often use skills such as sequencing, comparing and contrasting, or character features. In STEM experiences, we often ask students to do the same thing – consider the sequence of cycles, identify physical features or compare and contract phenomena. This session will explore these intersections and how they can be used to support STEM and literacy instruction using a variety of children’s books on dinosaurs, fossils and geologic time.

TAKEAWAYS:
The skills students use when exploring STEM and processing what they have read intersect in several ways, and using high interest topics will support learning across STEM and literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Becky Wolfe

Participants will explore a classroom-ready video and engineering task using research from the University of Rhode Island Robotics Lab, where drones are programmed to monitor algae blooms in local ponds. Educators will engage in hands-on algorithm design, pattern recognition, and optimization challenges that mirror authentic engineering practices. This session provides additional classroom-ready videos, tasks, and facilitation strategies to foster an engineering mindset while introducing students to STEAM careers in robotics, environmental science, and computer science. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use materials that promote problem-solving, collaboration, and real-world community connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will leave with ready-to-use, classroom-tested open source resources and strategies to engage students in real-world engineering with drone technology, strengthen problem-solving skills, and explore STEAM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Charlene Tuttle, Rachele Limberakis

In this session, I will share classroom tested ideas aligned to the Indiana Science Academic standards along with principles of the Science of Reading. I will show how to incorporate science topics, using a variety of children's literature and integrate comprehension, phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, and vocabulary. Lessons will include several from the Picture Perfect Science series (NSTA Press text) along with other science related children's literature. Participants will receive access to digital copies of children's literature titles along with brief activity examples. To engage attendees during the session, participants will have the opportunity to try out many of the hands-on activities that are shared and leave with at least one example to remind them of the activity. The children's literature will cover all areas of science as well as STEM and will include a diverse group of scientists represented within them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Short on science teaching time?? In this session you will find out how to integrate children's literature that focuses on science into your other content areas. During this session, attendees will hear about classroom tested lessons that help them integrate science content throughout their school

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Poindexter

In this session, participants will learn about the NSTA Best STEM books and how they are selected. They will dive into the SEPs and examine how they are portrayed in the books. They will also take advantage of opportunities to examine how each book models the SEPs, improving their ability to identify and apply them throughout the book. The books selected will be from previous BSB lists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn to utilize the Best STEM Books to teach the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs).

SPEAKERS:
Simone Nance, Kimberly Berry, Christine Anne Royce, J Carrie Launius

Join Dr. Carlotta A. Berry, professor, engineering, researcher, advocate, NoireSTEMinist®, and children’s book author, for the launch of her latest children’s picture book, The STEM Kids Make a Robot published by NSTA kids. This engaging book follows a diverse team of fourth graders as they design a recycling robot to solve a problem in their elementary school cafeteria. Along the way, the students model teamwork through the cooperative learning cycle (forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning) and the engineering design process, from identifying a need, research, brainstorming a solution, prototyping, testing, evaluating results, all the way to deployment and presentation. She will also share her robotics children’s book series, There’s a Robot! for baby through 4th grade, and Robot Explorations for 1st – 5th grade at DrCarlottaABerry.com/childrensbooks. This event will celebrate the power of imagination, collaboration, and problem-solving to change the face of STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: • Understand the steps of the engineering design process as demonstrated in The STEM Kids Make a Robot. • Recognize the importance of teamwork and the cooperative learning cycle in solving complex problems. • Connect the book’s diverse characters and storylines to real-world problems

SPEAKERS:
Carlotta Berry

Participants will learn how to integrate PreK-2 science and math concepts into English Language Arts (ELA) instruction to support students’ literacy development while nurturing critical thinking, problem-solving, and a lifelong interest in the world around them. Primary students are exposed to the 5 C’s of STEM: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and character which will help them to be better prepared for a 21st Century workforce.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM learning in the Primary grades supports the most critical point of brain development (between birth to age 5). STEM learning improves social-emotional learning skills, builds vocabulary and encourages a positive school experience.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Berry

Who's the parent? Who's the offspring? In first grade, students learn that "young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents." In this workshop, the presenter will share the activities he leads so that his first graders make this discovery for themselves. By engaging in various picture matching exercises, a shared family traits homework assignment, and an aliens' family tree assessment, the presenter will show how he teaches the concept of inherited traits in fun, kid-friendly way.

TAKEAWAYS:
Children may have heard that they have their moms eyes and their dad's nose because they are a mix of traits and physical features that they have inherited from their mom and dad. People in families might look alike, but they can also be different. These differences are an important part of life.

SPEAKERS:
Cezar Simeon

Help students see the link between textiles in their lives and science and engineering, through hands-on experience, language development, and a virtual lab visit! We will investigate textiles and sample an open source video for classroom use. In addition, we will share language-rich card games, linked to the video content. This session connects classroom learning to outside research and answers the question, “How does this lesson connect to the real world?” These resources were developed through a research collaboration among the Colleges of Education & Engineering at URI and the School of Engineering at UCONN through an Office of Naval Research grant addressing STEM workforce development needs. The resources expose elementary students to careers in STEM fields, and offer an invitation for future work in STEM. We will address opportunities for localized learning and connecting with industry partners, including maritime careers. Leave with materials to implement the next day!

TAKEAWAYS:
Through exploring open source resources, you will see the impact of textile engineering on our daily lives and how to translate this into your classroom. Leave with a deeper understanding of how to link engineering and future STEM careers to existing early childhood lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Charlene Tuttle, Rachele Limberakis

Experience a classroom-ready engineering challenge that integrates physical science and the Engineering Design Process. In this session, participants will investigate the wheel and axle as a simple machine by designing, building, and testing rubber band-powered cars. Through hands-on experimentation, participants will explore how wheel size influences speed, distance traveled, and motion. They will make predictions, conduct trial runs, measure distances, and collect data to identify patterns and draw evidence-based conclusions. By analyzing results and refining their designs, participants will develop an understanding of force, friction, motion, and energy transfer while strengthening their problem-solving, critical thinking, scientific reasoning skills, and increasing their fluency in using the Engineering Design Process. Attendees will leave with the knowledge, materials, and confidence to implement this hands-on STEM investigation in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will build, test, and optimize a rubber band-powered car while collecting and analyzing data to determine how wheel size affects speed and distance, leaving with a classroom-ready engineering design challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel, Nicole Mills

National guidance in math and science education advocates for integrating STEM through authentic, design-based tasks (NASEM, 2014). These policies reflect the multidisciplinary nature of real-world problems; however, students often push back, especially when math appears in science lessons. These connections enable the transfer of knowledge between subjects, deepening learning in both. Our session includes design-based activities that use math models (SMP.4) to explore cause-and-effect relationships on human impacts on ecosystems (5-ESS3-1). Because teachers rarely experience as learners the type of integrated instruction they are expected to deliver (Frykholm & Glasson, 2005), this session immerses participants in the lesson using square tiles to calculate the surface area of a proposed shopping center development and explore the direct and indirect effects on an ecosystem before stepping back to examine the instructional design.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a design-based lesson that authentically integrates math models through area (SMP.4) and human impact on ecosystems (5-ESS3-1), while learning to recognize and design true integration opportunities in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Fleming, Allison Esparza

What if science did not compete with literacy and math, but actually made them stronger? In this interactive, hands-on workshop, experience how inquiry-based, phenomena-driven science turns classrooms into places where reading, writing, speaking, and math all have a real purpose. You will step into a model lesson where curiosity leads the way and students use evidence, language, and data to make sense of the world around them. Along the way, we will uncover simple, classroom-ready strategies that protect science time while strengthening cross-curricular learning. Expect a few “oh, this just makes sense” moments and plenty of ideas you can use right away. Walk away with practical tools that make science the most connected and doable part of your day.

TAKEAWAYS:
When science leads, literacy and math gain real purpose, helping teachers protect science time while engaging students in meaningful, connected learning through inquiry, evidence, and sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Shaw

This session pulls back the curtain on the NSTA/CBC Best STEM Book award, examining the selection process and how titles can anchor complex, three-dimensional learning. Participants will first explore the committee's specific criteria, looking beyond standard narratives to identify books that authentically model the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and the iterative nature of design. In a hands-on workshop format, you will act as a committee member to evaluate a variety of high-quality trade books. Can you identify which titles meet the "Best STEM" threshold and which fall short? We will analyze how these books highlight real-world problem-solving and divergent thinking. Finally, we will demonstrate how to move beyond "read-alouds" by using these books as catalysts for these practices. You will leave with instructional strategies and ideas for support materials to help students engage with complex content through the lens of award-winning STEM literature.

TAKEAWAYS:
Go beyond read-alouds by learning how the NSTA/CBC committee selects Best STEM Books. Evaluate titles using the Science and Engineering Practices to anchor three-dimensional learning. You'll leave with strategies to integrate these books into instruction, making the practices come alive for students

SPEAKERS:
Simone Nance, Elizabeth (Betsy) O'Day, Christine Anne Royce, J Carrie Launius

Artificial intelligence is reshaping STEM learning, making it essential for educators to rethink how students engage with complex problems. As AI can now generate answers and procedures instantly, STEM instruction must emphasize reasoning, creativity, design thinking, and authentic application. The Department of War (DoW) STEM is advancing AI literacy and innovation by connecting students to emerging technologies and STEM career pathways. In this session, participants will explore how AI is changing expectations for student work and learn practical strategies for redesigning STEM tasks to promote deeper learning, interdisciplinary thinking, and student agency. Educators will examine real-world applications of AI, identify opportunities for meaningful classroom integration, and leave with ready-to-use strategies that support both STEM learning and workforce readiness.

TAKEAWAYS:
Design STEM learning for an AI-driven world by shifting from answers to reasoning. Participants will experience using AI to enhance learning and connect classroom experiences to real-world applications and emerging STEM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Mills

Join us for an immersive journey where STEM standards meet epic, character-driven quests! This workshop explores a transformative framework for elementary classrooms. We bridge rigorous science and math skills—with vital character education, rebranding them as "Superpowers." Participants will learn to guide students through the design process, using geometry standards to craft personalized superhero characters. We’ll demonstrate how to synthesize math and creativity through collaborative school-wide mural projects and AI-assisted art creations, proving that every student has the potential for scientific heroism. Leave with a practical, high-engagement roadmap to inspire the next generation of innovators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Rebrand STEM skills as tangible 'superpowers' to boost engagement. By using geometry in character design and collaborative AI art, we empower every student to see themselves as a scientific hero, transforming the classroom into a launchpad for connecting to Scientists with Superpowers.

SPEAKERS:
Annette Larson

The first law of ecology is that “everything is related to everything else.” Understanding connections in nature can help elementary students explore how people’s actions shape the Earth’s landscapes and affect ecosystems in our own backyards and across the globe. In this hands-on session, explore engaging, interdisciplinary activities that connect core science concepts with math, literacy, and real-world decision-making. Through an interactive story, 3D modeling, concept mapping and simple data investigations, students examine ecosystem interactions, resource use, and climate impacts while developing skills in reasoning, communication, and problem solving. Activities encourage students to apply what they learn across contexts – whether analyzing food webs, modeling Earth’s limited resources, or exploring carbon use in everyday life. All activities align with NGSS, especially the Disciplinary Core Idea, Earth and Human Activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a set of integrated lessons that connect science, math, and literacy, helping students apply their learning to real-world environmental questions through hands-on exploration and discussion.

SPEAKERS:
Simone Nance, Jeff Thomas

This session explores how graphical representations can be leveraged to develop elementary students’ understanding of Scale, Proportion, and Quantity, one of the NGSS Crosscutting Concepts. Using examples from OpenSciEd Grade 5 Earth in the Universe, participants will examine how students use standard units of measure, data displays, number lines, and comparative models to make sense of patterns in the Sun, Moon, and stars. Attendees will explore the role of graphical representations in helping students make sense of patterns and relationships across scales that are otherwise difficult to observe directly. Participants will leave with practical strategies for leveraging graphical representations and digital tools to support student sensemaking, develop Scale, Proportion, and Quantity thinking, and deepen understanding of Earth and space science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how graphical representations can make otherwise inaccessible Earth and space science phenomena observable, helping elementary students develop Scale, Proportion, and Quantity thinking while making sense of patterns in the Sun, Moon, and stars.

SPEAKERS:
Jacob Noll

Science and STEM learning deepen when students engage concepts through multiple modalities. In this interactive session, participants will explore three elementary arts integration experiences embedded within science and engineering units. Attendees will experience movement-based investigations of wind, forces, and energy transfer; a watercolor mixing inquiry that mirrors scientific experimentation in a properties of matter unit; and a partner movement activity that explores material properties through physical representation. Participants will leave with practical strategies for integrating visual arts and movement into science instruction to strengthen conceptual understanding, student engagement, and durable skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how purposeful integration of movement and visual arts can deepen elementary students’ understanding of scientific concepts while building creativity, collaboration, communication, and problem-solving skills.

SPEAKERS:
Trudy Giasi

Discover how to leverage AI to design high-impact, interdisciplinary elementary STEM lessons that prepare students for the future workforce. While not all students pursue STEM careers, these lessons cultivate the essential 21st-century skills—critical thinking, creativity, collaboration, and communication—needed for all career pathways. Explore why early engagement is critical for students to identify diverse career opportunities. Participants will learn to apply Backward Design—identifying results, determining evidence, and planning instruction—to integrate community-led STEM experiences. Walk away with actionable, AI-generated lesson examples to implement immediately.

TAKEAWAYS:
Take away a roadmap for AI-assisted, career-aligned STEM instruction. Attendees will use a QR code to access a comprehensive Padlet of resources, featuring the Backward Design framework and ready-to-use interdisciplinary lesson examples for immediate classroom implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Annette Larson

The Eco-Design Builders Project empowers elementary students to explore sustainability, environmental education, and STEM through hands-on learning with 3DuxDesign and recycled materials. Using Design Thinking and the Engineering Design Process, students become young architects and engineers as they design and build eco-friendly communities, sustainable carnival attractions, green spaces, and innovative environmental solutions. This project integrates science, engineering, creativity, and collaboration while teaching students about recycling, renewable energy, water conservation, and responsible community design. Attendees will learn how to implement engaging, standards-aligned sustainability projects that foster problem-solving, student voice, and real-world connections in elementary classrooms. The session will showcase student prototypes, project ideas, classroom strategies, and interdisciplinary connections that support environmental stewardship and 21st-century learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use 3DuxDesign and Design Thinking to engage elementary students in hands-on sustainability and environmental STEM projects that promote creativity, engineering, and real-world problem-solving.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Alvin De Lara

his session explores innovative strategies for integrating science and literacy instruction to improve student engagement, critical thinking, and academic achievement across K–12 classrooms. Participants will examine how reading, writing, speaking, and inquiry-based learning can work together to deepen scientific understanding and strengthen literacy development. The presentation will highlight practical classroom approaches including scientific argument writing, close reading of informational texts, vocabulary development, collaborative discussions, and hands-on STEM investigations. Attendees will gain access to standards-aligned instructional resources, interdisciplinary lesson ideas, and evidence-based practices that support diverse learners and promote equitable access to high-quality STEM education. Educators will leave with ready-to-use tools and strategies designed to foster scientific literacy, increase student confidence, and create engaging, student-centered learning environm

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn practical strategies for integrating science and literacy instruction to increase student engagement, strengthen critical thinking, and improve achievement through inquiry-based, student-centered STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
April Braddy

In this interactive session, members of the DoW STEM Ambassadors cohort will showcase free, classroom-ready resources available through the DoW STEM ecosystem and its partners. Participants will explore hands-on activities, virtual and in-person learning opportunities, career-connected STEM experiences, competitions, educator professional development programs, and student engagement resources that support innovation, problem-solving, and workforce readiness. Ambassadors will share implementation strategies and examples from various educational settings while providing attendees with a curated toolkit of resources that can be immediately adapted for classrooms and informal learning environments. Participants will leave with practical materials, new professional connections, and actionable ideas to engage students in authentic STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a curated collection of free, classroom-ready STEM resources, opportunities, and implementation strategies that connect science learning to authentic careers, innovation, and future workforce pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Daniella Hubbard, Stephanie McGrew, Elizabeth Colton, Nicole Mills, Sara Leikin

This workshop incorporates principles of student-driven science notebooking with practical realistic applications for today’s science classrooms. Building on the ideas and strategies in Jessica Fries-Gaither’s NSTA Press publication, Science Notebooks in Student-Centered Classroom, participants will discover how using notebooks increases student engagement and ownership when attempting to make sense of a phenomenon using the three-dimensions. Participants will experience authentic notebooking from the student perspective in either K-4 or 5-8 grade bands, connect their experiences to Jessica’s four principles of student-centered science notebooks, and apply these ideas by incorporating science notebook principles and strategies to a lesson/unit of their own choosing. This session will demonstrate how well-selected science notebook scaffolds that are removed over time help students gain confidence and motivation to use notebooks as authentic sensemaking tools.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a science notebook of their own that contains strategies, scaffolds, and organizational structures that increase realistic use of student-centered science notebooks as sensemaking tools.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Moorhead, Jessica Fries-Gaither

Science is a fundamental right for every student, starting in the earliest grades. However, elementary science is often reduced to simplified facts or infrequent activities. This session challenges that narrative, presenting a framework for consistent, complex, and equity-based science instruction across all grade levels. We will explore how to transition from traditional "experiments" to student-led investigations where sense-making is the primary goal. Participants will learn how to leverage three-dimensional instruction (SEPs, CCCs, and DCIs) to build student agency and ensure that every learner—regardless of background or language proficiency—has access to high-level scientific thinking. We will discuss the selection of support materials that reflect diverse voices and the development of non-biased assessments that prioritize conceptual complexity. By treating science as a core pillar of the elementary experience, we create a more equitable landscape for all students. Attendees wi

TAKEAWAYS:
Science belongs in every grade level. Equity is achieved when students are "doers" of science. Use Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to create inclusive, complex environments where all students have agency to make sense of the world, regardless of their reading level or background.

SPEAKERS:
Tyrone McNichols, Mike Szydlowski, J Carrie Launius, Nicole Williams

In a Title I classroom where 99% of students qualify for free lunch, 5th graders matched the NC state science average despite serving a population that statewide scores 13 points lower. That gap does not close by accident. This workshop puts participants in the student seat. You will experience a full STEM Talk protocol, examine real student notebook entries across proficiency levels, and leave having looked at one lesson from your existing curriculum through both lenses. Grounded in NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, specifically argumentation from evidence and obtaining and communicating information, these structures meet the standards and the student simultaneously. The structures here were built for students who arrived writing random letters in English, for ELL students who had never argued a scientific claim out loud, and for EC students who had never been called on because someone believed they had something worth saying. They did. They do. So do yours.

TAKEAWAYS:
Three questions to hold against any lesson: How do I reach every student with this content? What does mastery look, sound, and feel like here? How do I keep every student thinking, talking, and valued? Applicable to any standard, any grade, any state.

SPEAKERS:
Jacqueline Cormier

NASA Data, Building Block by Block with Legos offers an innovative, hands-on approach to simplify complex NASA Earth science datasets for K-8 learners. In this workshop, participants will discover how to transform abstract NASA Earth observations into physical 3D models and graphs using Legos. By leveraging the tactile nature of brick-building, educators can bridge the gap between "big data" and learner understanding. We will explore a suite of classroom-ready activities that integrate mathematical thinking and data literacy within the scope of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) 3D learning. Participants will practice using Legos to represent data points, build land cover maps, and visualize sea ice and sea level changes in Earth’s systems, while exploring frameworks for scaffolding data literacy for diverse learners, and gaining access to curated NASA datasets specifically selected for elementary and middle school classroom integration.

TAKEAWAYS:
NASA Data, Building Block by Block with Legos offers an innovative, hands-on approach to simplify complex NASA Earth science datasets for K-8 learners. In this workshop, participants will discover how to transform abstract NASA Earth observations into physical 3D models and graphs using Legos.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rizzi, Tina Harte - Ballinger

This workshop offers an opportunity to consider how our work as STEM educators can be more meaningfully tied to citizenship, equity, and socioscientific issues. Using audio/visual data and analysis from a 2-year ethnographic dissertation study, this session will demonstrate how one early childhood educator positioned and supported her students as scientific citizens, focusing on their personhood and multifaceted identities as community members during science-based learning experiences. Attendees will be invited to examine scenarios from their own perspective and the perspective of others in order to apply the concepts discussed in the dissertation study.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be given tools to expand their view of what science and STEM can be in the PreK to 12 educational landscape. This workshop encourages them to look beyond the neoliberal tendencies of STEM education to consider how personhood, community, and science can be purposefully integrated.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Spurlock

Transform your classroom into a hub of engineering innovation using everyday items! This interactive session will give 3rd-8th grade science teachers an engaging activity for integrating STEM engineering challenges into their classroom. Participants will dive into a hands-on activity to show how they can spark critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity in their students making engineering accessible, exciting, and highly effective, proving that impactful STEM learning is within reach for all. Join us to ignite curiosity and cultivate the next generation of innovators!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in a hands-on engineering challenge using everyday materials and leave with a ready-to-use classroom activity that builds problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity in grades 3–8 STEM instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Mills

Speaker will actively engage attendees with explorations and discourse, and offer strategies and ideas teachers can implement, to set up Science and STEM explorations and simple engineering problems for young children that support NGSS. She will help attendees grasp the vast scientific concepts and exploration opportunities that comprise the young child’s everyday world. She will discuss the importance of nurturing a child’s natural curiosity and will offer strategies to help children develop their observation and thinking skills. She will emphasize the importance of engaging young children in manipulation of objects and materials so they can recognize the effects of their actions. She will offer strategies to help children develop their science vocabulary. She will model how instruction that starts with children’s questions and provides rich opportunities for exploration and investigation is the most engaging way to introduce and teach science concepts to young children. Handouts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies and engaging exploration ideas, to create sense-making opportunities for young children, and to inspire children’s sustained curiosities. Activities will be easy and inexpensive to replicate and will help launch a trajectory of learning for young children.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell

Family STEM nights can strengthen school-community relationships, increase STEM engagement, and help students see science and engineering as collaborative, creative, and accessible. Many educators struggle with limited budgets, staffing constraints, activity planning, and concerns about family participation. This interactive session equips educators with practical tools to plan and facilitate successful STEM nights in schools, libraries, museums, and community organizations. Participants will explore adaptable themes, low-cost activity stations aligned to NGSS, volunteer coordination strategies, accessibility considerations, assessment tools, and methods to increase family engagement across diverse communities. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use planning templates, budget examples, NGSS aligned activity ideas, and implementation strategies suitable for a variety of grade levels and settings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Plan engaging, low-cost, engaging Family STEM Nights that build school connections and boost STEM interest. This interactive session provides themes, NGSS aligned activity ideas, volunteer strategies, and ready-to-use templates to support inclusive, effective events across diverse settings.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Wonnacott-Stanley, Liza Basden

One of the greatest challenges facing teachers as they adopt a science notebooking practice is assessment. Should notebooks be graded? What might formative and summative assessment look like in a science notebook? How can teachers balance providing meaningful, constructive feedback with the large volume of notebook entries? Building on Jessica Fries-Gaither’s NSTA Press publication, Science Notebooks in Student-Centered Classrooms, this workshop allows participants to explore, reflect, and discuss research about assessment and feedback as well as experience assessment and grading techniques from both a teacher and student perspective. This session will demonstrate how these techniques can increase student authentic use of the science and engineering practices, increase students’ independent use of practices, and ultimately, support student growth.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave the session with assessment techniques that increase student authentic use of the science and engineering practices, increase students’ independent use of practices, and ultimately, support student growth.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Moorhead, Jessica Fries-Gaither

Through the use of primary sources, inquiry explorations, and STEM strategies, STEM Stories engage elementary students. Teachers get free access to booklets that guide students in active learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM Stories include student booklets and teacher guides ready for immediate classroom use. Investigations using common household materials to maximize learning and engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Boulden

Want to introduce fun chemistry concepts into your upper elementary classroom? This session showcases a suite of physical science lessons developed by Purdue University Honors Chemistry students specifically for upper elementary educators. Participants will explore a curated collection of "kitchen chemistry" investigations that transform common household items (red cabbage, honey, and baking soda) into scientific tools. We will demonstrate how to model abstract concepts like surface tension and proton transfer through kinetic group games, and how to use student-built spectroscopes to investigate the properties of light. Participants will learn how hands-on approaches support student sensemaking and facilitate interest in science. These lessons emphasize student learning while keeping prep time and material costs at a minimum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore fun and creative “kitchen chemistry” demonstrations to use in the upper elementary classroom. Attendees will gain full access to premade lesson plans and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Starr