Growing up in a single parent home on the south side of Chicago, IL, Justin J. Shaifer had little awareness of the potential of a STEM career. His worldview drastically transformed after experiences at Hampton University. Justin graduated with a bachelor's degree in marine and environmental science with the highest departmental GPA, and was also president of Hampton University's student body while receiving scholarships from NASA and NOAA that covered 100% of his tuition and room and board. Now 24 years old, Justin travels the country empowering young students to "embrace their inner nerd" despite their surroundings, and developing culturally responsive STEM curricula for New York City institutions.

Justin is executive director of Fascinate, Inc., an organization created to excite underrepresented students about STEM. He is known for his work on the Magic Cool Bus Project. Past partners of his organization include Microsoft, MIT Media Lab, and the Children’s Aid Society. Justin is studying these programs’ effects as a PhD student at Columbia University.

SPEAKERS:
Justin Shaifer, Elizabeth Allan, Erika Shugart

Hear about the new administration’s priorities and plans for supporting science and STEM educators and learn more about education and funding priorities in Congress. Bring your questions, and join us in this discussion about what’s going on in Washington, D.C.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Peterson

Speed-sharing chat topics will include:

• Science experiments gone awry 
• Funniest teacher jokes
• Funniest administrator jokes
• “Worst day ever” experiences that you can now laugh at
• Funniest teacher sayings 
• Funniest things you’ve heard students say
• Weirdest experiment results
• Best science experiments
• If you could rename teachers, what would it be?
• If you could rename science, what would it be?
• Things you wish you would have known before becoming a science teacher
• Weird things you’ve done in class
• Weird things students have done in class
• Most hilarious things you’ve seen or heard at school
• Funniest tweets about teaching, teachers, or students you’ve ever seen.

Join in, have fun, and let loose! This event will be one you’ll never forget!

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

Please note that these chats are available to the first 500 participants.

This event is not being recorded.

Attendees will participate in a hands-on experience as they construct an understanding of the best practices for presenting hands-on activities remotely.

This session is targeted for novice attendees.

Materials needed:

• scissors
• several paperclips
• sheet of scrap paper

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover tips, techniques, and strategies for the successful facilitation of online activities; 2. Discover new activities appropriate for online delivery, including virtual field trips; and 3. Participate in an online activity to experience (as a student) what works and what doesn't.

SPEAKERS:
Michael DiSpezio

Virtual word walls support academic language acquisition. Three strategies will be presented for use in remote or in hybrid classrooms to strategically target vocabulary.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use virtual interactive word walls to support academic language acquisition during remote or hybrid instruction; 2. Learn how to use virtual interactive word walls to highlight connections between science concepts and inquiry-based science activities while connecting scientific concepts and academic vocabulary; and 3. Experience three strategies that may be used, with virtual interactive word walls, to strategically target vocabulary during remote or in hybrid instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Jackson

Sponsoring Company: Legends of Learning

With the amount of time for science instruction constantly under scrutiny, developing experiences beyond traditional classroom hours is critical. Learn how educators can leverage game-based learning to introduce, review, and deepen student content understanding. Through student-driven learning, Legends of Learning helps educators ensure that not a moment of time is lost.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. New ways to engage students through game-based instruction; 2. How student-driven learning resources can maximize instructional time; and 3. Strategies for using game-based learning to introduce, reinforce, and enrich student content experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Joselyn Whetzel, Aryah Fradkin, Sean Reidy

Sponsoring Company: The Walking Classroom

The Walking Classroom is a research-proven program of audio podcasts that students listen to while they walk. Our STEM program includes 60 science podcasts, including a science career series and supplemental resources. Elementary students learn better, retain information longer, and want to learn more about topics after listening and walking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn about the research-proven benefits of listening to podcasts while walking as experienced by students; 2. find out more about the podcast content provided by The Walking Classroom, which includes Earth science, physical science, life science, and a careers in science series; and 3. get an overview of the additional resources provided that supplement each podcast and include video clips, downloadable worksheets, suggested hands-on activities, virtual field trips, and more!

SPEAKERS:
Debra Ives

Don’t miss your opportunity to hear from U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel A. Cardona as he shares a special message and answers questions from science teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Miguel Cardona

Discover free age-appropriate "Cooped Up Kids" activities that connect kids to the outdoors and exciting science content whether in school, remote, or blended.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover free hands-on lessons that are tied to the NGSS and Common Core Standards and discuss how to implement them whether learners are at home or in school; 2. Describe the socio-emotional benefits of place-based outdoor experiences for diverse K–8 students; and 3. Learn how to access a variety of free educational interactives, online multimedia resources, and citizen science projects scaffolded by lessons that are perfect for K–8 settings.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Fee

Bestselling author Max Brooks believes in the power of educating through entertainment, whether it’s learning survival skills through zombie fiction or better understanding our own history through graphic novels. What better way to reach students than through mediums they have fun using, such as video games? Join Max as he explains why he thinks the massively popular game Minecraft has the potential to be the greatest teaching tool since Gutenberg’s printing press.

SPEAKERS:
Max Brooks

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

STEM is not just about integrating science, technology, engineering, and math. Dr. Carol O’Donnell discusses how schools can support STEM students and teachers of diverse backgrounds through curricula, professional development, and leadership development that take an integrated approach to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion in K–12 STEM. Participants will learn about several free Smithsonian resources to integrate inclusive design into K–12 STEM curricula, apply PD strategies for teaching English learners and girls in STEM, and diversify the STEM teaching workforce.

SPEAKERS:
Carol ODonnell

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Essential to good scientific practice and mitigating learning loss is the ability to communicate an argument effectively. You’ll be mining chocolate chip cookies to see the cause and effect between human activity and Earth Systems. We’ll demonstrate how to integrate language skills while guiding students in developing their science knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Mitigate learning loss by integrating literacy skills in science investigations; 2. Learn to integrate literacy skills into elementary science classrooms; and 3. Leave with practical real-world tips that can be immediately incorporated into the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Dawn Smith, Kelsey Moore

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

What have we learned during the past year about what we most value about teaching and learning? Where does science fit in a responsive relaunch? Join leaders from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science as we reflect on these questions and begin to explore how to capitalize on a phenomenon-based approach to create a culture that values student voice and fosters curiosity and engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott

Discover research-based approaches on how to build a strong makerspace community that taps into foundational scientific literacy skills. Participate in a makerspace project-based literacy challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve culturally responsive teaching in an informal makerspace environment through the development of makerspace pop-up activities and training approaches following a makerspace project-based literacy process; 2. Increase scientific literacy achievement through informal literacy hands-on makerspace pop-up activities focused on STEM real-world activities; and 3. Describe opportunities and hands-on mobile approaches to build capacity of existing informal makerspace learning of remote communities, diverse learners, and STEM professionals serving underrepresented minority populations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Miller, Thomas Tomas

Engage in this interactive session to find out how the idea of anchoring to a phenomena to begin a STEM unit lays out a plan for helping students to see how science impacts their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand why the scenario helps students connect the phenomena to their own community/ global issues; 2. Show how to move from the unit phenomena introduction to the crafting the storyline for the student learning; and 3. Teachers will have a chance to practice developing their own scenario based on a given phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jo Anne Vasquez, Michael Comer

Alejandro understands that students arrive each day with an abundance of cultural wealth. He will share how establishing authentic relationships with his students and strategically integrating culturally relevant instruction has increased student motivation, morale, and engagement in his class. He will also provide insight to some of the challenges that our students from underrepresented populations face, and how providing his students access to a variety of people, programs, resources, and experiential learning opportunities has been critical to his students’ success.

SPEAKERS:
Alejandro Diasgranados

In this session participants will get an overview of how environmental and climate justice have been introduced to classrooms through partnerships, expos, and educational programming. Participants will also get an overview of key terms, focus areas, and resources for learning more about environmental and climate justice through a local lens.

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Morton

Hear about the new administration’s priorities and plans for supporting science and STEM educators and learn more about education and funding priorities in Congress. Bring your questions, and join us in this discussion about what’s going on in Washington, D.C.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Peterson

Speed-sharing chat topics will include:

• Science experiments gone awry 
• Funniest teacher jokes
• Funniest administrator jokes
• “Worst day ever” experiences that you can now laugh at
• Funniest teacher sayings 
• Funniest things you’ve heard students say
• Weirdest experiment results
• Best science experiments
• If you could rename teachers, what would it be?
• If you could rename science, what would it be?
• Things you wish you would have known before becoming a science teacher
• Weird things you’ve done in class
• Weird things students have done in class
• Most hilarious things you’ve seen or heard at school
• Funniest tweets about teaching, teachers, or students you’ve ever seen.

Join in, have fun, and let loose! This event will be one you’ll never forget!

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

Please note that these chats are available to the first 500 participants.

This event is not being recorded.

Attendees will participate in a hands-on experience as they construct an understanding of the best practices for presenting hands-on activities remotely.

This session is targeted for novice attendees.

Materials needed:

• scissors
• several paperclips
• sheet of scrap paper

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover tips, techniques, and strategies for the successful facilitation of online activities; 2. Discover new activities appropriate for online delivery, including virtual field trips; and 3. Participate in an online activity to experience (as a student) what works and what doesn't.

SPEAKERS:
Michael DiSpezio

My NASA Data shares scientifically interesting stories and other resources that can be implemented for Earth Day.

Click here for a list of materials needed and activity instructions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. gain access to data stories that can be used on Earth Day; 2. learn of interactive models that incorporate NASA Earth data; and 3. walk away with access to NASA resources for their Earth science classrooms that can be linked directly to their learning management systems.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rizzi, Elizabeth Joyner

Experience a contact tracing activity and explore how a storyline unit supports SEL during the pandemic while emphasizing health equity. Print http://bit.ly/MSContactTracing ahead of time.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how discussions of a pandemic can be attentive to students’ social-emotional needs; 2. consider how COVID-19-focused learning can and should provoke students' thinking about how their actions affect others and can help end pandemics; and 3. experience a contact-tracing activity that supports students’ thinking about issues of trust in public health.

SPEAKERS:
Dan Voss, Dawn Novak

Sponsoring Company: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

In this workshop, participants will discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics, such as climate change and environmental science. Participants will identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula and will define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation. This workshop will be led by faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Steven Point’s Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability Program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics; 2. be able to identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula; and 3. be able to define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation (e.g., beyond reduce, reuse, recycle).

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Potter-Nelson, Erin Redman, Rachael Rost

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

How can you infuse computational problem solving into your science lessons? In this session, we will work through the process to incorporate data collected from active physical science explorations into coding challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Reinforcing forces and motion concepts through computational problem solving; 2. Authentic application of mathematical practices; and 3. Utilizing data in programming applications.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Brennan

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn how to build on the core concepts of WISE interventions to integrate social-emotional learning competencies into science teaching and learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to: 1. reduce ambiguity for students to build self-efficacy and confidence in science; 2. provide immediate and precise feedback for students through formative assessments incorporated throughout the lesson; and 3. incorporate reflection questions at the end of each science lesson, and pause points throughout the lesson to promote meaning-making.

SPEAKERS:
Maneeza Dawood

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Learn how model rocketry altitude tracking is a great way to get students comfortable with collecting, graphing, and analyzing data. Win a Mini AltiTrak set for your classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Tips to incorporate graphing into a lesson; 2. Information on data analysis activities for students; and 3. How to use the Estes Mini AltiTrak as a technology tool for data collection.

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Biernat, Nicole Bayeur

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum Corp.

Simulation Curriculum is a pioneer in developing online simulation-based curricula to help enhance students’ understanding of Earth science topics as diverse as climate change, plate tectonics, volcanism, Earth materials, and geological processes on Earth’s surface. NGSS-focused lessons engage students with interactive simulations and thought-provoking exercises. Designed for online learning and compatible with iPads, Android tablets, PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Free trial access provided!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Online science simulations are effective tools to compliment your instruction; 2. Become familiar with Layered Earth as a resource for teaching Earth science; and 3. Learn how to integrate Earth science and literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Gabber

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will demonstrate an authentic engineering practice so compelling that science and engineering students create an average of 62 virtual design iterations of balsa wood bridges, gliders, mousetrap cars, wind turbines, drones, and many others before (optionally) building a physical model of their optimized design.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Time and money (nearly) prohibits science and engineering classrooms from presenting an authentic engineering practice; 2. WhiteBox Learning provides an authentic experience by utilizing powerful web-based tools with roots in industry that leverage gamification for motivation; and 3. It is possible to leverage familiar projects like balsa wood bridges, balsa wood gliders, mousetrap cars, and others to teach engineering in an authentic way. This is great news because the familiarity of these projects makes it easier for teachers to take on engineering.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Robertson

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Designed to be engaging no matter where learning takes place, TCI’s Engineering Challenges get students thinking and acting like real-world engineers, but most importantly, excited about science. Discover the power of the TCI approach and get practical real-world tips for your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore TCI’s unique approach to engineering; 2. Learn to engage students anytime and anywhere with engineering challenges; and 3. Leave with practical real-world tips that can be immediately incorporated into the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Thomas, Deanna Morrow

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Give your students the opportunity to nurture their inquisitive nature with our Does Mass Matter? lesson plan. Learn more about how Estes is working with cool educational companies and industry professionals to provide you with hands-on, real-world learning experiences for your classroom. All participants will be entered to win our Green Eggs™ Starter Kit!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve inquiry-based learning techniques; 2. Foster students' inquisitive nature with the PocketLab; and 3. Incorporate all four elements of STEM with the Does Mass Matter? lesson plan.

SPEAKERS:
David Bakker, Kathy Biernat, Nicole Bayeur

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Learn how to create a project-based camp or classroom lesson that enable students to apply concepts, such as photosynthesis and the water cycle, to design a smart irrigation system. Inspired by real-world events, students are motivated to apply problem-solving skills and learn some basic programming to come up with innovative solutions to using water more efficiently.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Developing models to better understand a process; 2. Constructing explanations and designing solutions; and 3. Introducing students to coding to solve a science problem with an engineering solution.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout

Sponsoring Company: NOAA Office of Education

Modern society is awash with data that tell complex stories in the language of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Most humans are intensely visual and find it difficult to find meaning in just numbers. NOAA's answer—SOS Explorer (SOSx), now available as a FREE APP on your tablet or smartphone!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Interpreting data through visualizations; 2. Using mobile device apps in teaching; and 3. Resources available from NOAA.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Russell, Hilary Peddicord, Stephen Zepecki

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) is a way for students to explain observed phenomena in a scientific way. This structured approach allows students to use observations and data from an investigation. Students use critical reasoning to connect the claim and evidence together. CER is an acclaimed and highly successful instructional strategy that is changing how students understand concepts and write explanations for phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will explore how to: 1. encourage student curiosity and engagement in authentic science and engineering practices; 2. engage students in deeper skills of inquiry; and 3. empower students to lead discussions about scientific phenomena, based on logical protocol for using evidence to make a claim.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Wheat, Michele Cozza

Sponsoring Company: LaMotte Co.

Water is the single most valuable resource essential for life on Earth, yet is subject to increasing scarcity, pollutants, and overuse. The Tapwater Tour curriculum makes the real-world connection between the phenomena explored in the lesson and actual hands-on laboratory activities that students experience while revealing the quality of their own tap water. Group discussions, activities, and analysis of class data provide opportunities for teamwork, collaboration, and reflection.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Simple hands-on methods that students can easily and safely perform in the classroom, or as teacher demonstrations for distance learning, will be presented; 2. Examples of phenomena to engage students in water quality testing will be given; and 3. Ideas for adapting lessons to suit student audience/grade levels/abilities will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Hill

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Give your students real-world computer science and career exposure through Amazon Future Engineer's new live, virtual, and interactive Fulfilment Center Tours! From our online store to doorstep, students will discover how computer science, state-of-the-art engineering, and incredible people deliver customer orders at Amazon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: how Amazon uses computer science, engineering, and amazing people to deliver customer orders around the globe; 2. how algorithms, sensors, cloud computing, machine learning, databases, and more all help make Amazon possible; and 3. what it's like to be an engineer at Amazon.

SPEAKERS:
Trinidad Cisneros, Tony Wallin, Hilah Barbot

Explore using the SEPs to make remote STE instruction inquiry based. Participate in a remote hands-on investigation. Receive a toolkit of resources, strategies, and instructional tools.

Materials needed:

• Markers or crayons
• Large sheet of heavy weight paper (11x17 or 8.5 x14)
• 4–6 ice cubes all about the same size
• 4 paper cups big enough to hold 2 ice cubes
• Cooler or access to freezer to keep ice frozen
• Aluminum tray
• Black or white tray (take-out container will work)

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Leave with a toolkit of distance-learning practices and investigations to enhance students’ use of the SEPs; 2. Learn about distance-learning tools that support the engagement of all students in STE; and 3. Develop new ideas for performance-based assessments using distance-learning strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Rosemary Rak, Angela Damery, Sandra Ryack-Bell, Margaret Brumsted

Participants explore strategies and resources for engaging students during face-to-face and virtual instruction. Equity, differentiation, and nonlinguistic representations of instruction and learning will be targeted.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn research-based strategies that increase student engagement so that all students are involved in the learning process; 2. learn new ways to increase the confidence of learners who may be reluctant to engage in classroom activities and discussions; and 3. obtain numerous activities, templates, games, resources, etc. they can use with their students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the attendees.

SPEAKERS:
Iris Mudd

Using COVID data and multimedia sources, teachers can elevate students’ understandings of science as a human endeavor, and explore diverse contributions and other nature of science themes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. acquire multiple classroom resources for COVID data, updates, and multimedia; 2. examine connections among pandemic examples and grade level nature of science (NOS) themes in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS); and 3. explore opportunities to enhance science lessons with key NGSS NOS themes such as science as a human endeavor, diverse contributions and cultures, using a variety of methods, and knowledge open to revision in light of new evidence.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Bergman

Sponsoring Company: NSTA Press

Learn about Argument-Driven Inquiry and how it can help students engage in real-world science while using literacy-based materials in the service of sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will: 1. how to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. how to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking in science; and 3. ways to support students as they engage in real-world science while using literacy-based materials in the service of sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Explore global climate change data and human impacts using the Bremerhaven Klimahaus as a model to engage students in asking questions and taking local action.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Climate change impacts vary by location and disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations; 2. Individual actions have impacts on multiple scales from local to global; and 3. Empathetic, scientifically literate youth working in partnership with community members can be agents of change.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

EarthKAM: Have Your Students Take Photos from ISS
Presenter: David Curry

The Post-COVID Dissection Lab
Presenters: Nicole Green and Bailee Henderson

Teaching Physics on the Cheap
Presenter: Shannon Hudson

Shape of Life: Virtually Teaching The Greatest Story Ever Told—Evolution of the Animal Kingdom on Planet Earth
Presenter: Denise Ryan

NMLSTA Award Opportunities
Presenter: Alison Betz Seymour

Parent/Family Involvement in Science: Why It's Important and How to Make It Work
Presenter: Jessica VanValkenburg

Teaching the Engineering Design Process Through Urban Gardening
Presenters: Elizabeth Weissman and Rebecca Somogyi

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Ryan, David Curry, Nicole Green, Elizabeth Weissman, Alison Seymour, Shannon Hudson, Bailee Henderson, Jessica VanValkenburgh

Want your students to read and write science more effectively? Join the author of the Once Upon A Science Book series for lessons from her newest book integrating literacy and physical science content.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. There are three main impediments to students becoming confident science readers: they do not expect what they are reading to make sense, they lack the background knowledge assumed in the text, and they have found shortcuts around doing classroom reading; 2. Using a literacy learning cycle (exploration, reading, writing) makes reading science easier; and 3. Participants will also try out a literacy learning cycle that they can use with their classes (so they will learn a new lesson plan).

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Wheeler-Toppen, Karen Kraus, Matthew Hackett

Connect the human impact of trash pollution to engineering design. Get your students thinking critically and creatively as they collaborate in real-world problem solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Connecting the human impact of single-use plastics and their effect on aquatic ecosystems; 2. Exposing students to basic coding and engineering design in an NGSS-focused content classroom; and 3. Developing a project that enhances STEM skills in students such as collaboration, curiosity, and creative problem-solving.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout, Stacy Thibodeaux

In this presentation, participants will be introduced to the Chemical Reactions unit and how three-dimensional assessment is embedded throughout the unit to support student sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand: 1. the anchoring phenomena for the unit; 2. the storyline for the unit and how it supports coherence from the student perspective; and 3. the embedded assessments and features of the instructional model that supports all students in successful sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Noll, Dawn Novak

Teachers will learn to integrate bias recognition as part of the normal science curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Recognizing bias requires practice; 2. Recognizing bias requires critical thinking; and 3. Recognizing bias can be integrated as part of the normal learning process.

SPEAKERS:
Bailey O'Reilly

Learn how to be an explore-before-explain teacher who structures lessons so student evidenced-based claims are the foundation for learning and promote long-lasting physical science understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Why sequence matters—a concise review of cognitive science and science education research explains why the order in which you structure your lessons is so critical; and 2. How you do it—ready-to-teach lessons that use an explore-before-explain sequence to provide an experience that meets the Next Generation Science Standards and makes interdisciplinary connections to the Common Core State Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Brown

Join us as we outline and present classroom applications of a four-part framework for equitable science instruction incorporating issues of identity, diversity, justice, and action.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use the four-part framework (identity, diversity, justice, action) to incorporate issues of social justice into classroom practices or science curricula; 2. How the four domains of social justice meet the call for equitable instruction outlined by the NGSS appendix “All Standards, All Students”; and 3. How to empower students to explore scientific issues and their personal identities within the scientific community.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Redick, Laura Blue

WeatherBlur, an online citizen science platform, links schools in the Gulf of Maine with schools in the Gulf of Mexico to explore local environmental issues.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Empowering students to tackle difficult environmental challenges seen in their communities and get their voices heard; 2. Promoting idea exchanges and collaboration between different communities and cultures from around the country; and 3. Enhancing environmental and data literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Clark Uchenna, Megan McCall

Explore a set of in-person and distance learning instructional strategies to support multilingual students' sensemaking through science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. To support equitable science instruction, all students must have their voice heard and be provided opportunities for rich sensemaking through science and engineering practices; 2. Multilingual students are a diverse group of students with a wealth of knowledge that need to be leveraged in the science classroom; and 3. In real-time, teachers can utilize a set of instructional routines for distance and in-person learning to support their multilingual students' sensemaking through science and engineering practices.

SPEAKERS:
Samuel Lee, Karina Mendez Perez, Sage Andersen, María González-Howard

My NASA Data will model interactive resources for students learning in-person and via virtual environments that feature short activities, lessons, and access to NASA data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. walk away with access to NASA resources for their Earth science classrooms that can be linked directly to their learning management systems; 2. learn of interactive strategies for using these resources with students in a variety of learning environments; and 3. learn of an Earth science data visualization tool that enables students/educators to access and visualize NASA data for a particular region or time period.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Joyner, Angela Rizzi

Learn about Argument-Driven Inquiry and how it can help students learn how to use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support students as they learn to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Engage in this interactive session to find out how the idea of anchoring to a phenomena to begin a STEM unit lays out a plan for helping students to see how science impacts their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand why the scenario helps students connect the phenomena to their own community/ global issues; 2. Show how to move from the unit phenomena introduction to the crafting the storyline for the student learning; and 3. Teachers will have a chance to practice developing their own scenario based on a given phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Comer, Jo Anne Vasquez

An informal discussion with former eCYBERMISSION Team Advisors about how to find success with student competitions.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. engage students in STEM competitions; 2. take part in STEM competitions with limited time; and 3. help students find success in STEM competitions.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Hartman, Sarah Rahman, Debra Las, Vonda Fruhwirth, Andi Suter

Explore global hunger issues via case studies of sustainable farming practices to understand how the inequity of resources leads to inspired innovation based on sustainable science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hunger exists everywhere and impacts everyone; 2. Solutions must be culturally and regionally appropriate; and 3. Long-term food sustainability is achievable with science.

SPEAKERS:
Sue Meggers

Based on three-dimensional learning and field-tested in high school classes, Virtual Field Labs can be used synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hands-on virtual tool for teaching climate change concepts; 2. Student-generated data activities led by climate change scientists; and 3. Generate, graph, and analyze data on the way to making claims supported by evidence related to the investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Louise Huffman, William Grosser

Come learn about Data Puzzles, a free resource co-designed by climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder that are aimed at bringing authentic data into classrooms in the context of current and relevant scientific research.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Introduction to inquiry-based instruction in the context of Ambitious Science Teaching practices; 2. Strategies for facilitating Data Puzzle resources and other inquiry-based activities in your MS/HS classroom; and 3. Skills to design your own data-driven learning activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith

Discover lesson plans and teaching resources to better integrate science and engineering practices in our food system.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in the practice of phenomena-based learning through the phenomena of photoperiodism; 2. Improve critical thinking while investigating food production systems; and 3. Integrate STEM concepts through design thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Gardner, Tessa Matuszak

Explore how to use argumentation and explanations supported with the CER framework and the KLEWS chart to engage in the science and engineering practices in the science classroom—both virtually and in person. These ideas will support students to actively participate in inquiry-based, phenomenon-centered activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Students need a scaffolding of supports to fully participate and grow in their ability to use the SEPs; 2. Teachers can use many different supports, in different ways for varied learners, to help all students be successful in science. ALL students can be successful!; and 3. These supports can be tailored to all topics in science.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Moore

The fascinating phenomena of Earth and space science take on heightened relevance in learners’ lives when presented through the frameworks of geoheritage and place-based education.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. There are practical approaches for accentuating the excitement of Earth and space sciences as they are shown to intersect with human life, history, and culture; 2. The connection of geoscience with human history and culture—what is increasingly known as geoheritage—has great potential in education as a reference framework that encourages learning as well as promoting conservation of significant natural features; and 3. The dimensions of the NGSS, the big ideas of geoheritage, and the design principles of place-based education are mutually supportive—which together lead to strategies for meaningful learning in Earth and space science.

SPEAKERS:
Aida Awad, Margaret Holzer, Rebecca Dodge, Eric Pyle, Ed Robeck, Dianna Gielstra, Dawna Cerney

Inclusive approaches to teaching and learning include probing questions that all students can relate to, that provide multiple entry points for engagement, and that create a desire to want to figure it out. Learn how to use the Uncovering Student Ideas probes and strategies to support a classroom where all students' ideas matter!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn about an NSTA Press resource for formative assessment; 2. Explore key points from research on learning that support using formative assessment probes; and 3. Gain new strategies for eliciting all students' ideas and building a classroom culture where everyone's ideas matter.

SPEAKERS:
Page Keeley

Virtual word walls support academic language acquisition. Three strategies will be presented for use in remote or in hybrid classrooms to strategically target vocabulary.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use virtual interactive word walls to support academic language acquisition during remote or hybrid instruction; 2. Learn how to use virtual interactive word walls to highlight connections between science concepts and inquiry-based science activities while connecting scientific concepts and academic vocabulary; and 3. Experience three strategies that may be used, with virtual interactive word walls, to strategically target vocabulary during remote or in hybrid instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Jackson

Sponsoring Company: American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History teaching cases are curriculum materials designed to facilitate student exploration of sets of data they did not collect themselves. Participants will use videos, essays, and analysis tools to investigate how blue whales, the largest animal to ever live, survive by eating some of the smallest.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about: 1. how blue whales have evolved into the largest animal to have lived on Earth; 2. the AMNH teaching case model designed to contextualize large sets of data for students; and 3. opportunities to explore AMNH teaching cases with other teachers.

SPEAKERS:
David Randle

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes

In this workshop, we will utilize a simple yet effective talk process that can encourage students to more fully own their thinking and effectively communicate their ideas to peers. Join us in this interactive session to learn various talk strategies that support the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices, Argument-Driven Inquiry (ADI), and best-practice instruction for all learners!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Setting the stage for student-centered talk success; 2. Shared experiences around the power of talk; and 3. Resources to support the implementation of science talk.

SPEAKERS:
Pam O'Brien, Kristan Buckman

Sponsoring Company: NASA Astromaterials Program

Join this session and gain experience developing and applying criteria used to identify landforms on Earth as well as landforms and processes that may have shaped surfaces of other worlds. Model comparative planetology processes and help students gain skills thinking scientifically using evidence to support interpretations.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The mission of Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Division, or ARES, is to: 1. combine scientific and engineering expertise in order to advance human space exploration; 2. integrate terrestrial and planetary research; and 3. promote successful space missions by mitigating risk.

SPEAKERS:
Paige Valderrama Graff

Sponsoring Company: Legends of Learning

It is no surprise that the more engaged a student is with their learning, the more knowledge they retain. One significant takeaway from this past year is that many students thrived in an asynchronous learning environment. Learn how to support educators within any instructional model through game-based learning, increasing student engagement and content retention.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How asynchronous learning can help engage students through content experiences; 2. How to support educators within any instructional model through game-based learning; and 3. Understanding of how game-based learning can increase engagement while teaching content.

SPEAKERS:
Joselyn Whetzel, Aryah Fradkin, Sean Reidy

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

The 16 units in Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school are driven by engaging anchor phenomena that prompt students to ask driving questions. Students engage in storylines using the science and engineering practices to collect evidence that answers their questions, learning both core ideas and crosscutting concepts along the way.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Curriculum units should begin with an anchor phenomena that stimulates student questions; 2. A unit should be designed to allow students to collect evidence from investigative phenomena that they can use to answer their questions; and 3. Students should make sense of phenomena by engaging in practices that lead them to develop disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Hailey Adams Mangum, Ted Willard

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

In this session you will learn how to use a simulation of an aquatic ecosystem to help students see the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature. The simulation makes it possible to model environments that would otherwise be very difficult to monitor and experiment with. Plus, the fish animations are really cool!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using simulations with students can help them better visualize the mechanisms behind phenomena; 2. Simulations are a great complement to hands-on learning and work best when hands on isn't possible/practical; and 3. Effects of changes to certain variables in aquatic ecosystems can have negative effects on the organisms that live there.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Join us as we explore how you can identify and leverage new and existing resources to bring funding and awesome projects to your students. In this not-your-typical grant-writing workshop, we will delve into the relationship between engagement and grants and consider best practices for engaging students, colleagues, partners, and the community. You'll leave this workshop with the information you need to prepare a grant proposal that will wow funders! Takeaways include materials with ideas and activities to sharpen engagement and grant writing toward increasing student outcomes and impacts.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. get information for grant applications; engage partners; and 3. find grants.

SPEAKERS:
Karol Stephens, Rusti Berent

Sponsoring Company: PAEMST

Come learn about the highest recognition for STEM educators in the United States. We will discuss eligibility criteria, nomination, application, and review process for the awards. Awardees receive a certificate; a $10,000 award; a trip to Washington, DC, for a recognition event; and access to over 5,100 award-winning teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How you can win $10,000; 2. How you can apply for this prestigious award from the U.S. Government; and 3. The benefits of applying for this award.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Mayes

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn about three-dimensional formative assessment design and insights for student learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In this session, we will share how BrainPOP Science uses 3-D formative assessments strategically embedded in lessons to gather actionable data on student progress; and 2. Additionally, session participants will work through classroom scenarios to identify the best implementations of BrainPOP Science, focusing on the checks-for-understanding (formative assessments) and the resulting dashboards and reports.

SPEAKERS:
Laurel Ozersky

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Ready to take STEM learning to new heights? Join Estes and receive a FREE model rocket to build with us. We will cover model rocketry basics and how you can implement this exciting, low-cost STEM tool in your classroom!

Register here to receive your FREE rocket for this workshop.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. the basics of model rocketry; 2. how to use rocketry in the classroom; and 3. the benefits of hands-on, real-world science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur

Sponsoring Company: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms

The objectives of this session are threefold: to assist teachers in identifying students who need additional social and emotional support; to highlight the dynamic between SEL and learning/achievement as bi-directional, since SEL instruction and skill building have been shown to improve achievement, but achievement or lack of it also impacts children’s sense of well-being; and to highlight psychologically validated strategies designed to prevent distress as well as enhance performance in the science classroom. Teachers will learn about approaches they can use to help students manage performance fears and encourage strategic risk-taking that fosters creativity.

SPEAKERS:
Rena Subotnik, Joanne Broder, Amanda Dettmer, Kimberly A. S. Howard

This session engages participants in the exploration of middle school–oriented, classroom-ready, interactive, online, data-driven, three-dimensional activities and visualizations that present how sea level rise is caused by climate change, how NOAA monitors and measures these changes, how U.S. coastal regions are dangerously impacted by it, and how you can get up to $5,000 for your school to mitigate its impacts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will: 1. explore a middle school–oriented classroom-ready multimedia module, and use data-driven NOAA websites that explain and visualize how climate change is causing sea levels to rise globally and impacting all U.S. coastal areas; 2. explore NOAA’s classroom-ready, Data in the Classroom modules: Investigating Sea Level Using Real Data, and learn how their students can use data from NOAA’s satellites and coastal stations to do the analysis to see sea level changing, and learn how they can integrate its inquiry-based resources into their classrooms today; and 3. learn about NOAA Planet Stewards, a Federal program that offers educators up to $5,000 to engage in hands-on stewardship activities to mitigate climate change and its impacts.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik

Investigate states of matter, dissolving, and chemical reactions from inquiryinaction.org and middleschoolchemistry.com, the free resources of NGSS-focused lesson plans for teaching basic chemistry concepts to elementary and middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Awareness of free resources of NGSS-focused lesson plans in chemistry for elementary and middle school teachers and students; 2. Questioning strategies built into lessons to help students contribute to the design of an investigation to answer a question; and 3. An understanding of using grade-appropriate explanations of atoms and molecules to help students better understand the causes of the phenomena they observe.

SPEAKERS:
James Kessler

NASA GLOBE Cloud resources provide a variety of ways for diverse learners to engage in the science process in their local community through citizen science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. NASA GLOBE Cloud resources are free and flexible and allow diverse learners to engage with content in many ways; 2. A NASA scientist will discuss why citizen science observations are important to NASA; and 3. Learners can actively participate in citizen science in their own community.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rizzi, Elizabeth Joyner

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

Innovation in Biology
Presenter: Jessica Kohout

Eureka! Bioprospecting for Medicine
Presenter: Liz Martinez

FIRST at Home
Presenter: Libby Simpson

Opportunities and Resources for All Middle Level Educators!
Presenters: Anne Schoeffler and Edralin Pagarigan

Inspiring the Future of Aerospace
Presenter: Melissa Sleeper

Ten STE(A)M Skills for Everyone
Presenters: Lydia Kidane

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Edralin Pagarigan, Lydia Kidane, Jessica Kohout, Melissa Sleeper, Anne Schoeffler, Liz Martinez, Libby Simpson

Help students create compelling stories about climate change and environmental justice. Classroom-ready resources will help students communicate scientific information with narrative structure across various media.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In an analytical discipline like science, there is still a case to be made for storytelling; 2. The And-But-Therefore narrative structure technique to summarize scientific information or craft original science communication; and 3. Science storytelling can enhance student projects by improving conceptual understanding and allowing choice and voice to engage students as activists for environmental justice.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Tate, Cristina Veresan

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

STEM fields do not currently reflect the diversity in our country. Not every student will need to be a scientist or engineer but every student should be able to envision themselves in a STEM field. How do we create inclusive classrooms to support all students from diverse backgrounds?

SPEAKERS:
Jacqueline Smalls

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

What if coding were integrated into core science instruction instead of being an isolated, after-school activity for a select few? Join the curriculum developers from UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science to experience cutting-edge and research-based instructional materials designed to make coding an interactive, collaborative, and science-based endeavor in service of students finding solutions to real-world problems. Explore how Coding Science Internships for Amplify Science grades 6–8 can play a prominent role in providing equitable access to coding and computational thinking for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. experience how cutting-edge and research-based instructional materials can make coding an interactive, collaborative, and science-based endeavor in service of students finding solutions to real-world problems; 2. explore how Coding Science Internships for Amplify Science grades 6–8 can play a prominent role in providing equitable access to coding and computational thinking for all students; and 3. have access to strategies that aim to increase access to positive experiences in computer science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Leslie Stenger, Rebecca Abbott

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn how to facilitate student exploration of phenomena through simulations and virtual worlds that support three-dimensional learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. As the students interact with the Sims and virtual worlds, they develop disciplinary knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices in authentic and engaging ways; 2. Sims and virtual worlds provide rich student-generated artifacts and process data that can be used for effective teaching, learning, and formative assessment (e.g., the number of trials performed, evidence collected in support of scientific argumentation); and 3. Sims and virtual worlds foster student collaboration and discussion when focused around well-crafted driving questions that are correctly answered in multiple ways, creating a robust learning experience that reaches beyond the screen.

SPEAKERS:
Brendon Trombley

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum Corp.

Experience Simulation Curriculum’s award-winning Starry Night astronomy simulator. Accurate and stunning visualizations allow students to make precise observations of sky motions, moon phases, planets, the universe, and much more. NGSS-focused lessons engage students with interactive simulations joined to exercises, animations, and images including current astronomical phenomena. Designed for online learning and compatible with iPads, Android tablets, PCs, Macs, and Chromebooks. Free trial access provided!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Online science simulations are effective tools to compliment your instruction; 2. Become familiar with Starry Night as a resource for teaching Space Science; and 3. Learn how to integrate simulations into your course.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Gabber

Sponsoring Company: NSTA Press

Argument-Driven Inquiry is an instructional model that gives middle school students a chance to learn how to use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena and provides them with a meaningful context to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support students in both remote and in-person contexts.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school provides multiple opportunities to assess students’ proficiency with all three dimensions. This session highlights the opportunities for formative assessments throughout the unit as students engage in practices, as well as a summative unit project and a set of performance-based assessments (PBAs) targeting every performance expectation.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Students' engagement in science and engineering practices provides an opportunity for formative assessments; 2. Assessments should be tied to phenomena; and 3. Assessments should be three-dimensional.

SPEAKERS:
Nikki Brassell Snyder, Ted Willard

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Co.

No one likes to fail, but failing doesn’t make us failures! Join Savvas’ National Science Specialist Erin Horner for an engaging and interactive workshop as we look at ways to encourage Social and Emotional Learning in our middle school science classrooms. Participants will work through a series of famous failures and see how these “mistakes” led to greatness. Teachers can then take these same principles and apply them in the classroom as they strive to support students in developing emotional intelligence and STEM knowledge at the same time.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How embracing SEL will help your science students succeed; 2. The power of encouraging students to make mistakes; and 3. Tips on using collaborative groups most effectively.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Horner

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Ready to take STEM learning to new heights? Join Estes and receive a FREE model rocket to build with us. We will cover model rocketry basics and how you can implement this exciting, low-cost STEM tool in your classroom!

Register here to receive your FREE rocket for this workshop.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. the basics of model rocketry; 2. how to use rocketry in the classroom; and 3. the benefits of hands-on, real-world science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Join us as we walk you through the brand-new BrainPOP Science, the next step in teaching science with BrainPOP. Our new product is designed to drive student mastery and inspire the next generation of scientific thinkers with turnkey investigations and embedded interactive tools to prepare students for assessment success.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Leave with tangible strategies that you can use to connect kids to real-world science in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning environments; 2. Discuss and reflect on facilitating the connection between trusting science and doing real-world science; and 3. Leave with a menu of turnkey activities that you can use to propel how you approach phenomena-driven virtual lab instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Kari Stubbs, Mike Jones

Sponsoring Company: Brain Chase

Dive into interactive, educational Escape Rooms, and learn how you can design your own programs using dozens of electives and different Escape Room themes. Plus, there will be a fun sneak-peek of our fun Escape Room experience with NSTA that is scheduled on May 6.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using escape rooms and treasure hunts makes learning feel like an adventure for students; 2. Adventures incentivize learning, progress, and engages 21st-century skills; and 3. Hands-on projects to engage students add to a more robust experience that straddles virtual and physical worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Gracie Helms

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

This past year put a spotlight on the social and emotional needs of our teachers and students. Let’s step back and look through a renewed lens at what really matters. While good teaching is the hallmark of student success in the classroom, this can only happen when teachers and students are in a good frame of mind and position to care for one another. We'll tackle this critical issue with relevant tools and suggestions. Learning from this past year can transform education forever.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick

Discover research-based approaches on how to build a strong makerspace community that taps into foundational scientific literacy skills. Participate in a makerspace project-based literacy challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve culturally responsive teaching in an informal makerspace environment through the development of makerspace pop-up activities and training approaches following a makerspace project-based literacy process; 2. Increase scientific literacy achievement through informal literacy hands-on makerspace pop-up activities focused on STEM real-world activities; and 3. Describe opportunities and hands-on mobile approaches to build capacity of existing informal makerspace learning of remote communities, diverse learners, and STEM professionals serving underrepresented minority populations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Miller, Thomas Tomas

Up-to-date scientific climate research will be explored as the basis for supporting NGSS performance expectation MS-ESS3-5 concerning the current rise in global temperature.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. There are many factors that affect changes in global temperature, both natural and human-caused; 2. The current rapid rise in global temperature is primarily the result of the human combustion of fossil fuels; and 3. There are many engaging sources of data and activities for students to use in investigating this NGSS performance expectation.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession

Join us to experience a middle school NSTA lesson plan containing the assets that contemporary research shows are needed to support ALL students, particularly those from underserved communities and those traditionally marginalized in science classrooms. Reflect on the teacher guidance provided that empowers students, targets current standards, and creates a classroom community of learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Gain strategies designed to shift instruction to create engagement and scientific literacy for ALL students that leverage the assets students bring to the table; 2. Explore a high-quality NSTA lesson plan; and 3. Understand what sensemaking is and how to create opportunities for sensemaking .

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton, Kate Soriano

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

Telling Data Stories
Presenter: Loris Jean Chen

AMS Project Atmosphere: Jet Streams
Presenter: David Curry

3 Cs of Bridging the Gap to Science Literacy
Presenters: Jennifer Ledbetter and Lisa Reis

Stack the Deck
Presenter: Liz Martinez

Greetings from Mars!
Presenter: Melissa Sleeper

Science Simulations and Digital Notebooks
Presenter: Stacy Thibodeaux

NGSS-Focused STEM Projects
Presenter: Vanessa Ueltzen

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen, David Curry, Jennifer Ledbetter, Stacy Thibodeaux, Melissa Sleeper, Liz Martinez, Vanessa Ueltzen, Lisa Reis

It is a challenge to work with at-risk youth. Our discussion will center on successful strategies for motivating, assessing, and nurturing the science mind of students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Strategies for motivating at-risk youth in the science classroom; 2. Examples of adaptations of assignments for at-risk youth; and 3. Aligning building relationships with building a growth mindset with at-risk youth.

SPEAKERS:
Nadene Klein

Learn how to navigate the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication's Educator Page. Engage with data-based, NGSS-focused activities that you can easily use with students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Communicating effectively about climate change is just as important as understanding climate science itself if we hope to realize viable, equitable climate solutions in our lifetime; 2. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conducts scientific research on public climate change knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Through YPCCC's Educator Page, students can engage with current data from this research to identify effective climate change communication strategies and think critically about what it takes to implement climate action; and 3. Students are a critical audience to engage in the work to find and enact climate solutions. The activities on the Educator Page can help students develop a sense of agency around climate change communication while honing important NGSS-related skills.

SPEAKERS:
Ruthie Gold

This session presents an eesmarts activity using the popular “escape room” format in which students solve clues using science knowledge to complete the challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using an escape room to explore the concepts of energy transformation and its environmental impact; 2. Ideas to enhance distance learning through competitive activities/ gamification; and 3. Suggestions for using adapting escape room format with eesmarts or your existing curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Tonkinson, Kathleen Brooks, Sharyon Holness

The use of children’s literature in the middle level classroom provides opportunities for students to pursue interests, engage in topics, and generate questions. This panel will feature award-winning children’s authors that focus their writing on creating these type of entry points for students.

Moderator: Christine Anne Royce 

Presider: J. Carrie Launius

Panelists:

• Elizabeth Rusch
• Jennifer Swanson
• Alexandra Siy
• Teresa Robeson

SPEAKERS:
Teresa Robeson, Elizabeth Rusch, Jennifer Swanson, Christine Anne Royce, J Carrie Launius, Alexandra Siy

Join us to experience a middle school NSTA lesson plan containing the assets that contemporary research shows are needed to support ALL students, particularly those from underserved communities and those traditionally marginalized in science classrooms. Reflect on the teacher guidance provided that empowers students, targets current standards, and creates a classroom community of learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Gain strategies designed to shift instruction to create engagement and scientific literacy for ALL students that leverage the assets students bring to the table; 2. Explore a high-quality NSTA lesson plan; and 3. Understand what sensemaking is and how to create opportunities for sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton, Kate Soriano

Explore benchmark assessments and scoring guides you can use to assess students’ three-dimensional learning related to middle school performance expectations.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. True 3-D assessments incorporate the SEP, CCC, and DCI for a PE in such a way as to elicit student responses demonstrating knowledge of all dimensions; 2. Phenomena and scenarios provide context for assessments that help elicit 3-D responses from students; and 3. Attention to potential equity, access, and bias supports the design of assessments that better elicit demonstration of knowledge and understanding from all students.

SPEAKERS:
Maia Binding

Learn effective techniques, including Claims-Evidence-Reasoning, to help students navigate media filled with fictional information promoted as fact and cherry-picked data offered as evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teachers are provided with a checklist to assist their students in determining if information found on the internet is reputable, factual, and accurate; 2. Learn effective techniques to consider and understand why someone would believe common misconceptions about climate change and global warming; and 3. Participate in group discussions that take a deep dive into data to determine its relevance to a question or issue.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Tucker, Lois Sherwood

If a student in your class is amazing at math, then what job do you tell them they'd be good at? Engineering, maybe? What if they have a natural aptitude for science, or they’re well-spoken and love to debate? The best answer for these questions, and every other issue we face in education, is simple: You would be a great teacher!

SPEAKERS:
John Arthur

School-based studies of COVID-19 have provided valuable information about how the virus spreads and the activities and settings most associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although some risks can be ameliorated with policy or environment change, behavior plays a large role in risk of infection. Science teachers are well positioned to address behavioral contributions and can impact behavior change to mitigate the spread of COVID-1.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Barrios

Hear about the new administration’s priorities and plans for supporting science and STEM educators and learn more about education and funding priorities in Congress. Bring your questions, and join us in this discussion about what’s going on in Washington, D.C.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Peterson

Speed-sharing chat topics will include:

• Science experiments gone awry 
• Funniest teacher jokes
• Funniest administrator jokes
• “Worst day ever” experiences that you can now laugh at
• Funniest teacher sayings 
• Funniest things you’ve heard students say
• Weirdest experiment results
• Best science experiments
• If you could rename teachers, what would it be?
• If you could rename science, what would it be?
• Things you wish you would have known before becoming a science teacher
• Weird things you’ve done in class
• Weird things students have done in class
• Most hilarious things you’ve seen or heard at school
• Funniest tweets about teaching, teachers, or students you’ve ever seen.

Join in, have fun, and let loose! This event will be one you’ll never forget!

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

Please note that these chats are available to the first 500 participants.

This event is not being recorded.

Experience tools and data sources that help learners connect climate science content to local and global phenomena.

Note: Attendees will need the ability to stay in the virtual session while exploring new tools online simultaneously, so split-screens or multiple monitors would be helpful but are not required. Presenters will not have the ability to correct internet issues or the inability of attendees to access resources presented that might arise due to time limitation. So please keep in mind firewalls and administrative privileges before the session.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. walk away with peer- and science-reviewed resources they can immediately integrate into their teaching; 2. walk away with strategies for engaging students in collaborative explorations of climate data; and 3. experience materials as learners that help make thinking visible.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Andrews, Jessica Bean, Mark Chandler, Louise Huffman, Cory Forbes

Visualization is difficult for many students. Join me for a discussion and demonstration of several modeling activities you can use in your chemistry class. This session is targeted for novice/intermediate attendees.

Materials needed:

• magnets
• paper templates (https://airtable.com/shrNVEvxmPZuJHWvA)

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What modeling looks like in a classroom; 2. Modeling resources to use with students; and 3. Shortcomings of models.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Abbott

Dr. Czajkowski, lead scientist on urban heat islands, engages students to study their local environments by studying the surface temperatures of their neighborhoods. Learn how to integrate this into your classrooms by using My NASA Data’s story map and NASA satellite data.

Materials required:

• physical device (phone, iPhone, tablet) to download the GLOBE Observer App

In the session, each participant will download the Globe Observer App (presenters will help with any technical problems participants' may have).

The participants will be asked to go outside and looks at the clouds in their area. The clouds' data is tied to the Urban Heat Island Effect.

This session is targeted for novice attendees.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage students in studying the heat islands in their neighborhoods; 2. Access, download, and compare their data to NASA satellite data; and 3. Interact with My NASA Data Urban Heat Island Story Map, which can be imported to their Google classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Janet Struble, Kevin Czajkowski

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

You will see how easy and engaging it can be to use simulations in your chemistry (actually most sciences) class! Simulations are great to speed up the very slow, slow down the very fast, zoom in on the very small, and shrink the very large so students can better understand these scientific processes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simulations: 1. are great complements to hands on; 2. can help students better see the really small, really large, really fast, or really slow processes in nature; and 3. are NOT the only approach to teaching science but do serve a role in helping students better understand phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Thibodeaux

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will focus on how to provide all students opportunities to use the science practices to understand things of interest to them and to construct knowledge. Ideas for simple hands-on activites, how to use digital media, and how to build straightforward simulations with free spreadsheet programs will be presented.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. do NGSS-aligned science; 2. promote scientific thinking skills in students; and 3. use hands-on activities, digital media, and spreadsheet programs to make science accessible to all students and to construct knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Sponsoring Company: Amazon Future Engineer

Interested in exposing your students to the careers of the future? Join three Amazon Robotics Engineers as they discuss what it's like to build a future in technology. Then, sign up for our Class Chat Program to bring a virtual speaker to your classroom this spring!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. what a robotics engineer does day to day at Amazon; 2. an idea of the potential career path required to become a robotics engineer; and 3. how to sign up to bring a speaker to their class.

SPEAKERS:
Erica Aduh, Joe Lee, Mikell Taylor, Hilah Barbot

Sponsoring Company: Animalearn

Discover how you can make your dissection lab dynamic and innovative after COVID-19! Learn about new life science resources, including mixed reality (AR/VR) education technology; and explorative, hands-on teaching tools that will amaze and engage your students. Participants will be entered to WIN FREE PRIZES like dissection resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Life science resources; 2. Education technology; and 3. Hybrid classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Green

Sponsoring Company: Shell Science Lab

Come start your winning application for one of three Shell-sponsored programs. We'll walk through the application step by step and you'll be able to begin your application or nomination form live.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn: 1. tips to complete a successful application; 2. who's eligible to apply; and 3. how to nominate a deserving teacher.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Ruud, Amanda Upton

Sponsoring Company: FDA/ Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Join us in exploring FDA's free curriculum designed for middle level and high school students. The Science and Our Food Supply series provides hands-on lessons in food safety, nutrition, and agricultural biotechnology…and provides a bridge for students to experience science in the real world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. explore the variety of lessons found in the FDA curriculum; 2. understand how this curriculum can be integrated into a variety of science classes; and 3. be exposed to how this curriculum can be adapted to both hands-on and distance learning.

SPEAKERS:
Elena Stowell, Laurie Hayes

Attendees will learn about unique and interactive assessments that go beyond multiple choice tests. These options offer learners a variety of ways to demonstrate their mastery of content. Varied assessment options will be explored, including alternative testing questions, interactive assessments, concept maps, and projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Attendees will learn about alternate ways of assessing student learning that allows all learners to demonstrate mastery of content; 2. Alternate midterm and final exams options will be shared; and 3. Attendees will learn how to create valid assessments for English Learners.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Matson, Kimberly Thesing

Unsure how to address disability in biology? Learn models of disability, identify ableism, and learn how to accept disability as a natural form of variation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. be able to identify and remedy common examples of ableism, while learning about the beliefs and practices of the ability-inclusive mindset to promote an inclusive classroom and school environment; 2. be provided a set of slides that teach how disability is a natural form of human variation, the other above concepts in the context of a biology lesson on the natural sources of variation (meiosis, mutation, sexual reproduction); and 3. learn about the positives and negatives of the social, medical, inspirational, and social justice models of disability.

SPEAKERS:
John Gensic, Katy Fattaleh, Lainey Bristow

Discover lesson plans and teaching resources to better integrate science and engineering practices in our food system.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in the practice of phenomena-based learning through the phenomena of photoperiodism; 2. Improve critical thinking while investigating food production systems; and 3. Integrate STEM concepts through design thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Tessa Matuszak, Andrea Gardner

We are teaching students in class, at home, and in quarantine. TIES offers FREE evolution units packed with activities. Check them out at www.tieseducation.org.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. You can teach evolution virtually, but effectively; 2. There are free online activities that can replace our more traditional active learning lessons; and 3. This session can give your students high-quality evolution instruction all in one free, downloadable unit with student response sheets, rubrics, answer keys, and assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Bertha Vazquez

Across the western United States, wildfires are burning more and more of the landscape. In the NASA-funded "Future of Forests" curriculum, tied to NGSS Life Science standards, students engage with online mapping tools and authentic datasets to discover how landscapes recover after wildfires.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Introduction to the model-based inquiry instructional framework designed around the construction, revision, and testing of explanatory models; 2. Strategies to implement the NASA-funded "Future of Forests" MS/HS curriculum tied to NGSS Life Science standards; and 3. Skills to connect unit to the GLOBE citizen science protocols.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith

Participants will explore how to use infographics in the science classroom and have the opportunity to start creating an infographic using digital tools.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand why reading and creating data visualizations will make an impact in your classroom; 2. View student examples and create your own infographic using simple digital tools; and 3. Leave with concrete ways to get students to create data visualizations in your science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Ilana Somasunderam

NASA GLOBE Cloud resources provide a variety of ways for diverse learners to engage in the science process in their local community through citizen science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. NASA GLOBE Cloud resources are free and flexible and allow diverse learners to engage with content in many ways; 2. A NASA scientist will discuss why citizen science observations are important to NASA; and 3. Learners can actively participate in citizen science in their own community.

SPEAKERS:
Janet Struble, Angela Rizzi, Elizabeth Joyner

Come learn about Data Puzzles, a free resource co-designed by climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder that are aimed at bringing authentic data into classrooms in the context of current and relevant scientific research.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Introduction to inquiry-based instruction in the context of Ambitious Science Teaching practices; 2. Strategies for facilitating Data Puzzle resources and other inquiry-based activities in your MS/HS classroom; and 3. Skills to design your own data-driven learning activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith

Connect the human impact of trash pollution to engineering design. Get your students thinking critically and creatively as they collaborate in real-world problem solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Connecting the human impact of single-use plastics and their effect on aquatic ecosystems; 2. Exposing students to basic coding and engineering design in an NGSS-focused content classroom; and 3. Developing a project that enhances STEM skills in students such as collaboration, curiosity, and creative problem-solving.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Thibodeaux, Jessica Kohout

Participate in an energy delivery–themed virtual escape room activity. Solve puzzles and pursue clues to discover the origin of a cascading blackout.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The U.S. power grid is the system of producers and consumers of electricity. It includes power generators, switches that control the flow of electricity, substations, miles of power lines, and millions of transformers; 2. Nearly all electricity is used the moment it is generated. The power grid is continually evolving as we integrate alternative power resources and invent technologies; and 3. This challenging process allows us to deliver energy to homes and businesses in cleaner, more efficient ways and makes the system more resilient to disruption.

SPEAKERS:
Jana Sebestik, Logan Marlow, Michael McKelvey, Christina Tran

Learn effective techniques, including Claims-Evidence-Reasoning, to help students navigate media filled with fictional information promoted as fact and cherry-picked data offered as evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teachers are provided with a checklist to assist their students in determining if information found on the internet is reputable, factual, and accurate; 2. Learn effective techniques to consider and understand why someone would believe common misconceptions about climate change and global warming; and 3. Participate in group discussions that take a deep dive into data to determine its relevance to a question or issue.

SPEAKERS:
Lois Sherwood, Laura Tucker

Case studies highlight serendipitous discoveries that integrate engineering and science. Cases rooted in history capture students’ imaginations and can be used with online, remote instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Attendees will explore the historical background that case studies provide to teach science; 2. Attendees will apply scientific practices with the engineering design process.; and 3. Using case studies, attendees will work in small groups and will learn how to use cases to challenge students to use their imaginations and creative skills to ideate new products or applications of current products.

SPEAKERS:
M. Gail Jones, Rebecca Hite, Megan Ennes, Gina Childers, Emily Cayton, Elysa Corin

Learn how the language and structure of your inquiry activities can produce roadblocks for emergent bilinguals, and how subtle shifts dramatically increase engagement and success.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. A resource versus-deficit perspective and building lessons around abilities; 2. Breaking down language barriers in student-student collaborations through effective modeling; and 3. Using multiple representations in science, utilizing emergent bilingual's strength with translanguaging.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Help students create compelling stories about climate change and environmental justice. Classroom-ready resources will help students communicate scientific information with narrative structure across various media.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In an analytical discipline like science, there is still a case to be made for storytelling; 2. The And-But-Therefore narrative structure technique to summarize scientific information or craft original science communication; and 3. Science storytelling can enhance student projects by improving conceptual understanding and allowing choice and voice to engage students as activists for environmental justice.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Tate, Cristina Veresan

Sponsoring Company: Feeding Tomorrow, Institute of Food Technologists

Do your students know about the science of food? The world needs the brightest minds engaged in the science of food to meet the challenge of feeding a projected population of 9 billion in 2050. To help meet this challenge, we want to help you introduce your high school students to the science of food and career opportunities in food science and technology.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Food science lesson plans; 2. Food science pedagogy; and 3. Food science careers.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Sudler

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Have you missed dissections? Sign up and receive a Carolina’s Perfect Solution® cow eye dissection kit, including PPE! We’ll dissect during this hands-on workshop and construct a Scienstructable 3D Eye Dissection Model®. Have your colored pencils and glue sticks ready! See how dissection and NGSS converge; you won’t believe your eyes! Limited quantity available—sign up now! Open to continental U.S. residents only.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Eye dissection techniques; 2. How dissections correlate to NGSS standards; and 3. Dissection safety.

SPEAKERS:
Candace Berkeley