Our work with educators demonstrates that compassion can be a powerful resource for maintaining hope, connecting with purpose, and sparking joy, even in difficult times. We invite you to join this workshop to develop perspectives and learn practices for mindfulness, kindness, and compassion for self and others that support emotional regulation and overall well-being. You will also engage in activities and practices to integrate compassion into your classroom and everyday life. Anchored in teaching about climate change, this workshop is relevant to any educator who has experienced uncertainty, overwhelm, or stress.

Are you looking for better ways to design meaningful, standards-aligned classroom-based assessments that reflect your students' thinking? In this full-day workshop, we'll work together to create three-dimensional (3D) science assessments—supported by a powerful generative AI tool and guided by your teacher's expertise. Using the Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA) Design Framework, we will show you how to develop 3D knowledge-in-use assessment tasks by walking through how to unpack performance expectations, craft learning performances and evidence statements, and co-create tasks responsive to your students' diverse backgrounds and learning needs. You'll learn how to write effective prompts for AI, evaluate and adapt AI-generated content, and ensure that what you create is instructionally useful and meaningful. Along the way, we'll also engage in honest, practical conversations about the ethical and appropriate uses of AI in education. This session is designed specifically for upper elementary and middle school teachers but is open to all who are interested. You will leave with ready-to-use assessment tasks, access to customizable prompts and design templates, new strategies you can apply immediately in your classroom, and knowledge of how to craft 3D assessment tasks.

TAKEAWAYS:
-Learn how to design knowledge-in-use aligned with NGSS using Generative AI tools. -Gain practical experience writing prompts, generating and refining tasks, and applying a systematic design framework. -Explore ways to responsibly integrate GenAI into your work that honors student voice, local context, and teacher judgment. -Walk away with a complete prototype assessment, classroom-ready resources, and a deeper confidence in your ability to design assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Tingting Li, Joseph Krajcik, Selin Akgun

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.

Please note, this is a repeat of the session from Wednesday afternoon.

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

A key part of learning science is developing language to talk about your ideas. Traditional methods of introducing a science lesson or unit with a vocabulary list and definitions don’t help students develop understanding of science ideas or hold onto the language. In this session, participants will explore instructional strategies for introducing and earning science vocabulary that support understanding for all learners, and especially multilingual learners. Attendees will analyze classroom video to identify teacher moves that embed vocabulary instruction within investigations and discussions. Participants will leave with practical strategies for helping students actively develop and use new science terminology in their sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to embed science vocabulary development within investigations and discussions to strengthen student sensemaking and support all learners, especially multilingual students.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Pawlowski, Ji Sun Ham, Zoe Evans

Don’t have time to build a project-based learning (PBL) science unit from the ground up? Learn how to adapt high-quality open educational resources (OER) for your students and community. This session is designed for science educators interested in working with PBL science OERs to increase student engagement and deepen learning. Learn three principles that guide adaptation. 1) Make It Authentic: revise projects to connect with local issues and phenomena that matter to students. 2) Center Students’ Identities and Interests: adapt PBL experiences to affirm students’ backgrounds and increase relevance. 3) Localize to the Community: embed projects in local histories, resources, and cultures so learning feels meaningful and connected. We’ll share how teachers in Guam adapted K-8 PBL science OER units to center students’ cultures and geographies in a unique Pacific island context. Participants will apply lessons learned from Guam and explore strategies for adapting for their own students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Informed by the experiences of educators on Guam, attendees will learn to apply tools and strategies for adapting free project-based learning science curriculum to increase authenticity, center students’ identities, and localize to their communities.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Nachtigal, Alexandra Goodell

Discover how to transform everyday recyclables into a dynamic, learning-rich project. This session provides a practical blueprint for creating an engaging force and motion science lab centered around building a balloon-powered car. We'll guide you through the materials needed and the step-by-step setup, teaching you how to use this fun activity to illustrate key physics principles, including Newton's Laws of Motion, friction, and aerodynamics. Participants will gain the skills to lead a hands-on, inquiry-based lesson that fosters creativity, problem-solving, and an understanding of engineering concepts. Leave with a ready-to-implement lesson plan that turns a simple craft into a powerful STEM exploration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to implement a full force and motion lesson plan by using a hands-on balloon car project with recycled materials, effectively teaching key physics principles like Newton's Laws, force, and friction in an engaging, inquiry-based lab setting.

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Your students can tell you what happened. Can they tell you why? This hands-on session tackles the part of CER most students (and teachers) find hardest: building the bridge between evidence and reasoning. Using BrainPOP Science, you'll practice feedback moves and instructional strategies that help students construct stronger scientific arguments — not just restate conclusions. Walk away with approaches you can try this week

SPEAKERS:
Bobbi Bear

Sponsoring Company: InnerOrbit

AI tools can now generate NGSS-style assessment items in seconds — but how do we know these questions are truly three-dimensional, instructionally sound, and valid? This session examines new research on the promises and limitations of AI-generated assessments and contrasts them with human-designed, field-tested items grounded in real student data. Participants will leave with a clear, classroom-ready checklist for reviewing assessment quality—giving you the confidence to evaluate both AI-generated items and traditional assessments with the same high standards.

SPEAKERS:
Brendan Finch, Emily Miller

Did you know that there are nearly 300,000 STEM professionals at the DoW? And did you know that those DoW STEM professionals, along with partner organizations, are leveraged to provide unique STEM learning experiences for students and educators? Participants will have the opportunity to explore STEM resources and opportunities offered by the Department of War. From hands-on learning activities to paid internships and college scholarships, learn how DoW STEM can help you power the next generation of innovators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how the Department of Defense’s extensive STEM workforce and programs, ranging from hands-on activities to internships and scholarships, can provide powerful learning opportunities that inspire and prepare the next generation of innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Marquis Mason, Kristen McInerney

A core tenet of modern science standards is providing students with phenomena-based questions that assess their skills and knowledge across the three dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards. As assessments become more three-dimensional, a new problem has arisen: how do we help students make sense of these high-demand questions? The key is providing students with a strategy to help them identify and parse essential information in the question. Using a two-column note strategy, students can effectively identify what the question is asking of them, sort essential information from non-essential information, connect prior knowledge, and use their notes to answer the question correctly. During this workshop, attendees will be introduced to the two-column note strategy for assessments and given an opportunity to practice it themselves. Participants will see several examples of student work from a diverse group of students and receive a digital poster to use with students in class.

TAKEAWAYS:
This workshop introduces a two-column note strategy to help students analyze complex phenomena-based assessments, improving test scores by identifying key information and connecting prior knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Boyer

This workshop offers a hands-on experience with a simple, structured approach to science notebooking designed for both new and experienced teachers. Participants will explore how to transform everyday classroom activities into clear, student-friendly notebook pages that support deeper sensemaking. The session covers the entire process—from planning and designing notebook pages to setting up student notebooks and using straightforward daily templates in class. Attendees will examine examples of high-quality student work for inspiration, create an assignment based on their own subject matter, and receive editable slides ready for immediate use in the classroom. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have the materials and confidence to implement this game-changing approach in their own science teaching right away!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how to transform everyday classroom activities into clear, student-friendly notebook pages that support deeper sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Kurt Dragomanovich

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Do you know where your electrical energy comes from? How is energy captured from the wind? Find out with KidWind Renewable Energy Kits! Introduce students of all levels to renewable energy by exploring energy generation. Optimize your wind turbine by building prototypes and testing blade design.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

Discover how to engage students in sensemaking of natural phenomena with Stellarium, a free online planetarium tool. With Stellarium, students can make observations, collect and interpret data, and investigate how the sky changes throughout the year. They can track the motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars, deepening their understanding of Earth’s place in the universe. In this session, participants will learn how to access and use Stellarium to guide students in recognizing patterns and systems. All activities are adaptable across grade levels, align with NGSS science and engineering practices, and include interdisciplinary connections to math, social studies, and ELA.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore ready-to-use Stellarium lessons that ignite student curiosity, deepen inquiry into Earth and Space Science standards, and build meaningful interdisciplinary connections.

SPEAKERS:
Shefali Mehta

Career Lab 360 reimagines traditional career exploration by immersing students in hands-on, real-world tasks that mirror the responsibilities and problem-solving skills used across a wide range of professions. This session highlights how the Career Lab model transforms passive career awareness into active, skill-driven engagement through a series of interactive stations. Each station is designed to showcase a different career pathway, allowing students to rotate through experiences that connect classroom learning to authentic workforce applications. Participants will learn how this approach strengthens student understanding of career possibilities, builds foundational skills, and fosters a future-ready mindset. By partnering with community organizations and industry professionals, Career Lab 360 creates meaningful bridges between schools and the world of work, inspiring students to envision their future careers with clarity and confidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to design and implement hands-on, experiential career stations in partnership with community and industry organizations that replicate real-world tasks and foster students’ problem-solving skills, career awareness, and future-ready mindsets.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Patti, Beverly Stambaugh

Sponsoring Company: Kiddom

What does it take to make sense-making of phenomena through investigating the center of science instruction, not just in theory, but in daily practice? Join Dr. Mike Flanagan and explore how intentional curriculum design, when paired with powerful learning intelligence technology (LIT), can transform instruction and empower all learners. Featuring actionable strategies, this session will leave you inspired and equipped to design learning experiences that are coherent and genuinely engaging.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how thoughtful curriculum design and digital tools work together to support sense-making in science instruction, with practical strategies they can apply immediately to create more coherent, equitable, and engaging learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Flanagan

Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering science classrooms, yet many educators are unsure how to begin using it in purposeful and responsible ways. In this introductory session, participants will explore what AI is, what it is not, and how it can support NGSS sensemaking without replacing student thinking. Through live demonstrations and simple classroom examples, educators will learn how AI can help students ask better questions, strengthen reasoning, and engage more deeply with phenomena. The session highlights ethical use of AI as a partner in science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand how to use AI as a tool for sensemaking that strengthens student questioning and reasoning while supporting phenomenon-based science learning routines.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Lazzaro, Velma Itamura

Discover motion, sound, thermal, radiant, chemical, and electrical energy through hands-on experiments using everyday materials. Lessons are differentiated for all grade levels, making energy concepts accessible and engaging for every classroom. You’ll leave with fun, ready-to-use investigations that build scientific reasoning, connect to the real world, and give you the confidence to teach energy forms and transformations with ease.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to teach energy forms and transformations to students of all grade levels and can take right back to their classroom with all lessons available as a free PDF download, including translated to Spanish.

SPEAKERS:
Don Pruett, Jr.

Sponsoring Company: RAYN Growing Systems

Hydroponics gives students a living laboratory where science, literacy, and agriculture come alive. In this hands-on workshop, educators will explore NGSS-aligned investigations using a cheap plastic cup experiment to teach plant growth, environmental science, CTE, and STEM. Participants will experience a phenomena-based lab that models real agricultural research—how pH affects plant development—using simple and cheap materials that work in any school setting. We will demonstrate student-friendly data collection strategies, cross-curricular literacy connections, and ways to integrate STEM and sustainability. Educators will leave with ready-to-use lessons, assessment rubrics, and digital student data tables that build scientific thinking and support National Agricultural Literacy Outcomes. Whether teaching PreK–5, middle school, or high school, attendees will learn how to transform food systems learning into powerful experiential education while helping students explore career pathways

SPEAKERS:
Bryce Corning

Grab your coffee and pull up a seat. This is your chance to connect live with the Class CrunchLabs team and other educators who are building the future of science class. Ask questions, share wins, swap stories, and get real-time tips from the people designing the units and using them with students. Whether you are just getting started or deep into your first mission, this is a space for honest conversation, curiosity, and community. No slides. No pressure. Just real talk with your Class CrunchLabs crew.

TAKEAWAYS:
Bring your questions, feedback, and curiosity. This is your space to connect live with the Class CrunchLabs team, swap ideas with other educators, and get support from real humans.

SPEAKERS:
DeAnna Lee Rivers, Arash Jamshidi, Tommy Clayton, Rebecca Garelli, Jesse Semeyn, Megan Kuehl, Spencer Martin, Tara Graham

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Learn to promote interest and engagement while helping students achieve specific learning objectives with games. Join us as you learn simple and valuable ways to gamify your lessons. We will be sharing a few creative game ideas for building relationships and reviewing and learning content.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Hall

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Experience the power of cross-disciplinary learning! In this hands-on workshop, teachers will use micropipettes to serve as powerful tools for reinforcing measurement accuracy, proportional reasoning, and data analysis—all while producing stunning visual art. Teachers will practice valuable transferable lab skills and discover an approachable entry point for STEM learners of all levels. Leave with classroom-ready ideas that blend art, math, and scientific precision in meaningful ways.

SPEAKERS:
Erika Fong

This session focuses on the trilogy of NSTA Press books on the Three Dimensions and is led by NSTA’s former in-house expert on science standards who recruited the lead authors of all three books. Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices provides a play-by-play understanding of the practices. Disciplinary Core Ideas: Reshaping Teaching and Learning provides an in depth perspective on the disciplinary core ideas. Crosscutting Concepts: Strengthening Science and Engineering Learning is designed to help educators grasp the foundational issues that undergird crosscutting concepts. These books are written in clear, nontechnical language. Many of the authors contributed to the development of the Framework and NGSS. The authors also share a wealth of real-world examples drawn from their own classroom experiences to show what’s different about three-dimensional teaching and learning at all grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn techniques to use these three books to help educators have a deep understanding of practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts to foster better student learning in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Ted Willard

Selecting and implementing instructional materials is a key part of implementing the vision of the NRC Framework. This session will explore the current state of culturally responsive STEM curriculum in the country as well as lessons learned from the field to increase the use of materials that empower all students. Breakout discussions will allow participants to explore opportunities to overcome common challenges to implementing culturally-response curriculum in an effort to community source and solve these challenges. Session discussion will focus on integrating instructional practices that promote equity and support culturally responsive instruction across materials that embody the vision of the Framework. By strategizing about how to implement curriculum and instruction that realize culturally responsive practices, instructional leaders will be equipped to support teachers in fostering deeper connections with diverse learners, empowering their STEM thinking and identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the importance of culturally responsive teaching and the role it plays in STEM education through identifying key components that make curriculum culturally responsive and considering lessons learned for making sustainable, scaled changes in curricula and teaching practices.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Childress Self, Joi Merritt, Shannon Wachowski

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Discover how STCMS brings NGSS to life through purposeful design and hands-on learning. See authentic student work, brief classroom clips, and clear evidence of 3D sensemaking. Participants will perform sample tasks and learn how STCMS supports diverse learners and strengthens NGSS instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Baldwin, Heather Toothaker

STEM teachers are under constant pressure to balance innovation in the classroom with heavy workloads. This session bridges AI in Education and Teacher Well-Being in STEM by highlighting practical, time-saving uses of artificial intelligence that directly support teaching and learning. Participants will explore freely available AI tools and clever strategies for applying them to everyday tasks such as generating lab rubrics, scaffolding assignments, and personalizing feedback. By streamlining routine work, these approaches free time for meaningful instruction and student engagement, with the added benefit of reducing stress and restoring balance for educators. The session emphasizes responsible and equitable use, ensuring AI integration supports all learners without adding complexity to the teacher’s role. Attendees will leave with a set of vetted tools, ready-to-use examples, and a personal action plan to strengthen STEM teaching while making professional life more manageable.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how freely available AI tools can lighten the STEM teacher workload while boosting student equity and engagement. Participants will leave with strategies that enhance student learning while helping STEM teachers focus on high-impact instruction and reclaim energy for what matters most.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Link, PhD

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Grab your goggles and dive into the Discovery Education Phenomena Science Playground. Explore hands-on experiments and walk away with classroom-ready resources, fresh ideas, and practical tools to bring science to life. Step into the Discovery Education Phenomena Science Playground—a hands-on experience designed to spark curiosity and connect classrooms to real-world science. Participants rotate through interactive stations featuring engaging activities and classroom-ready resources. Through a phenomena-driven approach, educators explore tools and content co-created with industry partners that support inquiry-based learning and student engagement. Whether the goal is to enhance hands-on instruction, integrate STEM, or bring more relevance into the classroom, this session offers both inspiration and practical takeaways.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Hampton, Justin Karkow

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Bring your Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) to life with captivating, interactive simulations! Dive into a dynamic toolkit filled with powerful, curriculum-aligned digital resources. You'll leave fully equipped with (free!) access to a huge collection of engaging simulations that vividly illustrate science concepts and get students engaging meaningfully with the science and engineering practices, making lessons memorable and meaningful.

SPEAKERS:
Clayton Forest

All students have the right to develop a deep understanding of how the world works in ways that support their personal goals and the interests of their community. Science education can help build a more just and equitable world. Come explore how instruction can support science learning that is consequential to your students, their communities, and the broader world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn about and apply two equity project frameworks for science education to support professional learning and implementation projects. They will learn how open education resources (http://stemteachingtools.org/) can help them develop equitable approaches to science teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Fowler, Philip Bell

Join us as we share and discuss how leadership can support NGSS implementation through professional learning experiences that center the needs of teachers and students through the use of high quality instructional materials. We will discuss specific strategies, resources and tools leveraging high quality instructional materials to strengthen the shared vision of the instructional shifts called for by the NGSS and engage educators in three dimensional phenomena driven teaching, learning and leadership. Hear how a state level partnership with multiple districts deepened teacher’s knowledge of the NGSS and three dimensional instructional practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using high quality instructional materials as a lever to further NGSS implementation across multiple district/school contexts can support teachers and leaders as they enhance and expand their practice to improve outcomes for their students and learning communities.

SPEAKERS:
Guy Ollison, Jenine Cotton-Proby, Nancy Hopkins-Evans

Discover incredible opportunities in STEM education with a range of NSTA-administered K-12 opportunities that engage through innovative programming and recognize achievement with amazing awards. We’ll explore programs and awards that are sure to ignite a passion for discovery and innovation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower your teaching with dynamic STEM programs and awards administered by NSTA as you learn about innovative opportunities to boost engagement and enthusiasm for K-12 students and teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Lasky, Sue Whitsett, Brian Kutsch

Urban school districts are uniquely positioned at the intersection of innovation and inequity. This roundtable invites educators, leaders, and community stakeholders to discuss strategies that increase access, engagement, and achievement in STEM for historically underserved students. Together, participants will examine real-world challenges such as resource gaps, culturally relevant pedagogy, and teacher retention, while sharing solutions like community partnerships, after-school STEM initiatives, and project-based learning. The session will serve as a collaborative space to exchange best practices and inspire actionable steps toward equity in STEM education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Equity in STEM education requires more than good intentions—it takes intentional strategies, culturally relevant teaching, and sustainable partnerships that ensure urban students see themselves as scientists, engineers, and innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Tamia Murphy

Student agency involves students taking ownership of their learning, and it can have many positive benefits, including motivation and self-efficacy. However, cultivating agency requires opportunities to do so. What kinds of agency opportunities do educators provide? How receptive are educators to providing them? Do science teachers differ from teachers in other subjects in these regards? In this session, I’ll share what we know about student agency, what it can look like in science, the findings of recent research, and what else we have yet to learn about it. Session participants will engage in conversation about the unique affordances and challenges of providing students with agency opportunities and leave with ideas, strategies, and a report on recent research findings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about ways to define agency, what research tells us the benefits of agency are, what agency can look like in science, and the latest research on student agency, both generally and in science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicholas Balisciano

How can teachers bring real-world multidisciplinary science into their classrooms? This roundtable features teacher fellows from the Xplorlabs Educator Fellowship, a yearlong program by UL Research Institutes. Fellows learn from scientists and peers to co-develop free, standards-aligned lessons on pressing challenges such as fire safety, batteries, and sustainability. Starting from the same set of science ideas and phenomena, fellows adapt these resources in very different ways to reflect their students’ cultures, prior ideas, and learning goals. Together, their stories highlight the creativity of teachers and the power of diverse perspectives in sensemaking. In this moderated discussion, fellows will share how the experience influenced their practice, engaged students in authentic science, and expanded their professional networks. Attendees will also learn more about the fellowship itself and how to access free classroom-ready resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Hear directly from Xplorlabs Educator Fellows about collaborating with researchers, co-developing free STEM lessons, and engaging students with authentic science. Learn more about the fellowship and explore free resources for bringing safety science into classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Megan O'Keeffe, Samantha Eddis, Danielle Shaw-Jones, Dominique Thomas, Daniel Sternberg

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Unlock the cosmos for your classroom with our interesting and engaging Astronomy workshop! Discover standards-aligned lessons with teacher resources and delve into the latest astronomical discoveries. Gain confidence and receive tools to ignite students' curiosity about the wonders of the universe. For Grades 6-8, 9-12 & AP.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

What if the background knowledge you build in science helped students write better arguments in every class? This session explores how BrainPOP and BrainPOP Science work together to support Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) across subjects. Whether students are explaining why ecosystems change or analyzing a primary source document, the same thinking framework applies. You'll see how giving students the shared understanding they need to construct evidence-based arguments—from ecosystems to the Electoral College —and leave with strategies that transfer across your curriculum

SPEAKERS:
Bobbi Bear

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Put Newton’s laws to the test in a hands-on crash safety investigation. Use Sensor Carts to collect velocity data and explore: How do seat belts save lives? How do we engineer safer vehicles? Leave with ready-to-use, 3D lessons that challenge students to model, analyze & mitigate forces of impact.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

Sponsoring Company: JoVE

What Secondary Science Leaders Can Do When Every Teacher Fills the Gaps Differently. Middle and high school science leaders know that curriculum supplementation is common, with most teachers adding videos, labs, or activities to fill gaps. The challenge is guiding supplementation in ways that support instructional quality and coherence across classrooms. This interactive workshop is designed for middle and high school science leaders, instructional coaches, and department chairs responsible for instructional consistency and teacher support. Through live polling, leadership case scenarios, and small group discussion, participants will examine where supplementation occurs, what drives teacher decision-making, and how variation impacts instruction. Attendees will discuss practical strategies to guide supplementation while preserving teacher autonomy, including shared instructional anchors and trusted instructional resources.

SPEAKERS:
Shauna Carlson

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Where does electrical energy come from? How does the energy transferred from a battery to a coil produce a magnetic field? We will investigate these questions using a dissectable generator, exploring how different variables affect the output voltage using sensor data. We'll also do investigate the reverse process to see how energy from an electrical source can be transferred to a magnetic field to do work. This engaging lesson is a great enhancement to physical science, physics, and OpenSciEd curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Leander ISD, TX, made a deliberate shift from traditional science instruction to fully embracing 3-D teaching and learning as envisioned by NGSS and their state standards, placing student sensemaking and classroom discussion at the center of instruction. Learn how they implemented OpenSciEd through a thoughtful, step-by-step process that built teacher capacity, aligned curriculum, and sustained momentum over time. The session highlights how purposeful discussion became the engine for connecting science and engineering practices with disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts. Gain insight into the professional learning structures, leadership supports, and instructional strategies that helped educators navigate challenges and bring phenomenon-driven, student-centered science to life. Leave with practical ideas, lessons learned, and inspiration to spark your own district’s transformation, putting student ideas in motion through talk, sensemaking, and shared understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Anna Wydeven, Jennifer Lopez, Lauren Carter

Sponsoring Company: Thames & Kosmos

Make STEM learning fun with Thames & Kosmos! Teachers will experience a hands-on 5-E lesson from Structural Engineering: Bridges and Skyscrapers, one of the Thames & Kosmos kits that includes a complete standards-based curriculum. Experience the material from the student's perspective as you build a structure and compete against your fellow teachers. You will also get a sneak peek at some of our other kits, which include high-quality curricula: Robotics Workshop with Micro:Bit, Renewable Energy Lab, Roller Coaster Engineering, and Happy Atoms. These kits include scope & sequence, teacher guides and student workbooks, plus scaffolding to support literacy and knowledge-building — all free to access on our website. Calling all physics, chemistry, coding, and engineering teachers! This workshop is great for anyone who teaches STEM at the upper elementary, middle school, or high school level.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Mintz, Edmund McGuire

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Explore interactive, narrative-driven digital labs that can be used independently or alongside hands-on biotech activities. This session highlights classroom use cases that engage students with genetics laboratory topics, including sickle cell disease, the central dogma, and others.

SPEAKERS:
Katy Martin

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Turn struggling readers into confident scientists! Discover simple, high-impact literacy strategies that help students tackle tough science texts, master vocabulary, and make meaning of complex ideas. See how a few tweaks can transform reading time into real science learning—and send your students’ confidence soaring.

SPEAKERS:
Erika James

Sponsoring Company: Pitsco Education

Ignite student curiosity with Take Flight: Drone Missions for Student Engagement- an exciting and relevant session that brings STEM learning to life through real-world drone applications. Explore how students can design, build, and pilot drones while tackling mission-based challenges that reinforce concepts in engineering and problem-solving. Participants will discover strategies for integrating drones into various learning environments, engaging learners of all levels, and fostering collaboration, critical thinking, and career-ready skills. Get ready to elevate engagement and see STEM from a whole new perspective!

SPEAKERS:
Oscar Rios

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Elevate your students’ science thinking with CER Writing! This interactive workshop will equip educators with practical strategies for guiding students in constructing Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning. Learn how to scaffold the CER process, integrate it seamlessly into science lessons, and support students at all ability levels in developing strong scientific explanations. Participants will analyze student work, share best practices, and take away ready-to-use resources that foster critical thinking and effective science communication in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Ladd

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Get ready for a session that’s bright, squishy, and full of “aha!” moments! Using colorful Play-Doh, LEDs, and batteries, participants will explore Switch Classroom’s Intro to Electricity lesson and bring foundational circuit concepts to life. You’ll investigate conductivity, resistance, open and closed circuits, and series versus parallel designs through playful, hands-on exploration. Designed for elementary through high school classrooms, this adaptable lab makes abstract electrical concepts tangible while supporting NGSS science and engineering practices. Optional extensions allow the challenge to be simplified for younger learners or expanded for grades 9–12. Leave with free Switch Classroom resources, classroom-ready strategies, and the confidence to spark curiosity—and light up learning—in any classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Jillian Swets

This poster highlights The Great Indoors, a free, NGSS-aligned climate and health unit for grades 6–8 that connects cutting-edge research with practical classroom strategies. Built around case studies and data-rich activities, the unit helps students explore how climate-driven events—such as wildfires, flooding, and pesticide use—affect indoor environments and human health. Students engage in experiments, analyze data, and use design thinking to propose solutions that build community resilience. Aligned with NGSS and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the unit integrates frameworks such as Causal Learning in the Classroom (CliC) and the 5E instructional model. Lessons are modular, adaptable to various schedules, and accessible to diverse learners. Teachers will walk away with free, classroom-ready resources that support sensemaking, foster student problem-solving, and make climate science engaging and relevant to middle school learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will discover a ready-to-use, research-backed climate and health unit. They’ll learn strategies to engage students with case studies, experiments, and design challenges that make climate science relevant, inclusive, and action-oriented.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Link, PhD

This interactive poster explores the fascinating world of native bumble bees and discover how creativity can inspire conservation! Visitors will learn to recognize local bumble bee species by their distinctive color patterns, behaviors, and preferred native plants. Participants will design and build “bee bracelets” that mimic real species—like the White-shouldered Bumble Bee or the Golden-belted Bumble Bee—while learning how these color combinations help bees communicate, defend, and thrive in their environments.    Educators and citizen scientists will receive free identification guides, plant lists, and data-collection resources to help them engage in citizen science projects such as Bumble Bee Watch and iNaturalist. The booth invites teachers of all grade levels to connect art, science, and stewardship—leaving with a tangible reminder of local biodiversity and a call to action to go outdoors, observe, and share their bee discoveries to support pollinator research and conservation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to identify native bumble bees by color pattern and behavior, connect these traits to pollination ecology, and engage students or visitors in creative, hands-on activities that inspire participation in citizen science and local pollinator conservation.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Lannoye-Hall

The National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) empowers educators to advance their instructional practice through professional learning, high-quality resources, and a supportive community aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This session highlights how NESTA—through strategic partnerships—helps teachers integrate Earth and space science phenomena that inspire student-centered inquiry and authentic sensemaking. By fostering educator resilience, collaboration, and leadership, NESTA promotes excellence in Earth and space science education. Participants will explore NESTA’s wide range of offerings, including timely classroom resources, professional development opportunities, access to best practices through our peer-reviewed journal The Earth Scientist, and strategies for building interdisciplinary connections across the sciences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about a community that elevates Earth and space science teaching! NESTA helps educators connect, grow, and lead—transforming curiosity into discovery through shared resources, collaboration, and real-world phenomena that inspire student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kellyn Hardin, Natalie Macke

Our collaborative team of teachers and researchers share a culminating engineering task from a 3-week integrated STEM unit. As the unit uncovers disproportionate negative outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically for linguistic minorities, the engineering task challenges students to develop a solution to the lack of timely health information in languages other than English. First, we describe the task: Students analyze and interpret data about linguistic diversity in neighborhoods (quantitative) as well as data on the affordances and limitations of artificial intelligence versus human translation (qualitative). Then, we demonstrate how based on the data, students argue for how and with whom to pilot the design of a multilingual health emergency alert system for a future health crisis. Finally, we describe how to evaluate the engineering design task using a rubric.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn our conceptual approach to developing an integrated engineering task that uses real-world data in the context of a future societal challenge (i.e., planning a response to a future health crisis using data from the COVID-19 pandemic).

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Kos, Alison Haas, Abigail Schwenger

This poster highlights a scaffolded, interdisciplinary lesson where 7th grade students explored how humans, whales, and dolphins communicate over long distances, comparing sensory organs and experimenting with Morse code and hieroglyphics. Students were able to explore the different levels of sensemaking through this lesson implementation and demonstrate their understanding by participating in a lab experiment. The lesson integrated science, math, ELA, and social studies, emphasizing the importance of hearing in communication and the value of sensemaking strategies for deeper understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and implement interdisciplinary, sensemaking-driven lessons that engage students in exploring real-world communication phenomena through hands-on, cross-disciplinary experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Brianna Scoleri

Learn about the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association and what we offer to our members.

TAKEAWAYS:
The National Middle Level Science Teachers Association (NMLSTA) is the only national organization dedicated to the support of middle level educators—grades five through nine.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Lou Lipscomb

The research examined the perceptions of middle school science and technology teachers regarding the integration of bioethical dilemmas in teaching genetics, comparing religious and secular teachers. The qualitative research was based on semi-structured interviews with ten teachers with over five years of experience – five of them religious, teaching in state-religious schools, and five non-religious, teaching in state schools. The analysis of the interviews was conducted using a narrative approach and focused on identifying patterns of ethical thinking and attitudes towards moral dilemmas in the field of genetic counseling. The findings indicate that all teachers attribute importance to ethical discourse, but significant differences were found in the sources of authority and the types of ethical reasoning: the religious teachers relied on Jewish sources and religious considerations, while the non-religious emphasized state laws as a source of authority.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integration of bioethical dilemmas in teaching can contribute to the educational process by encouraging critical thinking and demonstrating the connection between science and society. The study highlights the need for professional development and teaching materials on ethics.

SPEAKERS:
Amichai Yavlovich

Hands-on science activities can present engagement challenges for some students, and teachers often lack training or resources to meet all learners' unique needs. The GLOBE Weather Pathways project developed and tested an approach to help middle school educators adapt a weather unit to support all students and explore STEM career pathways. The project included: 1) building a learning community of STEM educators, content and special education specialists, and professionals working in STEM; 2) professional learning on the NGSS-aligned, phenomena-driven GLOBE Weather curriculum; and 3) workshop time to adapt lessons for accessibility. This presentation will share project outcomes, including strategies educators used to adapt lessons, best practices for implementing universal design for learning (UDL) principles, and insights for building a professional learning community that supports inclusive science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how middle school educators adapted a weather curriculum to support all learners using universal design for learning (UDL) principles, and hear about strategies and best practices for building professional learning communities to support diverse student needs.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Johnson Nesbitt, Melissa Rummel

Looking to elevate student achievement through immersive learning? Discover how to harness the universal appeal of flight by captivating students with lessons and engaging activities rooted in biology standards while exploring exciting and fast-growing aviation career fields!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn strategies to construct activities resulting in greater interest and mastery of biology for students in grades K-12. Explore distinct professional practices that expand biology standards into unforgettable learning experiences associated with human life, animals, plantlife, and so much more!

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Steiner, Christina Davis

Students will create a Pokémon with specialized structures that assist them with their "powers". This will involve drawing the Pokémon, creating a Pokédex entry, and giving a short presentation about their Pokémon and how its anatomy leads to its function.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to make anatomy and physiology more engaging and relevant to students. It will also allow for more creativity to be involved in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Laurelin Geno

Transform your classroom into a hub of engineering innovation using everyday items! This interactive session will equip 3rd-8th grade science teachers with practical strategies and engaging activities for integrating STEM engineering challenges using readily available household items without breaking the bank. Participants will dive into hands-on activities that demonstrate how common household materials can spark critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity. Learn practical strategies to make 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 with resources you already have!

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how to turn everyday household items into engaging STEM engineering challenges, equipping students with problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking skills while making hands-on, accessible STEM learning fun and effective.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon McWhorter, Allyson Sauter

How can we use cheese to explore science concepts like evidence of chemical changes, solubility, and pH? Experience how we can investigate these concepts in a fun, exploratory way that emphasizes building science practices (intended for Grades 6-8 or Grades 9-12). In this session, participants will engage in parts of a lesson that center around the phenomenon of fresh cheese. They will participate in a mini-lab and then “unpack” and make sense of the results through various second-hand data and information. This session strongly highlights how a lab can be framed in an investigative, rather than confirmatory, way. This introductory part of the lesson can be used for grades 6-8 (targeting standards MS-PS1-1, MS-PS1-2, MS-PS1-3) or grades 9-12 (HS-PS1-3, HS-PS1-5). It is a great way to teach about ways to identify if a chemical reaction occurred and introduce precipitates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will do a simple hands-on lab that can be easily scaled up or down and see how students can make sense of curd formation by drawing on what they already know, making meaningful observations, analyzing data, asking questions, and applying an understanding of how chemical reactions work.

SPEAKERS:
April Thompson, Jacob Rice, David Meyer, Shawn Boggs, Ashley Vandgrift, Kate Strangfeld, Miriam McMillian

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

In many science departments, lab safety relies heavily on the individual judgment and past experiences of teachers. However, experience can create blind spots where familiarity leads to informal protocols and unrecognized risks. This session challenges the reliance on personal intuition and introduces a systematic, shared framework for risk management. We will explore how to transition from isolated safety habits to a unified culture where educators explicitly uncover, name, and mitigate hazards through a common language. By moving toward a documented, framework-based approach, leadership can reduce liability and ensure a consistent standard of protection across every classroom. Attendees will leave with a 180-day plan for implementing a comprehensive lab safety framework within their own schools or districts. This session is appropriate for administrators and science teachers at all grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

This session showcases a forward-thinking place-based curriculum model aligned with NGSS, integrating the expertise of local water authority professionals. Designed for middle-schools, the curriculum seamlessly connects scientific concepts with real-world applications, linking classroom learning directly to career opportunities in water management. This collaboration not only provides students with a practical understanding of environmental science but also inspires future career paths in the sector. The curriculum model equips students with essential skills, preparing them for success in the evolving job market. Attendees will discover how to adopt this model to advance science education and career readiness, laying the groundwork for further workforce development initiatives in schools.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to implement a place-based NGSS-aligned curriculum that connects classroom learning to real-world careers through collaboration with industry professionals, enhancing student engagement and workforce readiness.

SPEAKERS:
Trevor Harder

Explore the rich diversity of butterflies through data-driven conservation! In this hands-on workshop, participants will act as student scientists using real-world datasets—expert range maps, citizen science observations, and historical records—to identify priority areas for butterfly protection at the state level. Using California as a model, attendees will analyze species richness and habitat suitability data to locate biodiversity hotspots, then design localized action plans that maximize butterfly diversity through host plant selection and habitat design. The session models NGSS-aligned practices in analyzing and interpreting data, using models, and designing solutions to real-world challenges. Participants will receive adaptable lesson materials and digital resources to localize the activity anywhere in the country—empowering students to use and collect authentic data to protect butterflies in their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use real butterfly biodiversity data to identify conservation priorities, analyze habitat potential, and guide students in designing localized, data-driven actions that protect diverse pollinators—moving beyond individual species to broader ecosystem awareness.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Lannoye-Hall

One of the significant barriers to meaningful implementation of the NGSS is the fact that it is seen as a set of tools or strategies rather than a vision for teaching and learning science. In this session we will focus on how the foundation behind the NGSS – the Principles of Learning from How People Learn – led to the vision behind the NGSS as outlined in the Framework, and the two supporting National Academies reports, Investigation and Design at the Center and The Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of Educators. We will connect this foundation to leadership for science teaching and learning and then collaboratively develop a vision. We will discuss how participants can use these strategies to collaboratively develop a vision in their schools. Finally, we will share examples from NJ district leaders about how engaging in this process motivated and supported their teachers and positively impacted the school culture for teaching and learning science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will collaboratively develop a vision for effective science teaching and learning based on the Framework. We will share examples from local leaders about how engaging in this process motivated their teachers and drove meaningful NGSS implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Wil Van der Veen, Stacey Van der Veen

How can we make room for art in our science classrooms? Join us as we share our experiences infusing art into science lessons. Learn how art can turn science into engaging, creative experiences that support sense-making, foster critical thinking, encourage personal expression, spark curiosity, and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, attendees will explore practical strategies for infusing art and design into science instruction, helping students master scientific concepts while staying engaged. Together, we’ll reimagine science classrooms as spaces where creativity and curiosity go hand in hand.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Kim, Yishan Lee

It is essential for middle school science students to learn to generate new ideas, interpretations, and solutions collaboratively. In this presentation, we first convey a stance that values and leverages multilingualism and multilingual learners' (MLs) lived experiences. We then share work done with science teachers and teacher educators through the federally funded Biliteracy and Content Area Integrated Preparation (BCAIP) Project to translate this stance into moves that mobilize MLs' full linguistic repertoire (i.e., translanguaging). Specifically, we use a middle school science unit, Ecosystem Interactions and Resources, to model how bilingual texts, collaboration norms, and multilingual assessment performances serve as translanguaging moves to scaffold data and text analysis along with collaborative language development. Attendees come away with resources and tips to designing a trajectory of collaborative inquiry for their own classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Multilingual learners benefit when are supported in mobilizing their full linguistic repertoire (i.e., translanguaging) for the purpose of generating new ideas, interpretations, or solutions collaboratively.

SPEAKERS:
Edward Lyon

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Rockets zoom and race cars zip through hands-on activities that engage your middle and high school students. Apply creative problem-solving skills and engineering practices to chemistry and physical science challenges. Experience how Carolina makes it easy to incorporate STEM into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

Are you interested in helping students make sense of the phenomena in their communities? Are you looking for ways to incorporate more data in your science classroom? When sensemaking is focused on local phenomena, there are more opportunities to center students’ community and incorporate personal interests. This session, co-facilitated by the NSTA Professional Learning Team and Tuva, will highlight the value of using data from local phenomena in science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Data from local phenomena can be leveraged to create engaging learning for students. Participants will learn how to find and select local data that is instructionally productive, based on their goals for student learning and the data available.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Foran, Brianna Reilly Oliveira

The 6th-8th grade students at AuTrain-Onota Public School, are in their fourth year building and wiring underwater remote operated vehicles (ROVs). The students have worked with local conservation districts on a fish habitat project, as well as won trophies at ROV competitions. This past school year, the teacher, Amy Pihlainen-Gabler, contacted the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, (WHOI), regarding their use of ROVs. WHOI scientists, including a senior scientist on the Titanic wreckage expedition, have spoken to the students several times about the real-world applications of these ROVs. Mrs. Pihlainen-Gabler traveled to Woods Hole in Massachusetts this past March and will discuss her trip to WHOI and how the scientists welcomed her on tours and provided materials and information to further inspire her students. She will also discuss future plans for the program with Kall Morris Inc. and the Lake Superior SCUBA harbor clean up effort.

TAKEAWAYS:
The most important thing as a teacher is to show students the real-world applications of what they are learning. The "why do I care/need to learn this?"

SPEAKERS:
Amy Pihlainen-Gabler

Sponsoring Company: Kiddom

What does it take to make sense-making of phenomena through investigating the center of science instruction, not just in theory, but in daily practice? Join Dr. Mike Flanagan and explore how intentional curriculum design, when paired with powerful learning intelligence technology (LIT), can transform instruction and empower all learners. Featuring actionable strategies, this session will leave you inspired and equipped to design learning experiences that are coherent and genuinely engaging.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how thoughtful curriculum design and digital tools work together to support sense-making in science instruction, with practical strategies they can apply immediately to create more coherent, equitable, and engaging learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Flanagan

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Fuel your curiosity—and your teaching toolkit—with this dynamic exploration of how our world powers itself. Participants will dive into two of Switch Classroom’s most popular energy activities. Start with Energy Resource Stations, comparing coal, wind, solar, natural gas, and more through short videos, hands-on evidence sorting, and lively discussion of benefits, limitations, and trade-offs. Then shift into Energy Transformations, tracing how energy changes from chemical to thermal, mechanical, and electromagnetic as you build explanations, use models, and make real-world connections. Leave with free Switch Classroom lessons and classroom-ready strategies for grades 4–12.

SPEAKERS:
Jillian Swets

Sponsoring Company: LEGO Education

Looking for ways to make science accessible for every student? Join Dr. Lisa Wright (Compton USD) and Sr. Learning Designer, Stacia Jackson (LEGO Education) to explore how hands-on, collaborative learning can engage diverse learners and transform outcomes in K–8 science. During this session, experience an interactive science lesson and learn strategies from real classrooms. Walk away with hands-on materials, sample lessons, and practical strategies to support diverse learners and bring inclusive science instruction to life in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Stacia Jackson, Lisa Wright Ed.D

Learn how OpenSciEd’s new middle school units are intentionally designed to expand access to computer science by integrating it directly into science instruction. This session will introduce an instructional model that addresses longstanding equity gaps in computer science education by embedding programming, computational thinking, and engineering design into phenomenon-based science investigations. Explore how this approach not only deepens science understanding but also inspires students, especially those historically underrepresented in STEM, to pursue advanced computer science courses and careers. We will also explore how computer science serves as the foundation for understanding emerging technologies like generative AI, helping students make sense of the innovations shaping their world. Participants will additionally learn about the career exploration opportunities woven into the units that help students make meaningful connections to their futures in STEM fields.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how integrating computer science into middle school science builds equitable access to computer science while preparing students with the foundational skills to understand and engage with AI and other emerging technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Neill

Contact forces might be all around us, but the juicy nuggets in this unit help them make sense. This session helps you uncover key features in Carnival of Collisions that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like balanced and unbalanced forces, motion, and collisions. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are knocking down bowing pins or smashing watermelons, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover classroom-ready tools in Carnival of Collisions that help students explore contact forces and investigate what really happens when objects crash, bounce, or come to a sudden stop.

SPEAKERS:
Tommy Clayton, Arash Jamshidi, Spencer Martin

Join us for an exciting and hands-on workshop designed specifically for educators! In collaboration with Estes Rockets and Blue Origin’s Club for the Future, this session will provide you with the tools and knowledge to inspire your students through the power of rocketry and space exploration. Learn how you can implement this New Glenn inspired lesson into your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Enhance your understanding of rocket science and space exploration and equip yourself with practical, engaging lesson plans and activities.

SPEAKERS:
Bela Power, Kristen Yip

During this session, we will discuss how expanding your leadership capacity in science education begins with understanding where your school or district currently stands—and where it aspires to be. This session engages participants in a reflective process to identify leadership opportunities that strengthen systems of support for science, technology, and engineering teaching and learning. Through structured protocols for analyzing school and district data, participants will learn how to highlight areas of growth, communicate findings effectively with building and district leaders, and leverage this information to drive meaningful change. The session will also provide strategies for facilitating professional learning, fostering collaboration, and building networks that enhance science instruction and strengthen departmental coherence.

TAKEAWAYS:
Identifying how data can provide insight into instructional needs and successes to build collaborative professional learning opportunities that create lasting systems of support to strengthen your science department.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Warren

Artificial intelligence is rapidly entering science classrooms, and education leaders play a key role in shaping how it strengthens student sensemaking. This session explores how AI can help students ask stronger questions, reason with evidence, and engage more deeply with phenomena. Leaders will learn how to communicate a clear, purposeful vision for AI use, one that promotes thoughtful integration and supports high-quality science investigations. The session also highlights ways to partner with parents to build understanding and shared confidence in AI’s role in learning. Participants will leave with tools to assess readiness, articulate guiding principles, and position AI as a productive thinking partner in phenomenon-based science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to guide AI use to deepen science sensemaking, promote purposeful rather than restrictive practices, and engage parents as partners in supporting students’ phenomenon-based investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Lazzaro, Velma Itamura

"When developing skills in-game and an understanding of science concepts are one and the same - digital games can make learning dynamic, fun and accessible." Join Smithsonian Science Education Center’s Digital Team as we dive deeper into bringing scientific phenomena to life using game-based learning. In this discussion, we will be covering topics such as how our team uses storytelling and narratives to help contextualize complex scientific concepts, how games make certain scientific phenomena accessible, how games can be designed for all users, and how they can help support students with different learning styles. We are excited to share our skills, free learning resources, and enthusiasm with you all, so please join us in expanding learning through games.

TAKEAWAYS:
Digital Games are suited for and should be designed for play-based learning Storytelling and narratives help contextualize complex science concepts Games and sims can give access to scientific phenomena that can be too far away, too big, too small, or too inaccessible for any other reason

SPEAKERS:
Brian Mandell

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Join this interactive session packed with hands-on activities spanning life, physical, and earth science that are designed capture interest and enhance comprehension. Watch engaging demonstrations, explore classroom-ready investigations, and discover practical strategies that make science active, accessible, and exciting for all learners. Whether you’re looking to refresh your curriculum or energize your classroom, this session delivers ideas you can use right away. Handouts included.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Knabe

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Unlock the full potential of multidimensional science learning through engineering! Discover how to engage students with hands-on learning and digital tools that bridge science content and practices. Boost critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity!

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Bonville

Multilingual learners bring diverse strengths, experiences, and language resources to the science classroom. Using a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) lens, this session explores how teachers can make intentional instructional choices to support meaningful participation for multilingual learners and benefit all students. Participants will analyze classroom video to identify how teachers proactively make choices that provide multiple ways for students to access ideas, engage in sensemaking, and communicate their thinking. Participants will leave with classroom-ready strategies for supporting multilingual learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use a UDL-informed approach to design science instruction that leverages multilingual learners’ strengths and provides multiple pathways for all students to engage in sensemaking and communicate their thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Pawlowski, Ji Sun Ham, Zoe Evans

Discover how we've transformed our classrooms into innovation labs where sustainability meets technology with Invention Engine from the makers of Edison robots! The modular system's 15 connectable bits and programmable sensors (LEDs, motors, sound, temperature, etc.) easily attach to recyclable cardboard, making #STEMontheCheap accessible to all students. Experience how upper elementary and middle school students contribute to the Internet of Things by designing cardboard inventions controlled by the programmable hub that responds to real-world data. We've successfully aligned these invention projects with science and math standards, teaching concepts from forces and motion to sound, light, rotation, angles, and more through hands-on coding and construction. Teachers will leave with practical strategies for weaving invention-based projects into their curriculum—projects that spark engagement, build computational thinking, and empower every learner to bring innovative ideas to life.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how invention-based learning with programmable sensors and simple materials can connect to science and math standards while empowering students to invent, problem-solve, and engage in creative STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Torres, DaNel Hogan

Learn how to write assessments to then identify, document, and address student learning deficiencies and implementing RTI in the Science Classroom. Participants will also learn how to add a built in intervention time during the day and how we provide extensions and also include our elective teachers into providing interventions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn concrete ways to identify students who need RTI, creating spreadsheets to track student data, and developing a intervention plan to address student needs.

SPEAKERS:
Kyla Glasser

Elevate your science teaching with “Tools for Teachers: Effective Science Lesson Resource,” an interactive workshop designed to empower educators. In this session, you’ll explore the development and purpose behind the Tools for Teachers Science resources and receive clear, step-by-step guidance on how to access and navigate these valuable materials. Experience a sample modeled lesson that demonstrates practical ways to integrate these resources into your daily instruction, making science lessons more engaging and effective for all students. You’ll gain real-world strategies for implementing standards-aligned activities that foster student understanding and curiosity. By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave equipped with the confidence, insights, and tools needed to enrich your science teaching and maximize the impact of the Tools for Teachers resources in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of the workshop, you’ll leave equipped with the confidence, insights, and tools needed to enrich your science teaching and maximize the impact of the Tools for Teachers resources in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Anthony Quan

Why do some burned hillsides suddenly flood or slide after a storm? This session uses phenomena-based instruction to explore how soil chemistry and structure regulate water movement, nutrient transport, and pollutant filtration. Participants will engage in hands-on activities that model how soils can absorb or repel water, store and release nutrients, and contribute to hazards such as flooding, landslides, and fire-altered soils that become water-repellent. Investigating soil data and maps, educators will uncover how soil processes connect to essential Earth and environmental science concepts. Participants will leave with freely available resources, professional development opportunities, and strategies for guiding students to explain natural hazards and ecosystem functions through the lens of soil science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Why do burned slopes flood or slide? Engage your students in hands-on soil investigations to uncover how structure and chemistry regulate water flow, stability, and susceptibility to hazards and take home free resources to spark phenomena-based learning in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Brase, Lindsay Mossa, Natalie Macke

Are you wanting to learn some fun and engaging physics activities in-line with the NGSS Standards? This session will give you a lesson to bring back to school and use or share with your colleagues. In our session we will be looking at balanced and unbalanced forces, calculating speed and motion graphs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience physics fun for 6-8 Science as they apply to the NGSS MS-PS3-1 standards. We will use hot wheels to collect data to calculate speed and create motion graphs using hands-on technology.

SPEAKERS:
Becky Walker, Amy Rush

Students bring amazing intellectual resources to make sense of science phenomena based on their personal and community experiences—including languages, perspectives, gestures, as well as knowledge, interests, and values. Come learn how to notice and leverage those intellectual gifts in your teaching! By analyzing a series of awesome learning situations, this session asks participants to work with others to ‘learn to see’ students’ diverse sense-making resources—and connect these pedagogical strategies to their own classroom practice. Come join us for this fun, interactive session!

TAKEAWAYS:
Culturally responsive education supports student sensemaking and learning in science. Inclusive science strategies help teachers learn to see and leverage students’ diverse sense-making resources. These methods help us create and adapt curriculum that is equitable and centered on justice.

SPEAKERS:
Philip Bell

Tired of dragging yourself home from school with nothing left? This session includes laughter, honesty, and the magical 2-word argument stopper that works on students, teens, & family. We’ll use bubbles in this session. Bubbles? Yep, bubbles! Learn how to set boundaries, keep your spark alive, and still be awesome at teaching. This will be the best hour of the conference.. You don’t want to miss it!

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of the workshop, you will be able to spot burnout before it reaches critical mass, & set boundaries without guilt. You'll leave with strategies to protect your energy, spark curiosity, & still have brainpower left for your own life.

SPEAKERS:
Nancy Foote

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Banish “I don’t know” from your classroom! In this energetic, hands-on workshop, you’ll learn a set of practical strategies to ensure every student feels confident to contribute. From low-stakes response structures to evidence-based questioning techniques, you’ll discover how to create a culture of accountability, equity, and joy in participation. You’ll leave with a ready-to-use playbook of strategies that drive engagement and keep all learners actively involved.

SPEAKERS:
Clayton Forest

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Assume the role of a crime scene investigator to solve a realistic crime scenario. Students use fingerprint, hair analysis, tire track impressions, blood typing, forensic entomology, and a police log review to identify a primary suspect from a pool of 6 alleged perpetrators.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

PBL has been proven to be an effective teaching strategy in the science classroom. This session will provide an overview of Project Based Learning including the difference between project and problem based learning, how to manage a PBL, and how to maintain a legacy PBL.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with strategies to implement PBL in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Nadene Klein

Yale professor Laurie Santos' course "Psychology and the Good Life" became a campus phenomenon in 2018, attracting nearly 25% of Yale undergraduates. Its free Coursera version has since enrolled almost 5 million people worldwide. This workshop offers educators a condensed experience of the science behind happiness and well-being through targeted mini-lessons and interactive activities. Drawing from Santos' research and "How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier," participants will explore why our intuitions about happiness often mislead us and examine the cognitive biases that distort our expectations. The seminar introduces evidence-based strategies from gratitude science and positive psychology for authentic happiness. Teachers will gain practical tools to implement these techniques in their personal lives and classrooms, fostering student well-being and creating school communities that promote genuine flourishing and positive habit formation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn evidence-based strategies to enhance personal well-being and discover practical tools to implement happiness science in their classrooms, helping students develop authentic happiness practices while addressing common misconceptions about what truly drives human flourishing.

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Kos

Discover how STEM goes beyond traditional math and science. This interactive session helps teachers find hidden STEM jobs, and plan learning pathways for students of all grades, from early exposure to high school specialization. Educators will leave with a wide range of tools they need to help every student believe that they can succeed in STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will uncover a wide range of STEM-connected careers, begin to map learning pathways from elementary to high school, and leave with ready-to-use tools assisting teachers in helping students see themselves as capable problem-solvers with real-world futures in STEM..

SPEAKERS:
Kia Thomas, Randy Kolset

The first year implementing OpenSciEd is often about keeping pace with the flow of units. In this session, we’ll share what we’ve learned about going deeper within the curriculum by tapping into valuable tools that often get overlooked in the first year. The GEMS-Net project, based at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Education, has been collaborating with teachers in their first few years of OpenSciEd implementation to explore supports, including the Teacher Handbook, Teacher Tools and Resources, and Unit Overview documents. Teachers have found this work to be valuable for planning, instruction, and supporting student sensemaking. Join us to dig into these resources together and leave with concrete strategies for elevating your OpenSciEd implementation beyond the first pass.

TAKEAWAYS:
Join us for a deep dive into often overlooked OpenSciEd resources and leave with strategies for advancing your instruction beyond the first year of implementation. Discover how to leverage valuable resources to deepen planning, instruction, and student sensemaking when teaching with OpenSciEd.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Emery, Catherine Knasas, Sarah Reis, Caroline Stabile

Look up at the ceiling when you’re at the grocery store, your school, or offices. What will you often see? Fire sprinklers! What role do fire sprinklers have in engineering and designing fire-safe spaces? In this workshop we evaluate the structure and function of a fire sprinkler to understand how thermodynamics lead to the bulb breaking and how a system of fire sprinklers work to limit the impact of fire. Xplorlabs: The Science of Fire Safety was developed in partnership with UL Research Institutes' Fire Safety Research Institute and the National Fire Sprinkler Association. Participants will preview the no-cost Science of Fire Safety pathway and consider its potential as part of their classroom curriculum. During which they will observe the effectiveness of a home sprinkler system using actual lab footage from ULRI, explore the phenomenon of thermal expansion to activate a sprinkler, and ideate how students can use this to design fire safe spaces.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants leave inspired to consider ways for students to design safer spaces and make informed fire safety decisions based on safety science. Participants also consider the opportunity to integrate any of the no-cost Xplorlabs pathways as part of their classroom curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Sternberg, Jessica Sparacino, Abi NeSmith, Justin Guida

Join our session to learn about resources developed to support instruction in inclusive classrooms. These resources, designed within the Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Assessment System at the University of Kansas, are based on “learning maps”—cognitive models that specify multiple pathways for student learning, accounting for diverse learning needs. Learning maps show progressions of knowledge and skills in all three science dimensions, allowing for flexible integration of dimensions to help educators meet students where they are and work toward common learning goals for all students. This session will use the SEP Planning and Carrying Out Investigations to illustrate how learning maps can support planning targeted and individualized inquiry-based instruction in middle school. Teachers of science in general education classrooms, special educators who teach science, and science educators interested in supporting all students’ learning are encouraged to attend.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about 3-D science learning maps and how to use related resources from the Dynamic Learning Maps system that are publicly-available, aimed at planning targeted and individualized inquiry-based instruction in inclusive classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Richardson, Dante Cisterna

Discover how to create a more functional and engaging classroom by empowering students through meaningful roles and validated scientific inquiry. This session will explore how a structured system of classroom and lab jobs can foster student responsibility, build a strong sense of community, and develop critical skills. It will also highlight the benefits of centering student ideas in science, which boosts confidence, encourages risk-taking, and deepens learning. Learn how to combine these strategies to cultivate an environment where students feel valued, confident, and motivated to contribute to their learning community. The second half of the session will demonstrate how celebrating student ideas in the science classroom can encourage responsible risk-taking and promote deeper learning. By validating student contributions and framing mistakes as growth opportunities, educators can create a collaborative environment that boosts confidence and fosters student-driven discovery.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a toolkit of actionable strategies to implement both systems, empowering students to take ownership of their learning and become valued, contributing members of the classroom community.

SPEAKERS:
Caitlin Quinn, Amy Couch

How do we balance innovation, private rights, and civic responsibility? This session connects America’s founding principles to modern challenges in science and engineering. Using primary sources and considering modern challenges, you will explore activities and civil discourse practices that help students analyze whether discoveries should be shared for the public good or protected as private property. Gain strategies to guide students in designing inventions that address civic needs and in proposing how innovations should be shared. With alignment to engineering and civics standards, and integration of literacy and technology, the session offers an engaging way to connect the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, or U.S. history more broadly, to science and engineering classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to guide students in examining the balance between scientific innovation, private rights, and the public good in U.S. history and today. This integrates engineering, civics, and civil discourse as students design solutions to civic needs.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Lane

Sponsoring Company: The Energy Coalition

Inspire students to lead energy actions and the transition to clean energy! This hands-on workshop is designed to bring renewable energy to life in the classroom. The session will equip educators with practical knowledge and resources to engage students in energy-related concepts, including renewable resources, while fostering energy literacy and sustainability awareness. During the session, participants will accomplish the following: - Understand the country’s energy system, energy resilience, and the different types of energy sources. - Build a model wind turbine and test the energy output with digital multimeters. - Reflect on and discuss their own learning, and consider how they could implement the activity in their own classrooms using the provided resources.

SPEAKERS:
Bianca Avina

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Experience firsthand how PASCO has integrated our award-winning sensors and technology into OpenSciEd investigations. See how students engage in real-time data collection and analysis, while teachers save valuable preparation time using PASCO's One-Way Mirror Model. Discover how the PASCO Portal® streamlines and organizes the entire OpenSciEd curriculum, simplifying planning and instructions while providing additional supports such as on-demand professional learning and more. Whether you're interested in starting a pilot or moving toward full implementation, PASCO has you covered.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Brennan

Sponsoring Company: Anatomy in Clay

In this workshop, attendees will build replicas of human anatomy using clay and a specially designed skeletal model in a classroom setting. Educators will learn how to implement a unique curriculum system which helps students create a kinesthetic map of the human anatomy. They will acquire the knowledge to engage science students with immediate, hands-on learning using a proven method that is nationally recognized to increase student retention and test scores.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Simonsen

We show how instructional materials can be adapted for local contexts—and how to elevate issues of climate justice and ethical responses to the climate crisis. Participants will learn about how a high school physics unit from OpenSciEd about reliable energy sources was adapted to attend to Indigenous land rights and sovereignty.

TAKEAWAYS:
Related to STEM projects in society (e.g., energy transition, ecological restoration), teachers will learn how to engage students in exploring moral and ethical dimensions of trade-offs in project approaches. A broadly applicable framework for equity-focused curriculum adaptation will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Fowler, Philip Bell

In this session, we will model close reading lessons using both a document camera (traditional method) and a computer (technology integration) to demonstrate intentional annotation in science texts and assessments. Participants will engage in simulated classroom experiences, gaining a clear understanding of what effective text analysis with purposeful annotation looks and sounds like, as well as how to facilitate it. Short, manageable science passages will be used to ensure active participation and meaningful discussion. We’ll begin by exploring traditional annotation techniques using the document camera, then transition to digital tools—showing how uploaded texts can be annotated to support 21st-century learners. This hands-on approach will equip participants with practical strategies for blending traditional and modern methods to enhance comprehension and critical thinking in the science disciplines.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session empowers teachers to use intentional annotation (AI) to guide students in navigating grade-level science texts. AI, Please! boosts close reading and comprehension by combining purposeful annotation with practical classroom strategies to elevate science literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Yolanda Williams

Come hear about how our NSF-funded informal science education project inspired bilingual (English/Spanish) 5th–6th grade Latinas and their parents through hands-on rocketry and culturally responsive science learning. This 7-week program, grounded in Family Problem-Based Learning and Community Cultural Wealth, fostered curiosity, confidence, and family engagement in science. Presenters will share key curriculum elements and artifacts from three successful iterations, highlighting strategies that bridge home and school learning. Attendees will participate in two interactive activities. In the first activity, we will design personalized NASA mission patches while exploring their symbolism and history. In the second activity, we will model an activity that celebrates contributions of Latino/a scientists and engineers by designing a social media post. Come ready to create, collaborate, and take home practical ideas to launch inclusive family science experiences in your own community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how culturally responsive, family-centered rocketry experiences can ignite young Latinas’ curiosity and strengthen science identity through hands-on, bilingual engagement for both students and parents.

SPEAKERS:
Caitlyn Ishaq, Peter Rillero, Margarita Jimenez-Silva

Modeling is everywhere in NGSS, but too often it’s treated as a final product instead of a thinking process. This session reframes modeling as an iterative cycle of develop → revise → predict that makes student sensemaking visible at every stage. Participants will walk through the cycle themselves, starting with initial sketches, updating as evidence is introduced, and ending with predictive models. Alongside their own work, they will examine authentic student examples from lessons on seasons, energy systems, and engineering. To lower barriers, attendees will explore ready-to-use templates and a universal flowchart that help teachers choose the right modeling pathway for a given standard. Grounded in equity and accessibility, this approach ensures that modeling is not reserved for advanced learners, but a core practice that empowers all students to build, test, and refine ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain tools—including modeling templates, prompts, and a decision flowchart—to support equitable student engagement in the complete NGSS modeling cycle.

SPEAKERS:
Reyna Rivera

Empower your teaching with “Supporting Multilingual Learners with a Science Scaffold Toolkit.” This session is designed for educators seeking effective strategies to help multilingual learners thrive in science classrooms. Explore a step-by-step science lesson sequence that integrates the Science Scaffold Toolkit—an innovative resource focused on supporting language development, facilitating science inquiry, and enhancing student engagement with scientific content. You'll learn how to leverage practical scaffolds such as vocabulary supports, sentence frames, and visual aids to make science accessible and meaningful for all students. Join us to gain hands-on experience, discover adaptable tools, and leave equipped to foster both language acquisition and scientific thinking in your multilingual learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with the Science Scaffold Toolkit in hand, along with practical strategies for seamlessly integrating it into daily instruction—all aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Anthony Quan

Data-rich instruction is central to modern science learning—but for many schools, integrating larger datasets and data tools into lessons remains challenging. This session supports science educators, instructional coaches, and district leaders who are helping teachers build data fluency within existing curricula. Drawing on insights from projects funded by NSF and NASA, we'll uncover common roadblocks to bringing real data into classrooms and explore practical tools, datasets, and instructional strategies that promote equity-centered data access. Participants will examine professional learning approaches, scaffolds, and leadership moves that make data experiences meaningful, sustainable, and aligned with evolving STEM goals. Walk away ready to use data as a bridge for authentic collaboration across disciplines—building shared ownership of student learning and strengthening a culture of inquiry across classrooms and systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders will leave with a framework and strategies to support teachers in weaving authentic data use into science instruction—building coherence, confidence, and capacity for data-rich teaching across grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Salisbury, Karen Lionberger

Join the NSTA PL committee for one or all of these sessions in our Interdisciplinary Connections strand to explore the what, why and how of interdisciplinary science teaching and learning. Each session will engage participants in interactive experiences to solve problems or investigate phenomena using science while focusing on a particular pairing of interdisciplinary opportunities. In this session, you will explore the connection between math and science. Attendees will engage in activities to demonstrate how math can be vertically aligned and supported throughout a student’s education, K-12. Participants will use the phenomenon of why some storms cause more damage as an example of how math and science learning are inextricably linked. Using real-world data to analyze and model storm effects and develop risk assessments using probability and statistics, attendees will learn how every age can collect and use real-world data to explore a phenomenon and increase their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how teaching math is inextricable from teaching science and be given examples of how that looks when vertically aligned in K-12. Participants will use real-life data to model a phenomenon mathematically, boosting both math and science understanding in a meaningful way.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Dong, Jesse Wilcox

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Get ready to roll up your sleeves and let the breeze inspire your inner engineer! In this lively, hands-on session, teachers will explore Switch Classroom’s Intro to Wind lesson and see how engaging renewable energy instruction can be. You’ll investigate how wind becomes power, then design, build, and test a mini windmill using everyday recycled materials like cardboard, paper, and plastic bottles. Adaptable from upper elementary through high school, this engineering challenge brings real-world problem solving into any classroom. Participants will engage in NGSS-aligned practices by developing prototypes, testing and refining designs, analyzing performance data, and explaining how kinetic energy transforms into mechanical and electrical energy (MS-PS3-5, MS-ETS1-1–4, HS-ETS1-2). Leave with free Switch Classroom resources, a classroom-ready design challenge, and wind-powered inspiration to energize your students.

SPEAKERS:
Jillian Swets

This workshop equips both middle and high school teachers to use My NASA Data’s Earth System Data Explorer to investigate the Urban Heat Island Effect as a phenomenon for teaching heat transfer and thermodynamics. Participants will work with authentic NASA satellite datasets—land surface temperature, albedo, and vegetation indices—to explore how urban and rural environments differ in absorbing and releasing energy. Case studies from California and North Carolina provide contrasting examples of geography, land cover, and climate, helping participants connect conduction, convection, and radiation to real-world contexts. Educators will leave with NGSS-aligned, classroom-ready lessons and strategies for guiding students in analyzing satellite data, constructing explanations, and applying science concepts to local and global challenges of urbanization and climate resilience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Middle and high school science teachers will gain classroom-ready, phenomena-based lessons using NASA satellite data to investigate Earth’s energy budget, making heat transfer and thermodynamics meaningful through the Urban Heat Island Effect.

SPEAKERS:
Kellyn Hardin, Natalie Macke

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Construct an eco-column to model ecosystem interactions and human impacts. This workshop provides materials and experiment ideas—such as testing fertilizer effects on water quality—while connecting investigations to NGSS concepts like energy flow and matter cycling. Ideal for middle and high school science.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Stubbs

Addressing climate change can be challenging. Students are given tools for evaluating information then provided a series of myths about climate change. Using reputable data, they dispel the myths with accurate information and use multiple explanations to understand common misconceptions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students are provided with a checklist to determine if information is accurate on a fictional web page. Through small group discussions, students share their perceptions of accurate data and what it means, then challenged to decide if this information is valid in helping to understand climate change.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Tucker

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Discover how algae beads can transform the way students explore photosynthesis and cellular respiration. In this interactive session, participants will design experiments to test how light intensity, wavelength, and temperature influence these biological processes. Experience a hands-on investigation that helps students visualize complex concepts while practicing authentic scientific inquiry.

SPEAKERS:
Marissa Zefeldt

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Learn how to spark curiosity and develop scientific thinking using molecular biology techniques adapted for middle school students. This session highlights a collaborative pilot program designed to build confidence, support hands-on learning, and connect biotech to issues students care about. Take away practical strategies and classroom-ready activities that encourage teamwork, perseverance, and authentic exploration.

SPEAKERS:
Erika Fong

This presentation explores how AI can support student sensemaking by guiding learners through the process of building models from regional, relevant datasets. Participants will see how interdisciplinary connections between science and statistics can be strengthened when students use AI as a scaffold to develop spreadsheet formulas, test predictions, and refine hypotheses. Rather than conducting analysis for them, AI prompts students with guiding questions and formula structures that empower them to explore correlations and relationships independently. This approach emphasizes student agency, encouraging learners to make predictions, brainstorm modeling strategies, and iteratively improve their work. By situating the activity in regional contexts, the project ensures relevance and authenticity, helping students connect data patterns to real-world phenomena. Educators will leave with strategies for integrating AI into classroom projects that deepen inquiry, foster statistical reasoning,

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will go on a data adventure exploring real datasets, uncovering variable relationships, and using AI as a supportive tool. This journey, appropriate for grades 6-12, deepens inquiry, strengthens modeling skills, and inspires more meaningful, data-driven learning.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Stirling, Lora Gibbons, Theresa Goltermann

Down to Earth is a free program with six design challenge missions using International Space Station (ISS) research to inspire middle schoolers to address real-world environmental challenges. Each mission includes hands-on investigations, engineering design challenges, background information, worksheets, and implementation materials. This session showcases two new missions focused on food science in space. Cosmic Crops explores how NASA's hydroponic systems grow fresh food in microgravity and how these technologies combat food insecurity on Earth. Orbital Eats explores how scientists develop safe, nutritious meals for extreme environments, with applications for food access challenges on Earth. Attendees experience sample activities and design challenges while learning implementation strategies for diverse settings. Activities align with NGSS standards, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and Career and Technical Education pathways. Walk away with ready-to-use resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will gain hands-on experience with activities that use ISS food science to engage students in solving local food security challenges, plus free lesson plans, assessment tools, and implementation strategies for connecting space agriculture technology to community-based action.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Roberts

The process of science is driven by questions. While it’s easy to ask a general question, crafting an investigable question requires deeper thinking and intentionality. Doing so within the constraints of an existing dataset creates an additional challenge. This session, co-facilitated by the NSTA professional learning team and Tuva, will highlight strategies for helping students clarify what data they have to work with, determine the types of questions that can and cannot be answered with a given dataset, and frame six different types of questions about data.

TAKEAWAYS:
The types of questions you can ask depend on the data you have. Participants will learn how to guide students in identifying the structure and limits of the local datasets they encounter and in framing investigable questions that unlock the potential of data.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Foran, Brianna Reilly Oliveira

Many educators, families, and communities understand that STEM learning can lead to rewarding careers that support strong, stable futures. The question then becomes: how do we let our students know that everyone has a place in STEM? And, if everyone has a place in STEM, how do we expose all students to meaningful STEM opportunities? Together, schools and communities can create intentional pathways to make STEM opportunities available to all students. In this session, we will explore some of these strategies with a particular focus on how schools can partner with families and communities to infuse STEM into in- and out-of-school learning experiences and tap into the local STEM assets that can be found in every community if we look for them! We will also explore how to build multiple pathways into STEM that allow for students to engage from kindergarten into postsecondary pursuits into STEM careers, as well as how schools, families, and communities can embed career connections int

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how schools, families, and communities can work together to create meaningful STEM pathways, helping every student see themselves in STEM and access engaging, real-world opportunities from early childhood through postsecondary careers.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Stanley, Kristen McInerney

While HQIM are an important lever that can impact students’ science experiences, access to HQIM is not consistent across schools and impacts marginalized students most. And, claims around NGSS in materials is common. How might educators sift through all this information to identify materials that best meet their students' needs? Participants will learn about the characteristics of high-quality phenomena, problems, and sensemaking and how to identify those characteristics when selecting and using materials. They will utilize sample lesson materials, identifying the presence and use of phenomena/problems and sensemaking and considering how these factors contribute to student experiences. Through guided practice and discussion, participants will learn how to begin to narrow materials selection through a critical lens. Participants will also orient to EdReports' free reviews of instructional materials and other resources for making materials selections for their school or classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain an understanding of the characteristics of phenomena/problems and sensemaking opportunities and how to identify them in materials. With example lessons, they will use tools to evaluate materials for NGSS-aligned instruction in order to effectively identify aspects of quality.

SPEAKERS:
Sam Shaw

Harness the power of the Infinity Stones to teach the rock cycle! Each stone represents a rock type (igneous, sedimentary, metamorphic), and students journey through Earth processes in Marvel-themed stations and comic-style CER writing. This geology unit blends superheroes, hands-on modeling, and NGSS-based Earth science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with an NGSS-aligned, Marvel-themed rock cycle unit that makes geology unforgettable and fun.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

Data sensemaking is the process by which students explore, analyze and interpret data as they seek to make sense of science phenomena (Griffith et al. 2026, in press). It is central to students’ ability to think critically, draw evidence-based conclusions, and engage in authentic science practices. In this workshop, participants will unpack what data sensemaking practices (e.g., interpret patterns in context) are and how they were designed to enhance students’ SEP 2, 4, 5, and 6 skills. We will explore various strategies (e.g., Hypothesis Array), in the context of real-word climate data and freely available lesson plans and resources, to broaden participants' toolkits for integrating data into their own curricula. Through hands-on learning with data, small-group collaboration, and whole-group reflection, participants will gain strategies for increasing students’ data skills and leave equipped with free, research-based resources to bring authentic data sensemaking into their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn research-based data sensemaking practices and strategies, experience them with real-world climate data, and explore Data Puzzles lessons and Puzzle Piece resources they can adapt to strengthen NGSS-aligned data use in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Bridget Walsh, Kristin Hunter-Thomson, Annette Brickley

This session focuses on a NSTA and Johns Hopkins University lesson, connecting the ocean exploration and marine technology expertise of Dr. James Bellingham, author of How Are Marine Robotics Shaping Our Future?, to the classroom. Participants will explore how the lesson fosters student sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Johns Hopkins Wavelengths lesson explored in the session provides opportunities for secondary students to use physical science ideas to explain how marine technologies aid in seafloor mapping.

SPEAKERS:
Jim Bellingham, Patrice Scinta

Helping students make sense of the natural world is at the heart of science teaching. This session explores how thinking strategies make student reasoning visible and serve as powerful assessment tools. Participants will see examples from 7th- and 8th-grade classrooms where students use prompts and data to explain Earth and chemical processes, including a local water quality study that connects chemistry, geography, and human impact on ecosystems. These strategies help students explain ideas clearly, test them with evidence, and revise their understanding as they connect scientific concepts to real-world systems. They also support diverse learners, including multilingual, neurodivergent, and differently engaged students, by offering multiple ways to represent and share their thinking. Teachers can use this evidence to assess both understanding and process as all students engage in authentic scientific sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to use thinking strategies as assessment tools to make student reasoning visible, support diverse learners, and deepen understanding through authentic, evidence-based scientific sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Lara Kossiakoff

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

The Framework calls for an assessment system that supports teacher autonomy and multiple ways for students to demonstrate their ability to reason with the three dimensions. In OpenSciEd, assessments are embedded in the unit, options include self- and peer-assessment, and multi-component tasks. This shift to OSE provides students with 3-dimensional opportunities to work through and demonstrate their use of science practices, application of crosscutting concepts, and understanding of science content. In this session, come see what makes us different! Participants will learn about the elements of three-dimensional assessments, analyze assessments with student work, and become familiar with the OSE Assessment System and OSE Grading Planning Tool, which we’ll explore both lesson-level and Unit-level assessment approaches to supporting all students’ sense-making through the learnings.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Gutierrez, Faith Blaine

Ever wish Mark Rober could co-teach your class? This session shows how Class CrunchLabs uses video, voice, and story to spark curiosity and launch rigorous learning. We will break down how to introduce a storyline, use Mark’s videos as authentic investigation starters, and weave hands-on challenges through episodes of science and engineering. You will also get a peek behind the scenes at how the team builds each unit to help students explain ‘the how’ after experiencing ‘the wow.’ Optional bonus: watermelon smashing included.

TAKEAWAYS:
See how NGSS storylines, teacher supports, and Mark Rober’s videos work together to launch engaging science units that get students asking questions and thinking like scientists from day one.

SPEAKERS:
DeAnna Lee Rivers, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Is there a reason to wear sneakers in gym class or a white shirt on a sunny day? The data say yes! Help middle school students explore real-world science with Vernier sensors that measure temperature, light, color, force & acceleration. Walk away with 3D, sensor-based experiments for your toolkit.

SPEAKERS:
Tom Smith

As AI becomes a routine part of science learning, educators across roles are looking for ways to lead its purposeful and productive use. This leadership session provides practical guidance for communicating about AI in ways that inspire curiosity, strengthen science sensemaking, and support phenomenon-based investigations. Participants will explore clear, consistent language and implementation strategies that empower teachers, engage families, and encourage thoughtful experimentation with AI as a reasoning partner. The session highlights supportive structures and approaches that help diverse learners and build educator confidence. Attendees will leave with insights and strategies they can adapt to guide AI-enabled science learning in their own classrooms, departments, schools, or districts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to communicate and implement AI in ways that inspire curiosity, strengthen sensemaking, and reshape classroom culture through purposeful routines, while partnering with parents and the community.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Lazzaro, Velma Itamura

This session features an 8th grade unit designed to connect science learning with students' local community. Anchored in the importance of biodiversity for humans and other species to thrive, the storyline invites students to ask what impact access to nature and biodiversity has on our mental health and how can we make biodiversity accessible to everyone? Participants will engage in selected lessons that show how teachers can launch learning with student questions and investigations that ultimately build toward understanding of the influence of environmental conditions on trait frequencies and the importance of green space corridors to serve as wildlife bridges for species. Effective field experiences inspire students to take action and implement design solutions in their community that expand the benefits of biodiversity and ecosystem services, illustrating how careful classroom design can link three-dimensional science learning with meaningful opportunities for action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the phenomenon of biodiversity impacting mental health to engage students in rigorous, three-dimensional science learning while highlighting the power of community partnerships and field experiences to inspire students to explore local solutions and enact change.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Learn, Diana Tafoya, Jeremiah Potter, Graham Montgomery

If the idea of integrating computational thinking (CT) feels overwhelming, this workshop is for you! Together, we’ll demystify CT and explore strategies to bring it to life in your classroom. Through hands-on activities—both plugged and unplugged—and practical examples, you’ll discover how CT can spark problem-solving and creativity across subjects, not just computer science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with a clearer understanding of what computational thinking entails and practical strategies to make this 21st-century skill accessible to all students.

SPEAKERS:
Bo Yu, Yishan Lee

Sponsoring Company: Science Communication Lab

Step away from the daily rush and rediscover the joy of looking closely. Join fellow K–12 educators for an immersive professional development workshop centered on one of science’s most fundamental practices: observation. This interactive event features OBSERVER—our new documentary that follows scientists, artists, and other curious minds as they explore and interpret the world around them. In this workshop, you’ll dive into creative, hands-on activities inspired by the film. Using simple everyday tools, you’ll practice the same observational strategies you can bring back to your students—encouraging deeper thinking, inquiry, and curiosity in your classroom. Whether you teach elementary, middle or high school science, this workshop is designed to spark new ideas, build community, and reignite your love for discovery.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Bartol, Ariel Raymond, Brittany Beck, Shannon Behrman

Overwhelmed by OpenSciEd? We were too! Come hear real (sometimes reluctant) teachers share what we’ve learned so far about the transition to a fully OpenSciEd curriculum. We will share practical tips to make Open SciEd easier for newbies, our experiences for a district planning the transition, and how we approached modifications for ELL, Special Ed and substitutes in our classrooms. We will also discuss best practices for scientist circles, notebooks, assessments and progress trackers. Come find that you are not alone in the transition.

TAKEAWAYS:
Practical ideas for implementation of OpenSciEd across middle school grades from real teachers who had to do it.

SPEAKERS:
Jayne Coughlin, Melissa Thomas, Samantha Genier

Come discover how free, NSF-funded tools for data exploration and AI from The Concord Consortium can enhance your NGSS teaching, with a special emphasis on the Science and Engineering Practices. Take away free tips and resources that you can use immediately to bring NGSS to life in your classroom! This hands-on session will demonstrate how teachers can enhance existing lessons using free, open source software for data exploration and science investigation developed by The Concord Consortium over a decade of NSF funding. With a particular emphasis on use of the Science and Engineering Practices, examples and hands-on interaction will engage participants in exploring data, integrating AI tools, and using models and simulations for powerful NGSS-aligned teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will demonstrate a wide variety of materials using free software and platforms developed by The Concord Consortium over a decade of NSF funding. Participants will explore research-based models and simulations, data exploration tools, and AI-powered learning environments.

SPEAKERS:
Chad Dorsey

Students are witnessing the effects of climate change and want both knowledge and hope. This workshop introduces Seeds to Solutions: a free, solutions-focused set of supplemental K–12 units designed to help educators integrate climate change and environmental justice into their practice. Using an inquiry-based, storyline instructional approach, this interdisciplinary curriculum supports data literacy, place-based learning, and the development of models to explain the effects of climate change while allowing students a chance to plan local solutions. Lessons are aligned to California Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and participants will learn how to adapt the units to their own state/local context. Participants will experience a sample lesson that fosters student inquiry and addresses different learning styles. The sample lesson is from a middle school unit, but the program offers resources for all K–12 educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience a sample middle school lesson to see how the Seeds to Solutions storyline instructional model engages a wide range of learners in grades K–12. Participants learn how to create a sense of agency in the face of climate change and adapt units to their state/local context.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Steele

The session will focus on the shift from traditional instruction to three-dimensional, phenomenon-based teaching. Participants will explore how students learn better with phenomena that stimulate student questions and a storyline where each lesson builds on what students have learned in earlier lessons and sets the stage for learning in later lessons. Participants will review examples of anchor phenomena and review a storyline to see how investigative phenomena can be used to support student collection of evidence to answer their questions about the anchor phenomena. We will emphasize having students construct explanations and develop models of phenomena to gather insights into student thinking. Finally, participants will learn a process of developing a phenomenon-based storyline. Through this process, they can see how a coherent storyline can be developed to address all three dimensions, leading to greater student engagement, and fostering a more equitable learning environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
How having students make sense of phenomena leads to greater engagement and better understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Ted Willard

In this session, participants will be introduced to practices used in visualizing data. Presenters Sara Moren and Rachel Langley collaboratively teach middle school math and science. This year, they worked together to enhance their students' understanding of why and how data is used in making decisions. Using puzzle cubes to teach students about data collection, data organization, and using proportional reasoning to make predictions, the presenters will share what they did, what worked, and what ideas they have for further development of these lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using puzzle cubes, participants will engage in a hands-on activity that can be used in both middle school math and science classrooms to help students learn how to visualize data.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Langley, Sara Moren

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Discover over 20 powerful strategies guaranteed to transform student collaboration, connection, and comprehension in the science classroom! Participate in lively, hands-on activities designed to immediately boost classroom interaction and deepen learning. Take home your own set of Stile Enhancing Engagement Toolkit cards, complete with QR code links to videos showing each strategy in action in real science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Erika James

Every superhero has an origin story—and in education, teacher leaders are the heroes transforming classrooms, schools, and communities. This interactive session explores Domains 4 and 5 of the Teacher Leadership Model Standards, emphasizing how teacher leaders facilitate professional learning (Domain 4) and promote the teaching profession (Domain 5). Participants will engage in hands-on, collaborative activities designed to discuss mentoring practices, advocacy skills, and strategies for building teacher voice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Identify key practices within Domains 4 and 5 of the Teacher Leader Model Standards that foster leadership and advocacy.

SPEAKERS:
Jenne VandePanne, Jessica Wagenmaker

“Doing science” requires students to participate in science practices to figure out phenomena, like analyzing and interpreting data, and engaging in argument from evidence. However, these practices involve students “using language” as they make sense of the natural world. For multilingual learners, this is especially difficult when instruction is often presented or expected in English. In this session, we introduce a list of strategies to help consider how to adapt instructional materials to support multilingual learners in “using language(s) and doing science.” Participants will analyze classroom video from an 8th-grade chemical reactions lesson and a 4th-grade Earth processes lesson. Participants will reflect and unpack how the instructional strategies can be used to support multilingual learners in figuring out phenomena, while expanding what counts as sensemaking in science. Then, participants will reflect on and share how they can apply the strategies in their instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will walk away with a set of instructional strategies to notice, support, and engage with multilingual learners in science and engineering practices to explain a phenomenon.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Gomez Zwiep, Samuel Lee

What is the impact of having a dog park in your community? In this hands-on session, participants explore the chemistry of runoff from dog parks and how excessive phosphates from dog waste can disrupt ecosystems and contribute to water pollution. Participants will test soil samples for phosphate levels and use the data to design eco-friendly dog parks that minimize the impact of dog parks on the local community. Learn how phosphate buildup leads to problems like algal blooms and eutrophication. Copies of lessons are provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore the chemistry of runoff from dog parks and how phosphates from dog waste can disrupt ecosystems and contribute to water pollution. Participants will apply analytical skills to measure soil chemistry and use the data to design eco-friendly dog parks.

SPEAKERS:
Cameron Good, Madeline Stallard, M. Gail Jones

Wildfires severely impact soil through physical, chemical, and biological changes. Physically, they destroy protective vegetation, causing immediate erosion, mudslides, and the formation of water-repellent hydrophobic soil. Chemically, fire releases some nutrients but removes vital nitrogen, leading to long-term soil deficiencies and disrupting the nutrient cycle. Biologically, intense heat kills critical microbial communities and beneficial fungi, slowing post-fire recovery for years. This science is translated into 3-D (DCI-SEP-CCC) aligned learning opportunities, including investigations in soil chemistry, microbiology, and physical properties. Climate change has made wildfires a personal issue for so many students, and therefore, culturally relevant pedagogies are addressed within the workshop and materials. All workshop materials will be freely available.

TAKEAWAYS:
Wildfires cause severe physical, chemical, and biological soil damage, leading to erosion, nutrient loss (nitrogen), and microbial death. This workshop will share freely available, and 3-D NGSS-aligned investigations that engage students in the science and issues related to wildfires.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Holzer

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

PASCO’s Wireless CO2 Sensor provides an excellent way to measure and display carbon dioxide as a product or reactant of chemical reactions. In this workshop, you will learn how to facilitate hands-on student labs with user-friendly data collection sensors and analysis software. We will monitor CO2, oxygen, and water vapor levels as we explore several naturally occurring reaction types of respiration, photosynthesis, decomposition, and (small) combustion.

SPEAKERS:
Roger Palmer

When students approach complicated science issues through multiple disciplines, they gain the depth needed to find meaningful solutions. Using the 19th century forced diaspora of Native Americans and its lasting impact on the Great Lakes watershed as a lens for understanding today’s environmental challenges. For thousands of years, Native peoples were wise stewards of North America’s waters, protecting ecosystems of great richness. In contrast, non-Native settlement and declared ownership brought devastating consequences—rivers that caught fire, freshwater seas declared “dead,” the evaporation of saltwater lakes, and the collapse of the Colorado River basin. Today, Native communities, such as the Water Walkers, are leading efforts to heal these waters and inspire change. Through storytelling, music, science, writing, and debate, attendees will experience strategies they can take back to their classrooms—helping students imagine, collaborate, and act as responsible stewards of water.

TAKEAWAYS:
Addressing complex environmental issues requires integrated teaching connecting multiple disciplines. Presenters will show how integrating learning helps students make connections, understand complexity, and develop thoughtful, real-world solutions.

SPEAKERS:
Deborah Draper

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Clothing waste is a growing challenge, but it also creates powerful opportunities for learning. In this session, inspired by The Wear Longer Project created in partnership with Levi’s, participants will explore how everyday clothing items are made, used, repaired, and reused—and what those choices mean for sustainability. Using a simple button-sewing activity as a model, the session highlights how hands-on making builds problem-solving skills and design thinking. This approachable skill sparks meaningful conversations about fibers, tension, stress points, and the environmental impact of repairing versus discarding clothing. Participants will also see how this activity can be adapted for classrooms, makerspaces, clubs, and community programs. You’ll leave with practical ideas and ready-to-use strategies to help students build confidence, think creatively, and ask better questions about materials, durability, and sustainability in their everyday lives.

SPEAKERS:
Carrie Willis, Caitlin Arakawa

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Some science concepts are hard to teach because students can't see them — molecular reactions, energy transfer, plate tectonics. Animation makes invisible processes visible. But it's not just about the visuals; this session explores the learning science behind why BrainPOP's animated movies support understanding. You'll learn before/during/after movie strategies that turn watching into active sensemaking, grounded in research you can reference and results you can see in your classroom

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Bonville

What does brain science tell us about how students learn—and how can we design classrooms where all learners thrive? In this interactive session, participants will experience an explore-before-explain lesson and directly connect it to how the brain processes and retains science learning. We’ll examine a redesigned workshop model that blends the 5E framework, student discourse, and equitable practices, all grounded in the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). This workshop is ideal for teachers and leaders working with diverse populations who want strategies to help every student make sense of science and remember it long-term.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science learning lasts when instruction aligns with how the brain works—engaging the frontal and parietal lobes through exploration, discourse, and purposeful lesson sequencing. Participants will leave with a 5E workshop model and strategies to turn learning into lasting understanding for students.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Rolater, Pam McWilliams

Grading that supports student sensemaking doesn’t have to keep you at school all night. Learn practical approaches to grading that prioritize three-dimensional sensemaking while using technology, collaboration, and existing resources—so you can support students and still have your evenings back.

TAKEAWAYS:
Giving meaningful feedback and assigning grades becomes easier with strong instructional materials and assessments in place—and technology can streamline the process without sacrificing effectiveness for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney

Interested in building a successful science fair for your classroom or school? Want to host a science fair that inspires students, engages families, and strengthens your schools science program with hands on learning and discovery? This session offers a practical roadmap for organizing a science fair at your school- whether you are starting from scratch or revitalizing an existing program. You'll walk away with judging rubics, timelines, templates and communication strategies that have been tested and proven. We'll explore ways to promote equity and access, foster student ownership of projects and align with NGSS and Ohio state standards, and science and engineering practices. Ideal for teachers, STEM coordinators and administrators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn the essential components and timeline of planning a science fair, gain access to ready to use templates, rubrics, parent/student communications, explore strategies to ensure inclusivity and student engagement and understand how to align science fairs with standards.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Pittman, Christina Jandrokovic

A Framework for K-12 Science Education identifies critiquing, arguing, and analyzing as evaluative processes that are foundational to science learning. However, misinformation and the influence of social media make it challenging for students to think critically and scientifically about controversial topics. This session introduces a scaffold that can be used as a formative assessment tool to help students purposefully evaluate connections between lines of evidence and alternative explanations of phenomena for sensemaking. In doing so, middle grades and high school students not only construct a deeper understanding of science topics, but exercise negotiation, evaluation of claims and argumentation among peers which are skills that intertwine with English Language Arts. These resources are available through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) as a collaborative effort for the Lateral Reading & Model-Evidence-Link (LR/MEL) project.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Model-Evidence-Link instructional scaffolds are assessments designed to assist learners as they evaluate the plausibility of evidence connected to models and to exercise negotiation and argument-building skills from evidence. Participants receive access to all instructional materials.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Holzer, Derek Piper, Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Activate Learning Virtual Investigations™ bring interactive, curriculum-aligned OpenSciEd Middle School labs to life anytime, anywhere. Designed to complement hands-on investigations, these virtual labs support students who miss a lab, need extra practice, or benefit from reviewing key concepts before assessments, helping them return to class ready to engage in sensemaking. Join educators from Auburn School District (WA) as they share how Activate Learning Virtual Investigations™ increase access to phenomena, support diverse learners, and make it easier to keep all students moving forward, even when a teacher is absent and a substitute teacher is leading the class!

SPEAKERS:
Casey Killett, Tori Coyle

Are you trying to move beyond computer science and AI as add-ons? How can emerging technologies meaningfully advance science and STEM education without compromising quality instruction? This session explores OpenSciEd’s new middle school science and computer science integrated units, designed to align with state and district STEM priorities while enhancing students’ scientific sensemaking. Participants will examine how computer science is embedded seamlessly within phenomena-based science instruction to strengthen coherence, rigor, and real-world relevance. The session will also showcase implementation supports and planning guidance for schools and districts considering adoption. In addition, attendees will receive updates on a new effort to integrate AI literacy and use into OpenSciEd Biology units in ways that amplify, rather than replace, student thinking. Participants will have opportunities to provide feedback to inform ongoing development and implementation efforts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will understand how computer science and AI can be integrated into high-quality science instructional materials in ways that strengthen scientific sensemaking, align with STEM priorities, and support thoughtful implementation at the school, district, and state levels.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Neill, Andy Weatherhead

Energy leaks through screens long before we feel “stressed.” This practical session helps science educators re-architect their attention by pairing MBSR-informed pauses with simple systems for email, LMS, and chat. We will map common drains, install notification tiers with a personalized Do-Not-Disturb (DND) map, and provide plug-and-play email/LMS scripts that reduce after-hours spillover while keeping families supported. Participants will develop a 10-minute daily shutdown ritual to prevent evening rumination and launch a 7-day Attention Diet to test what actually improves focus and mood.

TAKEAWAYS:
A personalized DND Map with notification tiers and schedules. An email/LMS script pack for parents, students, and colleagues. A 10-minute shutdown ritual to protect evenings and sleep. A 7-day Attention Diet tracker. A PLC norms template to sustain boundaries as a team.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Phillips

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Join the excitement, escape the rat-race, and experience the superior quality of Carolina's Perfect Solution® specimens with our preserved rat dissection! Engage 3D instruction as we discuss the relationship between structure and function, as well as the interdependence between systems. During this hands-on guided dissection, each participant explores the rat’s external anatomy, internal body systems, and individual organs. These specimens are economical, simple to dissect, and great mammalian models for your next lab!

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

This interactive session presents a research-based Career Connected Learning (CCL) Framework and design elements to assist leaders in decision making around career-connected learning experiences and pathways. The session bridges national research, in- and out-of-school learning, and workforce demands driven by DoW priorities. We will detail the CCL Framework design process, share practical vignettes of successful CCL programs in action, and provide a roadmap for how to leverage the CCL Framework in your community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a research-based Career Connected Learning Framework that helps leaders design effective career pathways, align learning with workforce needs, and apply practical strategies to strengthen CCL opportunities in their communities.

SPEAKERS:
John Lee, Marc Siciliano

Videos are fun to watch, but they can be even more powerful when they help students think, talk, and show what they know. In this session, we will explore how to use Class CrunchLabs video supports to turn viewing into an interactive experience. Learn how to embed checkpoints, create choice-based reflections, and invite students to investigate instead of just observe. You will leave with ready-to-use strategies for building in meaningful assessment moments that are way more choose-your-own-adventure than sit-and-get.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to transform Class CrunchLabs videos into interactive learning and assessment tools that spark engagement, surface thinking, and let students drive the experience.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Semeyn, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

How are the bodies of cars designed to make collisions safer? What materials best reduce the peak forces in a collision? In this workshop, we will design crash cushions and crumple zones, and test them using live sensor data. We will use the sensor data to explore the relationship between momentum and peak force. This engaging lesson is a great enhancement to middle school physical science, physics, and OpenSciEd curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Curriculum adoptions provide a unique opportunity to support deep professional learning and ensure equitable student outcomes. Using EdReports’ review tools and experience supporting districts and states, this session will focus on how to use the curriculum adoption process to engage all stakeholders by supporting them to learn more about the Framework/NGSS for evaluating materials and improving instruction. Participants will model using an instructional vision for science to improve teachers' understanding of the broader implications of the Framework/NGSS on rigorous science instruction. Participants will also examine how training teachers to use evaluation criteria can improve their knowledge of the three dimensions, in particular SEPs and CCCs, and what high-quality phenomenon and problem-based science instruction can look like. Participants will leave with strategies for implementing broader professional learning using curriculum adoptions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn strategies for using K-12 curriculum adoptions to support deep professional learning around the NGSS/Framework, particularly sensemaking with the three-dimensions and phenomenon and problem based instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Sam Shaw

Build meaningful connections to hard-to-reach ocean ecosystems through real-world science! Learn about colorful corals, fascinating creatures, human impacts, seafloor mapping, underwater robots, and more through work happening right now to restore deep-sea coral communities injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Ready-to-use, NGSS-aligned activities include mock coral collections with remotely-operated vehicles, species ID video games, deep-sea mission board games, scavenger hunts, coloring pages, animated shorts, live connections with scientists at sea, and engaging videos. These resources serve diverse audiences including classroom teachers, informal educators, families, communities, and adults looking for careers in marine science. After hands-on demonstrations of interactive educational materials and a viewing of highlights from livestream broadcasts, participants will leave the session with a full understanding of how to use these free activities and resources for all ages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Connect all ages with deep-sea habitats, human impacts, tech, and careers using real-world science, play-based activities, and storytelling. Bring out-of-reach ecosystems to a range of learners through livestreams with scientists at sea, real footage of unseen places, skill-building games, and more.

SPEAKERS:
Sasha Francis

In this interactive session, we will explore the transformative power of science notebooks as a versatile tool for engaging and empowering ELs and high-needs students in science education. Unlike traditional one-size-fits-all approaches, science notebooks can be tailored to meet the unique needs and learning styles of diverse students. Participants will learn how to effectively implement science notebooks, allowing students to take ownership of their learning, build their own science resources, and foster creativity. We will delve into strategies for differentiation, language support, and fostering a safe and inclusive learning environment. Key Topics Covered: - Customizing Science Notebooks: Moving beyond rigid templates to empower student creativity. - Hands-Off Teaching: Allowing students to work through problems and build their own science resources. - Differentiation: Providing translated notes, vocabulary support, and drawing aids for ELs and high-needs students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower ELs and high-needs students by embracing flexible science notebooks, fostering creativity, and promoting inclusivity in science education.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Warren

Experience how LabXchange’s interactive lab simulations can elevate middle school teaching and learning. In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to navigate the LabXchange platform, exploring a variety of virtual lab simulations such as photosynthesis, osmosis, cellular respiration, and using a light microscope. LabXchange simulations encompass the scientific method—from predictions and protocol, to analysis and reflection—all while providing real-time hints and feedback for students. Discover how inquiry-based virtual labs can foster a deeper understanding of science topics, strengthen curiosity, and develop critical skills in a no-cost, safe online environment. Participants will leave with ready-to-use educator resources and new strategies for facilitating science learning in both in-person and virtual settings. Note: Participants should bring a device with Wi-Fi capabilities to actively participate.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how LabXchange’s free interactive lab simulations can make science learning accessible and engaging to enhance your middle school classroom experience, no matter your budget, time, or experience.

SPEAKERS:
Paul Schwein, Angela Campbell

Sponsoring Company: STEMfinity

Esports is far more than just gaming. The esports ecosystem comprises over 100 careers, spanning design and marketing, development, network infrastructure, event planning, medical sciences, and entrepreneurship. Participants will learn how to leverage their current classes and coursework to equip students with the career-ready skills esports encompasses, including the hard skills necessary to enter the ecosystem workforce and the soft skills needed for employment anywhere. We'll also touch on how esports creates community and a sense of belonging for underrepresented and marginalized students, builds efficacy, brings funding back into the district, increases grades and overall student well-being, and decreases behavioral issues and suspension rates. We'll top it off by exploring networking for partnerships and internships, and by navigating the esports competition space.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Mavrogeorge