How can we use high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) paired with curriculum-based professional learning (CBPL) to ensure effective science teaching and learning? Join us to consider how leaders build internal capacity for the selection and sustained effective implementation of high-quality instructional materials. Work with other leaders to consider strategies to lead change toward more equitable systems that support all science learners—now and into the future.

TAKEAWAYS:
Consider how high-quality instructional materials can be used to design more equitable systems Discuss how to share the vision, support implementation, and build internal capacity for ongoing support for curriculum implementation

SPEAKERS:
Jenine Cotton-Proby, Jody Bintz, Molly Leifeld

Join us to experience how students make decisions and engage in classroom discussion as part of their sensemaking in OpenSciEd Elementary’s newly released 1.3 Sky Patterns Unit. Find out about the seamless integration of 3D science with ELA and mathematics and built-in guidance for supporting a range of learners. During the session, we’ll engage participants in an immersive curriculum-based professional learning experience and experience the joy possible when elementary science classrooms engage in collective science sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
The OpenSciEd instructional materials can support science classrooms that leverage the Brilliance of Children and the Strengths of K-5 Educators. OpenSciEd Elementary units are designed to support classrooms with embedded opportunities to use ELA and math to support science sensemaking and designed to support a range of learners. The storyline approach is designed to provide students with a meaningful experience that is motivated by the students’ own desires to explain something they don’t understand or to solve a problem their classroom has come to care about.

SPEAKERS:
Janna Mahfoud, Susan Gomez Zwiep, Yanira Vazquez

Discover how OpenSciEd has redesigned five middle school science units to authentically integrate computer science and computational thinking into the core middle school science program without extending instructional time. These units embed micro:bits, sensors, and design challenges within OpenSciEd’s signature phenomenon-based storylines, while also weaving in meaningful career exploration opportunities in computer science and engineering. In this institute, you’ll engage in hands-on investigations using micro:bits and sensors to analyze contact forces in collisions. You’ll design and program sensor systems to measure forces and explore how these tools can be applied to minimize damage or tackle related real-world challenges. You’ll also see how computational thinking builds across multiple units and disciplines, creating a coherent experience for students and we will dig into the design choices that made this integration possible. If you’re already implementing OpenSciEd middle school units, these can serve as powerful replacement units that expand access in science and computer science. If you’re new to OpenSciEd, they offer an excellent first step into phenomenon-based, STEM-integrated science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Neill, Dan Voss, Nicole Vick, Michael Novak, Dominique Poncelet

Join the inquiryHub team for a day-long deep dive into the use of programmable sensors in science learning. Professional science leverages computing in all aspects of the scientific process. This workshop provides tangible ways to incorporate real world computational thinking into your classroom. You will experience a model curriculum sequence including an introduction to the micro:bit and MakeCode computing platform as well as a Maglev Trains investigation that complements a physical science curriculum. Our approach is grounded in phenomena, storylines, coherence and student modeling. We build on the three dimensions of the NGSS by incorporating computational thinking through physical computing (micro:bit) where students use programmable sensors to ask questions, define problems and engage in all of the science and engineering practices. Participants will experience these practices through a hands-on experience and will be prepared to implement the units. We will write computer programs, collect/analyze data, and connect investigations to place-based contexts. You will walk away with classroom ready toolkit of resources that ready to implement and incorporate into other lessons and units.

SPEAKERS:
Greg Benedis-Grab

NSTA is providing an OpenSciEd Curriculum Launch Workshop* for the High School Physical Science Unit: P.1 Energy Flow from Earth’s Systems. This immersive professional learning experience is centered around the compelling and real-world context of the Texas power crisis of February 2021. Participants will explore how to guide students in making sense of the complex social, environmental, and physical systems involved in meeting community energy needs.

Throughout the workshop, you will experience key lessons from the unit as a student would—engaging with phenomena, analyzing data, and developing explanatory models that span multiple scales, from electrons moving through circuits to decisions made by power companies. You’ll see how the unit supports students in understanding energy transfer, evaluating the reliability of different energy sources, and applying engineering design principles to propose solutions that meet the real needs of their communities.

By participating, you’ll gain an understanding of how this unit supports student sensemaking, critical thinking, and civic engagement. You’ll also learn how to effectively navigate the embedded instructional resources to foster meaningful and relevant science learning in your classroom.

All attendees are invited to extend their professional learning virtually through the OpenSciEd High School Physical Science Unit P.1 Curriculum Launch Workshop (24 hours total) and Facilitator Training (32 hours total), empowering you to confidently lead and support energy-focused learning in your school and beyond.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain experience and confidence to implement an OpenSciEd high school unit in your classroom. Create an opportunity to complete the OpenSciEd high school curriculum launch and facilitator training after the conference ends (virtual workshop sessions).

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker

Are you looking for better ways to design meaningful, standards-aligned assessments that reflect your students’ thinking? In this full-day workshop, we’ll work together to design three-dimensional (3D) science assessments—supported by a powerful generative AI tool and guided by your teacher expertise. Using the Next Generation Science Assessment (NGSA) Design Framework and real classroom examples, we’ll walk 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 use of AI in education. This session is designed specifically for upper elementary and middle school teachers—and you’ll leave with ready-to-use assessment tasks, access to customizable prompts and design templates, and new strategies you can apply immediately in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn how to design NGSS-aligned 3D assessment tasks with the support of a GPT-empowered AI system. - Gain practical experience writing prompts, generating and refining tasks, and applying a clear design framework. - Explore ways to responsibly integrate AI 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 assessment design.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Krajcik, Tingting Li, Selin Akgun

Looking for meaningful ways to integrate the “T” in STEM into your K-5 instruction? Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision (www.exploravision.org) is a K-12 STEM competition that engages teams of 2-4 students to envision ways to solve student selected real-world problems by reimagining current technology for applications 10 years from now.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer O'Sullivan, Kristen Moorhead

Don’t miss this exciting event showcasing science and STEM-based programs, organizations, mobile labs, and local Minneapolis attractions! Explore a variety of displays, connect with showcase presenters, enjoy tasty bites, and take advantage of ample networking opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about science and STEM-based programs, organizations, mobile labs, and local Minneapolis attractions.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Eaton

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.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Alicia Conerly

Join us for an opening reception to mark the start of NSTA MINN25! 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.

Science is more than analyzing data or proving a hypothesis—it is deeply human. In this keynote, educators are invited to envision science instruction that begins with students’ curiosity and leads to discovery, innovation, and a deep sense of belonging. By centering criticality, we’ll explore how science can be both rigorous and relevant—meeting the demands of the three-dimensional framework while honoring students’ lived experiences. Through stories, strategies, and critical frameworks, this keynote will inspire educators to cultivate classrooms where students are not only skilled in science, but empowered as knowledge creators and changemakers.

SPEAKERS:
Natalia Benjamin

Fuel up for a great day of learning and connection! All attendees are welcome to enjoy a complimentary Grab & Go Breakfast on Thursday and Friday mornings, from 6:45 to 8:00 AM (location TBD). Offerings will include gluten-free and vegan-friendly options.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Eaton

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.

Science instruction is often deprioritized in many urban, low-resourced districts as literacy becomes the dominant focus. But every student, regardless of race, gender, or zip code, deserves access to meaningful, high-quality science learning. This session explores what happens when science is sidelined and why it must be brought back to the forefront. We’ll examine how integrating science with ELA strengthens literacy skills and deepens scientific understanding. Participants will explore national STEM data and patterns that reveal the broader global impact of limiting science access, and how equitable instruction can prepare students to thrive in an increasingly STEM-driven world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Every student—regardless of race, gender, or zip code—deserves high-quality science learning. Prioritizing science in urban, low-resourced schools and integrating it with ELA strengthens literacy, builds STEM understanding, and addresses global equity and workforce gaps.

SPEAKERS:
Tyrone McNichols, Nicole Williams, J Carrie Launius

This session will delve into a district-led initiative focused on the continuous curriculum improvement process (CCIP) in secondary biology education. Participants will gain insights into a collaborative framework that empowers teacher fellows to define, evaluate, and pilot curriculum resources aligned with a shared vision for inclusive, phenomena-driven learning. The presentation will highlight the key stages of this process, including the development of a biology vision statement emphasizing diverse sense-making, curiosity, critical thinking, real-world connections, and ethical solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session offers a practical roadmap for districts and schools seeking to engage educators in a meaningful and impactful curriculum improvement journey from the teachers' perspectives.

SPEAKERS:
Betsy Barent

Curious about AI but not sure where to start? This session is for you! Discover how artificial intelligence is transforming science classrooms and helping do the heavy lifting of teaching. This session will empower you to use AI to personalize learning, boost engagement, and streamline NGSS-aligned lesson planning and assessment—without replacing the essential role of the teacher. Participants will explore examples of how AI can help teachers adapt high-quality instructional materials to local contexts, effectively manage assessment and feedback, and differentiate learning activities to support student sensemaking. The session also will include strategies for how to critically evaluate AI tools to ensure technology integration promotes equitable access to rigorous and meaningful science instruction. Whether new to AI or ready to go deeper, educators will be equipped to integrate AI into their teaching practices responsibly, ensuring alignment with student needs and educational goals.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be equipped with practical strategies and tools to use AI responsibly in middle level science classrooms. They will be able to use AI to adapt NGSS-aligned science learning activities to personalize student learning and streamline lesson planning, assessment, and feedback.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Forsythe

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Chemistry teachers! Guide your students through a forensic investigation of a bottle rocket launch failure. Use gas pressure sensors to explore Avogadro’s law for various gases, and model how real-world data can support sensemaking and 3D learning in your classroom or lab.

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim

Learn how robust safety programs, driven by district leadership, are crucial for preventing science activity injuries. A public safety official presents a real-world case study of an experiment gone wrong, highlighting the vital role of comprehensive policies and procedures in ensuring a safe learning environment and avoiding emergency response scenarios.

TAKEAWAYS:
Equip your district with vital safety program knowledge to prevent science experiment incidents and ensure a secure learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Cassidy

This session will focus on a large-scale bioplastics investigation that has now spanned multiple years and become a school-wide topic of discussion outside of the chemistry lab. Students are extending the project to determine if the shells of invasive snails in the campus pond can be used to create bioplastics. These projects can deepen learning and instill a sense of rightful presence as students learn to see themselves as scientific researchers. They develop key skills and communicate their work through scientific writing, graphic design, and even video production. This session will share this and other field-tested project-based learning experiences, large and small, including local water quality analysis, electroplating, corrosion, soapmaking, water treatment, and more. Open-ended investigations and real-world chemistry applications do NOT have to conflict with the push to cover a substantial range of topics and maintain a level of rigor in accelerated chemistry courses.

TAKEAWAYS:
It is possible to increase student engagement with project-based chemistry explorations while still maintaining content and rigor. Tackling real-world chemistry problems can create a model environment for students and faculty to learn alongside one another while fostering key 21st-century skills.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Sullivan

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

Transform your classroom with exciting, easy-to-perform demonstrations that illustrate core chemistry and physical science concepts. This fast-paced, hands-on session emphasizes immediately usable demos that engage students and reinforce content. Handouts and door prizes provided.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Join us to explore how to teach climate change from a human centered perspective; engaging students in place-based, equity-centered science education that inspires and engages beyond the science classroom. Using Climate Generation’s resources, we will discover how climate education can build connections between classrooms, communities and the environment, and inspire sustainable thinking and action. Attendees will be introduced to activities from two multi-lesson units, Climate Generation’s newly revised Next Generation Climate and Experience Energy curricula, that integrate NGSS-aligned climate education with culturally sustaining teaching practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to identify age-appropriate ways to engage students in climate change education, describe strategies for connecting climate learning experiences to community-centered and national current events, and use Climate Generation’s resources to explore and practice climate education.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Hefferan

Science education has a key role to play in supporting a just transition to the climate crisis. Participants will learn about 20 priority areas associated with climate and environmental justice—and explore educational approaches, resources, and groups related to these areas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Working towards climate justice involves a multifaceted set of issues and priorities. Teachers will identify which priority areas relate to their goals and context and learn about related resources. A climate justice framework will help teachers learn about different dimensions of climate justice.

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison, Nancy Price, Kelsie Fowler, Philip Bell

Science is a social endeavor! Gain strategies to transform your classroom into a community of learners in which students and teachers actively try to make sense of the natural and built worlds.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leave with strategies for developing classroom norms in collaboration with your students.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Mathews, Kristen Moorhead

In this session participants will dissect an LED shadow box that is 100% student made. As we unpack this project, participants will see how multiple STEM disciplines can come together to create something new and unique while linking together applied STEM topics. You'll observe how 3D modeling and design, coding, soldering, and art come together to create a 3D light shadow box. This project's applied concept approach can be adapted to fit any classroom, all it takes is a little creativity and out of the "box" thinking. In this session you'll gain some tips and strategies for creating your own multi-disciplinary project to use in your own educational setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will become inspired to create projects of their own and walk away with some tips and strategies for creating their own unique multidisciplinary projects.

SPEAKERS:
Becca Grumdahl, Beth Peppersack

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has been developing grades 3-8 science performance assessments to provide open-source examples of high-quality science assessments for educators to use in the classroom. These are designed to meet the expectations of the NGSS and be coherent with high-quality instructional materials.  During the presentation, DESE staff will provide an overview of the performance assessment system design, opportunities to explore the open-source classroom science performance assessments, and resources for implementing the assessments and analyzing student work.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore open source, NGSS-aligned performance assessments and engage in a protocol to analyze student work.

SPEAKERS:
Corrine Steever, Sonia Neuburger, Michele Snyder

Literacy in science and technical subjects (LST) is increasingly important to develop in our society. Yet, as students learn science they are often just presented with basic vocabulary strategies that do not get to the heart of the literacy standards. By using Common Core, LST 3 and combining with a visual and creative response as listed in LST 4, all students have the opportunity to develop meaningful literacy connections needed to understand text and develop their own writing. In this interactive session, specific strategies for attendees include participating in a concept mapping routine used in a Biology class. Participants will use both student and teacher lenses to review a concept map template, examine student work in a gallery walk and assess using a one-point rubric as they develop an understanding of how and why to implement this framework. The session structure will also provide time to collaborate with other educators to adapt instructional strategies to their own practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this interactive session, educators will use vocabulary, concept mapping, student work, and revision practices to develop their own literacy instruction. Resources will be provided to aid in implementation for students to make deep and equitable connections to science content.

SPEAKERS:
Alexander Dafforn, Kirby Selle

As part of its STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van Program, funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium, TIES has developed a set of standards-based activities to engage students in Digital Fabrication-inspired Design Challenges. One of the curricula activities, focused on electric circuits, includes the design and construction of a pocket flashlight. During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a pocket flashlight project into their electricity and magnetism elementary science curriculum as they construct a series circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and copper conductive tape, and take home a functional flashlight. When this project is introduced in a school with digital fabrication machines, students will have the opportunity to design the base of the pocket flashlight and fabricate it on a laser cutter/engraver. All participants will receive a template for the pocket flashlight base and the standards-based activity guide for the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a pocket flashlight activity into their electricity and magnetism elementary school science curriculum as they construct a series circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and copper conductive tape and take home a functioning flashlight.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel

NSTA’s Elementary Extravaganza is a dedicated learning and connecting space for elementary school educators. Explore discipline-specific sessions, relax in our community space outfitted with cell phone charging stations and connect with other educators.

Do you ever feel exhausted by the end of the day AND wonder if the students gained understanding? Do you have students who demonstrate excellent thinking on lab days but not on daily, written tasks? Do you wonder how to best group students of different abilities for success? This session will help you meet all students where they are and engage them in sensemaking all while energizing yourself as a teacher through applying ideas from Peter Liljedahl's "Building a Thinking Classroom in Mathematics" in your science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will leave with a set of easy-to-implement strategies that will engage your students in thoughtful participation and sense making, allow you to interact with students in meaningful and fulfilling ways, and help build a community of thoughtful, independent learners in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Sharon Churchwell

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

This authentic case study analyzes microbial DNA from the International Space Station. Available as a hands-on gel electrophoresis experiment or a free virtual lab. This session will also feature Genes in Space, a free experimental design competition that sends student experiments to space!

SPEAKERS:
Emily Gleason

In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore a fun and easy way to teach science using everyday materials, such as straws and cotton swabs. Through playful blow dart activities, students explore how the strength of a push and the time it is applied affect how things move, offering a simple entry point into motion. This lesson is based on the Hypothesis-Experiment Class (HEC), a student-centered approach from Japan. Students make predictions, share ideas, try experiments, and reflect on their findings. Examples from Japanese classrooms show this method helps build curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking in science. A small trial in Kenya also showed positive engagement. The workshop supports NGSS and STEM goals by promoting Science and engineering practices, such as asking questions, making predictions, investigating, and communicating results. Using low-cost, everyday materials makes science more accessible, promoting equity in STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the Hypothesis-Experiment Class (HEC) approach with simple materials to create NGSS-aligned, inquiry-based science lessons that support prediction, experimentation, and communication, making science more accessible and engaging for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Mariko Kobayashi, Haruhiko Funahashi, Tomoko HASEGAWA, Koji Tsukamoto, Momoko Sanada, Kumiko Matsudaira

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for Elementary and discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Explore the world of forensic science with these fun and exciting escape room activities! Try forensic blood detection and agarose gel electrophoresis experiments, decipher clues, and solve puzzles. Learn to design your own escape room to have students unravel the evidence and free the innocent.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

Come learn a set of activities that engage students in real-world agricultural problems. Participants will explore challenges like food shortages, climate change and crop sustainability, while using strategies like selective breeding, GMOs, and innovations to develop potential solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Session emphasizes the importance of understanding modern agriculture, providing educators with resources to engage students in discussions about sustainable practices and genetic technologies. Participants will leave with activities about selective breeding, GMOs, and the development of short corn.

SPEAKERS:
JESSICA JONES, Megan Sprague

Join us for this interactive, student-perspective workshop that immerses participants in an interdisciplinary placemaking unit taught in a 4th-grade New Orleans science and art classroom. Rooted in the realities of climate change and water pollution, this NGSS-aligned session models how to integrate science, art, literacy, social studies, and engineering to explore local environmental issues driven by climate change. Participants will engage with student drawings of local lakes, read and discuss excerpts from our comic Monsters in the Lake, and build simple water filters inspired by NASA’s design process to simulate hands-on engineering investigations. Through this experiential session, educators will reflect on strategies for integrating climate literacy in ways that are locally grounded and linguistically relevant, connecting to students’ diverse ways of being and knowing. Leave with adaptable curriculum resources and renewed inspiration to make climate change instruction empowering.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design and implement interdisciplinary, place-based climate change lessons that integrate science, art, literacy, social studies, and engineering while honoring students’ cultural and linguistic assets to make learning personally meaningful and locally relevant.

SPEAKERS:
Andree Champagne, Ayca Fackler

Discover practical strategies for integrating data analysis and graphing into science instruction. This interactive workshop guides participants through hands-on activities involving data collection, linear modeling, and prediction using lines of best fit. Learn how to help students interpret graphs as scientific tools, explore the correlation coefficient to evaluate model strength, and use the Desmos Graphing Calculator for dynamic visualization. Leave with classroom-ready resources aligned to NGSS and math standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to help students use data, linear models, and correlation to make scientific predictions, supported by tools like the Desmos Graphing Calculator, and leave with ready-to-use strategies for integrating graphing meaningfully into NGSS-aligned science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Stirling

This hands-on, immersive experience is designed to help teachers deepen their understanding of an effective, 5-step instructional routine for developing student’s proficiency with the Science and Engineering Practice of Developing and Using Models. Educators will experience a OpenSciEd Middle School lesson that includes observing a phenomenon, using models to make sense of the phenomenon they observed, collaborating with a small group using intentional discourse structures and strategies, which showcases how to engage students in equitable discussions. A digital resource collection of all resources used will be provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will gain an understanding of an effective, 5-step instructional, collaborative routine for developing student’s proficiency with the Science and Engineering Practice of Developing and Using models and discover how it supports sensemaking and phenomena-based instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli

Communication, critical thinking, and problem solving are essential skills to student success when they enter the workforce, head off to post secondary education, or choose military service. Most of those skills are developed and fostered in STEM classrooms through hands-on projects and challenges. Why can other classes not also be working on these skills? This presentation will show and model simple projects that all teachers can do in their classrooms to continue building those skills even if they don't take a STEM class.

TAKEAWAYS:
One or two day hands-on problem-solving projects that can be done in ANY classroom using items found in a teacher's cabinet to foster communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking!

SPEAKERS:
DAVID PADILLA, Michelle Hendrick

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Attendees will leave equipped with a student-tested wind energy lesson, incorporating hands-on activities and collaborative learning, adaptable for grades 4-12, fostering a deeper understanding of renewable energy concepts aligned with NGSS standards.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

Support your students in demonstrating their three dimensional learning! Many high-quality curricula use transfer tasks, phenomenon-based assessments where students demonstrate their three dimensional understanding while exploring novel phenomena. In this session, educators will be introduced to the research that led to this kind of assessment and how these assessments are designed. They will work through an example of a transfer task, analyzing the alignment to the three dimensions of the NGSS. Then, they will work through an activity structure that apprentices students into this new assessment practice, by breaking it down into smaller pieces, discussing in small groups, and participating in peer review. Finally, they will review scoring and feedback guidance to support student learning. Educators will leave knowing how and why to use transfer tasks in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Many high-quality curricula use transfer tasks, phenomenon-based assessments where students demonstrate their three dimensional understanding while exploring a novel scenario. In this session, educators will work through an example of a transfer task and an activity structure that helps students lea

SPEAKERS:
Kate Henson

NSTA’s High School Haven is a dedicated learning and connecting space for high school educators. Explore discipline-specific sessions, relax in our community space outfitted with cell phone charging stations and refuel with daily afternoon snacks.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Eaton

How can we discuss difficult environmental realities with children in ways that are honest and empowering? This session presents the research-based 5Es of Eco-Action, a framework to support environmental action by fostering agency and solution-focused thinking. The climate emotion and environmental stewardship experiences of 6-11-year-old children are often overlooked. We undertook research focused on this group to understand how eco-anxiety affects motivation for pro-environmental behaviours. From this we developed the 5Es of Eco-Action framework that supports environmental learning while helping children process their emotions. In this session, attendees will be introduced to the framework and participate in hands-on activities. Practical tools and real-world examples will be explored. Educators will leave with fresh insights and ready-to-use strategies to support children in becoming confident, caring environmental stewards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with an understanding of the 5Es of Eco-Action (Empathy, Education, Excitement, Environmental Stewardship, Empowerment) and how this framework can be applied in the classroom to support children in becoming confident, caring environmental stewards.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Doyle

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Join us to explore the OpenSciEd Certified PASCO version Grade 6 curriculum. First discover a unit's storyline through a tour of PASCO Portal, our online platform for organizing and distributing teacher and student OpenSciEd resources. Then dive into the unit's first lesson to experience the anchoring phenomenon, used to elicit student questions that they'll work to answer throughout the unit. Finally participate in a hands-on activity from a subsequent lesson, using PASCO technology to develop an evidence-based response to one of those student questions. In this lesson, you will use our One-Way Mirror Model and Wireless Light and Color Sensor to measure the amount of light transmitted and reflected by a one-way mirror.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

The Framework for K-12 Science Education urges us to promote scientific literacy among all the nation’s people as a democratic ideal worthy of focused attention, significant resources, and continuing effort. Promoting equity and justice should be approached as a never-ending, detailed pursuit of collective liberation by everyone involved in education (Bell,2019). Science is about explaining phenomena. Doing so requires knowledge and creative imagination. The Minnesota Academic Science Standards (2019) require Minnesota Students to demonstrate proficiency in the science and Engineering Practices adapted from the Framework. How can science educators, especially in Minnesota, transform these practices into justice-centered, equitable practices for all students? In this presentation, we will review some of the tools and strategies, develop our capacity, and examine our collective mindset in advocating for justice-centered science education for all students in Minnesota.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science education devoid of justice-centeredness is a misrepresentation of the essence of science

SPEAKERS:
Angela Osuji

In this interactive workshop, participants will step into the role of students by examining videos of lab procedures that may or may not involve chemical reactions. Working collaboratively, they will make observations, generate investigative questions, and identify what information is necessary to determine if a chemical change has occurred—modeling key NGSS Science and Engineering Practices. The second half of the session transitions to a class lab focused on the concept of limiting reactants. Participants will analyze provided experimental data from a reaction between antacid tablets, vinegar, and water. After completing calculations, participants will enter their data into a shared spreadsheet to generate a collective class graph. Small groups will analyze the results, pose new questions, and engage in a discussion that leads to an introduction to the concept of limiting reactants. A brief outline of the subsequent lessons following each of these activities will be provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience student-centered, inquiry-based approaches that engage learners in collaborative data analysis and question generation to support deep thinking about chemical reactions in the chemistry classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Johnson, ChrisAnn Johnson

Come learn about ways that you can help advance the field of Science Education and improve your teaching through the many different leadership opportunities that exist which also allow you to stay in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how participation in teacher advisory committees supporting museums and science centers, or other organizations such as Science Olympiad, NSTA, and NSELA can allow them to improve their teaching and be Science Education leaders while remaining in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
John Loehr

Sponsoring Company: Teachers' Curriculum Institute (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:
Sara Kumar

Place-based education enhances learning when students have purposeful activities to engage them. From the school playground to exploring the neighborhood to botanical gardens to zoos to environmental learning centers, nature offers opportunities for teaching and learning. Come hear about a variety of activities and experiences and receive handouts you can adapt for your elementary students as they learn about life science topics such as needs for survival, growth and development, life cycles, food webs and chains, and interconnectedness of living and nonliving materials . Learn how to maximize student focus and attention through observations, hands on activities, and explorations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to identify and apply engaging activities for students to help them learn about life sciences in natural environments.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Boulden

NSTA’s Meet Me in the Middle is a dedicated learning and connecting space for middle school educators. Explore discipline-specific sessions, relax in our community space outfitted with cell phone charging stations and connect with other educators.

You will learn how to use MFLOW, a web-based programming platform that makes it extremely easy to play with sounds and create sound compositions while learning the basics of programming. You will gain access to an NGSS-aligned curriculum to support students with coding and sound engineering. Music and computer science are highly connected. In fact, most of the popular music we hear now has been created with computers. To engage young children (and teachers!) In programming, we have created MFLOW, a web-based computer programming platform that makes it extremely easy to play with sounds and create sound compositions while learning the basics of programming. MFLOW has an associated curriculum created at UCSD, in collaboration with the Chula Vista Elementary School District, and aligned with the Computer Science Standards. It is super engaging and easy to learn by children as young as fourth grade, and by teachers with no previous experience in programming. In this workshop, participant

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to use MFLOW to sound engineer and code your own sound or music composition. Also, you will learn how to engage your students with coding through engineering design challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Minces, Victor Minces

This session invites participants to explore before, during, and after reading strategies and computational thinking opportunities to enhance sensemaking in the middle school science classroom. Attendees will construct an argument and make a claim based on evidence from an investigation and use writing strategies to strengthen their understanding while communicating scientific information.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leverage the science of reading and computational thinking strategies to boost sensemaking in science.

SPEAKERS:
Madison Weary, Dina Dormer

The Mission Moon traveling space camp is a dynamic educational initiative designed to ignite interest in space exploration and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among youth in grades 4-8. The program offers immersive, hands-on experiences that simulate real-world space missions and challenges. Key elements of the experience include collaborating to complete mission tasks, learning about space careers, and using a variety of platforms to share learning with others. During the presentation, learn more about these key elements and how they work to support state and national STEM standards. Additionally, pilot data and the key role that partnerships played in the development and implementation of the program will be discussed. At the end, walk away with Mission Moon material lists and lesson plans that could be used to replicate this experience in your community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educational simulations, like Mission Moon, let students apply STEM concepts in hands-on, interactive ways that deepen understanding, and engagement. They foster problem-solving, collaboration, and innovation while making complex ideas more relatable for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Dennis Culver, Sara Nelson

Sponsoring Company: InnerOrbit

We'll dive into how NGSS assessments can drive sensemaking and 3D performance in the classroom. We’ll explore practical strategies for using these assessments to support students’ growth and engagement in science.

SPEAKERS:
Brendan Finch

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Come learn more about the OSE elementary curriculum! We’ll look at shifting to a classroom where students' natural curiosities about the world are leveraged to motivate their learning in science. Meaningful conversations and ideas about what the flexible scheduling plan might look like with your teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Klaft

Receive a classroom ready math-based lesson in which students use electricity usage monitors and everyday household appliances to calculate electrical consumption and cost. This lesson supports students in distinguishing between watts, kilowatts, kilowatt hours, and power. Understanding how to teach students about electrical power, energy consumption, and cost is becoming increasingly important in today’s energy-conscious world. This lesson is designed for educators who want to empower students with the knowledge and tools to interpret electricity usage in their homes through the use of affordable electricity usage monitors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Tools that enable students to calculate home energy use makes learning about Power (Voltage × Current) both personal and meaningful.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Oesch

Problem- and place-based units are highly engaging, and they lead students to develop real solutions to problems in their community. How do we know which of the solutions is best? A decision matrix is a mathematical engineering tool that students can use to evaluate and rank possible solutions when making complex decisions. Useful across a spectrum of real-life situations, it’s especially appropriate for classrooms deciding the best actions for solving local problems. Attendees will work through several phases of our free 5E lesson introducing students to the Decision Matrix tool. Anchored Science by Mi-STAR is a middle school curriculum project, created by classroom teachers in collaboration with engineers and scientists from Michigan Technological University, and dedicated to quality NGSS-aligned curriculum since 2015.

TAKEAWAYS:
A decision matrix is a sophisticated tool used by engineers to evaluate and rank potential solutions to make objective, informed decisions. After experiencing a variety of classroom-tested activities, teachers will be ready to use our free 5E, NGSS-aligned Decision Matrix lesson with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Tony Matthys, Lindsey Watch

What happens when science is taught as a standalone special for every K–6 student, every week? In this session, we share how our district implemented a Science Specialist model that ensures all students regardless of language, ability, or background engage in phenomenon-driven, 3D NGSS instruction. Aligned with the Framework’s vision of equity and coherence, this model provides weekly access to science instruction rooted in sensemaking. Participants will explore inclusive strategies like multilingual scaffolds, discourse routines, and walking rubrics that help students model, explain, and argue from evidence. Storyline-based units and classroom artifacts will show how student ideas evolve over time and how we prepare 12,000+ students for new state assessments. Whether you're skeptical or curious, come hear how this bold model is transforming instruction and why “science as a special” may be the future of equitable science education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how a Science Specialist model can provide all K–6 students with equitable, NGSS-aligned instruction every week and leave with tools, strategies, and examples to bring inclusive, phenomenon-driven science learning to your own school or district.

SPEAKERS:
Frankie Valenzia, Vincent Fosco, Deborah McMullen

Explore how leaders can use the new BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL) instructional model to support teachers in creating learning experiences that motivate students with significant, real world phenomena and problems! Learn how AIL cycles of inquiry and sensemaking culminate in student agency! The BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning instructional model succeeds the 5Es and utilizes authentic phenomena/problems to anchor multiple cycles of inquiry and sensemaking, culminating with student explanations/design solutions. The research-based AIL model emphasizes coherence from students’ perspective. In this session, participants will consider how AIL integrates elements of the 5E instructional model, NextGen Science storylines, and problem-based learning instructional models, the role of an instructional model in high quality instructional materials, and their own education contexts and how they can apply AIL to design meaningful learning experiences to support their teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
The research-based BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning instructional model succeeds the 5Es as the basis for implementing HQIM. Leaders leverage this model to support teachers in developing a shared vision of effective science teaching and learning and creating a student-centered classroom for all.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Gay

What happens when general biology students choose the lens through which they learn biology? In this session, we present a flexible, phenomenon-based curriculum where learners explore core biology concepts through themed “lenses” such as medical, sustainability, animal science, and forensics. These lenses give context to content, deepen engagement, and empower students to drive their own learning. Rooted in NGSS and sensemaking strategies, the curriculum uses anchoring phenomena, real-world problems, and student inquiry to connect life science to future careers and personal interests. We’ll share classroom-tested units, student work, and tools that support choice, equity, and relevance in the biology classroom. Participants will leave with ready-to-use resources and ideas for integrating themed pathways that shift the focus from memorization to meaning-making.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students engage deeply in biology by choosing a personalized pathway through themed lenses—medical, sustainability, animal science, or forensics. This lens-based approach supports sensemaking, increases relevance, and empowers student-driven, inquiry-based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Caroline Milne

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

Join us to consider how leveraging high quality instructional materials in professional learning can strengthen the shared vision of the instructional shifts called for by the NGSS and engage educators in three dimensional phenomena driven teaching and learning. Hear how a state level partnership with multiple district’s 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 to deepen their understanding of the NGSS and three dimensional teaching and learning.

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

Amid a groundswell of exciting instructional materials and meaningful professional learning that reflects A Framework for K-12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards, our assessments are still a black box. Science assessments remain confusing, and often disappointing: most science assessments, and guidance for assessment practices, that are currently available fail to achieve that precise balance between reflective of our teaching and learning priorities, practical for classroom implementation, and useful to both students and teachers for guiding learning. In this interactive session, we focus on four practical and distinctive priorities for science assessment: things that really distinguish meaningful, future-focused assessments from all the noise. Participants will engage with each of the priorities, inventorying their existing assessments, and planning for ways they can incorporate these strategies—and sample tasks—into their practice immediately and over time.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this interactive session, we focus on four practical and distinctive priorities for future-focused science assessment: the things that really distinguish meaningful assessments designed to prioritize learning for our rapidly changing world from all the noise.

SPEAKERS:
Aneesha Badrinarayan

Sponsoring Company: Biozone Corp.

Take the stress out of lesson planning and enhance student engagement with BIOZONE WORLD, BIOZONE’s powerful digital learning platform. Discover how BIOZONE WORLD supports seamless lesson delivery with ready-to-use resources, including interactive activities, presentation slides, engaging videos, and immersive 3D models. Discover how the platform’s integrated translation tool supports multilingual learners and how easy it is to plan, assign, and mark work within the system. Whether you're teaching in-person, hybrid, or fully online, BIOZONE WORLD empowers educators to streamline instruction while making science more accessible and interactive. Join us to see how BIOZONE can streamline and elevate your teaching experience!

SPEAKERS:
Debi Wilson

For many students, natural interest in science starts to decline in late elementary to early middle school. To maintain interest, they need to see the relevance of science and feel confident. Our methodology capitalizes on their natural interest in science and teaches them how to figure out what is going on in a science activity. We use an inquiry-based format that begins with a unique, two-setup discrepant event. Regardless of differences in their background, the first setup puts students on a level playing field by giving all students the information necessary to form an expectation about the outcome of the second, similar setup that results in an unexpected outcome. What follows is structured exploration requiring students using scientific inquiry to explain the different outcomes – they identify variables, develop hypotheses, design experiments, and conduct the experiments they design. Concepts and everyday applications are discussed. Participants experience a complete activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Exciting activities are just a first step in engaging students’ natural curiosity in science. To maintain their interest, differences in background must be addressed, and they need to practice strategies that help them solve problems while seeing the relevance of the science to their lives.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Jean Lynch, John Zenchak

This session explores the pivotal role teacher beliefs play in shaping students' attitudes, understanding, and actions related to climate change mitigation. Drawing on current research and classroom practice, we will examine how educators' personal and professional beliefs about climate science, environmental responsibility, and pedagogical approaches can directly influence student engagement, critical thinking, and climate-positive behaviors.

TAKEAWAYS:
Whether you're a classroom teacher, curriculum developer, or education leader, this session will provide insights into how cultivating informed and reflective teaching practices can inspire the next generation of climate stewards.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Luna

This interdisciplinary session will focus on putting climate science in a social perspective, first by examining the trends over the past 200 years that correlate to climate change (population growth, fossil fuel use and changing land use) and then by examining the relative vulnerability of different countries to climate change impacts (sea level rise, severe weather and agricultural loss) After a brief introduction, participants will engage in a global simulation activity to determine how countries differ in terms of amount of carbon emitted and vulnerability to several climate-related risks. Small groups will then analyze sets of visual data (graphs, infographics, articles and satellite imagery) to identify relationships between human activities, greenhouse gas emissions, temperature rise, ice melt and sea level rise. The group will discuss paths to a sustainable future. Participants will receive lesson plans aligned to NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to create and implement interdisciplinary lesson plans that explore how climate trends relate to human activities, and how climate change is affecting different communities, and paths to a sustainable future.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Buttles

How do we truly know what a student understands? In this interactive workshop, participants will engage from a student’s perspective as they experience a set of creative science questions that move beyond rote recall. These questions are crafted to deepen understanding, spark curiosity, and promote critical thinking. Participants will analyze question types—such as productive struggle prompts, error analysis, counterfactuals, and curiosity-builders—and learn how to embed them into any science lesson. This session is ideal for educators seeking ways to enhance formative assessment, differentiate instruction, and elevate student voice. Walk away with a toolkit of versatile question stems and strategies that help reveal what students really know.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to craft and use powerful science questions that deepen learning, promote critical thinking, and reveal student understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Jonte' Lee

What does it take to prioritize science instruction in an elementary system? Join the professional learning team from The Lawrence Hall of Science and fellow K-5 science educators to explore how one district made the shift from little-to-no science instruction for elementary students towards a burgeoning commitment to phenomena-based science teaching and learning for all. We will highlight three transformative leadership practices used by that district, and you will consider how to apply these same practices to build the capacity of teacher leaders and create the conditions for equitable opportunities for 3D phenomena-based science in your K-5 classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away ideas and next steps for enacting the three transformative practices related to instructional materials, instructional time, and professional learning, for use in their own classroom, school, or district context.

SPEAKERS:
Leslie Stenger, Rebecca Abbott

Sponsoring Company: LEGO® Education

Be one of the first to experience the power of inquiry-based, hands-on learning through our new and innovative LEGO® Education Science solution! We will explore a lesson designed to promote engagement, collaboration, and solution diversity in the classroom and inspire students to see themselves in science. Participants will explore how state standards come to life by developing and using models to explore authentic, real-world phenomena. Engaging in science and engineering through hands-on learning has never been so easy or fun!

What if your students could use programming and technology not as an extra, but as a core part of making sense of science? In this session, explore a new model for STEM integration through free and open OpenSciEd + Computer Science middle school units. These phenomenon-driven units engage students in real-world investigations where they build and use technology, including programming, to explain scientific ideas and design solutions for local challenges. Career-connected features highlight pathways in STEM and computer science. Think of STEM integration like a soundboard, where disciplines can be “turned up” based on learning goals. These units are turned and designed with support for teachers new to computer science!

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore how new OpenSciEd + Computer Science units authentically integrate science and computer science. Students use programming and build tools to explain phenomena and solve problems. Educators will see how integration is accessible, engaging, and aligned to three-dimensional teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Novak, Nicole Vick

We will begin by exploring opportunities to use AI as a partner for brainstorming phenomena that enhance learning and assessment, including ways to customize existing high-quality instructional materials like OpenSciEd. After selecting a focal Performance Expectation (PE), we will utilize MagicSchool AI along with a phenomenon brainstorming script to create an initial list of potential phenomena. These will include natural, everyday, historical, contemporary, culturally significant, and justice-oriented phenomena, as well as design challenges and starting points for data sources. Collaborating with colleagues and receiving support from the 5D Assessment Project team, we will ask follow-up questions to refine our results. Finally, we will consider our knowledge of students' interests and identities, along with a brief unpacking of the standard, to select 2-3 top candidates for further development. We will also reflect on the ethical considerations of using AI tools in our practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Join us to explore how to use AI to assist in brainstorming NGSS-aligned phenomena that enhance 3D instruction and assessment and connect to students’ interests and identities. These tools come from the 5D assessment project, a collaboration between inquiryHub and BSCS Science Learning.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Campanella

From 5th-grade valedictorian to a high school graduate struggling with literacy, and ultimately the first in his family to earn a college degree, Michael Houston’s educational journey reflects the struggles and triumphs that resonate with so many students today. In this powerful keynote, the 2023 Minnesota Teacher of the Year shares moving stories—both his own and those of his students—to highlight how building community in the classroom can support students' mental health, deepen their engagement with course content, and spark post-secondary aspirations. By reflecting on his experiences, Michael illustrates how education transformed his life and inspired him to become the teacher he once needed.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Houston

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

Explore Flinn’s new line of AP Chemistry labs, fully aligned to the 2024 College Board Course and Exam Description and watch your students refine key lab skills. This session features hands-on demonstrations of inquiry-based activities, digital integration, and classroom-ready resources to support student success. Handouts included.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Sponsoring Company: Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI)

Join us for an innovative and interactive session where engineering meets speed dating! Dive into hands-on engineering challenges and activities inspired by TCI's K-5 science programs. In this dynamic workshop, attendees will participate in a series of "speed dates" with engineering experiences, uncovering valuable lessons and insights.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Please join us for the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the exhibit hall, featuring companies with services, support, and resources for science educators.

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use PCR to perform genetic testing for cystic fibrosis. Make connections across the biology curriculum, from genes and proteins to human health and genetic disease. This robust experiment makes it easy to bring PCR to your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Emily Gleason

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for High School and discover how the new Carolina Certified Edition enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. Engage in the featured Serengeti board game from the Biology 1 unit. Participants will walk away with valuable resources to take back to the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Meredith Currie

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

This presentation will showcase best practices to address that “all forms of energy production” have “risks as well as benefits.” The free, online Switch Classroom provides non-partisan content in this critical area of NGSS instruction. Adaptable for grades 4-12.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

A shift to three-dimensional assessments provides opportunities for students to demonstrate their use of science practices, application of crosscutting concepts, and understanding of science content. 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.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Klaft, Michelle Tindall

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Wildlife conservators often return captive-bred animals to their native habitats to rewild the area. In this interactive workshop, we’ll explore the use of RFLP analysis and phylogenetics in conservation biology to analyze the DNA samples of two lions. Can we return them to their ancestral home?

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

Sponsoring Company: LEGO® Education

Transform your science instruction into an engaging, student-centered experience with the power of hands-on learning! In this interactive workshop, discover how to maximize engagement and deepen understanding in Grades 3–5 science using LEGO® Education Science. Explore how tactile, inquiry-based lessons support three-dimensional learning and help educators bring abstract science concepts to life. Join us to learn how hands-on learning experiences can boost student curiosity, retention, and collaboration—making every science minute meaningful.

Sponsoring Company: InnerOrbit

Join us as we dig into real district case studies showing how performance on summative assessments can predict and support readiness for state science tests. We’ll explore key findings, insights, and practical takeaways to help you align your assessments and boost student success.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Miller

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Why are some coral and fish species disappearing? In this 3D lesson, biology and environmental science students use real-time data to explore how excess CO2 in water affects the pH. Using their findings, students can model how these changes impact interdependent relationships in ocean ecosystems.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Tallarovic

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

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

Sponsoring Company: Stile Education

Every great coach needs a go-to recipe for success – Stile Academy is yours! Taste-test our easy-to-use and evidence-based framework, packed full of strategies and ready to use resources crafted specifically for science coaches that drive real change. You’ll leave this hands-on session with a full plate of ideas to support teacher growth, cook up collaboration, and season your school with lasting instructional impact.

SPEAKERS:
Clayton Forest

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Join us to explore the OpenSciEd Certified PASCO version Grade 7 curriculum. First discover a unit's storyline through a tour of PASCO Portal, our online platform for organizing and distributing teacher and student OpenSciEd resources. Then dive into the unit's first lesson to experience the anchoring phenomenon, used to elicit student questions that they'll work to answer throughout the unit. Finally participate in a hands-on activity from a subsequent lesson, using PASCO technology to develop an evidence-based response to one of those student questions. In this lesson, you will use our Wireless CO₂ and Oxygen Gas Sensors to produce data showing the relationship between carbon dioxide and water in the air surrounding plant leaves exposed to light.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

Discover the latest and greatest science and STEM teaching and learning resources, tools, and products available during this break in concurrent sessions.

Visit the NSTA Hub in the Expo Hall during the conference! We'll have a variety of fun activities and photo opportunities PLUS a store showcasing the latest NSTA Press books available and awesome t-shirts to make the perfect conference souvenir!

The Model-Based Argument Critique Tool facilitates perspective-taking by prompting students to agree/disagree with peers' conceptual claims about phenomena using evidence, to encourage engagement with different interpretations. Furthermore, the tool directs students to analyze visual representations designed by peers, specifically focusing on how they depict unseen objects or processes. By requiring critiques of varied representations within models, students must consider alternative ways of visualizing abstract concepts and evaluate their effectiveness in communicating scientific ideas. Evaluating others' representations helps students identify strengths, weaknesses, and diverse approaches, broadening their understanding of representational choices and the limitations inherent in visualizing the unseen. This structured peer feedback fosters meta-representational competence, enabling students to appreciate multiple perspectives on the phenomenon and how it can be visually communicated.

TAKEAWAYS:
Viewers will examine the layout of the critique tool, which separates conceptual claims from visual representations. The poster displays examples of preservice teachers' written critiques and drawings of different phenomena, illustrating how their feedback on peer models evolved.

SPEAKERS:
Jaclyn Murray

This poster leads participants through a minds-on experience that challenges them to consider how sound data can be used to monitor the human impacts on bat populations in North America. The lessons displayed aim to increase learners' knowledge of biodiversity and provide insight into sampling methods for assessing ecosystem health, thus providing data to identify high-priority areas for conservation—the activities center learners' lived experiences to illustrate how sound can give valuable insights into ecosystem health and help mitigate human impacts. Learners are encouraged to incorporate their unique perspectives and newfound knowledge to develop and revise models using bioacoustic data. Visitors to the poster will receive access to all materials, sound files, and data to support successful classroom implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
The phenomenon of bioacoustics applies physics concepts to identify and measure human impact on biodiversity using bats as an indicator species.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Miller

Through a pre-post survey and empathy and semi-structured interviews, this dissertation in practice examined identity development using classroom observations, note taking, looking at student work, and interviews to gain a deeper understanding of science identity development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how teachers can prioritize culturally sustaining pedagogy within the science classroom to help Black girls develop a positive science identity.

SPEAKERS:
Tasha Jordan

The National Earth Science Teachers Association (NESTA) is partnering with NOAA to provide educator resources for formal and informal education audiences to build environmental literacy. Learn about a wide array of resources to help middle and high school teachers use data-rich resources for investigations in the physical, Earth and biological sciences, providing pathways for students to become informed planetary citizens. Find out how to engage your students in discovering the natural world and make informed decisions regarding environmental issues. Learn about virtual reality simulations, resources that use archived and real data and student tutorials in sea level rise, coral reefs, GPS, tides, ocean currents and estuaries.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive a wide variety of resources with links to online resources.

SPEAKERS:
Peggy Steffen

Creating culturally relevant STEM activities for elementary learners that truly integrate Science, Engineering, and Mathematics is challenging. In an elementary STEM Methods course, we engage preservice elementary teachers in developing discovery boxes, kits designed to integrate a science activity, a math activity, and an engineering activity all aimed to address a culturally relevant problem. Through discovery box creation, preservice teachers develop a deeper understanding of NGSS Science and Engineering Disciplinary Core Ideas and Practices and CCSS Mathematical Practices while building from elementary students’ funds of knowledge. Recent projects include problems such as re-designing an unsafe intersection, protecting deer from roads, and repairing the lights on a bridge. In this session, attendees will have the opportunity to explore several discovery boxes and learn more about the parameters of the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use discovery boxes to integrate elementary science, math, and engineering learning around a culturally relevant problem. We will examine discovery boxes created by preservice teachers to engage with the components and gain insight into how to implement similar projects.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Purington

Experience a small-scale demo of the Watershed Game, where students become community leaders solving real-world environmental challenges. This transdisciplinary tool engages learners in systems thinking by integrating science, social studies, math, and civics as they tackle water quality, land use, and flood resilience. Aligned with NGSS and state standards, the game promotes collaboration, equity, and local problem-solving. Participants will explore how students use data, policy, and engineering strategies to develop innovative, community-based solutions. Free to borrow, with lesson plans and teacher support included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Inspire student action with a game that connects environmental science, policy, and community planning.

SPEAKERS:
Maggie Karschnia

I am incorporating the assessment "Better Bioreactors" to a unit called "What is killing life in the Gulf?" Students are determining what is causing dead zones and then adding bioreactors will help students to think about solutions to the problem. This gathers student thinking and ends with students modeling their learning and thoughts. I will compare their final thoughts with their initial answer to the question. I think this fits into several of the strands, however I chose climate science and sustainability because it specifically looks at an environmental issue that is impacted by human choices. I am hoping to see my students thinking grow and develop around this issue as I scaffold the learning. I will highlight the student models and their evidence journaling.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover that having students investigate the phenomenon by scaffolding with real-world problems leads to higher engagement and deeper thinking for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Julio Villa

The Nomination Committee will be seeking nominations and applications for new leadership positions within the Board and Leadership Council in the 2026 elections. This session will allow members to learn more about the open positions, the roles and responsibilities within each, and provide guidance for the application process. We would like to increase our recruitment efforts and this session would provide personal interaction for members with the committee and potentially with some of the current board and council members.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about opportunities for leadership in NSTA and how they can apply to be involved.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Butler

There are many issues that farmers and ranchers face that the typical high school students may not be aware of. We rely on them for our food but there is a lot to learn regarding how they support the world’s food needs. There are many things to consider as a farmer/rancher that includes production, land use, and environmental concerns to name a few. I will use the lesson: "Monday, Tuesday, Happy Gazing" is a lesson where students analyze data regarding cattle continuously grazing in one pasture and rotational grazing in several pastures. Students will not only look at production and cost but also impact on the biodiversity of the area. Within the lesson we will explore the different career paths that are available to help support the work of putting food on our table.

TAKEAWAYS:
A STEM lesson that highlights the real-world complexity of agriculture and ranching fields, “Monday, Tuesday, Happy Grazing” was used in my Earth Science class. Attendees will leave with ideas for incorporating career exploration tied to agriculture, environmental science, and sustainable land use.

SPEAKERS:
Brenda Walsh

High school students embrace leadership guiding elementary scientific inquiry sparked by leveled storybooks. Using the Science Process through the Magic of Literacy (SPML) approach, the Centennial Science Club teaches science concepts through exploration while reinforcing reading, writing, and math standards. This program brings science back into the elementary classroom, fostering student leadership and helping teachers confidently integrate science into their daily lessons. Topics covered to date are thermal energy, motion, kinetic energy, energy transfer, biomimicry in engineering, and density. The littles are guided to ask questions from reading a storybook followed by collaborative development of a hypothesis and a procedure followed by data collection and analysis. The group ends with a conversation of errors and extensions. Come see the excitement, ask questions, and discover how literacy can be a powerful launchpad to provide autonomous scientific thinking at your school.

TAKEAWAYS:
High school students guide elementary scientific inquiry sparked by storybooks, reinforcing cross-curricular skills. This encourages student leadership, boosts teacher confidence, and fosters independent scientific thinking, demonstrating how literacy can be a powerful tool for hands-on learning.

SPEAKERS:
CHERYL FARRER

This study explored how Project-Based Learning (PBL) could improve student interest and engagement in 7th grade science. It looked at how hands-on and collaborative projects affected students’ attitudes and academic performance. Data was gathered through pre- and post-surveys and tests. The goal was to see if PBL made science more meaningful and helped students better understand and enjoy what they were learning. Results will help determine how PBL can improve science teaching and support student learning in real-world ways.

TAKEAWAYS:
A key takeaway from the study is Project-Based Learning allows students to explore science in meaningful ways by making real-world connections and applying what they learn to practical, everyday situations.

SPEAKERS:
Rosario Arellano, Jennifer Kopec

This session will showcase literacy integration examples from ML-PBL Science Classrooms. Handouts will provide links to the FREE OER ML-PBL units of instruction, lesson overviews, and literacy integration affordances. Examples of trade books included in the units will be shared.

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

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere

Reform-based science instruction, as outlined in the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC, 2012) integrates science content, practices and concepts. This paradigm shift requires professional development (PD) for teachers. Since "systems" can be used as a unifying framework, we hypothesize that longitudinal PD rooted in systems will allow teachers to revamp and align their existing instructional units with the purpose of The Framework. Further, we propose that longitudinal professional learning cohorts will support teacher implementation of these changes. We ask: What challenges do high school biology teachers experience in using a systems-based lens to transform existing instructional units into units aligned with The Framework?

TAKEAWAYS:
Systems-centered professional development changed teachers lesson design and planning and empowered teachers to move to content parsimony.

SPEAKERS:
Steve Bennett, Sara Wyse

The OSF STEAM Medical Career Immersion Program offered high school seniors a unique, hands-on introduction to diverse health care careers through mentorship, real-world experiences, and direct collaboration with professionals. Students explored clinical and innovation roles, deepened their understanding of medical pathways, and built confidence in their future career choices. By combining education with immersive practice, the program helped bridge gaps in exposure and access—empowering students from all backgrounds to envision and pursue meaningful roles in health care. This model serves as a scalable blueprint for cultivating future scientists and health leaders.

TAKEAWAYS:
The OSF STEAM Medical Career Immersion Program gave high school seniors hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to diverse health careers—building confidence and creating a scalable model for inspiring future health leaders and innovators.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Egli, Katherine Smith

This poster presentation will highlight a National Science Foundation Noyce Track 3 project that aims to cultivate STEM teacher leadership by leveraging makerspace technology within the context of developing Justice-Centered STEM Curricula. Two of the project’s Master Teacher Fellows will describe and highlight lessons they created and implemented in their elementary and high school STEM courses. Both will detail how makerspace technology was leveraged in the lessons and how the lessons required transdisciplinary approaches that aimed to solve or address social justice STEM issues within their local context.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeaway from this presentation is how makerspace technology and social justice STEM issues can pique students' interests and set the stage for STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Benora Mccain, ANGELA WHITAKER, Vanessa Dodo Seriki

Given the persistent lack of STEM teachers who have sufficient knowledge of engineering and the design process to teach an integrative transdisciplinary approach to STEM that addresses today’s increasing technologies and digital innovations, this NSF Noyce Project, Mechatronics Integrated into STEM Teaching for Transformative Inclusive Communities (MISTTIC) supports 20 district Master Teaching Fellows (MTFs) to implement convergence mechatronics learning by creating innovative solutions in K-12 settings that are steeped in real-world, socially-relevant context that draws on knowledge across multiple disciplines to address the technological demands within society, acknowledging that early exposure to mechatronics can impact students’ decision to pursue STEM career pathways.

TAKEAWAYS:
MISTTIC has prepared teachers to catalyze change and advance the integration of mechatronics within their curriculum, including experiential education activities to enhance inclusivity and broaden the pipeline to bridge the school to STEM field workforce for a larger group of students.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Holman, Dodi Cline, Stephanie Arthur

The NSTA Urban Science Education Advisory Board's charge is to advise, guide, and provide input on the Association’s efforts to address the distinct challenges faced by urban science educators, and to develop strategies to support NSTA members in urban areas. Stop by our poster session to share resources, build community with other urban science educators, and complete our survey to share your needs as an urban science educator. Your voice can help us better elevate the needs of urban science educators across the country!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided with resources supporting urban science educators, as well as an opportunity to take the Urban Science Education Advisory Board's needs assessment survey to help guide our efforts in supporting urban science education.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Seabloom

How could cow burps be influencing change? Media Mayhem- Module 2- Lesson 9 with Formative Assessment In Lesson 9, students were asked to revisit models developed in Lesson 7 and incorporate information accumulated in Lesson 8’s three simulations and graphs to reflect the new evidence surrounding greenhouse gases and how the Earth’s temperature rises (MOD-H3). Students identify missing components. Carbon dioxide and its role have been added to the “burping cow” model (ESS2.D-H3). Energy flow into and within the Earth’s system would also need to be updated (EM-H2) to give a more complete model. The revised student models provide a formative assessment opportunity. The lesson plan provides a rubric referencing the NGSS standards to look for. The class then develops a class consensus model. New questions are identified and added to the driving question board. Questions to look for are outlined in the Lesson plan.

TAKEAWAYS:
Media Mayhem Lessons 7-9, supported by Fields of STEM, were incorporated into the curriculum with little effort. Lesson 9 is an example of student growth. The HQIM materials include: lesson plans (cross-referenced to NGSS), student handouts (with keys), and links to videos, images, and sims.

SPEAKERS:
Deanna Keeney

Modeling is a powerful strategy to promote student sensemaking in science. NGSS emphasizes the importance of students using models to explain and predict phenomena. When students take ownership of creating and revising models, understanding is deeper. This work demonstrates modeling is a process of making thinking visible and revisable. When used intentionally, it helps students connect knowledge to new evidence, engage with core ideas, and develop science and engineering practices. A high-quality instructional assessment task, More Cheese, Please (HS), is used with an epigenetics unit to help increase student sensemaking about how enzymes work in our digestive system. A progression of using whiteboards to model this process is used to increase understanding of what happens in the intestines of a lactose intolerant person. This poster illustrates how students develop, revise, and use multiple models to deepen their understanding of how lactose intolerance affects the digestive system.

TAKEAWAYS:
Modeling transforms learning from passive observation to active sensemaking. This illustrates how intentional modeling helps students connect knowledge to new evidence, revise thinking, and construct deeper understanding of complex phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jill Francis

This poster details a ready-to-implement curriculum and comprehensive teacher guide that empowers middle school students to be scientists. Students are introduced to moths (Lepidoptera) and, through a scaffolded process, develop their own original scientific questions about moths in their local habitats. They then design and build moth traps, collect authentic field data, and analyze their results to answer their research questions. The MothEd experience can be implemented fully offline using printable, paper-based lessons, or enhanced through an online platform called CLUE (Collaborative Learning User Environment). All materials are linked to NGSS performance expectations. The MothEd experience was co-developed with teachers and tested over four years across multiple states. This curriculum offers a low-cost, high-impact way to engage students in real-world ecological science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers can easily implement a curriculum that empowers students to ask authentic scientific questions about their local environments—and to experience the full process of being scientists, from discovery to data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Peter White

Are you tired of the same three students raising their hands while others seem to sit back and let them carry the discussion? Do you not feel quite right about the anxiety your students feel around popsicle sticks? Then we’ve got a routine for you: Silent Counts. Silent counts are incredibly effective at giving students time to think of responses before sharing with a partner. They are extremely effective regardless of the age of the students you teach. Come learn about the Silent Count routine and its uses. The Silent Count begins by having students put their fists to their chest and then raise one finger on the fist when they have one idea and other fingers as they have different ideas. The students turn and talk once the teacher sees everyone has at least one finger raised. We will then share some ways the Silent Count can be valuable for launching Initial Ideas, Building Understanding, and Consensus-Type Discussions. The Silent Count is particularly effective for questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
You can use the Silent Count Routine to engage ALL your learners in thinking and talking scientifically. You’ll experience the routine, explore why this routine matters, understand how to introduce the routine, and find ways to incorporate this routine into your sensemaking discussions.

SPEAKERS:
Joel Donna

OpenSciEd’s 3-dimensional Middle School Science + Computer Science units help students concurrently figure out science ideas and computer science in the context of explaining phenomena. The first of these upcoming, free units, 8.1, focuses on collisions between objects. This poster emphasizes the unique pedagogical approach that leverages hardware (micro:bits and sensors) and software (Makecode block coding) to help students explain collisions and develop force measurement solutions for a wide variety of applications. The presenter can also share more information about the other upcoming CS-integrated units (6.3 Weather, Climate & Water Cycling; 6.5 Natural Hazards; 7.6 Earth's Resources & Human Impact; and 8.2 Sound Waves).

TAKEAWAYS:
Computer science can be used as a tool to help explain science phenomena and develop engineering solutions, with computer science learning integrated with science learning in true STEM fashion.

SPEAKERS:
Dan Voss

Inquiry-based life science can flourish in the many facets of a pollinator garden. Pollinator gardens become the gateway to student engagement. The Dakota Science Center has been using citizen science to encourage students and families to take their curiosity outdoors. Pollinator gardens are used as a launching pad by sharing multiple avenues of investigation from the leaf litter to the weather above. Blending mobile phone applications with paper handouts allows everyone to be an investigating scientist. GLOBE offers both formal and informal curriculum. National Geographic Society offers software for species identification and a BioBlitz program. NASA has a suite of environmental education applications. Citizen science applications provide an additional layer of inquiry which encourages students to participate in environmental education beyond the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Inquiry-based life science can flourish in the many facets of a pollinator garden. Citizen science applications provide an additional layer of inquiry which encourages students to participate in environmental education beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Munski, Laura Munski

How does shifting from teacher-led instruction to student-driven "figuring out" impact student engagement, attitudes, and content knowledge relevance? This poster illustrates the implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM's) as a way to revamp a lackluster unit on macromolecules. Students utilized components of a Food and Ag unit called “Postgame Analysis,” where they discovered how milk can be used as a workout recovery beverage. Students work to figure out the components of milk and how their human bodies utilize those components to build new cells. This poster highlights strategies for transforming a teacher-driven unit into an authentic sensemaking experience for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to transform teacher-led activities into sensemaking experiences for your students where students’ curiosity and questions are authentically driving their learning.

SPEAKERS:
Ally Bowers

We will share the 2.0 version of the project-based learning that helps students design, implement and scale a passion project for community impact. Participants will receive our ready-to-implement toolkit and see various student projects. Our student projects highlight how our students take on the most challenging and complex issues that exist in our community and make a positive impact through interdisciplinary research and project-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how students use STEM knowledge and skills such as analyzing big data, creating computer applications, building 3-D models and developing computer simulations to predict trends for tackling systemic inequities.

SPEAKERS:
Jim Birdsong, Sushma Bana, Kavita Gupta

Attendants are briefed on methods used by the UWA Black Belt STEM Education Institute to increase STEM awareness throughout an underserved geographic region in Alabama. In the rural regions of Alabama’s Black Belt, educators and communities face unique challenges to delivering high-quality STEM education. Through relationship-building, hands-on activities, and high-quality professional development opportunities, the UWA BBSEI is changing the way school leaders, teachers, and students approach STEM in the state of Alabama.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore the strategic framework behind the collective impact approach, understand its measurable outcomes on student achievement and engagement, and discuss strategies for replicating similar partnership-driven models in their regions. Attendees will leave equipped with actionable insights and resources to foster collaborative STEM ecosystems in underserved communities.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Reggie Holifield, Chester Nicklas, Jr.

I am planning on implementing the high school formative assessment "More Cheese, Please." I will be addressing the problem of practice of supporting learning for English Language Learners, as there is a high ELL population at the high school I work at. I will be adapting the assessment for ELLs at WLHS in the community of Little Village, Chicago. The adaptations and modifications I am planning to implement will hopefully help my students relate more to the topics they are learning about and make it more relevant for them, as it will connect to their community. I plan on implementing and modifying the assessment to support 3D teaching and learning of ELLs. Through my implementation of the modified & adapted formative assessment, I plan to increase my students' interest in the material & to make it more impactful for them by increasing the relevance of the material to their lives & community. I anticipate highlighting student work samples as evidence of their engagement and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
A main takeaway that I would like attendees to be able to walk away with is increased knowledge of strategies that can be utilized to help improve the engagement and learning of English Language Learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jamilah Hassan

Concerns for water quality of lakes, rivers & groundwater are increasing. Water testing & monitoring is costly. Studies are always trying to find reliable & accurate procedures that will reduce monitoring costs. Common duckweed (Lemna minor) is a possible candidate for being a pollution indicator species - a plant or animal that responds to a specific condition. When animals or plants are used to test toxicity, it is called a bioassay. Duckweed doesn't identify or measure the amount of contaminant, it just indicates that a pollutant has affected the water. It tells scientists that water quality tests need to be done. Duckweed, because of its broad range of sensitivity, can be used as an indicator species to test water quality. Using the scientific method, complete a bioassay using duckweed as the indicator organism and a substance that may affect the duckweed. You will work individually but compare data with your class.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with a lesson plan ready to implement in their classroom along with a grading rubric.

SPEAKERS:
Jenny Janssen

From Undies to Understanding: The Intriguing Role of Soil in Education Immerse yourself in a unique intersection where soil health and science education collide in an unexpected way designed to pique your curiosity! This approach reveals the unexpected connection between healthy soil and the mysterious vanishing act of cotton undies. Tailored to reflect our local culture and community’s socioeconomic issues, this perspective on how soil’s magic can engage students by empowering them to grow their own food. We are not only sowing seeds of belonging but also fostering a passion for STEM. Embark on this thrilling adventure to see how these local twists spark curiosity and transform classrooms, seamlessly weaving cultural charm with scientific sleuthing!

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with key insights that soil health is a fundamental driver of plant growth and environmental sustainability, and it can be creatively assessed through innovative methods, such as the "cotton underwear" test. Empower individuals to make informed decisions in their environmental stewardship.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Hansel

Explore how a single STEM lesson can be used to connect different elements of student interest, life experiences, career paths. Showcase multiple career paths and hands-on activities through visuals. Show that sense-making is a way to help our students connect with what they are learning and use that knowledge in other areas of their lives outside of the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
By connecting this lesson directly to students' activities and career opportunities, students will help direct their own learning and be invested in the outcome in a deeper way than they are with much of their education. Sensemaking, real-world situations, and career paths are all brought together.

SPEAKERS:
Catrina Butler

There is a critical shortage of professionals in the healthcare industry. This shortage has increased efforts to educate and attract students to the field. With this presentation, we share exemplar lessons and encourage teachers’ involvement in a professional development program aimed at cultivating the next generation of cancer researchers.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session provides attendees with in-depth content and engaging pedagogy related to inquiry-based biomedical career education. This is conveyed through exemplar classroom-ready, hands-on lessons for the middle school classroom that align with actual cancer research and the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Gayle Buck

This presentation explores equity in STEM education, focusing on the underrepresentation of African American scholars in STEM fields. It highlights the importance of identity development in shaping their educational trajectory. Research shows that culturally responsive teaching in STEM helps African American scholars connect with content and see how STEM disciplines address real-world problems. Historically, these scholars have underperformed on standardized tests due to marginalization in the classroom and lack of representation. This presentation offers practical solutions to foster a positive STEM identity, including addressing teacher perceptions, incorporating literature that reflects African American experiences in STEM, and using performance-based tasks to encourage inquiry and creativity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how to foster STEM identity in underrepresented scholars, especially African Americans. By building a positive STEM identity, teachers can empower scholars to drive change in their communities, helping break cycles of systemic oppression and engaging them beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Jones

The research examines the effects of inquiry-based learning (IBL) materials on educational outcomes and teaching strategies in Science 8. Physics concepts are complex which frequently results in student disengagement when educators rely on memorization-based teaching techniques. IBL moves student education from passive listening to active engagement through exploration and problem-solving activities that improve understanding and critical thinking capabilities. Practical application-based physics instruction inspires students to choose science and technology as their future career paths. The educational market does not have validated IBL materials that are adapted to the Science 8 curriculum. The research project focuses on creating IBL resources that match K-12 academic standards to boost both student performance and engagement levels. The instructional framework enables teachers to apply IBL while overcoming preparation and resource.

TAKEAWAYS:
The participants will examine ways inquiry-based learning materials boost Science 8 teaching through improved student participation and academic success. The session will demonstrate new physics IBL resources while discussing educational challenges and providing a detailed implementation approach.

SPEAKERS:
Princess Margaret Paz

I am incorporating the assessment "Better Bioreactors" to a unit called "What is killing life in the Gulf?" Students are determining what is causing dead zones and then adding bioreactors will help students to think about solutions to the problem. This gathers student thinking and ends with students modeling their learning and thoughts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will discover that having students investigate the phenomenon by scaffolding with real-world problems leads to higher engagement and deeper thinking for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Wiedrich

Explore the link between targeted vocabulary instruction and improved comprehension in STEM. Through practical examples, attendees will learn effective strategies and tools to enhance scientific literacy while maintaining content rigor and concept retention for all learners in their classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how explicit vocabulary instruction enhances comprehension and concept retention in science. They'll gain effective strategies and tools to integrate vocabulary teaching into their lessons, ultimately improving student literacy while maintaining rigorous content instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Shana Pyatt-Buckner

This poster session highlights high-impact strategies for developing vocabulary and building background knowledge in upper elementary through secondary science classrooms to support student sense-making of science phenomena. Participants will explore how to select and teach Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary aligned to science standards and how to embed those terms into reading, writing, and classroom discourse. The session features effective reading routines—such as morphology-based instruction, concept mapping, and close reading of informational texts—that help students access complex ideas and use scientific language accurately. Emphasis will be placed on practices that promote both conceptual understanding and language development. Attendees will leave with planning tools, word-learning templates, anchor chart examples, and instructional supports designed for immediate classroom application.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn practical strategies for integrating vocabulary and knowledge-building routines into science instruction to support student sense-making of science phenomena through reading, writing, and discourse in upper elementary through secondary classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Wenger, Wendy Towery-Stove

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 was adapted to attend to Indigenous land rights and sovereignty.

TAKEAWAYS:
In relation to science and engineering projects in society (e.g., associated with the energy transition, ecological restoration, urban development), teachers will learn how to engage students in exploring moral and ethical dimensions of trade-offs in project approaches.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Fowler, Philip Bell

Leaders will share their purpose for joining this session and then engage in a simulation as a “common experience” and use that experience to consider how key lessons about change played out in the simulation and how the lessons play out in their work. Leaders will read and discuss the Change Management text from The Elements: Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-based Professional Learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Join other leaders to consider key lessons from change and dig into Change Management from The Elements: Transforming Teaching through Curriculum-based Professional Learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jody Bintz

Join the NSTA PL committee for one or all of the interactive 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'll explore how engaging in purposeful ELA activities during a phenomenon-based lesson is essential to both figuring out phenomena in science and boosting literacy development! Participants will engage in a science learning sequence in which they read, write, listen and speak in authentic ways like scientists do and will discover how ELA can be leveraged and integrated into science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience a model lesson and learn how to align ELA standards with authentic science practices like reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Discover how integrating purposeful ELA activities into phenomenon-based science boosts both literacy and science sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott, Rebecca Garelli, Jesse Wilcox, Erik Wade

An essential scientific and engineering practice is having students develop and use scientific models, but it can be challenging to facilitate modeling to ensure students’ effective engagement and sensemaking. This workshop will demonstrate how to model with students in different formats and for various purposes. Modeling can be utilized in the classroom to assist students in making their learning visual and communicating scientific information. Engaging in modeling can also enhance student engagement and sense-making. The modeling process can also serve as a formative or summative assessment. During the workshop, teachers will engage in various types of modeling that they can implement in their classrooms. All information presented is based on research. This is listed as a 9-12 Earth and Space Science session since most examples will be from this area. Yet, the activities and information could also be utilized in middle school and other secondary disciplines.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will experience a variety of methods of modeling to utilize in their classroom that allow student learning of science concepts to be visualized. Leave this workshop with activities and pedological moves related to modeling that you can implement in your class immediately.

SPEAKERS:
Missie Olson, Haley Kalina

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Join our interactive workshop where literacy meets exploration through the lens of the Science of Reading! Students engage in hands-on investigations, like testing magnets, to build knowledge and apply evidence-based literacy strategies. Leave with practical classroom resources to support reading development.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera

Sponsoring Company: Switch Classroom

Prepare your students for success on the AP Enviro exam with expert tips for tackling multiple-choice and free-response questions. Learn strategies to enhance critical thinking and test-taking skills, helping your students achieve their best scores.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler

In this hands-on session, educators will experience the power of real-time data in engineering design and iteration. Building on insights gained through collaborative NIH grant development, participants will engage in a rapid prototyping challenge, using easily accessible live data to test, refine, and improve a solution within a short cycle—just as real engineers do. This interactive workshop will model data-driven decision-making, helping teachers bring NGSS-aligned, iterative engineering practices into their classrooms. By the end, participants will leave with practical strategies to integrate real-time data tools into their lessons, empowering students to make informed design choices and develop future-ready problem-solving skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate real-time data into engineering challenges, guiding students through rapid prototyping and iteration.

SPEAKERS:
Emine inci Birkan, Gillian Roehrig, Todd Hunter

Calling all elementary school teachers! Join us for an engaging and enlightening workshop that explores the powerful intersection of science education and the Science of Reading initiatives. Discover how teaching science can support and enhance students' reading and writing abilities, creating a comprehensive approach that fosters academic achievement across disciplines.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in hands-on activities, collaborative discussions, and reflective exercises to gain practical insights into the seamless integration of science education and the Science of Reading initiatives. They will receive valuable resources and lesson ideas that can be applied.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Larson

If you have done inquiry based learning you know that it can be challenging when students don’t seem to have any questions they want to investigate! The good news is that you can build and foster a classroom community that makes curiosity the default rather than something you have to manufacture. Whether they realize it or not, students want to understand the world around them, they just often don't think it's worth the work to actually do so. By creating a culture where questions are normal, expected, and encouraged, I'm able to push students to continue working towards content mastery rather than deciding they "know enough to pass the test". Strategies like question boxes, science hot seat, question stems, and others have been invaluable in bringing back the curiosity in my middle and high school students that is so inherently present in younger grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Curiosity isn’t something that exists naturally in all groups of students, but fear not and come join me to discover how to build a curious classroom culture!

SPEAKERS:
Anneliese Johnson

Teachers are encouraged to use eliciting strategies and talk moves to assist their students in sense-making and evidence-based explanations during science investigations. In this workshop, participants will experience putting ambitious science teaching ideas into practice by learning scaffolds they can provide students, training, and encouraging them to discuss findings and reach a consensus independently. Transferring the responsibility of productive talk moves to students can encourage intellectual engagement while also attending to equity issues in the classroom. Younger students often require more scaffolding, reinforcement, and encouragement to be successful in school and engage in productive discourse. We will share how to plan for student conversation using an anchor chart, talk scaffolds, and talking circles. In this workshop, we will also allow time for educators to practice the practical, user-friendly strategies with each other.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to user-friendly scaffolding strategies designed to increase their students' ability to discuss science productively. We will present how talk scaffolds can work in an elementary setting and engage participants in a scenario to practice talk moves as students.

SPEAKERS:
Shelley Petzold, Melissa Wimmler, Lisa Pitot

This presentation will explore the intersection of 3D learning applied to support sense-making around climate science and global change, emphasizing how integrated, hands-on approaches can enhance understanding of human and non-human influences on complex environmental systems. It will highlight crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and disciplinary core ideas within the context of climate-change and related global change phenomena. Through models and real-world data, the presentation will demonstrate how students can engage in evidence-based reasoning about global change, climate impacts, and sustainability solutions. The goal is to foster critical thinking and informed action on pressing environmental challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Understanding Global Change conceptual framework uses 3D learning to empower student sense-making around climate change, global change, and sustainability, by connecting scientific practices, core ideas, and real-world data to inform critical thinking and evidence-based action.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine

This session empowers educators to teach climate change through children’s literature that inspires hope, resilience, and action. By integrating emotionally engaging stories with climate science, we help young learners understand environmental challenges while fostering a proactive, optimistic mindset. Participants will explore curated resources—including book lists, lesson plans, and activities—that connect scientific concepts with relatable narratives and emphasize individual and collective agency. The session also offers guidance on navigating difficult topics in age-appropriate ways and encouraging community engagement projects that extend learning beyond the classroom. Through collaboration, we are building a network of educators, authors, and advocates committed to cultivating a generation of informed, compassionate climate stewards. Join us in reimagining climate education as a hopeful, action-oriented journey for children.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use children’s literature to teach climate change in developmentally appropriate ways that foster hope, resilience, and student agency, while accessing ready-to-use resources that connect science concepts with meaningful storytelling and community action.

SPEAKERS:
Lorianne Donovan, Carissa Haug

The Summer Research Academy is a series of two-week research opportunities for students in grades 7-12, developed as a collaboration between our school and a local college with sessions co-lead by faculty from both institutions. We’ve developed a model for engaging students in the research process by introducing accessible topics and techniques, and facilitating the research process in an developmentally-appropriate manner. This includes developing research questions and experiments that can be answered in our limited time together. As students work through the experimental design and data collection process, they learn that science is not a linear process, continually revisit their hypothesis, and modify their experiment. The week ends with a research symposium where results are shared with their families and the community. SRA sessions have included a range of topics, such as: water quality of the local watershed, biodesign, astrophysics, zebrafish physiology, and microbiology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to scaffold authentic science research experiences across a range of disciplines. We will present a model to help students develop research questions, design experiments, collect and analyze data, and present results - all in a two-week period.

SPEAKERS:
Rachael Lancor

Human DNA is more alike than different, so how do we find the differences? Restriction enzymes are proteins that recognize and cut specific DNA sequences. These can be used to determine whether a particular DNA sequence is present and to see differences between samples from different individuals – a DNA Fingerprint. This technique is called Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), and it was the first way detectives analyzed DNA at a crime scene. In this activity, participants will use agarose gel electrophoresis to compare three DNA samples and “solve” an art heist. This lab is great to teach about restriction enzymes and agarose gel electrophoresis in a fun and hands-on way – perfect for life science, biology, and forensics classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Digesting DNA with restriction enzymes yields a “DNA Fingerprint” that can help investigators identify suspects at a crime scene. In this lab we will use digested DNA and agarose gel electrophoresis to “solve” an art heist.

SPEAKERS:
Arie Kaz, Kelsie Anson

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek, Inc.

Explore CRISPR-Cas gene editing in our hands-on electrophoresis workshop! The Nobel-winning biotechnology breakthrough is making dramatic changes to human health TODAY. Dive into CRISPR biology with quick experiments modeling cures for genetic diseases like Sickle Cell Anemia and Cystic Fibrosis.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Dayton

This session focuses on designing, building, and using three-dimensional formative assessment tasks. The session will feature ways to use assessment within scientific investigation to inform teachers and students of learning three-dimensional science learning progress. The role of crosscutting concepts in focusing performance tasks will be modeled in the sessions. The session will feature discussions about the effective alignment of assessment tasks to three-dimensional science standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will take away lessons that include formative assessment tasks and how to use formative assessment to enhance classroom instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Brett Moulding

While student investigation using authentic data-driven phenomena can be a powerful tool for sensemaking, the process of identifying and integrating high-quality data can be overwhelming and time consuming. This session supports educators in tackling both of these challenges. Join us as we highlight sources and strategies for identifying locally relevant data-driven phenomena and share practices for transforming these into engaging and accessible phenomena for your students. Participants will leave with a curated directory of data-sources and classroom-ready strategies to bridge the gap between raw data and rich phenomena-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a curated directory of data-sources and classroom-ready strategies to bridge the gap between raw data and rich phenomena-based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Like, Tiffany Morgan

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Explore how genetic testing can assess hereditary cancer risk. Students use gel electrophoresis and pedigree analysis to test family members for Lynch syndrome. Plus, engage with the medical and bioethical implications of genetic testing through a role-play activity!

SPEAKERS:
Alexandra Dainis

As part of its STEM-on-the-Go Mobile Digital Fabrication Van Program, funded by the Defense STEM Education Consortium, TIES has developed a set of standards-based activities to engage students in Digital Fabrication-inspired Design Challenges. One of the curricula activities, focused on electric circuits, includes the design and construction of an LED Lantern. During this presentation, participants will learn how to integrate a lantern project into their high school physical science curriculum. Educators will construct a parallel circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and wires, and will take home a functioning lantern. When this project is introduced in a school with digital fabrication machines, students will also have the opportunity to design the lantern “housing” and fabricate it on a laser cutter/engraver. All participants will receive a template for the lantern design and the standards-based activity guide for the project.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this workshop, participants will learn how to integrate a lantern project into their high school physical science curriculum. Educators will construct a parallel circuit using an LED, coin-cell battery, and wires, and will take home a functioning lantern.

SPEAKERS:
Toby Bothel

Sponsoring Company: Teachers' Curriculum Institute (TCI)

Join us for an innovative and interactive session where engineering meets speed dating! Dive into hands-on engineering challenges and activities inspired by TCI's middle school science programs. In this dynamic workshop, attendees will participate in a series of "speed dates" with engineering experiences, uncovering valuable lessons and insights.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Utilize updated computer modeling with students to test assumptions, play, and build an intuition of how complex earth and human systems interact. Pair this with a lesson sequence that explores published fiction using a simple journaling and class discussion technique. The sequence results in students creating dispatches from these futures to meld their climate understandings with creative narratives. These students will go on to build the future - they should have some practice creating better ones.

TAKEAWAYS:
Build confidence in helping students personalize what climate modeling means for their own life.

SPEAKERS:
Luke Gliddon

In this dynamic, hands-on session, participants will explore how drone technology can be integrated into inquiry-based STEM learning to engage students in meaningful, real-world investigations. Through interactive activities, educators will experience student-centered lessons that combine drone flight, authentic data collection and analysis. Participants will explore relationships by collecting data using drones and analyze their findings to draw conclusions. The session will also cover beginner-friendly drone programming tools and strategies for scaffolding coding skills to support students at different levels. Emphasis will be placed on aligning activities with science and math concepts, promoting student agency, and using technology to foster critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Drones should not be seen as supplementary tools but as essential resources in teaching math and science. By integrating drones into lessons, educators can create immersive, inquiry-driven learning experiences that deepen student understanding and bring core concepts to life.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Pennell

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Classroom communities make sense of what’s being investigated through discussions; it’s key to ensuring all students’ ideas are shared and valued. This session focuses on discussion types used to help draw out student ideas, negotiate and refine them, and support communicating in scientific ways.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Tindall

Engage in hands-on, standards-aligned investigations across physics, life science, and Earth-space science that use real-world data to uncover patterns and drive inquiry. Participants will analyze phenomena such as pendulum motion, global temperature trends, and population growth through the lens of mathematics—graphing, calculating rates, identifying trends, and modeling relationships. This session will provide practical strategies for embedding mathematical thinking into science instruction and equip teachers with ready-to-use lessons, data sets, and planning tools to help students use data to make sense of the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to engage students in science inquiry by using real-world data and mathematical analysis to identify patterns, build models, and make evidence-based claims across physics, life science, and Earth-space science investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Szentmiklosi

Why do some materials feel warmer or cooler to the touch? This hands-on session guides educators through a lab experience where students measure temperature changes in various materials to explore thermal conductivity. Participants will calculate averages, compare rates of heat transfer, and discuss implications for insulation and energy efficiency. Digital graphing and collaborative whiteboard tools will be used to help students visualize and interpret their findings.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain a hands-on lab and data analysis activity that helps students explore heat transfer in everyday materials and understand thermal conductivity through real measurements and visual tools.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Szydlowski

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Join us to explore the OpenSciEd Certified PASCO version Grade 8 curriculum. First discover a unit's storyline through a tour of PASCO Portal, our online platform for organizing and distributing teacher and student OpenSciEd resources. Then dive into the unit's first lesson to experience the anchoring phenomenon, used to elicit student questions that they'll work to answer throughout the unit. Finally participate in a hands-on activity from a subsequent lesson, using PASCO technology to develop an evidence-based response to one of those student questions. In this lesson, you will use our Smart Cart with its built-in force and position sensors to graph the relationship between applied force and deformation for different materials.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

From coffee to cola, many of your students’ favorite beverages contain acid! Help them investigate the acid concentrations in different drinks using pH sensors and a simple acid/base titration. Walk away with a go-to experiment and tips to connect key chemistry concepts to real-world food science.

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim

Research shows that providing opportunities for youth to interact with and learn from diverse STEM role models can break stereotypes and increase motivation to pursue a career in STEM. Join Twin Cities PBS as we share research-based strategies for incorporating role models into STEM learning spaces, created through 20 years of award-winning research and outreach as part of the SciGirls television series on PBS Kids. This session will outline: ways for teachers to prepare students for meeting a role model; how to prepare the role model for talking with youth (including specific talking points for role models and self-paced training for role models); how to find STEM Role Models; and printed guides on Role Model strategies and gender equitable teaching strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn research based strategies for incorporating role models in formal and informal learning environments, with a focus on how to prepare youth and role models to get the most from the experience!

SPEAKERS:
Katie Hessen

My Taiwan Fulbright-Hays experience inspired me to incorporate the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in all my courses (Environmental Science, Biology, Anatomy & Physiology). The SDGs help to teach our students through the lens of interdisciplinary challenges that are part of all our lives. This session will include examples of how I have integrated the SDGs and Climate Action into the standard curriculum for grades 9-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
Examples will be provided as to how to incorporate the UN SDGs into a high school science class, including elective courses (Environmental Science, Anatomy & Physiology) as well as core science classes with a more stringent curriculum (Biology, Anatomy & Physiology).

SPEAKERS:
Kristina Hayda

In this session, we will examine how to leverage time used to practice and reinforce math and reading skills to also include phenomenon-based science. By using math and ELA standards as a starting point, short units building off of a common science phenomenon are created.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience the process of creating a phenomenon-based, science-focused lesson series to help reinforce and practice the standards in math and ELA, thus leading toward equity for students and subject areas.

SPEAKERS:
Miranda Orellana

Sponsoring Company: PhET Interactive Simulations

Be empowered with PhET Studio, PhET’s first customization tool for teachers! Learn how to create unique sim experiences that fit your lessons and inspire students like never before. Join us to see Studio in action and start a FREE trial. Don’t miss this exclusive opportunity!

SPEAKERS:
Linda Stegemann

Sponsoring Company: LEGO® Education

Middle school learners benefit from science instruction that is hands-on, visual, and rooted in real-world exploration. In this interactive workshop for grades 6–8 educators, participants will engage in activities that guide students through the modeling cycle: building physical representations of phenomena, creating annotated diagrams to explain systems and interactions, and collecting and visualizing data to refine their models. Educators will leave with practical ideas on how to use LEGO Education Science to make abstract ideas tangible and inquiry-driven learning accessible for all students.

Step into a world where creativity meets chaos—in the best way possible. In this hands-on workshop, educators will explore the power of project-based learning using an unpredictable mix of discarded, unused, and everyday items. With access to a wide array of "junkyard" materials, participants will be guided through the Human-Centered Design process—empathizing, defining, ideating, prototyping, and testing—to transform forgotten objects into functional, meaningful creations. By the end of the session, each team will present a unique design that showcases both ingenuity and intentionality. This workshop is a celebration of creativity, sustainability, and student-driven learning, equipping teachers with tools and inspiration to bring innovation into their classrooms using what others leave behind.

TAKEAWAYS:
Transform discarded materials into purposeful creations through a ready-to-use, flexible STEM activity that brings hands-on design and innovation into any classroom setting.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Lambert

Join us to explore how to leverage students' communication tools in the high school science classroom. This session will focus on strategies and approaches integrated into the OpenSciEd Chemical Reactions unit which challenges students to investigate chemical processes impacting oyster populations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to guide students in articulating their ideas, collaborating effectively, and constructing evidence-based explanations while encouraging the use of their own language and perspectives to make sense of complex scientific concepts and connect them to pressing environmental issues.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker, Kristin Rademaker

Sponsoring Company: ECA Science Kit Services

In this session we will select 3-4 popular science programs to evaluate using the 15-Questions developed by ECA Science Kit Services. The objective is to have participants walk away with an easy guide to use as they evaluate different programs to adopt. The takeaway will be an understanding of how to set teachers up for a successful implementation. This process will share information about alignment, usability and budget (yes! we will talk money and share “blindspot” costs to prepare for). It will cover short-term and long-term goals for implementation. There will also be an activity related to the “usability” portion of the presentation! Participants will have a fun experience and leave with a simple navigation guide to support their adoption and implementation process.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Harlan

Good data begins with accurate measurements. Students often struggle with science data due to a lack of facility with the International System of Units (SI). A series of engaging, hands-on measurement activities can empower students to be successful using SI in the practices of computational thinking and arguing from evidence. A Concrete to Representational to Abstract approach is used during the exploration lab on finding volume by displacement. This technique boosts the confidence of students who may struggle with written communication. The crosscutting concept of scale, proportion, and quantity is the focus of concept development activities where students estimate values before measuring them. The series culminates in a formative lab assessment where students argue from indirect evidence they gathered regarding the density of water. Appropriate levels of scaffolding for the computational thinking required by this activity will be discussed. Walk away with 3 great measurement labs!

TAKEAWAYS:
Students need to be proficient with various measurement techniques. They also need to be adept at reading, recording, and comprehending data in System International units. Find engaging lessons that incorporate literary and computational skills into explaining phenomena with measurements.

SPEAKERS:
James Duff

Use demos to talk about resources and environmental sustainability, with copper as a specific example and a focus on the impact of resource acquisition and resources to highlight the depth and complexity of these issues. Participants will observe a copper vein set up they could use in class. This single replacement reaction has some interesting steps and the chemistry that occurs will be discussed. Then the decomposition of malachite will be discussed along with extracting copper by smelting and an analysis of energy used. These reactions give an opportunity to discuss chemistry, geology and environmental science. The idea of the “rock footprint” and how much raw material is needed will be explored. The Berkeley Pit (in Butte) will be one reference point. Resources provided will help students understand the challenges faced when balancing competing interests. The timeline and impact of mining in various areas will be discussed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Environmental impacts of mining from raw material acquisition to processing energy to site clean-up, with an emphasis on the chemistry and sustainability of current practices. Leave with several labs, a classroom activity to highlight the physical impacts of mining, and enthusiasm for recycling.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson

Science ignites students’ excitement and curiosity about the world! Explore research and discuss how to build your toolbox for engaging others in prioritizing phenomenon-based instruction in the curricular experiences of elementary students; go beyond mere special activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with strategies to make the case for making science as much a part of students’ elementary classroom experience as ELA & Math.

SPEAKERS:
Yanira Vazquez

Scientifically speaking, how brains process information is tied to the kinds of tasks we need to perform. We examine the science of learning: how the brain learns, recalls information and how different tasks activate different brain processes. For example, spelling the word "yellow" involves different parts of the brain than understanding the concept of the color. Knowing these differences helps us understand and formulate relevant assessments. Once we understand the processes we can manage/avoid cognitive overload that occurs when learning new concepts. We will learn to use brain science to help long term retention of knowledge. By embedding neuroscience-informed strategies into curriculum design, educators can help students learn naturally. We develop our own personal intelligence! Participants are encouraged to bring their instructional material to create a template takeaway. Participants will take away 3 assessment and 3 instructional strategies grounded in brain research.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will learn how the human brain processes information. Use brain science to understand long term retention of knowledge. Participants will take away 2-3 assessment and instructional strategies grounded in brain research.

SPEAKERS:
Manisha Sharan

The Next Generation Science Standards describe a vision of scientific literacy that emphasizes informed and participatory citizenship on issues related to science in society.  Many elementary teachers, however, avoid debatable socioscientific issues such as whether we need zoos, the value of a national space program, or whether certain sports are too dangerous for children, because of concerns about arguments in their classrooms and fear of broaching moral/ethical issues.  During this interactive session, participants will be introduced to the theoretical framework behind the Socioscientific Issues (SSI) approach.  They will then collaboratively engage in an activity from the NSTA Press book, It’s Still Debatable, during which they will model negotiation of a debatable issue while analyzing the lesson’s use of SSI, NGSS three-dimensional science learning, alignment with interdisciplinary standards, and multiple means of assessment for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this interactive workshop, participants will learn an array of strategies for using debatable societal issues related to science to develop their elementary students’ scientific literacy while modeling 3D teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sami Kahn

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Participants will make and use alginate beads containing algae and alginate beads containing yeast. They will learn how the beads can be used to model the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Stubbs