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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This interactive workshop introduces participants to Play-Doh Volumes, a field-tested lesson developed and refined from 2022 to 2025 in elementary STEM methods courses. The lesson integrates the development of volume formulas (prisms, pyramids, cones, cylinders, and spheres) with scientific inquiry around conservation of mass. Students hypothesize, build, measure, calculate, and analyze using everyday materials—then use CER (Claim-Evidence-Reasoning) to draw conclusions from their findings.

Participants in this session will construct and measure geometric solids with Play-Doh, apply volume formulas to various shapes, and engage in 3D learning practices including modeling, mathematical thinking, and evidence-based reasoning. Analyze how shape transformations impact volume and mass, discuss adaptations and extensions for classroom use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understand how NGSS and Common Core math standards can be integrated through authentic problem-solving. Engage in a model lesson grounded in hands-on learning and the 3 dimensions of science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Engle

Learn strategies to support all students, including MultiLingual Learners (MLLs), in developing disciplinary-specific language through embedded peer-to-peer discussion routines, informed by research, that promote collaborative sensemaking and language acquisition.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience instructional routines, through an immersive activity, designed to support the development of disciplinary-specific language and collaborative sensemaking in science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Chatham, John Salazar

Do your students struggle with data interpretation? We have a student-centered, classroom-proven lesson to help students at any level learn how to read graphs. Come experience how students use metacognitive prompts to make their thinking visible, and then compare their thinking process with both peers and experts. Along the way, students build a personalized, step-by-step tool they can use to make sense of new graphs. No matter the curriculum you use, this lesson helps students more confidently approach a variety of graphs, make their thinking visible and reflect on their sensemaking process. Participants will leave with the resources and activities needed to implement this lesson in their classroom tomorrow. 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:
Attendees experience a classroom-proven, NGSS-aligned lesson plan with activities to help students create their own graph interpretation tool. In the process, teachers facilitate making student thinking visible and improve students’ ability to interpret any graph used in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Tony Matthys

Discover innovative STEM activities tailored to complement popular read-alouds. Participants will experience firsthand three engineering challenges inspired by beloved books. This hands-on workshop empowers educators to confidently integrate STEM into their existing curriculum, enriching students' learning experiences. Leave equipped to inspire young minds with the magic of reading and the excitement of engineering.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with everything they need to implement three read-alouds with follow-on STEM activities in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Erik Wade, Jesse Wilcox

Integrating science and literacy is essential for supporting elementary teachers in science instruction. This presentation presents an argument for using science investigation to motivate students to read, write, and engage in discourse. Participants receive a set of hands-on science lessons to motivate students to learn.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants develop insights and understanding of how to effectively integrate science learning with language arts skills development. Participants will be provided with hands-on scientific investigations that include meaningful reading resources aligned to the lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Brett Moulding

Experience how embedding literacy supports for reading, writing, and academic discourse in 3D teaching and learning promotes sensemaking and science understanding for ALL learners! Learn how the BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning (AIL) instructional model succeeds the 5Es and embeds literacy supports throughout cycles of inquiry.

The NGSS calls for 3D learning grounded in real world phenomena to ensure science learning is equitable and relevant to all students. The SEPs and CCCs require sensemaking of complex texts and data as well as communicating explanations and arguments and engaging in scientific discourse.

In this session, participants will experience literacy strategies that support student engagement in the SEPs and CCCs, consider how these strategies support all students, particularly below grade-level readers and EMLs, in sensemaking, and consider how embedding these strategies in assessments allows all students to demonstrate their learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
The research-based BSCS Anchored Inquiry Learning instructional model succeeds the 5Es and embeds literacy supports for reading, writing, and academic discourse in conjunction with science and engineering practices and crosscutting concepts to promote students in figuring out key science ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Gay

Many students struggle with the challenging literacy demands of science, including complex texts and specialized vocabulary. In this interactive session, participants will engage with an array of evidence-based literacy strategies specifically tailored to support science instruction at the secondary level. These strategies were thoughtfully developed and implemented through a partnership between science teachers and their literacy coaches. Attendees will explore practical approaches for integrating literacy practices into science curricula, with the goals of fostering equity, increasing deep student understanding, promoting inquiry-based learning, and enhancing classroom engagement. The session will highlight how embedding literacy within scientific contexts aligns with the NGSS strands of Asking Questions and Defining Problems, and Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communication Ideas. Participants will leave with concrete examples to integrate literacy with science in their own schools.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with concrete, NGSS-aligned literacy strategies they can immediately apply to make science instruction more engaging, equitable, and inquiry-driven.

SPEAKERS:
Jeremy Parker, Jodi Baker

Teachers and students face a substantial amount of learning as outlined in the NGSS and Common Core standards. But content isn't the only focus in these guiding documents. What are SEPs and SMPs? How can we transform these essential practices from feeling like "one more thing" into valuable opportunities for students to build knowledge in math and science? In this session, we'll explore the crossover between these vital practices and how recognizing them can enhance learning. We'll share activities and discuss how to implement these practices in both math and science settings. Come ready to engage in strategies that promote science and mathematical practices, including ways to assess them and make students aware of the vital skills they're using. By the end of the session, we'll demonstrate how promoting these practices aligns with social-emotional competencies, as it IS all connected.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the conclusion of this session, attendees will have gained an understanding of how the NGSS SEPs and Common Core SMPs intersect and complement each other. Along with that knowledge, they will learn how these practices can be applied in math and science settings to support student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Coulter, Kathryn Borton

The booklet Explorations into the US Space Program was developed for elementary students. Using personal narratives, primary sources, thinking routines, creative thinking, and STEM, the booklet engages students. They'll learn about astronauts, the impact of the space program on the local economy, and design and test model paper rockets. The booklet is geared towards fourth and fifth grades and includes annotated text features to support ESE and language learners. Come learn how to access the booklet and teacher guide for free. These resources have been made possible by grants with the Eastern Region for Teaching with Primary Sources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to download Explorations into the US Space Program and its teacher guide for free. They'll learn how to use the activities in the booklet to integrate literacy and STEM. They'll learn how to support student learning using annotated text features.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Boulden

How do chance events shape evolution? In this interactive simulation, participants will explore natural selection and genetic drift through a probability-based activity. Using coin toss simulations and simple scientific calculator data analysis tools, students model trait survival across generations while adjusting for environmental change. Participants will graph trait frequencies, make predictions, and interpret how chance and selective pressures influence populations over time. A shared digital whiteboard supports collaborative thinking and real-time data visualization.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain a ready-to-use simulation that uses probability and data analysis to help students model how natural selection and chance influence trait survival over generations.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Szydlowski

Wondering how to fit meaningful science into your busy day? Finding time for science in the busy, often fragmented schedules of primary classrooms can be a challenge—but it’s not impossible! Discover time-saving strategies and flexible routines to help you integrate science into the school day without sacrificing literacy, math, or play-based learning. This session will explore NGSS-aligned activities and assessments that work in short blocks of time, across subject areas, and within real classroom constraints. Practical examples will show how to turn everyday moments into science opportunities, how to use quick routines to build scientific thinking, and how to adapt lessons to fit your district schedule. Whether you have 10 minutes a day or 30 minutes once a week, you’ll leave with ideas that fit your classroom and support your students’ diverse learning needs. Perfect for new and experienced teachers looking to keep the joy and wonder of science alive when only given minimal time.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave with flexible routines and NGSS-aligned activities that integrate easily into busy PK–2 schedules. They will be able to adapt time-saving strategies to weave science into literacy, math, and daily routines—making science a natural, joyful part of every school day.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Forsythe

How much do NGSS-aligned strategies for teaching science have in common with recommended instruction of English Language Learners (ELL)? Learn about research and resources that overlap effective methods for supporting students as they strengthen both science content understanding and literacy skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will review and compare strategies for NGSS instruction and language development for ELL students across four domains (writing/reading/speaking/listening), taking away a list of practical elements to include in lesson planning and teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Bergman

Elementary students are not ready to jump directly to organizing data in tabular format. In this session, learn about a strategy for organizing data onto case cards that helps make the data collection and organization process manageable for younger students and builds skills that will be needed in the secondary level. I'll introduce two modes for doing this, one analog and the other digital, using a free tool called Tuva Jr.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave with a concrete strategy for helping younger students collect and organize data onto "case cards", which will scaffold the eventual creation of tabular data.

SPEAKERS:
Jocelyn Foran

Participants will engage with routines and text sets—including primary sources from the Library of Congress—that can be used to support civically engaged argument writing about cross-disciplinary environmental issues like space debris, fast fashion, palm oil in foods, and minting new pennies. Our communities are full of arguments—debates, discussions, and conversations about how we should live together as members of a community. Participants will learn about freely available text sets and classroom routines developed by teachers for supporting civically engaged argument writing about environmental issues. In our civic argument writing unit, students create texts for audiences outside of the classroom. For example, in our curriculum resources on orbital debris or "space junk," students in a grade 5 classroom crafted letters to their senators. Most units call for students to draft Op-Eds for publication in local newspapers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to support students in (1) making sense of multiple perspectives and (2) contributing to ongoing civic conversations about issues of importance with the help of approaches and tools that have been developed by teachers and are freely available online.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Lapina, Javaha Ross, Trey Smith

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

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to use free, NSF-funded tools for data exploration and AI from The Concord Consortium to enhance their NGSS teaching, with a special emphasis on the Science and Engineering Practices.

SPEAKERS:
Chad Dorsey

Where does literacy fit into an NGSS aligned curriculum? When do our students develop skills for reading science text? And what do we do when some of our students read well, while some struggle? We’ve worked with West Ed's Reading Apprenticeship and other specialists to integrate a variety of literacy tasks with scaffolded guides into our lessons. We’ve developed both instructional pieces and optional reading support materials, designed with strategies to promote metacognition and model the text interactions of skilled readers, for students of all reading levels. We’d like to share our journey, and also share examples and templates for teachers to use to build literacy and equity in their own classrooms. 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:
Teachers will experience examples and templates for metacognitive literacy strategies adapted from Reading Apprenticeship, Project Zero, and others, along with the opportunity to analyze differentiated scaffolds for grade-level texts. Use them with your own texts in your classroom next week!

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Watch, Chris Geerer

Join us for an interactive workshop where you’ll experience dynamic, student-centered teaching aligned with the latest science and ELA standards. Learn how to integrate literacy practices, such as reading, writing, and speaking, into your science instruction to create a rich, 3D learning environment. Participate in a hands-on science investigation about an Elk reintroduction project in Virginia, engaging with complex scientific ideas while strengthening literacy skills. Through small-group activities, discover strategies to support students' sensemaking and deepen their thinking. Walk away with practical tools to: • Integrate literacy into science lessons for cross-disciplinary learning • Foster collaboration through reading, writing, and speaking activities • Use real-world phenomena to deepen student engagement • Provide timely support to challenge all learners Transform your science instruction and inspire your students with engaging, hands-on experiences!

TAKEAWAYS:
Student sense-making and development of important literacy skills are enhanced when a learning experience requires students to read, write, talk, and listen with the goal of obtaining and communicating new information and evaluating what they figured out.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

Translanguaging aligns with culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and promotes equity in science learning (García et al., 2017). This session explores how translanguaging can be integrated into inquiry-based science instruction in elementary dual language immersion (DLI) classrooms and demonstrates practical applications from Grade 5 Mandarin-English DLI settings. Drawing on classroom experience and research (Du, 2022; Tian, 2020; Zhou, 2021), the presenter shows how educators can create purposeful opportunities for students to use both their first and target languages during hands-on science activities. In an ecosystem unit, for example, students co-construct a food web in Mandarin, read English science texts to deepen content knowledge, and discuss their reasoning in Mandarin. Attendees will see classroom-tested tools and how translanguaging supports science-specific literacy practices such as modeling, reasoning, and argument from evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session offers strategies for integrating literacy and science through translanguaging, aligned with NGSS practices and designed to support multilingual learners in developing deep conceptual understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Hsiaomei Tsai

How might an integrated approach to system-level math and science strategy expand possibilities for students’ lives? System leaders often struggle to effectively integrate math and computational thinking (CT) into science education, missing an opportunity to help students develop durable skills needed for future success. This can result in graduates who have content knowledge but are not prepared to tackle complex, real-world problems. A former chemist turned science educator and a director of science will explore how system leaders can champion instructional approaches that bring math and science together. Learn how to support teachers to use math and CT to strengthen science and engineering practices and foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical abilities that are essential for students’ future success. Also explore how effective resource allocation, vision building, and data evaluation can improve student outcomes and equip learners with lasting capabilities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain actionable strategies to integrate math and computational thinking with science strategy. Learn how you can support teachers to use practices that deepen students’ conceptual understanding and develop durable skills.

SPEAKERS:
Solona Hollis

Students at graduation remember this unit as a highlight—designing a bungee jump app for a toy and cheering it on during “jump day.” The storyline is grounded in NGSS and real-world application, students analyze energy flow, develop mathematical models, and write code to make predictions. Scaffolded talk routines support equitable access and rich discourse, empowering all students to engage deeply in physics sensemaking, mathematical thinking, and troubleshooting a real engineering solution. The unit addresses three NGSS Performance Expectations and scaffolds toward a fourth on evaluating published materials. Joyful, rigorous, and classroom-tested, it’s part of the free, open-source Patterns Physics curriculum: https://hsscience4all.org/physics.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to implement the Energy & Engineering Unit in open source curriculum: Pattern Physics.

SPEAKERS:
Bradford Hill

Keeping 10th grade students focused and engaged during a 90-minute chemistry class can be challenging, especially with complex content and varying student interest levels. This 30-minute session will explore research-based strategies and practical tools that promote sustained engagement, curiosity, and comprehension in extended chemistry classes. The presentation will blend pedagogy with actionable methods, focusing on lesson pacing, interactive elements, and scaffolding techniques that meet students at different levels of readiness and interest.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will empower educators to reimagine the long chemistry class as a dynamic, student-led journey. With a combination of cognitive and classroom-tested strategies, teachers can confidently lead their students through complex concepts—without losing their attention or enthusiasm.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Chuboff

In this interactive session, participants will explore the connection between targeted vocabulary instruction and enhanced comprehension in science, aligning with NGSS, such as, HS-ESS3-1: Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per capita consumption of resources impact Earth’s systems. This standard emphasizes precise vocabulary in scientific arguments for deeper understanding. Through discussions and practical activities, attendees will learn effective strategies to enhance scientific literacy while maintaining curricular rigor. The session draws on insights from Bringing Words to Life by Beck, McKeown, and Kucan, highlighting how explicit vocabulary practices support student learning. Participants will review student samples from a focused vocabulary activity and discuss its optimal placement in unit and lesson plans. Ready to improve student engagement and comprehension in science the next day.

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

In this session, participants will learn about vocabulary strategies that can be used to increase scientific literacy, student learning, and engagement. Vocabulary strategies are aligned with the science of reading and designed to create interdisciplinary connections between the sciences and English, math, and even other contents. Interdisciplinary connections can increase student engagement, retention, and learning. The session will begin with an overview of the science of reading and will follow with a demonstration of three vocabulary strategies that can be used and adapted with students at all levels and in multiple grade bands.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants in this session will leave with research-based vocabulary strategies that will create more space for student learning and engagement in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica VanValkenburgh

Get a brief introduction to free OER integrated science curricular units for Grades K-5 and see how well the features of Project-Based Learning provide the tools and routines to support sensemaking. Review the extensive integration of literacy and mathematics throughout the units. Learn more about the research behind the curriculum and resources available to support implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will get a detailed description of the free resources, look at how PBL works, hear examples from the Multiple Literacies in Project-Based Learning (ML-PBL) Research and Development Project. They will learn how to access the free resources for later review, and connect with free support.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere

Puppets are highly engaging for early childhood learners and serve as powerful tools for making the science and engineering practices more concrete and applicable. By bringing abstract concepts to life, puppets help young students connect these practices to their learning inside the classroom. This session will offer ideas and techniques for integrating puppetry into instruction, providing meaningful and memorable strategies for explicitly teaching science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, attendees will learn how to incorporate puppetry in their science classroom to explicitly teach the Science & Engineering Practices to young learners in an engaging and memorable way.

SPEAKERS:
Maddie Kampf

Using real data can be daunting - from finding it to understanding it to using it in your lesson plans. This session aims to minimize the anxiety of teachers wanting to use real data in their teaching. We will focus on engaging students in data literacy in authentic and meaningful ways by exploring publicly available large ecology data sets. We will describe the process of selecting a subset of data and provide strategies that can be used to incorporate data into various education levels as students grow in their abilities and gain confidence. Examples of lesson plans and Data Nuggets developed by educators using real-world data will be shared and discussed. Teachers will leave with ideas to help their students tap into understanding science in our society and help motivate the next generation of scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will guide teachers in the exploration of large data sets and how to select a subset of the data to use in classroom lessons by sharing strategies used by educators to access and incorporate real data in their teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Rigenhagen, Claire Gunder, Amanda Morrison

In this session, an Earth Science teacher and literacy coach will share their ongoing story of the collaboration they have embarked upon to cultivate students' natural curiosity and enhance their questioning skills. Participants will gain insights into integrating literacy practices with science content, leading to more student-driven inquiry and richer learning experiences through reading, writing, and discourse. Presenters will delve into their process, highlighting their partnership and the impact of their collaboration. Specific examples of literacy and science integration will be shared. This session connects with the scientific and engineering practices of Asking Questions and Defining Problems and Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Participants will learn practical strategies for integrating literacy instruction into the science classroom and will consider how collaborative teaching partnerships can enhance teaching practices and impact student learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through literacy and science collaboration, educators can increase opportunities for students to become more curious and skillful questioners and thinkers, ultimately deepening their understanding and engagement in both disciplines.

SPEAKERS:
Kevin Molohon, Jodi Baker

The Authentic Research Experiences for Teachers @ LTERs (ARETS) is a multi-year research experience for middle and high school STEM teachers at three different ecological sites. Participants engage in ecology-focused field and lab research experiences and a combination of virtual and in-person professional learning with the goal of developing their science content knowledge, practical science skills, and data literacy skills. This session discusses the data literacy strategies and practices teachers utilized in the development of lesson plans following two years in the program in which they engaged in multiple data literacy learning opportunities. Specific elements of data literacy taught in three specific trainings and how teachers incorporated these into their lesson plans were examined using a case study research approach.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will provide insight on which data literacy skills, strategies, and practices have been used by teachers to incorporate data literacy into their lesson plans and science teaching practice.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Morrison

Looking for practical ways to strengthen literacy in your science classroom? This session explores how explicit vocabulary instruction—focused on Tier 2 academic words and high-utility morphemes—can empower students to decode meaning across disciplines. Learn how teaching roots, prefixes, and suffixes within the context of three-dimensional science learning enhances comprehension and improves cross-curricular fluency. You'll see how brief, high-impact strategies like vocabulary squares, morpheme games, and daily reading fluency routines using real science texts can transform your students’ confidence and performance. This 30-minute session will be packed with ready-to-use tools, classroom examples, and ways to meet your students where they are—while raising the bar for where they can go. Leave inspired, and ready to make literacy and science truly inseparable.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with ready-to-use strategies for teaching Tier 2 vocabulary through morphemes, boosting science literacy, and engaging students in meaningful reading fluency—tools that support vocabulary instruction across disciplines.

SPEAKERS:
Alexandra Sackett, Kathryn Kobany

In this engaging professional development session, educators will explore how to effectively integrate the Writing Revolution approach into the middle school science classroom. This course provides practical strategies for using writing as a powerful tool to deepen students' understanding of scientific concepts, enhance critical thinking, and improve communication skills. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, teachers will learn how to implement sentence-level writing techniques, structured responses, and content-based writing exercises that support inquiry-based learning and foster student engagement in science.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this training, educators will have a clear understanding of how writing can be seamlessly integrated into science instruction to benefit their students, enhancing both their scientific knowledge and writing skills.

SPEAKERS:
Christa Samber

Have you heard your students say that they don't like math? Have you heard a student say that math is hard? Have you ever felt that way yourself? Math is like a vegetable, not everyone like it, but you need it for a well-balanced lesson. In this sessions you will discover a variety of ways to include mathematics into your science curriculum to create engaging opportunities for student learning. When done correctly, students are learning and having fun without realizing that they're doing any math at all.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees in this session will walk away with the confidence that they can incorporate math into their own lessons by blending it into what's already being done.

SPEAKERS:
Jill Englund, Beth Peppersack

Communicating science is just as critical as knowing science—after all, science progresses through collaboration, discussion, and shared understanding. In this session, we’ll explore what true literacy integration looks like in the elementary STEM classroom. Reaching about science is not science. We will look at how our students can authentically use their literacy skills as a tool for solving scientific problems. We'll discuss how to design learning experiences where literacy and science practices work hand-in-hand, empowering students to communicate like a scientists while also giving them essential skills to interact with science as a citizen of our community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Reading about science is not science. Explore integrating authentic literacy into your STEM classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Justine Boecker Harren

What does the Science of Reading have to do with reading and writing science? Quite a bit, actually! In this session, we will explore some of the reasons students struggle to read, write, and comprehend scientific texts. More importantly, we’ll dive into some strategies you can use to support students in accessing grade-level texts, including doing more hands-on science! Educators will engage in real practice and take away tangible ideas to bring better literacy practice into any type of science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use strategies from the Science of Reading philosophy to help students become better readers, writers, and speakers of science.

SPEAKERS:
Obie Martin

Science doesn’t exist in isolation—and neither should science instruction. This session explores how integrating literacy and mathematics into science deepens students’ understanding and mirrors real-world learning. Participants will engage in high-leverage routines that promote vocabulary development, data analysis, and evidence-based reasoning through reading, writing, speaking, and mathematical thinking. We'll share practical strategies for weaving language arts and math into science lessons, along with classroom examples, planning tools, and take-home resources. Whether you're a science teacher, an elementary teacher, or part of a cross-curricular team, you’ll leave with ideas that build disciplinary literacy and mathematical thinking—while keeping science learning at the center.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover why integrating literacy and math strengthens science learning, how to embed them seamlessly into lessons, and what high-impact strategies support vocabulary, data analysis, evidence-based reading, writing, and sensemaking across content areas.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Wenger, Wendy Towery-Stove, Kimberly Morton

Explore how middle schoolers can apply real-world math skills to model the destructive power of earthquakes. In this session, participants will use scientific calculators to find the energy release using the Richter scale’s formula and compare seismic data from different locations. Emphasis will be placed on interpreting patterns in magnitude and energy, using easy tools to enhance student understanding. A digital whiteboard will be used to visualize fault zones and map the global distribution of earthquake events.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to guide students in calculating and comparing earthquake energy using real seismic data and math models, making natural hazards more meaningful through hands-on analysis and visual tools.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Szydlowski

Approximately 15-20% of students in the United States have dyslexia which affects reading, spelling, and writing skills. The purpose of this presentation is to share ideas with educators on how they can better support their students with dyslexia in Elementary and Middle grades. During our presentation we will review the neurological origin of dyslexia and how it may manifest in the science classroom. Then, we will discuss general classroom environment structures that support students with dyslexia. We will end by giving specific instructional practices that we do in our classrooms to improve content understanding and reinforce vocabulary. The strategies presented are not exclusively for students with dyslexia, but are universally beneficial for students in learning scientific content. Between the two presenters, we have over a decade of science teaching experience at a school for students with language-based learning differences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with an understanding of dyslexia and how it appears in the classroom. Teachers will be able to immediately implement classroom management and instructional strategies to support their students with dyslexia.

SPEAKERS:
Meg Narwold, Hannah Blackburn