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

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

SPEAKERS:
Daniell Cossey

Imagine a classroom where every child, regardless of background or ability, is engaged in collaborative science experiences that lead to meaningful learning outcomes. By harnessing the power of Learning Through Play and applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning, teachers can unlock meaningful science learning for every student. LEGO® Education teams up with industry experts to equip teachers with strategies and best practices to transform their science classrooms today. In this session, participants will get hands-on with a standards-aligned science lesson and explore how Learning Through Play and inclusive practices can create meaningful impact. This session empowers participants to think critically about their classroom needs and how to integrate best practices in order to enable every student to believe “science is for me”. Participants will walk away with concrete strategies to bring inclusive playful learning to their classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
By harnessing the power of Learning Through Play and applying the principles of Universal Design for Learning, teachers can unlock meaningful science learning for every student. Participants will receive tips and tricks to bring inclusive playful learning to their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Debi Hanuscin, Stacia Jackson

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Don Pruett, Jr.

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Stop the daydreaming and start the questioning! This high-energy session focuses on the power of the "visual hook" to drive engagement through the undeniable evidence of chemistry in action. Witness a series of demonstrations—from vibrant color changes and dramatic shifts in state to unexpected phenomena like boiling water in a bell jar or reactive metals in oil. These techniques grab attention and trigger immediate curiosity for students at all levels. Designed for any stage of a career, new and veteran teachers alike will leave with a practical toolkit of safe, high-impact demos ready for use on Monday morning!

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Participants will make sense of a phenomenon by engaging in 3D tasks that require the explicit use and application of Disciplinary Core Ideas to develop system models and construct explanations. Participants will discuss how the Principles of Learning (How People Learn, 1999) and recommendations from the Framework (NRC, 2012) require us to rethink the role of Core Ideas to promote conceptual understanding. We will show and discuss several unique classroom videos to illustrate what this looks like in a classroom and how it motivates all students to learn science. We will share examples of student models and explanations and as well as tools and strategies to support students in using and applying Core Ideas to phenomena. Participants will have open access to these tools, which can be used with any investigation, and they will leave with strategies that build community, spark passion for science, and ensure all learners have access to meaningful science experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will deepen their understanding of Core Ideas in science learning and gain strategies and tools to help all students use and apply these ideas to explore and explain phenomena in any 3D investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Wil Van der Veen, Brielle Tesauro

Current teaching and practice in preschool classrooms often includes limited exposure to informational science texts; which are essential to building all children’s sensemaking of disciplinary core ideas. In this 60-minute presentation, participants will learn strategies for embedding language-rich discussions into read-alouds of informational science texts focused on life, Earth and Space, and physical science topics. Participants will also learn about conducting hands-on science activities based on informational science texts and real-life phenomena. High-quality nonfiction science texts and hands-on activities will be presented. Videos and pictures captured in authentic preschool classrooms will be used to help participants gain firsthand accounts of evidence-based discussion strategies for building children’s language around science using information science texts and hands-on activities in preschool classrooms. Feedback from teacher implementation will also be included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away practical, evidence-based discussion strategies and hands-on activities that foster understanding of disciplinary core science ideas for all children in preschool classrooms. Participants will also come away with a list of texts and materials for classroom use.

SPEAKERS:
Robin McGinnis

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Learn how to facilitate simple hands-on photosynthesis experiments with wireless sensors. Help students collect and analyze carbon exchange data from plant leaves in real-time! Dispel student doubts in their understanding of photosynthesis and respiration.

SPEAKERS:
Roger Palmer

Discover how food can bring science to life in the classroom! In this interactive 60-minute workshop, we will model Pilot Light’s integrated food education approach, connecting science concepts to real-world experiences. Participants will engage in a sample live lesson, experiencing firsthand from the student perspective how food-based learning deepens understanding of NGSS-aligned practices. Through reflection, discussion, and hands-on activities, attendees will learn strategies to overcome barriers such as time, access, or uncertainty in linking food to standards. The session provides practical tools, frameworks, and digital resources to design authentic, student-centered lessons that connect science, nutrition, and sustainability, foster curiosity, and strengthen classroom and community connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain hands-on strategies to connect food-based experiences to science learning, and leave with practical tools, resources, and ideas to design engaging, NGSS-aligned, student-centered lessons that make science tangible and relevant.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Gottlieb

ShakeAlert, the U.S. Earthquake Early Warning system, offers a powerful way to connect wave science, engineering, and public safety in the classroom. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how ShakeAlert uses P- and S-waves, seismic networks, and GPS to provide alerts, and how these concepts align with NGSS standards (HS-PS4-5, HS-ETS1-3) and the crosscutting concept of systems. Teachers will engage with tools such as USGS Earthquake Hazards, IRIS Seismic Monitor, and jAmaSeis to analyze real earthquake data just as seismologists do. Participants will also experience in-class demonstrations, simulations, and models that make wave behavior tangible. Attendees will draft place-based lesson plans that integrate local seismic data and emphasize equity by considering how early warning technologies reach diverse communities. They will leave with templates, curated resources, and strategies for connecting science to personal protective action and public safety.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use ShakeAlert and real-time seismic data to create place-based, NGSS-aligned lessons on waves, engineering solutions, personal protective action, and public safety—leaving with classroom-ready templates, resources, and equity-focused strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Pyle, Ariel Raymond

Join for an interactive session, where we will explore how the Flipped Classroom model and the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) framework can transform student learning and engagement. This session will highlight practical strategies for shifting direct instruction outside the classroom, freeing up valuable in-class time for collaborative, inquiry-based learning in chemistry classroom. Participants will discover how integrating CER into flipped lessons empowers students to think critically, construct scientific explanations, and support their claims with evidence and logical reasoning. Through real-world examples, hands-on activities, and discussion, educators will leave with actionable tools to foster deeper understanding, promote student voice, and enhance formative assessment practices. Whether you're new to flipped learning or looking to refine your use of CER, this session offers insights and inspiration to elevate your teaching practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session equips educators with practical strategies for designing flipped lessons that incorporate CER seamlessly. Participants will explore real classroom examples, tackle common challenges, and engage in hands-on activities that model the CER process.

SPEAKERS:
Bhagyashree Kulkarni

Developing a future-focus for science education with emphasis of music and arts. Bridging out for cross-curriculum among various disciplines, however, focus upon STEM education. Utilizing the ODE State Science Standards, along with state standards from various content, as well as the connections to the Next Generation Science Standards. My proposal is for the audience of 6-12 general science educators. Educators from outside of the 6-12 parameter are always welcome to attend the proposed session. The information provided for the proposed session presentation is to help all STEM educators with the integration of music and arts into the STEM education and curriculum (STEAM). Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to achieve the talented and gifted students who may not be advanced in science, but advanced in arts and music.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to STEAM TAG kids.

SPEAKERS:
John Davis III

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

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

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

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 Garelli, Rebecca Abbott, Kathy Renfrew, Jesse Wilcox

Attendees will use data collection technologies such as software, probeware, and calculators to collect, graph, and analyze data. Attendees will then use veritcal whiteboarding to discuss and share the data collected through gallery walks. Topics will include, density, velocity and acceleration, temperature, solubility and conductivity, and force.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ideas and inspiration on how to get a more student centered data collection and analysis discussion with students with authentic data that is collected by the students.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Coker

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

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

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Tommy Clayton, Arash Jamshidi, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

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

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Knabe

A hallmark of three-dimensional assessment is making student thinking about a DCI, a CC, and an SEP visible at the same time. In this interactive session, you’ll step into the role of a student to experience two example 3D assessments and see how they bring sense-making to life. Together we will unpack what makes an assessment useful, identify key features of strong 3D tasks, and practice a “thinking analysis” of student responses to reveal patterns in learning. The agenda includes discussion, hands-on assessment experiences, analysis of student work, and time for questions. You’ll leave with strategies for designing meaningful assessments that surface student thinking and inform next steps in instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Three-dimensional assessment mirrors three-dimensional instruction and can be used to make students thinking about, and with, DCI, CCs, and SEPs visible.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Brase, Lindsay Mossa, Natalie Macke

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

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

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

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

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

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

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Brennan

Jump into a quick, competitive metric system challenge that boosts mass, length, and volume estimation skills in minutes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with a team-based game that helps students make sense of SI units using everyday objects.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham

Sponsoring Company: Association of Old Crows Educational Foundation

Master the electromagnetic spectrum through a semester-long, NGSS-aligned sequence. This high school physical science curriculum uses engaging, scaffolded topics to help students bridge the gap between abstract physics concepts and real-world phenomena.

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Kellyn Hardin, Natalie Macke

Learn how your eyes perceive light and color from your phone’s screen. Join us as we investigate how your eye–brain system sees your phone through fun, content-rich, easy-to-do, NGSS-aligned hands-on activities from the Exploratorium Teacher Institute. All materials are designed to be effective, inexpensive, and easily obtainable. The Exploratorium is a hands-on science museum located in San Francisco, CA. The Teacher Institute has been a home for professional development for teachers since 1984.

TAKEAWAYS:
The technology in your phone is based on how your eye–brain system perceives the world. We’ll explore how various wavelengths of light (PS4.B) interact with specialized cells in your eye (LS1.A) and influence the engineering and technology (ETS1.A) of your phones' display (PS4.C).

SPEAKERS:
Desiré Whitmore, Eric Muller

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Jim Bellingham, Patrice Scinta

Join us for hands-on, critical thinking activities that explore electricity, magnetism, and how we can generate power from ocean energy and offshore wind. Engage your students with visualizations that make emerging technologies easier to understand while showing the power of water and wind in action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience hands-on lessons—just as their students would—that demonstrate how ocean and wind energy can do work, while deepening understanding of the emerging technologies used to harness this power.

SPEAKERS:
Don Pruett, Jr.

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

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

SPEAKERS:
DeAnna Lee Rivers, Spencer Martin

Reach that hard-to-address uneven distribution of mineral resources standard head on with an innovative Catan-style game! Students will learn as they trade and build. Add some mineral play and songs for all-around fun!

TAKEAWAYS:
Minerals are everywhere around us and their use impacts us in a personal way as well as socially and economically.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Taylor

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Chad Dorsey

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Roger Palmer

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Semeyn, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

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

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Discover how 3D printer pens can spark creativity and enhance STEM learning in your classroom. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore strategies for integrating 3D design into science and engineering lessons while experimenting with 3D printer pens. Each attendee will receive classroom ready educational resources. Facilitated by Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellows, the session highlights practical classroom ideas and innovative approaches to engage students in design thinking, engineering practices, and scientific exploration. Leave inspired, equipped, and ready to bring three-dimensional learning to life for your students. Free digital resources will be featured.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will become familiar with the operation of 3d printer pens and their utility in creating immersive hands-on activities that highlight applied materials concepts in science, engineering and mathematics.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Woods, Phillip Cook

Participants will actively engage with authentic, research-based science phenomena that illustrate core physics concepts and support NGSS-aligned instruction. They will observe and analyze demonstrations such as a child on a sled remaining stationary when a dog pulls the sled (illustrating inertia), the Whack It! experiment comparing the motion of ping pong and golf balls, and a pendulum showing how force affects motion. Attendees will practice prompting student reasoning, connecting observations to Crosscutting Concepts and Science and Engineering Practices, and translating phenomena into strategies that foster curiosity, questioning, and deep conceptual understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of the session, participants will leave with ready-to-use examples, tools, and approaches for making sense of science in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Annie Smith, Stephanie Wendt

Lots of things are made of plastic in our world. One of the unintended consequences is plastic waste and in particular microplastics, which are found in every environment. In this interactive workshop, you’ll step into your students’ shoes as we explore microplastics using a 5E teaching model that integrates science, math, and ELA strategies. Using Algalita’s standards-aligned classroom toolkits, you'll engage in hands-on investigations to identify microplastics, uncover where they’re found, and connect these to actionable solutions students can take in their own lives to address one of the most pressing environmental challenges of our time. Standards addressed include: Human Impact, Synthetic Materials, Water Pollution, Physical and Environmental Science. We’ll end with discussions of classroom extensions such as action guides, lesson plans, mini-grants, etc. Algalita is an environmental education nonprofit specializing in plastic pollution research and education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about microplastics and how to use this as a science lesson to engage students in a relevant, timely science topic and think about solutions. This session will also show teachers ways that they can use science to build ELA and Math connections in 3-5 and 6-8 classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Wanous, Virginia (Gini) Oberholzer Vandergon

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Explore easy, engaging, and safe chemistry activities that guarantee a reaction in your students. Whether you’re new to chemistry or feeling out of your element, create excitement with hands-on labs, demonstrations, and Carolina’s digital content. These lab activities support 3-dimensional learning and work every time, not just periodically.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Teachers seek ways to make learning more meaningful, relevant, and rigorous. We will share a practice-based approach that supports teachers in leveraging students’ cultural resources, such as community knowledge, lived experiences, and local practices, to deepen understanding of the three dimensions of scientific knowledge: disciplinary ideas (DCIs), scientific practices (SEPs) and crosscutting concepts (CCCs). Using classroom-tested frameworks and examples from diverse settings, participants explore how integrating cultural resources serve as powerful vehicles to promote sensemaking and engagement. Teachers will engage with anchoring phenomena, student artifacts, and instructional routines to experience how to weave cultural resources into the three-dimensional design of a unit. Teachers will leave with tools, planning templates, and concrete strategies for implementing instruction that honors students’ identities and enhances mastery of the three dimensions of scientific knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to adapt lessons so that students’ cultural and community knowledge becomes an asset for driving investigations, constructing explanations, and developing disciplinary understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Clausell Mathis, Joseph Krajcik

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

This session will demonstrate how middle and high school students can use science models and interactive activities from NOAA Ocean Exploration lessons to visualize and explain complex ocean processes such as hydrothermal vent formation, deep-sea food webs, and seafloor mapping techniques. Participants will engage with modeling strategies that align with NGSS practices, helping students develop scientific reasoning by predicting, testing, and revising hypotheses. By modeling real-world ocean phenomena, students strengthen their understanding of systems thinking, scale, and cause-and-effect relationships—mirroring the work of professional ocean scientists. Attendees will leave with ready-to-implement activities that deepen student curiosity about Earth’s least explored environments.

SPEAKERS:
Suraida Nanez-James, Bekkah Lampe

When I began my teaching career in 2005, I was struggling to explain how to create the chemical formulas for ionic compounds to my students. In return, my students struggled to write the chemical formulas for various ionic compounds. Until it hit me...teach them how to DANCE!!! The "Ionic Compound Dance" was born out of determination to create an engaging lesson on teaching students how to write the chemical formulas for ionic compounds utilizing the learning styles of all students in the chemistry classroom. Learn how to DANCE...The "Ionic Compound Dance" method.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the "Ionic Compound Dance" to effectively teach writing chemical formulas for ionic compounds to all learners from special needs to gifted/talented students across all disciplines of middle school science to AP Chemistry and beyond.

SPEAKERS:
Nichole DePaul

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Challenge and inspire your middle school students using the OpenSciEd curriculum. Perform hands-on experiments in Chemistry and Physics through problem-based learning activities from a 3D framework. Get a taste of Ward's Science kits that complement this free program.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

There are often missed opportunities for teachers to foster creativity in the science classroom. Our session focuses on how we can develop creative thinking through the process of exploring pendulum motion. Together, we experience a learning sequence of how we can help students to think more divergently in problem solving versus convergently in the science classroom. In the session, we introduce the topic of scientific creativity and connect it to research literature. Additionally, we share a recent exploration of teachers’ ideas about creativity and link to a set of tested assessments that can be used pre/post to measure scientific creativity. An example middle school-level activity will be used to model how we foster divergent thinking in a force and motion activity. SEPs are modeled along with the DCI MS-PS2-5: Conduct an investigation and evaluate the empirical evidence to determine the relationship between the forces and the motion of an object.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience hands-on activities associated with the research in scientific creativity and discover practical ways to bring these ideas to their very own classroom. Assessment tools will be used to model a way to deepen learning and spark new insights as part of the activity.

SPEAKERS:
Kristell Yap, Lisa Martin

In this session, we will explore strategies and use tools to create and adapt lessons that foster sensemaking and active participation. Teachers will engage in a hands-on science task, debrief on how that task supported opportunities for sensemaking, and analyze an assortment of tasks for features that support varied learning opportunities. Attendees will leave with strategies for creating and modifying lessons to promote sensemaking and active student participation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn practical strategies to design and adapt science lessons that foster student sensemaking and active participation, leaving with tools they can use immediately in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Shafer, PhD

In this session, we share how authentic STEM projects, curriculum design, and classroom climate work together to help students embrace uncertainty, analyze their own thinking, and build resilience. Participants will explore three cornerstone projects from an 8th-grade curriculum (Rocketry, Soldering, and Amusement Park Design) and consider how each one creates different opportunities for students to test ideas, confront misconceptions, and experience the scientific and engineering process in action. The presenters will connect these experiences to the research-based concept of error climate, the classroom culture around how mistakes are handled, showing how error tolerance, curiosity, and precision can coexist in rigorous STEM learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM learning is about building the conditions where intellectual risk feels safe, and accuracy becomes a shared pursuit rather than a source of shame. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use assessments, prompts, and design strategies to create classrooms that cultivate both rigor and resilience.

SPEAKERS:
Abbie Cornelius, Hannah Bundrick

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Dive into Earth's wonders! Our Earth Science workshop offers hands-on activities, expert insights and teaching strategies to inspire curiosity and deepen understanding. Join us in exploring the dynamic systems of our planet! Geology, Meteorology, Atmosphere & Climate! Grades 5-8, 9-12 & AP.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman

Our best science learning labs are within easy walking distance and are free and equally accessible to every teacher and student! We start with the sky to illustrate how simple daily observations of changing weather patterns can be combined with easily-accessible images and data from the National Weather Service to demonstrate basic scientific concepts in motion. We will find countless examples of how weather and climate are impacting our water resources, plants and animals, and shaping our landscapes and lives. We will use California’s outdoor laboratories as premier examples of how nature reminds us to use the scientific method to understand the complex natural systems and cycles that are shaping our world and providing us with essential resources for survival. Join earth science professor, author, and naturalist William Selby as he shares discoveries from his California Sky Watcher book and four decades of teaching field classes. Our website: www.rediscoveringthegoldenstate.com .

TAKEAWAYS:
How to more effectively learn from the free outdoor laboratories that are easily accessible to all. Starting with our sky shows, we will share specific scientific concepts and natural science lessons on display every day right outside our windows and doors for grades 6-postsecondary levels.

SPEAKERS:
William Selby

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Discover high-impact demonstrations that make physical science come alive. This hands-on session covers key topics like force, motion, waves, and energy, all tied to NGSS performance expectations. Includes take-home resources to use right away.

SPEAKERS:
Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

Not feeling 100 % confident with the metric system? You’re not alone—and this session is for you! Join us for a fun, hands-on workshop where you'll explore easy-to-use strategies to teach the International System of Units (SI) using everyday items, real-world examples, and a team-based game your students will love. This session is designed especially for middle school educators looking to make measurement meaningful and less intimidating for students and teachers alike. You’ll build your own estimation skills while learning how to help all learners, including those who struggle with math, confidently use metric units for length, mass, and volume. Through the application of mathematics and computational thinking, and the crosscutting concepts of scale, proportion, and quantity, this workshop supports students in developing practical measurement fluency across grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with a ready-to-use game that builds all students’ confidence in metric measurement—while making science class more inclusive, collaborative, and fun! This session addresses the challenge of developing numeracy in science classrooms while creating a student-centered learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham

What if your science units started with curiosity instead of content coverage? In this interactive session, participants will explore how to anchor instruction around compelling, real-world phenomena that spark student questions and sustain inquiry across a unit. We’ll model the process of choosing and framing phenomena that are authentic, relevant, and three-dimensional, from local environmental issues to global scientific breakthroughs. Teachers will engage in sample sensemaking routines to experience the shift from “learning about” to “figuring out,” and we’ll unpack strategies for guiding students to generate questions, connect crosscutting concepts, and apply science and engineering practices. Attendees will leave with practical tools, planning templates, and a bank of classroom-tested phenomena to immediately adapt for their own grade level and discipline.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway for this session is for teachers to understand how shifting science instruction from covering content to anchoring learning in real-world phenomena fosters curiosity, student-driven questions, and deeper sensemaking, while giving teachers practical tools to implement this approach.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Rhea-Neely

This presentation will address critical laboratory safety issues, helping participants with practical knowledge and advocacy skills to create and maintain safer high school laboratory environments. The session combines essential protocols for effective safety communication and decision-making. Participants will leave with safer demonstration and laboratory ideas, an easy-to-follow personal safety plan, and how to access the information from the NSTA safety advisory board.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session supports new teachers in developing confidence and competence in laboratory safety while helping experienced educators stay current with best practices. Our goal is to prevent accidents before they occur by empowering teachers with the knowledge, resources, and practical skills necessar

SPEAKERS:
Milene De Farias, Karen Newman

In this workshop, participants will learn about the science of sound, waves, and vibrations, and how they relate to music. For this, we will use a series of physical hands-on activities and interactive web applications created by our team at https://listeningtowaves.com/. The applications allow users to visualize, create, and play with sound; they have an associated NGSS-aligned curriculum developed in collaboration with the San Diego Science Project at UC San Diego, and are being widely used in California and throughout the world. Children and teachers love them. The curriculum is focused on 8th grade but it can be easily adapted to other age groups. The workshop will be led by Victor Minces, a neuroscientist of music, sound artist, and program creator. For a brief overview of the applications and program, see https://youtu.be/pvsie4P7G0E

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to use everyday objects and free digital tools to explore the science of sound and music. You will create beats and sound compositions, and tune an orchestra made with beakers and water as an anchoring phenomenon to bring to your students.

SPEAKERS:
Alec Barron

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Writing a balanced chemical reaction and seeing that the prefixes relates to amounts of chemicals present in the reaction can be quite the though leap. Many textbook problems are easy as they give exactly the amount needed of both reactants without having something left over. Why doesn’t adding more reactant always lead to more product? Help students develop a better understanding of mole ratios, stoichiometry and limiting reactants through this hands-on activity using household chemicals and a wireless pressure sensor. One participant will win a wireless sensor!

SPEAKERS:
Roger Palmer

Effective science communication is an often overlooked student skill. Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City presents an annual Cosmic Creator Challenge for all Utah sixth-grade students to learn how to communicate science concepts through creating their own digital media. Students have three dimensions of choice: choice of topic from the Utah space science standards, choice of medium or software type, and choice of approach. They are required to have their project evaluated by at least three peers using a Google Form with the criteria of scientific accuracy, creativity, quality, software proficiency, and communication skills. Students then make revisions before submitting the final project to Clark Planetarium for judging. Participating teachers report high levels of engagement as we see enhanced creativity and deeper science learning in the students' projects while they also learn marketable digital media skills. This session discusses how you can implement your own Creator Challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to implement student choice in the form of a media design challenge, where students can choose a subject area topic, a media form to use, and their approach and be evaluated by three peers.

SPEAKERS:
David Black

This workshop will demonstrate an inquiry-based, hands-on analytical chemistry lesson that fits seamlessly into a high school chemistry curriculum, aligning with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS 2013). The session will explore how the principles of chromatography, normally taught as a simple separation technique, can be applied to a compelling real-world scenario: a urinalysis case study. We'll show how this problem-based approach moves beyond procedural labs to teach critical thinking and sensemaking. Attendees will see how chromatography can reinforce core concepts like molecular polarity, intermolecular forces, solubility, and adsorption in a hands-on way. We will provide a complete guide to the lesson, including materials, safety considerations, and discussion prompts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use a chromatography-based urinalysis lesson to shift classroom labs from procedural steps to application-based problem-solving, teaching students to think and act like real-world chemists.

SPEAKERS:
Anastasia Davis

Join the fun as we "play" with gravity and balance and learn about physics concepts that are part of our every day lives. We will have lots of hands on activities testing and exploring balance using simple inexpensive everyday supplies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Hands on interactive activities can be done with simple inexpensive materials

SPEAKERS:
Godwyn Morris

Explore common science concepts while playing with materials!  We will provide a variety of materials to use to explore balance, gravity, center of mass, and area (among others) for PreK through upper elementary and their teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Play is a serious tool children use to construct their scientific understanding. Several research sources will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Lowry

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Let us show you how to incorporate exciting, engaging chemical demonstrations and hands-on activities into your chemistry curriculum. The demonstrations are guaranteed to grab your students’ attention, enhance their learning experience all while teaching fundamental science concepts. The hands-on activities are a great way to bring chemistry to life for your students. This workshop includes an overview of Innovating Science’s chemistry kits including sample activities highlighting topics like hydrogen fuel cell technology, electrochemical remediation of wastewater and several other topics.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

This session features a 6th grade unit intentionally designed to connect science learning with students’ lived experiences. Anchored in the urban heat island effect, the storyline invites students to ask: Why are some neighborhoods hotter than others? Participants will engage in selected lesson routines that show how teachers can launch with local maps and data, guide investigations of heat absorption, and support students in building models that explain differences across communities. The design emphasizes strategies to broaden participation and highlight how access to trees, green space, and building materials can shape daily life. The sequence concludes with students proposing community-based solutions, illustrating how careful classroom design can link three-dimensional science learning with meaningful opportunities for action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the phenomenon of urban heat islands to engage students in rigorous, three-dimensional science learning while highlighting how environmental conditions vary across communities and exploring local solutions for improvement.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Duenas, Dave Tupper

Science teachers play a vital role in inspiring and equipping students to navigate a world that faces ongoing global changes. This responsibility is especially significant in the physical sciences, where students explore how chemistry and physics shape, and are shaped by, Earth’s systems. However, teachers without a formal background in environmental sciences are often left without sufficient resources to embed these topics in their curriculum. Many teachers also may simply struggle to find time to teach environmental concepts alongside the core disciplinary content without feeling like they’re cramming two courses into one. This session explores strategies for designing science units centered around Earth and environmental science phenomena to anchor existing units of study. Participants will examine how local and global phenomena can be leveraged to seamlessly blend Earth and Environmental Sciences into core science courses to create relevant, inquiry-driven integrated units.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore ways to anchor a unit around local and global Earth and environmental science phenomena that can be integrated into Biology, Chemistry, and Physics classes.

SPEAKERS:
Aaron Schwartz

Electromagnetic fields might be invisible, but the juicy nuggets in this unit are easy to find. This session helps you uncover key features in Mission Maglev that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like magnetic forces, electric forces, and contactless motion. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are experimenting with levitating cardboard or wondering how a 700,000-pound train floats through the air, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to use built-in supports in Mission Maglev to guide students through electric and magnetic forces while making sense of how a train can float and move without touching anything.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Explore easy, engaging, and safe chemistry activities that guarantee a reaction in your students. Whether you’re new to chemistry or feeling out of your element, create excitement with hands-on labs, demonstrations, and Carolina’s digital content. These lab activities support 3-dimensional learning and work every time, not just periodically.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Lead your team and support students’ career awareness and experience with real-world science applications. Learn how to host a PD session that shares free National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) STEM & career exploration resources using the NIST Educational STEM Resource (NEST-R) registry portal. NEST-R is a bridge into NIST, a federal laboratory focused on measurement science & technology. NIST interdisciplinary work touches many STEM areas, including the Metric System, AI, cybersecurity, the smart electric power grid, chemistry, atomic clocks, nanomaterials, computer chips & earthquake-resistant skyscrapers. Free & publicly available content includes engaging videos, articles, scientist interviews, classroom materials, internships, PD info & more. This workshop is based on four years of experience during the NIST Summer Institute for MS Science Teachers. Facilitators will share lessons learned and tips for delivering this PD.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants receive resources needed to host a 30-60 minute PD session, including support materials, presentation templates, and a user guide. Deliver in live, virtual or hybrid mode. Help your teacher community discover resources to augment curriculum with examples of disciplinary core ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham, Joanne Krumel, Cara O'Malley

After data collection attendees will use vertical whiteboarding and poster making to create macroscopic particle level diagrams to "see" what is happening on the microscopic level. Conductivity, solubility, pH, and electrochemistry topics will be used for the "eye-opening" session.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will find new ways to help students conceptualize the concepts of microsciences.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Coker

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

For students new to describing motion, graphs of position and velocity can be difficult to interpret. In this hands-on workshop, learn how to use sensors to help students understand the distinction between positive and negative position and velocity in motion graphs. We'll start with an engaging graph matching activity and then use software tools to easily analyze and interpret the graphs.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

How can we leverage students’ lived experiences to authentically engage them in phenomenon-driven, student-centered learning? In this session, participants will be introduced to a teacher-designed Planning Tool created to evaluate and refine instructional materials for authentic integration of an anchoring phenomenon, inquiry-driven instructional practices, and student discourse. These elements work together to create engaging learning experiences that build students’ capacity for critical thinking as they work together to “figure something out.” By applying the Planning Tool to interdisciplinary NGSS-aligned curricula, participants will examine strategies used to transform traditional lessons into 3-dimensional learning experiences featuring student-driven discussions and inquiry-based explorations. The transformed lessons build on students’ lived experiences, strengthening their understanding of scientific principles and developing their critical thinking skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave this session with a ready-to-use, teacher-designed Planning Tool and practical experience applying it to evaluate and refine instructional materials to better integrate phenomenon, student-driven inquiry, and discourse into their instructional materials and practices.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Carpe

The workshop will utilize literature to teach physical science and physics concepts in a cross-curricular approach. Many students often feel that their courses are isolated and not connected to any other class. Participants in this workshop will use a well-known literature piece, The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in 1943 to investigate science concepts particularly those of physics and physical science. Other literary pieces and associated lessons will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive instruction that will allow them to select a literary piece and integrate that piece into a science lesson. Attendees will receive a list of literary pieces linked to physics and physical science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Explore Flinn’s new line of AP Physics labs, fully aligned to the latest 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:
Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

This 60-minute session explores what formative assessment truly is and how it can be successfully implemented in science classrooms. I will clarify common misconceptions and model effective strategies using a unit example from force and momentum. Through the lens of a project-based learning activity—the car crash safety project—participants will see how assessment can move beyond “gotcha” moments to become a powerful tool for student growth. Teachers will learn how to design formative assessments that allow students to revisit ideas, address misconceptions, and demonstrate mastery while engaging in meaningful, real-world science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Assessment isn’t about “gotcha”—it’s about growth. Through project-based learning, teachers can use formative or summative assessments that give students multiple chances to learn, revisit, and grow as scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Seung Yeon Lee

Attendees will see how using cardsorts have helped students create student centered activites and self discoveries. These activities are used as pre-lessons, reviews, or even data collection activites. From atomic mass to Zeff, come prepared to play cards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ideas on how to incorporate card sorts into lesson for pre, post and in lesson activites.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Coker

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Semeyn

Are you looking for innovative ways to engage multilingual learners in your science classroom? Do you need effective strategies to build academic vocabulary while fostering student voice and participation? Join us for an interactive, hands-on session designed to equip educators with a toolkit of literacy strategies tailored to support multilingual learners in science. Each strategy will be paired with a dynamic tech tool that enhances engagement and deepens content understanding. Participants will experience these strategies from the student perspective, gaining insight into how they can be seamlessly integrated into instruction. During the session, educators will explore research-based vocabulary-building techniques that support reading, writing, and speaking in science, discover tech tools that amplify student voice and scaffold language development, and engage in modeling and collaborative practice to experience the strategies firsthand.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of the session, participants will leave with a ready-to-use collection of strategies and digital tools that promote science literacy, increase classroom engagement, and empower multilingual learners to thrive.

SPEAKERS:
Kenya Miles, Sharon Bicey

How can a single strand of hair unlock the physics of light? In this interactive STEM session, participants will step into the role of their students as they use a simple laser pointer and everyday materials to measure the thickness of their own hair. Using the principle of light interference, attendees will explore how waves overlap to create patterns that reveal hidden dimensions at the microscopic scale. Adaptable across grade levels, this 45-minute activity seamlessly integrates NGSS and CCSS math standards, helping students connect measurement, graphing, and scientific reasoning. Educators will leave with a ready to use lesson, clear step by step instructions, all materials needed to recreate the demonstration, and strategies for engaging learners in inquiry based science that blends curiosity, math, and the science of light.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to engage students in exploring light interference by using a simple laser activity to measure the thickness of hair, connecting real world inquiry to NGSS and math standards through hands-on, inquiry-based STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Woods, Phillip Cook

Sponsoring Company: FLINN

Stop the daydreaming and start the questioning! This high-energy session focuses on the power of the "visual hook" to drive engagement through the undeniable evidence of chemistry in action. Witness a series of demonstrations—from vibrant color changes and dramatic shifts in state to unexpected phenomena like boiling water in a bell jar or reactive metals in oil. These techniques grab attention and trigger immediate curiosity for students at all levels. Designed for any stage of a career, new and veteran teachers alike will leave with a practical toolkit of safe, high-impact demos ready for use on Monday morning!

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

Step into the role of a student scientist and uncover the hidden world of bats through sound! This hands-on workshop introduces educators to bioacoustics, the study of sound in nature, as a powerful tool for participatory science. Participants will analyze real ultrasonic bat recordings, visualize calls as spectrograms, and interpret how sound data reveal species diversity and ecosystem health. Using free digital tools and open-access datasets, educators will experience how students can collect, analyze, and contribute to authentic biodiversity research. The session models NGSS-aligned practices—asking questions, interpreting data, and constructing evidence-based explanations—while highlighting connections across physics, biology, and environmental science. Participants will leave with classroom-ready materials, citizen science pathways, and strategies to help students become acoustic explorers who connect technology, storytelling, and conservation through the science of sound.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use bioacoustics—the science of sound—to engage students in authentic, data-driven investigations of bat biodiversity, connecting NGSS practices with citizen science and conservation to make science learning locally relevant and engaging.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Lannoye-Hall

The Big Bang Theory of universe expansion and the evidence that supports it are among the most abstract concepts that we ask our students to learn, but actively modelling these ideas can make them accessible. In this workshop, we will take you through a basic learning sequence (focused on HS-ESS 1-2 and SEP 2) that explains universe expansion using modelling. The final model will demonstrate the process of universe expansion as well as show supporting evidence for the Big Bang Theory (redshift, CMBR, and H/He ratio), but it will not look anything like the real universe!. The steps involved in making our model are just as important as the end model itself and anyone can use the ideas presented in this workshop to design uniquely active models of abstract ideas in any subject. This learning sequence is written for a freshman stand-alone Earth & Space Science class, but can also be delivered as written to any class of high school students studying the origins of the physical universe.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to bring abstract ideas (such as the Big Bang Theory) down to Earth through modelling. The act of creating our model mimics the basic steps of the Big Bang Theory and our final product demonstrates the Big Bang evidence written in HS-ESS 1-2.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Libke

Are you ready to take PhET Simulations in your classroom to the next level? In this session, PhET Fellow Vanessa Wentzloff will take you through a workshop to explore how to use PhET as a tool for whole-class inquiry and discussion. PhET is used by many educators in a worksheet format for students to learn or practice a topic. But PhET transforms your inquiry-based classroom by utilizing simulations as phenomena to spark student discussion. This is a powerful way for students to get the most out of the simulations. In this session, participants will immerse themselves as students in an inquiry-based classroom and then jump into creating their own whole-class inquiry for their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be able to experience and plan a whole-class PhET inquiry activity through guidance and resources.

Dive into a hands-on experience where students explore buoyancy, density, and forces through culturally relevant activities inspired by chinampas and the axolotl! Learners design a floating paper axolotl capable of holding 20 pennies, testing and selecting materials based on observable properties while planning and conducting investigations. By connecting ancient Mesoamerican ingenuity to modern sustainable farms in flood-prone Sri Lanka, students discover how diverse cultural and global perspectives inform real-world problem-solving. These immersive experiences foster curiosity, critical thinking, perseverance, confidence, and positive identification with science, helping learners see themselves as capable problem-solvers and innovators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to teach buoyancy with hands-on projects inspired by chinampas and axolotls, creating culturally relevant experiences that foster curiosity and problem-solving while helping students see themselves as capable scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Dennis

This poster highlights the Physics of Climate lesson set, co-created by scientists, teachers, and professional society staff. The lessons address systems thinking, the distinction between climate and weather through data-driven graphing activities, and the physics of greenhouse gases including their role in trapping heat, the effects of absorption and heat islands, and strategies for carbon removal. Designed collaboratively, the lessons combine scientific rigor with classroom practicality, increasing teacher confidence while engaging students in authentic climate data and physics concepts. The co-creation process builds a professional community that values outreach, public engagement, and shared expertise: teachers gain support and confidence, while scientists and staff connect their work to real-world classrooms. This model demonstrates how collaborative partnerships can deepen understanding of climate physics and strengthen both teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Collaborative partnerships between teachers, professors, and professional societies can create research-based physics of climate lessons that both strengthen teacher confidence and engage students in authentic, data-driven climate science.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Schrode

This poster presents a classroom-tested chemistry lesson on nixtamalization—the Indigenous process of cooking corn in an alkaline solution—to introduce students to reaction rates and collision theory through a culturally relevant lens. Structured with the 5E model, the lesson engages students in hands-on investigations comparing alkaline concentrations, modeling molecular collisions, and analyzing authentic data. Anchor charts capture evolving student wonderings, while differentiated assessments support multilingual and Indigenous learners. The poster showcases a visual storyline of the lesson’s “before, during, and after” phases, complete with student work samples and molecular models. Participants will leave with classroom-ready resources and strategies for linking chemistry concepts to community knowledge and cultural identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience a ready-to-implement 5E lesson connecting chemistry content with culture. Explore methods for integrating Indigenous science into NGSS-aligned instruction. Access classroom-tested tools—worksheets, prompts, and adaptable assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Deena Gould, Daniel Delgado

This Lesson Showcase poster features the Xplorlabs Engineering Design Challenge on lithium-ion battery enclosures. Acting as safety engineers, middle and high school students test materials, develop prototypes, and evaluate how well their enclosures balance thermal protection: too much trapped heat risks runaway, too little risks burns. The lesson mirrors real safety science, referencing safety standards such as UL 2272. The poster highlights the before, during, and after stages: before, students build a foundation in battery science and thermal runaway concepts; during, they apply the engineering design process with data-collection tools and NGSS-aligned practices; after, they compare results, refine designs, and connect their work to safety standards and engineering careers through identity development and the joy of learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students act as safety engineers to design and test battery enclosures that manage thermal energy and prevent thermal runaway. Educators gain classroom-ready resources, NGSS connections, and strategies to bring authentic engineering design into science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Sternberg

Spice up your science classroom—and your students’ kitchens! Explore the NIST Metric Kitchen, a free, hands-on resource that turns everyday cooking into a fun and effective way to teach and learn the metric system (SI). Use recipes and common kitchen tools to help students build confidence in measuring, strengthen lab techniques, and reinforce concepts like scale, proportion, and quantity. The learning doesn’t stop at school! These culinary activities are perfect to take-home activities and get families involved. Parents can join the fun as students use grams and degree Celsius to cook, measure, mix, and explore STEM right in their own kitchens. It’s a flavorful way to connect classroom learning to real life—and bring science home. Stop by to explore how cooking with metric units can build skills, spark curiosity, and turn every student into a confident STEM chef!

TAKEAWAYS:
Bring math and science to life through the universal language of food. This free, deliciously fun resource from NIST uses cooking and baking to teach the metric system (SI) through real-life, hands-on activities your students will eat up—literally!

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Benham

Congratulations, Planet Finder! You’ve just found a new planet in our Solar System! When you have an engaging problem to solve, even Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion can become exciting. This poster will summarize a standards-based unit on Planets and Orbits that will include student work and examples of a final project (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6). As a summative task, individual students are given the average radius of their newly discovered planet’s orbit only. Using just this information they describe their planet’s characteristics and produce a NEW and IMPROVED version of the Solar System in small groups. All instructional materials will be available and have been Google translated into Spanish. This unit is designed for a freshmen Earth & Space Systems course but can be used in any Earth-focused physical science course.

TAKEAWAYS:
A creative summative task can help elicit student interest, especially when the topic is not very much fun. Learn how to engage students in using Kepler’s Laws and planet traits to create an “updated” group model of the solar system. (HS-ESS 1-4 and HS-ESS 1-6 and SEPs 2, 4, 5, and 6)

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Salazar, Amanda Libke

We developed an augmented reality (AR) app called Project STEMinAR for teaching physical science content, including Thermodynamics, Rotational Motion, Optics, Force/Motion, Newton’s Laws, Lenses, and Electromagnetics. In these interactive simulations, students manipulate variables and see how different representations of that concept are affected in real time. The free app and a printout cube are needed to use the simulations. Free curricular materials are also available. The simulations are aligned with introductory undergraduate physics courses, high school physics, the Florida Standards for physical science, and NGSS Science and Engineering Practices 1 and 2. We are currently implementing the simulations in undergraduate physics labs to explore the effects on student learning gains, engagement, and interest in physics. We will demonstrate the simulations, share curricula, and discuss findings from implementation. This work is supported by an NSF IUSE grant (Project #2121273).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the free Project STEMinAR physics simulations and curricular materials in both lecture and lab settings. Resources will be provided that can be implemented in classrooms immediately.

SPEAKERS:
David Rosengrant, KELLY NAVAS, Rachel Cacace

Explore research findings on sense of belonging in middle and high school physics classrooms. This poster shares practical strategies, backed by student data, that demonstrate how intentional classroom design, collaborative structures, and inclusive practices enhance student comfort, engagement, and self-efficacy. Discover how fostering a sense of belonging directly impacts participation and retention in physics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn data-supported, practical strategies to intentionally design physics classrooms that significantly increase students' sense of belonging, leading to higher engagement, participation, and self-efficacy.

SPEAKERS:
Shayna Goldstein

Several hands-on activities/demonstrations will demonstrate various soil physical, chemical and biological properties and their application to engineering and environmental science. Sand castles demonstrate the basic forces of friction, adhesion and cohesion and the effect of particle size on the angle of repose. Soil is a Filter and Soil is Charged are companion activities that demonstrate soil charge properties and require students to use inductive reasoning to determine the charge on the soil and organic dyes in grape Koolaid and discuss leaching and water pollution. A biology activity will demonstrate microbial diversity or activity. All demos start as simple, visual activities suitable to demonstrate principles for elementary students but are easily scaled to all grades by applying the scientific method to design experiments and make observations, measurements and calculations and draw conclusions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Every Soil Has a Story. Learning its story starts with basic science. Soil science is an applied, interdisciplinary science that can be used to introduce and generate interest in physics, chemistry, biology and environmental science for all grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Clay Robinson

Effective science communication is an often overlooked student skill. Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City presents an annual Cosmic Creator Challenge for all Utah sixth-grade students to learn how to communicate science concepts through creating their own digital media. Students have three dimensions of choice: choice of topic from the Utah space science standards, choice of medium or software type, and choice of approach. They are required to have their project evaluated by at least three peers using a Google Form with the criteria of scientific accuracy, creativity, quality, software proficiency, and communication skills. Students then make revisions before submitting the final project to Clark Planetarium for judging. Participating teachers report high levels of engagement as we see enhanced creativity and deeper science learning in the students' projects while they also learn marketable digital media skills. This poster discusses how you can implement your own Creator Challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to implement their own Creator Challenge to enhance student creativity, engagement, and deeper learning through student-created digital media projects and specific tips for peer evaluation and revision to improve project quality.

SPEAKERS:
David Black

Discover how to easily replicate a research-based, lunch-and-learn PD session that introduces educators to free STEM and career exploration resources from the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) — all available through the NIST Educational STEM Resource (NEST-R) registry portal. Lead meaningful PD for your team while supporting students’ career awareness and engagement with real-world science applications. NEST-R is a bridge into NIST, a world-renowned federal laboratory focused on measurement science and technology. NIST interdisciplinary work touches many STEM areas, including the Metric System, AI, cybersecurity, the smart electric power grid, chemistry, atomic clocks, nanomaterials, computer chips & earthquake-resistant skyscrapers. Free & publicly available content includes engaging videos, articles, scientist interviews, classroom materials, internships, PD info & more. Stop by this poster to learn more, ask questions, & leave with tools you can use right away!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants receive resources needed to host a 30-60 minute PD session, including an outline, presentation template, Google form, and user guide. Deliver in live, virtual or hybrid mode. Help your teacher community discover resources to augment curriculum with examples of disciplinary core ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Joanne Krumel, Cara O'Malley

Drones may seem like tools reserved for AP Physics or college engineering courses, but with simple, low-cost builds they can give middle school students authentic opportunities to explore forces, motion, and energy through hands-on investigations. This session shows how the DIY Mini-Drone Project from Science Buddies can be adapted into classroom labs. Each stage connects to science ideas: balancing the frame highlights unbalanced forces, spinning propellers demonstrate Newton’s 3rd Law, and the battery shows energy transfer to motion. Test flights become mini-labs where students see how net force and mass affect motion or how payloads change acceleration. Student journals, sketchnotes, and reflections illustrate how drones provide equitable entry points for multilingual learners, neurodiverse students, and others who thrive with hands-on science. Participants leave with strategies to make drones affordable, rigorous, and centered on sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how low-cost drones can transform forces, motion, and energy into accessible, high-rigor classroom investigations, with student examples and strategies that keep the science, not just building, at the center of learning.

SPEAKERS:
Reyna Rivera

The workshop will offer ideas to move from the typical teacher-led classroom to one that focuses on problem-solving, data analysis and exploratory learning. Learn how to combine graphing calculators with handheld sensors to maximize class time and provide opportunities for engaging inquiry and discussion. We will illustrate how you can utilize science tasks to support your 3-D initiative and the goals outlined in the NGSS, while at the same time reinforcing and seamlessly integrating CCSS for Mathematics. You can use one sensor at a time or multiple sensors simultaneously for lab-based or in-the-field data collection to quickly collect and analyze data. Several sensors will be available to explore this integrated solution. Hands-on science using this integrated technology gets students excited about science and math and deepens their understanding of seemingly complex concepts. It will free up class time for student engagement in the analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of real data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use real data to develop mathematical models and learn how to test your hypothesis by performing an experiment and analyze your results, combining graphing calculators or tablets with handheld sensors to maximize class time.

SPEAKERS:
Karlheinz Haas

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Join us for an interactive, hands-on model lesson from OpenSciEd for Middle School and explore how the Carolina Certified Version elevates these high-quality instructional materials—making them more accessible, more user-friendly, and safer for everyday classroom use. Experience the Anchoring Phenomenon Routine in action as you dive into the fascinating world of plate tectonics. Walk away with practical strategies and valuable resources that you can implement immediately to spark curiosity and deepen learning in your classroom. 

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort

Join NSF NOIRLab and explore the universe from radio waves through gamma rays with high-quality, all-sky images and educational activities using NOIRLab’s Multiwavelength Universe project. The workshop will provide data from a variety of sources to encourage student exploration of astronomical objects and the processes that produce radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum. In this interactive workshop, participants will journey through the Universe as we model the nature of light and build an understanding of wave properties. Data from the Multiwavelength Universe project will be used to demonstrate how each part of the spectrum helps astronomers uncover the structure, composition, and hidden phenomena of the cosmos. We will share inclusive strategies, such as multiple modes of data representation (sonification for example), to ensure all learners can access and engage with space science concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to access images of astronomical objects from across the electromagnetic spectrum and explore how astronomers learn about the physical properties of different types of astronomical objects using the various types of electromagnetic radiation they emit.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Sparks

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Experience firsthand how PASCO puts a modern spin on four classic Gas Laws. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to facilitate sensor-based chemistry labs. Lead your students in hands-on experiments to determine Boyle's Law, Charles’ Law, Amonton’s (Gay-Lussac’s) Law, and Avogadro’s Law. For Boyle’s Law, we will demonstrate ways to easily graph the relationship between gas pressure and volume. Then, we will find the extrapolation of absolute zero for Charles’ Law. Next, we will explore Amonton's (Gay-Lussac's) Law to investigate the relationship between gas temperature and pressure. For our final lab, we will collect data to graph and calculate Avogadro's Law relating the number of moles of a gas to its volume.

SPEAKERS:
Roger Palmer

Gravitational forces might be invisible, but the supports in this unit are easy to spot. This session helps you uncover key features in Operation Space Jump that make it easier to plan, teach, and guide students through puzzling ideas like mass, motion, and gravity. We will walk through the built-in teacher tools, prompts, and routines that support deep thinking and epic classroom moments. Whether students are jumping on the moon or just trying to wrap their heads around why heavier things do not always fall faster, you will leave with ready-to-use moves that help the learning stick.

TAKEAWAYS:
Uncover how to use supports in Operation Space Jump to help students explore mass, motion, and gravity—especially why bigger does not always mean faster when jumping from planet to planet.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, DeAnna Lee Rivers, Spencer Martin

Animate your students, literally. Scientific processes come alive when students use their bodies to play the role of molecules, rocks, Earthquake waves, air masses, or even the entire planet as it takes laps around the Sun. This is MORE than a hands-on lesson -- you'll engage your whole body! We'll look at the science behind why kinsethetic activities work, how they fit into the modeling practice of the NGSS, explore half a dozen examples that require zero materials, and then have you work in small groups to create a new kinesthetic activity to teach a topic you care about.

TAKEAWAYS:
Kinesthetic activities (where students model science processes with their whole bodies) are an excellent tool for teachers and students to engage in the science practice of modeling. They turn abstract, multi-step phenomena into intuitive, memorable experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Virginia (Gini) Oberholzer Vandergon

Description * How can learning about race, migration, and social justice issues occur within science curricula? This interactive workshop seeks to reimagine science instruction beyond rote-memorization and English-only practices. Justice means repositioning science as multilingual and multicultural, welcoming the diverse ways of knowing, doing, and speaking. Participants will engage with a model lesson that recognizes and challenges science’s history of exclusion, while fostering multilingual engagement and drawing on student funds of knowledge. Through discussions, we will reflect on curriculum while re-imagining ways we can integrate culturally and linguistically just practices that reflect and empowers all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science teaching can be reimagined as a multilingual and multicultural while aligning to the NGSS. Educators can integrate students’ diverse ways of knowing and speaking making learning more equitable and empowering all science learners.

SPEAKERS:
Diana Bonilla, Karina Hernandez

Smartphones have revolutionized communication and access to information. With 5 years of experience using them in the classroom, I know the sensors in them can equally revolutionize experimentation. You’ve all probably dropped objects at different heights and timed the fall with timers. How about timing it by analyzing the response of the 3-axis accelerometer in a smartphone to free-fall conditions? With it, each student has the power to collect their own data on free-fall at much higher precision and draw their own conclusions with a lab so easy they can do it at home, allowing class time to be used for data analysis, rather than data collection. Come see how to leverage these powerful tools to facilitate learning for everyone with an investigation that can be as simple as plotting data with step-by-step calculation instructions, or as advanced as asking students to linearize the data themselves, and even bring in discussions of general relativity!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with ready to apply information, tools, and ideas to use immediately in their classroom whether they teach introductory/conceptual physics or AP. They will participate in an investigation activity themselves and see how easy it is to increase the complexity as needed.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Tobler

Early science instruction presents a powerful opportunity to foster conceptual understanding and language development; yet, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and those with language vulnerabilities, these experiences are often limited. This project-based play with the Three Little Pigs employs a 3-dimensional lens, featuring new twists on the classic fairy tale and a project-based scenario that focuses on river flooding, providing cause-and-effect relationships and innovative structural design. Using rubrics, the project connects weather disasters with opportunities for students to test, collect data, analyze, and problem-solve using innovative structural designs that aim to protect homes from flooding rivers. The 60-minute presentation session uses teacher testimony, pictures, and examples, allowing participants to observe the 5E's play-based weather project and how to apply the engineering design process using coaching protocols to ensure science accessibility for all.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how formative and summative assessment rubrics guided the evaluation of children's critical thinking in areas such as data tables, asking questions, describing typical weather conditions, designing and testing structures, and the causes and effects of a torrential downpour.

SPEAKERS:
Robin McGinnis

Led by members of NSTA Early Childhood-Elementary Committee, participants with practice incorporating playing with common materials to explore science concepts. Participants will also discuss the relationship of play to inquiry, as well as how to pull formative and summative assessments while playing with science

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience different ways of playing with materials in a science classroom, generate ideas for using play to teach science concepts, and see how to assess the learning constructed by such play.

SPEAKERS:
Rina Zampieron, Katie Morrison, Anne Lowry

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Too much work to do in preparation for OpenSciEd? We will share some time-saving measures and enhancements to give you back time to enlighten your students' learning of magnetism, electricity, and spectroscopy using Ward’s Science Kits. Get better results with less hassle.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

Developing a future-focus for science education with emphasis of music and arts. Bridging out for cross-curriculum among various disciplines, however, focus upon STEM education. Utilizing the ODE State Science Standards, along with state standards from various content, as well as the connections to the Next Generation Science Standards. My proposal is for the audience of 6-12 general science educators. Educators from outside of the 6-12 parameter are always welcome to attend the proposed session. The information provided for the proposed session presentation is to help all STEM educators with the integration of music and arts into the STEM education and curriculum (STEAM). Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to achieve the talented and gifted students who may not be advanced in science, but advanced in arts and music.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to STEAM TAG kids.

SPEAKERS:
John Davis III

Join Pilot Light Chefs to discover simple, high-impact strategies for connecting food education to science learning using Pilot Light’s newly revised Food Education Standards. Attendees will explore how food-based phenomena—like the chemical reactions behind baking bread or the physics of emulsions in salad dressing—can make NGSS concepts tangible and relevant. The Standards provide an easy-to-implement tool that engages students’ senses and curiosity while deepening understanding of scientific inquiry, sustainability, and real-world systems. Perfect for educators seeking a fresh, classroom-ready way to make science meaningful through the everyday lens of food.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a practical, ready-to-use strategy for connecting food experiences to core science concepts, helping students explore NGSS-aligned inquiry, chemical reactions, and systems thinking in an engaging, hands-on way.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Gottlieb

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Macke

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

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

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Sponsoring Company: South Dakota State University

Chemistry demonstrations are widely accepted as a method of instruction as they can create that moment of insight students need to engage their brain in the topic. This presentation will show safe chemical demonstrations, discuss recipes, and consider safe methods of disposal for all materials. As part of this workshop we will advertise two 1-credit courses offered at South Dakota State University regarding the use of and how to prepare demonstrations and three 1-credit courses involving topics about safety and chemical disposal issues.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Miller

Discover how mastery learning and AI can support equitable 3D science assessments. Use provided learning scales and AI tools to build NGSS-aligned tasks. Engage in hands-on practice and leave with ready-to-use strategies and assessments for your classroom or team. This workshop is deeply rooted in the belief that all students deserve access to meaningful, rigorous, and transparent science learning experiences. By centering mastery learning and learning scales, we create a framework where success is not based on one-time performance but on clear pathways toward growth—supporting equity over uniformity. Key ways this workshop supports access, inclusion, diversity, and equity: Transparent Expectations: Learning scales break down abstract standards into student-friendly, observable progressions, helping all learners—especially multilingual students, students with IEPs, and those historically underserved in STEM—understand what success looks like and how to get there.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to: Understand the role of learning scales in mastery-based instruction and assessment.; Use learning scales aligned to NGSS SEPs to create assessment tasks; and use AI tools to generate and refine 3D assessment items.

SPEAKERS:
Chrystal Anderson, Tamara Alt

The Model-Based Argument Critique Tool is an inclusive learning strategy that promotes deep student engagement by giving all students a structured, low-stakes entry point into scientific argumentation and evaluating student-created scientific models. We will use it to focus on the second law of thermodynamics (HS-PS3-4) in this workshop. The tool requires students to critique peers' claims, evidence from investigations, and visual representations of unseen processes like energy transfer and particle movement in a scientific model. Critiquing varied representations helps students evaluate diverse modeling approaches and meet the Systems and System Models requirement. In this workshop, we will review student work related to a phenomenon (e.g., a cooling coffee mug) and discuss how the tool's structure supports equitable classroom practices and values diverse student thinking for science success.

TAKEAWAYS:
Model-Based Argument Critique Tool is an inclusive and equitable strategy for teaching complex concepts like the second law of thermodynamics (HS-PS3-4), giving all students a low-stakes, structured entry point into scientific argumentation and model evaluation.

SPEAKERS:
Alex St. Louis, Jaclyn Murray

Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs of funding to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM education. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to achieve the talented and gifted students who may not be advanced in science, but advanced in arts and music. Developing a future-focus for science education with emphasis of music and arts. Bridging out for cross-curriculum among various disciplines, however, focus upon STEM education. Utilizing the ODE State Science Standards, along with state standards from various content, as well as the connections to the Next Generation Science Standards. My proposal is for the audience of 6-12 general science educators. Educators from outside of the 6-12 parameter are always welcome to attend the proposed session. The information provided for the proposed session presentation is to help all STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Empower and equip educators thinking outside of the bun to utilize music with the STEM curricula. There are digital programs the educators can utilize without costs to improve the connections of arts and music with STEM. Teachers will learn how to improve their critical thinking to STEAM TAG kids.

SPEAKERS:
John Davis III

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Rachele Limberakis, Charlene Tuttle

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

Learn how to build circuits with modular components that look identical to schematic drawings. After building the circuit, we'll take current and voltage measurements using sensor data. We'll show you how to skip the tangled wires that confuse students and focus on the physics.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Hanna

Phenomena—ranging from wireless charging and melting ice to earthquakes and plant growth—occur whenever energy is transferred. Yet many students view energy as discipline-specific, assuming that “energy in physics” is different from “energy in biology.” This makes it difficult for them to recognize energy as a crosscutting concept when exploring systems. Our research shows that students explain phenomena more effectively and better understand energy conservation when they track energy transfers within and between systems. In this workshop, you will learn how the energy transfer approach (ETA) and energy transfer diagrams (ETDs) can support students’ understanding of NGSS-aligned learning goals. You will construct ETDs and explore how they help learners visualize the energy flows driving phenomena. Although the workshop activities align with physical science NGSS Performance Expectations, the ETD approach can be readily adapted for biology, and Earth and space science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers learn the energy transfer approach (ETA) and how to construct energy transfer diagrams (ETDs) to help students track energy flow within and between systems. ETDs offer a clear, consistent method for representing the energy flows that drive real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Weiwei He, Erin Lewis

Using finger LEDs and color filters, we will explore basic properties of visible light in the electromagnetic spectrum to sort colored M&M candies in the absence of white light. It’s a great exploratory activity to investigate the basic properties of visible light including reflection, absorption, and transmission. Using one color at a time to sort the colored candies helps to see which color wavelengths are reflected and absorbed in the colored candies, and when all 3 primary light colors are combined, it offers a different perspective. Additionally, by collecting data for enrichment opportunities and cross curricular connections, we can compare percentages of our population samples to determine the most likely percentage of green M&Ms in the bag (a very popular color).

TAKEAWAYS:
It's an exploration to introduce the EM spectrum using RGB LEDs and filters to investigate the basic properties of visible light by seeing how it interacts with colored candy through reflection, absorption, and transmission. These interactions connect to color perception and light-based tech.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Anderson, Brittany Chase

Get ready to channel your inner builder. In this session, you will learn how to teach the hands-on classroom challenges created by the CrunchLabs toy engineers, the same crew behind some of Mark Rober’s most memorable builds. These challenges are more than just fun. They power deeper science understanding and give students the chance to design, test, and think like engineers. We will walk through how to launch a challenge, organize your space, support student testing, and help learners reflect on what they discovered. You will leave with practical strategies to keep the mess under control, the ideas flowing, and the energy high.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get practical strategies for setting up and running CrunchLabs classroom challenges. These hands-on experiences build student confidence, creativity, and sensemaking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Tommy Clayton, Arash Jamshidi, Spencer Martin

Sponsoring Company: ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology

Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology is a donor-funded program that aims to help teachers provide real-world applications to students in STEM. The program provides FREE professional development with all travel expenses paid, FREE equipment for teachers to use with their students, as well as scholarships for students and teachers

What comes first in your chemistry classroom, explanations or lab? Traditionally, chemistry is “taught” and then followed with a highly structured lab to reinforce the learning. However, the 5E Instructional Model flips this order upside down! Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate make up the 5Es, with Exploration right up front. But what does an exploration-based chemistry lab look like? How do you take a more traditional lab and convert it to an authentic opportunity for student discovery before they read a single sentence from a textbook? We’ll tackle these questions and show you how to facilitate discovery that will provide a truly 3D experience of chemistry in alignment with the NGSS. We will also explore the chemistry-specific research on why "lab first" improves students' views about science, and why "lab last," the old way, strengthens students' naive views about science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to redesign traditional labs into exploration-first experiences that spark curiosity, align with NGSS, and shift student views of science from rote memorization to authentic discovery.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

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 experience. 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' sense-making 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

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

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

SPEAKERS:
DeAnna Lee Rivers

Unleash student engagement using Marvel superheroes and villains to teach physical vs. chemical changes, elements, and the periodic table. Students use comic-book characters to explore real chemical reactions, CERs, and hands-on Marvel-themed labs like “Captain Combustion,” “Acid vs. Base Battle,” and “Villainous Variables.” Ideal for NGSS-aligned middle school science teachers looking to integrate pop culture into student-centered inquiry and culturally responsive pedagogy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with ready-to-use Marvel-themed chemistry lessons that integrate NGSS practices and engage diverse learners through superheroes.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

A Physics Modeling Instruction workshop introduces participants to a structured inquiry approach to high school physics teaching that incorporates technology, Socratic questioning, and insights from physics education research. Throughout the duration of the modeling workshop, participants are involved in designing and conducting investigations, collecting, analyzing, and graphing results, and discussing these results with the other groups. These discussions are an important part of the “group sense-making” of the phenomena being investigated. Attendees of this NSTA session will be introduced to modeling with a brief description/discussion and then will engage in a hands-on physics activity that allows them to experience all of the aspects of a modeling paradigm lab and related components.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees at this session will be introduced to the modeling approach via a hands-on physics activity that is engaging and is representative of a typical modeling paradigm lab.

SPEAKERS:
Chance Hoellwarth, Jon Anderson

Build a 3D paper arch with a keystone and conduct a hands-on experiment demonstrating Newton’s 3rd Law. Explore independent and dependent variables, investigate forces in bridges, and learn how to teach these concepts clearly to middle school students. Leave with a ready-to-use model and activity to bring into your classroom next week. This session blends creativity, engineering, and physics in a simple yet powerful way to help students visualize abstract concepts through concrete experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to build a 3D paper arch with a keystone, conduct a hands-on experiment demonstrating Newton’s 3rd Law, identify variables, explore forces in bridges, and leave with a ready-to-use classroom activity for middle school students.

SPEAKERS:
Nancy Balter

The shift in evaluating a students understanding of key concepts in physics and physical science has lead to the need for more performance based evaluation. Lab practicums allow students to perform an unique lab experience, demonstrating an understanding and application of a physics concept. Using toys and easily obtained materials, students experience less stress compared to summative exams. Multiple examples with an opportunity to experience a lab practicum will be given to attendees.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive multiple examples of performance assessments, for formative assessment of physics and physical science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

An immersive two-hour workshop where K-12 teachers learn the framework of Model-Based Inquiry—how to design units centered around phenomena, model construction, revision, and key science practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers across grade levels will explore how the MBI framework enables three-dimensional, NGSS-aligned units. They’ll learn how to choose anchoring phenomena, develop and refine scientific models, and plan for explanation, evidence, and argumentation.

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Baird, Jennifer Askew, Ron Gray

This 120-minute immersive workshop empowers educators to harness artificial intelligence tools to strengthen sensemaking in middle school science classrooms. Participants will actively engage as “students-as-scientists” while exploring how AI supports the four pillars of sensemaking—phenomena, science and engineering practices, student ideas, and disciplinary core ideas—across curriculum design, instruction, and assessment. Through hands-on activities, educators will experience AI-enhanced lesson planning, worksheet and presentation creation, rubric and assessment development, and simulated data for investigations. Participants will analyze classroom examples, including AI-supported student work, and reflect on equity and culturally relevant pedagogy. Attendees are highly encouraged to bring a Wi-Fi-enabled device (laptop, Chromebook, or tablet) for full participation. Participants leave with ready-to-use strategies and resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn practical strategies for using AI tools to enhance sensemaking in science through lesson design, assessments, and student investigations, leaving with classroom-ready resources and equity-focused practices.

SPEAKERS:
Sherrita Blackshear

In both sports and science, engagement is the game-changer. When students step into a classroom that mirrors the energy, teamwork, and strategy of athletics, learning becomes more than an academic task; it becomes an experience of discovery, collaboration, and growth. Much like athletes studying plays and adjusting their approach mid-game, students as scientists engage in authentic sensemaking by observing phenomena, testing ideas, and revising strategies based on evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
Just like in sports, classroom engagement thrives when students are active participants, motivated by purpose, collaboration, and real-world relevance, because when students play to learn, everyone grows together.

SPEAKERS:
Marie Peel

This presentation will focus on a practice-based experience for undergraduate elementary teacher candidates with no engineering background, to develop engineering content knowledge for teaching. Applying an inquiry-based approach in physical science, designing a lime-ade lesson, teacher candidates practice science and engineering practices with emphasis in engineering and the EDP. The presentation includes the experience design and data analysis of teacher candidates’ artifacts, reflections, and school faculty’s feedback. Analysis of the data indicates that these field-based experiences helped TCs’ better understand engineering practices such as SEP #3 and the importance of engaging students in an iterative design process. This study aims to provide specific examples and insights from TCs’ experiences, for teacher educators interested in teaching rigorous and culturally responsive engineering lessons in K-8 schools.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeway will be the use of metacognitive strategies to assess a lesson based on NGSS science and engineering practices with emphasis in engineering and the engineering design process to develop out-of-field teacher candidates' content knowledge for teaching engineering.

SPEAKERS:
Ana Margarita Rivero Arias

Balance is a phenomenon that permeates our lives every day. Children take on the challenge of balance as they walk, play, and ride bikes and scooters, and are curious about how to put objects into balance. High quality STEM experiences capitalize on children’s prior experiences and their interest in the world and how it works. In this highly interactive hands-on session, we will engage in teacher play with familiar materials children can use to independently tinker with balance within the contexts of: 1) body balance, 2) balancing objects, 3) balancing to achieve stability, 4) using balance to compare, and 5) engineering kinetic balance. We will discuss how PK-2 children can engage in STEM every day in their classrooms, and how over 400 teachers in Iowa are implementing balance experiences with their students using these materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience ways to develop their students' conceptual understanding of balance and nurture science and engineering practices by providing space and materials for children to tinker with the phenomenon of balance.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Dykstra VanMeeteren

How can schools translate belief into intradisciplinary learning that sticks? At Miami Country Day School, middle school teachers used established departmental belief statements and long-term transfer goals as a foundation to reimagine a STEM program that challenges students to Think Deeply About the World Around You Through a Scientific Lens. Across Grades 6–8, students revisit the interconnected concepts of water, energy, and conservation through an arc of grade-level themes that include The Science Of: Where We Are and How We Got Here, Who Calls Florida Home? and How Our Interactions Shape and Impact the Future. These explorations include climate storytelling, energy justice, and ecological belonging. Grounded in Mind, Brain, and Education (MBE) science and CTTL-informed practices, the program fosters relevance, student agency, and enduring understanding. Attendees will leave with tools to spark faculty-led curriculum design rooted in purpose and powered by authentic, global inquiry

TAKEAWAYS:
Grounding interdisciplinary curriculum in whole-child principles and a faculty-driven, inquiry-focused design process can create a vertically aligned STEM program that honors disciplinary integrity, spirals environmental concepts, and fosters deep, globally relevant inquiry.

SPEAKERS:
Kelley Brill, Joanne Aronson

This K-2 focused session introduces a unique “Student of the Week” STEM kit designed to engage young learners and their families. Participants will explore hands-on activities such as straw rockets and sticky note bar charts while learning how to adapt them for classroom use; perfect for moments like Veterans Day or other STEM tie-ins. The 30 minute presentation will include an interactive build, exploration time, and ideas for connecting these experiences to broader STEM learning. Attendees will discover how each classroom box (30 fully assembled packets) supports literacy and inquiry with a “Read with Me” book, activity journal, family letter, mealtime activity, poster, sticker, and directions card. Free digital resources, ABC book giveaways, and raffle opportunities for complete classroom kits will also be featured.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to bring engaging, ready to use K-2 STEM kits into their classrooms, connecting hands on activities with literacy and family engagement while accessing free resources, giveaways, and classroom ready materials.

SPEAKERS:
Natalie Woods

This session features a culturally relevant, phenomenon-driven chemistry lesson that teaches reaction rates and collision theory through the Indigenous process of nixtamalization—cooking corn in an alkaline solution to release nutrients. Structured with the 5E model, students investigate how changing alkaline concentration affects reaction rates through hands-on labs, molecular modeling, and authentic data analysis. The lesson bridges chemistry and culture, supporting sensemaking through anchoring phenomena and student-generated questions aligned with NGSS HS-PS1-5. Participants will engage with classroom-tested strategies, sample student work, and adaptable assessments that promote equity, deepen engagement, and affirm cultural identity. The session offers practical guidance for connecting rigorous scientific inquiry with community knowledge to enhance student belonging in chemistry classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how nixtamalization can anchor culturally relevant chemistry instruction. Experience hands-on and modeling strategies that strengthen sensemaking in reaction-rate lessons. Access adaptable NGSS-aligned tools to promote equity and student identity in science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Deena Gould, Daniel Delgado

Join for an interactive session, where we will explore how the Flipped Classroom model and the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) framework can transform student learning and engagement. This session will highlight practical strategies for shifting direct instruction outside the classroom, freeing up valuable in-class time for collaborative, inquiry-based learning in chemistry classroom. Participants will discover how integrating CER into flipped lessons empowers students to think critically, construct scientific explanations, and support their claims with evidence and logical reasoning. Through real-world examples, hands-on activities, and discussion, educators will leave with actionable tools to foster deeper understanding, promote student voice, and enhance formative assessment practices. Whether you're new to flipped learning or looking to refine your use of CER, this session offers insights and inspiration to elevate your teaching practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session equips educators with practical strategies for designing flipped lessons that incorporate CER seamlessly. Participants will explore real classroom examples, tackle common challenges, and engage in hands-on activities that model the CER process.

SPEAKERS:
Bhagyashree Kulkarni

Large Language Models (LLMs) hold promise for supporting physics learning, but their tendency to hallucinate and the cost of open-ended queries limit scalability. We present an approach that scaffolds student input into structured formats that both constrain the AI and deepen engagement. Our approach combines a semantic diagram editor, where students build vector-based representations of forces, motion, and fields with required tagging, with an equation editor that outputs structured math aligned with the diagram. Unlike image uploads, these diagrams are converted directly into a text-based, machine-readable format, eliminating the need for costly image processing. The paired inputs create a precise description of student reasoning that can be processed reliably by the AI, reducing hallucinations and lowering cost. For students, tagging and structuring diagrams makes thinking explicit and reinforces representational fluency.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see how guiding students to create tagged diagrams and structured equations leads to clearer thinking, more accurate AI support, lower costs, and better feedback for teaching and learning in physics.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

What happens when high school science students become the teachers? In this culminating project, juniors in Anatomy & Physiology, Environmental Science, and Advanced Chemistry collaborated to design and lead hands-on science lessons for 4th–6th graders at a local elementary school. Each group chose a topic from their course, ranging from the respiratory system to invisible ink to mining practices, and transformed it into an engaging, age-appropriate experience. Through this authentic opportunity, students deepened their understanding, built collaboration and communication skills, and shared the joy of discovery by inspiring curiosity in younger learners. This session highlights student-created lessons, planning tools, and reflections that fostered both rigorous learning and community connection. Participants will discuss how this model could be adapted for their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a framework and ready-to-use materials, including a timeline, lesson plans, tips, rubrics, surveys, and feedback forms, to guide high school students in designing and leading science lessons for younger learners.

SPEAKERS:
Randi Bakken

How would you like to use Fruit Loops to show ionic bonding and create Lewis Structures for Binary Ionic Compounds? This hands-on activity shows attendees how to utilize Fruit Loops to show how ionic bonds are formed between metals and nonmetals while creating Lewis Structures for ionic compounds.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to make the Fruit Loops for Lewis Structures for Ionic Bonding activity and bring the resource to their high school chemistry and physical science classes at their schools.

SPEAKERS:
Nichole DePaul

Science teachers face the challenge of building deep understanding while managing heavy grading loads. This 60-minute workshop introduces two high-impact, teacher-tested strategies for science educators that are effective across all science courses and academic levels: the use of bulleted scoring guides for student graded free-response questions and incorporating group retakes on multiple-choice assessments. These efficient grading and assessment methods will empower students and free up teacher time for instructional creativity and reduce teacher workload. Participants will learn how and will practice using real classroom examples to: Utilize concise scoring guides to reduce time spent on feedback for FRQs by incorporating student self-grading that deepens engagement and self-awareness of content mastery. Use group retakes to encourage discussion and peer-to-peer explanation, helping students clarify misconceptions, strengthen reasoning, and build a richer conceptual understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to immediately implement strategies of using peer grading free response questions with scoring guides and group multiple-choice retakes with justifications to reduce teacher stress and workload while boosting student ownership, precision, and long-term understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Jill Lytle, Jessica Morris

Get ready to channel your inner builder. In this session, you will learn how to teach the hands-on classroom challenges created by the CrunchLabs toy engineers, the same crew behind some of Mark Rober’s most memorable builds. These challenges are more than just fun. They power deeper science understanding and give students the chance to design, test, and think like engineers. We will walk through how to launch a challenge, organize your space, support student testing, and help learners reflect on what they discovered. You will leave with practical strategies to keep the mess under control, the ideas flowing, and the energy high.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get practical strategies for setting up and running CrunchLabs classroom challenges. These hands-on experiences build student confidence, creativity, and sensemaking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Arash Jamshidi

In this interactive session, participants will explore how the Building Thinking Classrooms framework can be adapted to strengthen science instruction. Together, we will experience practical strategies that bring students into active learning right from the start—using the approach both as an engaging discovery challenge and as a powerful tool for teaching scientific Crosscutting Concepts. Participants will leave with ready-to-use ideas for creating dynamic, student-centered learning environments that promote deeper thinking, collaboration, and meaningful connections in science classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will get hands-on with how Building Thinking Classrooms strategies can be adapted for science through engaging explorations and Crosscutting Concept activities, leaving with ready-to-use approaches that enrich instruction and deepen student thinking, collaboration, and connections.

SPEAKERS:
Aimee Farnum, Marina Pinkhasik

With the adaptation of the NGSS by many state or states using the NGSS for their own standards, elementary teachers are now expected to teach physics and physical science concepts. For many elementary teachers this is a concern as their undergraduate training may have had little to no formal preparation with basic physics concepts. This workshop will allow attendees the opportunity to increase their content understanding through conceptually sound highly engaging learning cycles requiring minimal equipment and preparation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive multiple 5 elearning cycles that are easily adapted to an elementary science class addressing physical science topics.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

The Heliophysics Education Ambassador Team (HEAT) through NASA and AAPT have created classroom resources. These research-based instructional materials for astrophysics taught in the context of introductory and upper division physics and astronomy courses help make real world connections for your students. Come and try out a few lessons to infuse some real life space data from NASA into your physics lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to access HEAT's research-based materials and use them in their physics classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Bontempo

This session explores a practical, stepwise approach to implementing phenomena-based learning in existing science curriculum. Participants will see how small modifications—real-world context in labs, storytelling in direct instruction, and adjusted assessments—can gradually evolve into full phenomena-based modules. The presenters will share a three-step framework, examples from their classroom, and strategies for incorporating student feedback to guide the development of anchoring phenomena. Attendees will engage in discussions and hands-on planning exercises to identify immediate, realistic ways to integrate phenomena-based learning into their own teaching, demonstrating that meaningful curriculum change can start small and grow over time.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to gradually transform existing science curriculum into phenomena-based learning, using small, practical steps that build teacher confidence, engage students with real-world contexts, and make meaningful curriculum changes achievable over time.

SPEAKERS:
Ashlynn Hall, Jeffrey Lampert

Engage your students in chemistry without breaking the budget! This hands-on workshop will show educators how to create fun, standards-aligned demos and labs using everyday materials from discount/dollar stores. Participants will explore activities featuring items like Twizzlers, candies, and Whack-a-Pack balloons—each linked to NGSS Performance Expectations, Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts. Walk away with ready-to-use, low-cost lesson ideas that make abstract concepts like half-life, stoichiometry, gas laws, and chemical reactions exciting, accessible, and unforgettable.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with creative, low-cost chemistry activities using discount store materials that align with NGSS and make complex concepts like half-life, stoichiometry, and gas laws engaging and easy to understand.

SPEAKERS:
Marlene Gutierrez

Participants will make sense of a phenomenon by engaging in 3D tasks that apply the Principles of Learning (How People Learn, 1999) and recommendations from the Framework (NRC, 2012). They will be given NGSS Core Ideas to use as they develop system models and construct explanations of this phenomenon. We will share examples of students' work to illustrate how this and similar 3D investigations were used in middle school classrooms and how they motivate all students to learn science. We will share examples of worksheets to support students in using and applying Core Ideas to phenomena, student self-assessment sheets, and rubrics. Participants will have open access to these tools, which can be used with any investigation, and will leave with an understanding of how to use them effectively in their own classrooms. We will also share examples of how this was communicated to parents so they can provide appropriate support at home.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to structure 3D investigations with the Principles of Learning in mind. They have access to several tools and sample parent communications that can be used with any 3D investigation and gain an understanding of how to use them to improve science learning for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Wil Van der Veen, Denise Magrini

Too often, science in the earliest grades takes a back seat to literacy and numeracy until high-stakes testing begins in upper elementary. This delay undermines children’s innate curiosity and their capacity to build cross-disciplinary skills. This interactive workshop will invite participants to step into a “student hat” perspective and experience hands-on inquiry activities designed for preschool and early elementary classrooms. Participants will engage in playful investigations of natural phenomena, practice weaving literacy and numeracy into science lessons, and explore strategies for integrating culturally relevant knowledge from families and communities. By modeling these practices, the session demonstrates how early science is not just a content area but a powerful vehicle for language, cognitive development, and equity in learning. This workshop equips teachers with practical tools and inspiration to make science a foundation—not an afterthought—in every child’s education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to: Develop early-science inquiry activities; Apply strategies to integrate literacy, numeracy, and cultural knowledge into science instruction; Advocate for equitable early science education; and Return to school with concrete lessons to elevate science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Shekkola Gray

Often teachers of physics and physical science are broad field science instructors with minimal physics preparation. This workshop will allow seasoned and new instructors an opportunity to perform learning cycles linked to common core math and NGSS standards to augment their current physics and or physical science curricula.

TAKEAWAYS:
The workshop is a hands-on workshop in which attendees will conduct 5 elearning cycles in physics and physical science content.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck, Jan Mader

For many students, electricity is a magical force to which they give little thought. Join this session to engage in activities designed to introduce students to the concept of circuits, microgrids, and their role in keeping our electric power system running smoothly.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn hands-on activities to take right back to the classroom for their students to be able to create a simple DC circuit, parallel DC circuit, and explain what a microgrid is.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Griegoliet

Experiential learning such as field trips, lab investigations, and community partner visits sparks curiosity but often lacks strong connections to rigorous, standards based science. This interactive session demonstrates how artificial intelligence can serve as a thought partner for teachers, transforming these experiences into inquiry rich investigations anchored in NGSS and Tennessee standards. Participants will practice using AI to design pre learning prompts, on site data collection tasks, and post learning reflections. While examples highlight middle school Physical Science including forces, motion, energy, and waves, the framework adapts across K–12 and extends to Life and Earth Science as well. Educators will leave with adaptable AI prompts, ready to use frameworks, and strategies that ensure every experiential learning opportunity advances student mastery of science standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will practice using AI to design pre, during, and post learning tasks that transform experiential learning into rigorous, standards based science investigations that deepen student understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Jeannie Whitlock

The focus is on hands-on and visible building materials, but some ideas can be applied to the microscopic and used to illuminate concepts about things like crystal structures and bonding. Presenters – a chemistry and a physics teacher – provide lots of information for scaffolding the activities to fit different levels of learners. Students will have to take careful measurements and use those measurements in calculations with real-world applications. They will communicate their findings and defend their choices based on lab results. The specific activities include: cement pucks and beams and various additives; foam beams; clay tiles; simple metal alloys; and hex cell composites. Using these relatively cheap materials and just a few pieces of equipment, students make choices for design challenges and begin to see all the factors necessary to good design. They will also more easily make connections between abstract concepts from the classroom and what those vocabulary words really mean.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore STEM with cement, metal, and clay. Apply math concepts and lots of real-world examples. Engage students in learning and solving problems. They love destructive testing! There are ideas provided for all levels of the physical sciences, from basic concepts to more advanced calculations.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson

An emphasis on cross-curricular education is often necessary in many elementary classes. With the introduction of new science standards, elementary teachers are now tasked with teaching physics and physical science concepts that they may have had little to no exposure to during their undergraduate studies. Coupling underpreparedness with the increased emphasis on reading often limits the time allocated for science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Come and discover a method of balancing both instructional issues. Attendees will receive literature pieces and corresponding science lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

You will learn how to build a horizontal system for a marble run using inexpensive materials. The marble should be able to travel smoothly down a track, moving through different turns, ramps, and added features, all while keeping continuous motion. You begin by placing the marble at the designated starting point and releasing it. The goal is for the marble to complete the track and trigger a switch at the end, which will turn on an LED light. This is an exciting way to explore fundamental physics concepts such as potential and kinetic energy, gravity, friction and electronics.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this activity, you will learn how to construct a horizontal system, including what materials are needed and how to collect or purchase them. You will receive a complete list of materials along with vendor information, as well as a handout that explains the activity and outlines the key physics co

SPEAKERS:
Aulikki Pekkala-Flagan

The Isotope Walk is an activity for students to learn about isotopes through visualize representation. Attendees will learn how to make various isotopes using beads and petri dishes to bring to life the concept and understanding of isotopes. Attendees will bring back to their schools the resources necessary to make the isotopes for the Isotope Walk activity for their chemistry and physical science classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to make the isotopes to utilize in the Isotope Walk and implement them in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Nichole DePaul

A fusion of playful observation, song, and autonomy will keep students coming back for more. Learn how to organize your MS units into a menu of delightful choice for students! Experience the power of sneaking in the content using parodies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Playing and singing together are powerful way to encourage learning in science

SPEAKERS:
Jen Taylor