Successful implementation of open-source instructional materials for the NGSS requires adaptation for local needs. This Professional Learning Institute will engage participants in using tools to adapt an open-source middle school unit for local standards and phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jean Flanagan, Elaine Klein, Audrey Mohan, Cynthia Gay, Candice Guy-Gaytán, Lindsey Mohan, Janna Mahfoud, Jamie Noll, Zoe Buck Bracey

Learn a design process for creating three-dimensional assessment tasks that support student learning. We will introduce participants to each phase of the process: unpacking dimensions, developing integrated dimension maps, articulating learning performances, identifying phenomena, and designing tasks.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the steps of a systematic process for designing three-dimensional tasks that align with NGSS performance expectations, take into consideration students’ diverse backgrounds, and can be used in classrooms to provide information to teachers and students to improve learning.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Krajcik, Christopher Harris

Are your students’ explanations of science sometimes jaw-dropping, leaving you scratching your head as to where that “knowledge” came from? While we can’t eliminate kids’ misconceptions, we can work with those ideas to help them understand the correct science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to work with misconceptions that students hold in order to incorporate those into useful assessments. Use students’ sensemaking to discover ways to get at those ideas, and share your students’ misconceptions, hear others as well, and build research-based assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Crockett

Sponsoring Company: Community Training and Assistance Center (CTAC)

This session explores a unique approach to integrated STEM. The approach places curricular units that focus on engineering and computer science directly into the core curriculum for every student, PreK-12.

SPEAKERS:
Scott Reynolds

Participants will be presented with the characteristics of NGSS-based learning. The presenter will frame this through the review of a hands-on/demonstration activity vs. a Three-Dimensional approach to instruction. This session is meant for school administrators who do not have a science background.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to the process of converting a hands-on/demonstration activity to a true NGSS-based lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Hilton

Discover how simple adjustments in activity order can supercharge your students' knowledge construction and seamlessly integrate the NGSS into your teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
Whether you're a novice or a seasoned pro, Instructional Sequence Matters will empower you with both the rationale and tangible, real-world examples to revamp your hands-on teaching methods.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Brown

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Teach macromolecules without the crazy prep! In this micro-scaled lab activity, students test for starch, glucose, protein, lipids and DNA, without the need for large volumes of reagents, cleaning test tubes, or boiling reagents. Then students apply their knowledge and test various unknown samples.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Hagins

How do we prepare teachers to build a community of student learners and leaders? Science education is ideal for building student leaders as they investigate phenomena through questions and observations.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will explore and model best practices to promote inclusive student leadership in science.

SPEAKERS:
Sephali Thakkar, Beverly DeVore-Wedding

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore how physical models foster an understanding of the importance of mitosis and meiosis to the growth and development of living things.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Earth faces pressing challenges: rising temperatures, extreme weather, resource strain, and pollution. Unfairly, students must tackle these, but solutions exist. Teachers play a vital role in providing students with academic tools, fostering confidence and hope for them to shape a sustainable future

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession

We will engage audience in experiencing strategies a group of middle-school science teachers used to customize OpenSciEd curriculum to better support students' equitable sensemaking by enhancing the curriculum's relevance. We will also share the challenges and lessons learned.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through this session, we hope that the attendees will walk away with a set of strategies they could use to enhance curriculum's relevance to students in future instruction, as well as the items they want to pay attention to during customization.

SPEAKERS:
Jason Buell, Brian Reiser, Claire Hiller, Yang Zhang, Kafi Chase, Stephanie Baldwin

Students with exceptionalities experience barriers to mastering the breadth and depth of the NGSS. This session explains the process used to reduce the depth, breadth, and complexity of the NGSS into K-12 alternate standards for students with severe cognitive disabilities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the developmental process of the NGSS PEs was mirrored, yet altered, to develop alternate standards that incorporated the three dimensions described in the Framework and the NGSS at a reduced depth, breadth, and complexity.

SPEAKERS:
Joyce Depenbusch, Christy Glore

Science coordinators from two public school districts in South Carolina will share how they are implementing a high-quality, open-education NGSS curriculum to support equitable three-dimensional science instruction for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will share our implementation strategies, including how we recruited teachers as early adopters. Learn how we support teachers and students, partner with administrators and the community, manage materials, address challenges, and celebrate successes.

SPEAKERS:
Richard Phillips, Holly Sullivan

Explore student-driven phenomena to teach and scaffold the NGSS Science Practices! This session is a mix of presentation, hands-on inquiry, and discussion. Utilizing a teacher’s experience in research and scientific publication, we’ll explore common areas of dissonance in emerging scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to make authentic research accessible to diverse learners with a simple jelly, bread, and kitchen utensil investigation. Scaffolding progressions will cover scientific writing, data analysis, peer feedback, and scientific communication to bridge the gap between classroom and research.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Lane

We are conducting a workshop on how to engage science learners in a virtual platform. We will have an interactive workshop with examples of how to teach Life Science and Physical Science concepts from your home through science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use various teaching tools and strategies in a virtual setting to foster the passion for science in all students. Use science phenomena to activate student’s critical thinking skills in a fun and interactive way.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Huffaker, Rebecca Miller, Latoya Moore

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Discover the synergy of engineering and science in your classroom! Merge hands-on learning and digital tech to bridge content and practice. Ignite creativity, foster problem-solving, and bring real-world experiences to your students through the power of brainstorming.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Bonville

Making enhancements to our Science programming requires an integration of STEM concepts. In this session we share our technological journey and how we have infused 3D printing, drones, robots, coding, and Arduinos seamlessly into 6th-8th grade Science classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees learn how STEM can be infused seamlessly into current NGSS programming, new STEM options available, how they are being used to increase problem solving and critical thinking skills, and how to use the instructional planning framework to integrate STEM technology into any middle-level class.

SPEAKERS:
Anna Kopacz, Howard Frishman, Nicole McRee

Middle School NGSS-aligned curriculum, instruction, and assessment resources created by the SIPS Project provide a scalable and coherent approach to improve three-dimensional science learning for all students, including unpacking the science content, instruction, and assessing student progress.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators’ ability to use three-dimensional instruction and assessment resources to provide inclusive, equitable instruction, promote sensemaking, assess learning, and make instructional decisions will be enhanced. Benefits of a coherent system to improve student outcomes will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Rhonda True, Mary Nyaema, Bill Herrera, Charlene Turner

Explore how excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes water more acidic through hands-on activities from the free 5E lesson plans in middleschoolchemistry.com.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will conduct simple, safe, and inexpensive hands-on experiments showing that carbon dioxide gas makes water more acidic, and see how these activities and concepts can be taught to students in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
James Kessler

Sponsoring Company: Amplify Science

Through reflecting on our own personal ‘why’ for teaching science, we’ll consider how to spark a love of science for the next generation of solution seekers. Using exemplar activities and teacher moves, explore ways to celebrate student thinking, be responsive, and promote deep scientific thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Cross

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Studying complex physics phenomena with photogates can be exciting for your students! Join us to explore strategies for engaging your students in learning about velocity vs. time graphs, acceleration, and kinematic equations. Build confidence in these tools and bring hands-on learning to your class!

SPEAKERS:
Josh Ence, David Carter

Hosting a STEM Science Fair promotes engagement with the scientific method and CER. It allows students to investigate areas of science that interest them. Learn the logistics of hosting a STEM science fair at your school and the benefits it can bring to your building.

TAKEAWAYS:
Hosting a Science Fair allows students to be active scientists as they study, experiment, and share their knowledge of an in-depth topic of their interest.

SPEAKERS:
Stacie Hopple

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Take a tour through the mammalian heart and trace the path of a blood cell on its journey to oxygenation. Participants take blood pressure readings. Then dissect a preserved sheep heart to model blood flow and connect BP to heart anatomy. Don’t skip a beat - it’s going to be hands-on fun!

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

Sponsoring Company: TCI

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

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Sponsoring Company: PEER Physics

How can pedagogical tools and materials support students with building and revising mechanistic models? We’ll explore strategies for building models using shared evidence and consensus. Co-presented by PEER Physics and Arbor Scientific.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Quinty

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Use gel electrophoresis to help astronauts identify bacteria growing aboard the International Space Station. This case study is based on the research of the NASA microbiology team. Also, learn about Genes in Space, a free experimental design competition that launches student experiments to the ISS.

SPEAKERS:
Marc Bliss

With literacy making it's way to the forefront of all core curriculum, do you ever feel like you don't have enough time to add a reading assignment to your lesson plans? Don't stress! I will present strategies that I have incorporated into my plans that have had positive results.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will take away literacy strategies that can be incorporated immediately into your lesson plans that will encourage students to read aloud, pick out important words and phrases, and put their ideas on paper. Also allows teachers to assess reading abilities and comprehension.

SPEAKERS:
Stacey Barnett

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Dive into three NOAA modules (Observations vs. Models, Predators and Prey, and Ocean Food Webs) that explore scientific modeling as applied to Earth systems using a VR environment. Using these modules students will employ the NGSS practice of developing and using models in hands-on activities.

SPEAKERS:
Randy Russell, Bruce Moravchik

This session will introduce teachers to a variety of note-booking techniques that will increase student engagement and excitement for learning. Students will take pride in their notebooks and therefore increase the level of effort they put into their work.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will provide teachers and administrators with various strategies to differentiate learning for English Language Learners, Special Education Students, and General Education Students, and accurately assess student learning through note-booking by tracking student thinking/understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Ziminski

Explore the NSTA Website with us! NSTA provides high-quality digital resources and opportunities—all within a professional community—that supports professional learning and classroom instruction. NSTA staff will be available to answer questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will become knowledgeable about the plethora of digital resources available on NSTA’s website, about the live events and professional learning community that can help them enhance their knowledge and improve their teaching practices.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Phillips, Flavio Mendez

Like many states, Connecticut has adopted OpenSciEd for the middle level model science curriculum. The approach to teaching and learning through OpenSciEd presents a challenge for school and district leaders– that is, what does it look like? The instructional model & feedback will be the focus.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders and supervisors will learn what to expect in an OpenSciEd classroom and take away tools and resources to support their understanding, and support teacher implementation through formative feedback to enhance teacher growth and collective efficacy.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Wlodarczyk

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience the Carolina Certified Version of OpenSciEd for Middle School and High School. See how the new Carolina Certified Edition enhances these high-quality instructional materials and makes OpenSciEd even better! Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort

What do climate data feel like? How can they engage our senses? Explore climate data using simple methods to create powerful and tactile data stories. Inspired by #ShowYourStripes and the Tempestry Project, participants learn ways to make environmental data accessible and fun for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Workshop participants will create and keep a sample data project using tactile materials and receive step-by-step plans for how to replicate this with any data set in their classrooms. The plans can be easily adapted to any unit that uses data in natural science, math, or social science classes.

SPEAKERS:
Alexandra Rose, Ian Schwartz, Tim Ogino

Diversity in STEM is crucial; however, we need to do more than just talk about it. In order to really create inclusive spaces, we must address the dark side of science which has led many groups to shy away from pursuing these fields. This harm can be repaired through restorative practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will understand the history of science in the United States. By acknowledging the systemic obstacles and barriers that certain underrepresented groups faced, we can implement restorative strategies to create inclusive science classrooms, such as: circles, conferences, and restorative questions.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Josue Falaise

Get ready to Rise to the Challenge in this Workshop series based on our Massachusetts STEM Week Challenges. From extreme weather to deserted islands, and zoo makeovers, there’s a challenge for everyone! You’ll experience hands-on, inquiry and phenomena-based investigations. Receive the curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will explore STEM Design Challenges funded by the MA DHE and run during MA STEM Week. They will explore using a design challenge in their classroom that addresses the Science and Engineering Standards and the engineering design process, and will experience using phenomena-based units.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Stronach, Kathryn Atkins, Sandra Ryack-Bell

Sponsoring Company: PASCO

Learn how to lead simple hands-on experiments with 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:
Sophia Guzules

Unlock the power of student sensemaking in science. Learn strategies to ignite curiosity, foster discussion, and use writing to create an inclusive classroom. Elevate science teaching to ensure you have a student-centered classroom using strategies that develop science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
For middle school students, communication through talking and writing is natural. When they are making sense of science through talking and writing, they are making their thinking visible. This session highlights strategies and routines that will transform science lessons into student-centered learning.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Rhoades

In this presentation we’ll discuss how to bring makerspaces, STEAM, and genius hour to life in the classroom. An experienced STEAM educator will share her joyful journey creating and implementing a middle school STEAM class rooted in research on making, equity, and the genius hour practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to bring joy into teaching and learning through making, STEAM, and genius hour. Attendees will walk away with tools, tips, and tricks to support their own vision of joy in teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Olivia Bello

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students model global water movement as driven by the Sun and gravity. They consider how a plant's systems interact over various time and spacial scales. Crosscutting concepts of scale, proportion, and quantity are used to discuss the study of water movement and human impact on water.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Parker

Physical computing allows students to design and create interactive objects that emphasize computational thinking skills. Participants will engage in activities designed for middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Microcontrollers are small computers that come with several integrated sensors. Their functionality makes them useful for both investigations and engineering projects. Some of the basic functionality of different microcontrollers will be learned through hands-on experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Susan German, Michael Bowen

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Teach astronomy and space science using the most effective and recognized tool available - Starry Night. We invite teachers to see our newest, browser-based NGSS aligned edition. We'll show the lessons, exercises, simulations and interactions along with the assessments and teacher materials.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Join our dynamic workshop, blending engineering and speed dating! Experience hands-on challenges inspired by TCI's K-8 science programs. Engage in "speed dates" with engineering activities, gaining valuable lessons and insights. Don't miss this innovative session!

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Come learn how to use effective literacy strategies so that students can better understand science content. Student understanding and critical-thinking skills will improve with these techniques. Join our constructivist approach that promotes literacy in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Thompson

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Learn about the intentional design of our units to embed equitable opportunities in phenomenon-based learning. This hands-on workshop uses a model activity showing how students use data to develop an evidence-based argument supporting the best way to recover copper from a waste solution.

SPEAKERS:
Ed Miller

Sponsoring Company: KidWind Project

Join us to explore the science of solar power! During this workshop, educators will learn the foundations of solar power including the science and technology of solar PV. We will also introduce activities for the classroom that engage students in dynamic, hands-on, energy-based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Arquin

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Dive deep into water's secrets! Harness 3D models to unravel states of matter, polar covalent bonding, solubility, and beyond in an immersive journey.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt, Tim Herman

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Link physical science concepts like circuits and charged particles to the essential biotech method gel electrophoresis. Build a reusable gel electrophoresis system with the Bandit STEM Electrophoresis Kit, and use it to separate colorful dyes. Also, add the A to STEAM with creative pipetting art!

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hennessy-McDonald, PhD

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Wondering how to get started with Vernier technology? Explore three of our most common sensors for chemistry, biology, and physics and learn about resources and support available to you from Vernier. Walk away with data collection tips and best practices to incorporate in your classes.

SPEAKERS:
David Carter, Josh Ence

Sponsoring Company: Amplify Science

How do we uncover and leverage the wealth of background knowledge and experiences students bring to science classrooms? Join UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science for strategies and examples of how student-centered experiences can spark curiosity, empower students, and lead to deeper learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Curley, Daniel Alcazar-Roman

Sponsoring Company: PASCO

Get hands-on experience with sensors, demonstrators, and software for graphing motion. For students new to describing motion, position and velocity graphs can be challenging to interpret. Learn accessible methods to help your students solidify their motion graphing skills and comprehension.

SPEAKERS:
Sophia Guzules

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Simplified prep and innovative technology makes your bacterial transformation work for you, not the other way around. Transform cells in a few simple steps, and use a new innovative media plate that comes pre-poured. See how this lab will let you spend your time teaching and doing, not prepping.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Hagins

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

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

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon, Ryan Hainey

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Looking to help students develop science inquiry skills and think critically about scientific concepts? Join our session on Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER), the framework that helps students make sense of the world around them and leave with an in-depth understanding and practical strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Stocz

Sponsoring Company: Legends of Learning

Forget boring! Ignite learning with Legends of Learning's Game Based Adventures! Embark on an immersive learning experience. Active, engaging, unforgettable. Unleash the learning within!

SPEAKERS:
Sean Reidy, Jonathan Gerlach

Join two instructional coaches who will lead a medical-themed session where attendees will have the opportunity to travel through the cross-curricular leveling-up (station-based) activity. Attendees will leave the session with instructional strategies to fuel student engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will participate in a cross-curricular leveling-up (station-based) activity. Attendees will also receive access to a website that includes meaningful instructional sequences, grade-appropriate resources, a cross-curricular map, rubrics, and student organizers fueling student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Jamesa Broome, Ann Vitello

Once upon a time, there were dedicated teachers who wanted nothing more than classrooms full of happy, engaged, and inspired students. Alas, our heroes must face many dastardly obstacles including boring curriculum! This session will provide storytelling tips to help turn duds into happy endings...

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with compelling explanations/research behind the effectiveness of storytelling as an instructional tool as well as several examples of story integration into various STEM activities.

SPEAKERS:
Elaine Wu

Have you felt all the responsibility of teaching climate in only your classes? Every K-12 classroom can integrate climate literacy & action. Join us to learn about Washington State’s ClimeTime Program’s resources and support for integrating climate literacy and action across all content areas, K-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical solutions to create connections between the climate literacy found in the Framework and non-science K-12 content areas. Guidance for working with their peers to anchor classroom instruction around climate change and climate solutions will also be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Korey Peterson, Jacob Parikh, Lori Henrickson

Join members of NSTA’s Professional Learning Committee to explore strategies and tools that focus classroom talk on sensemaking using the Crosscutting Concepts. You’ll have the chance to experience sensemaking strategies linked to discourse and consider applications in your sphere.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with discussion strategies and tools they can implement right away in classrooms to support student discourse and sensemaking anchored in the Crosscutting Concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, Kimberley Astle

Seeking support in what to look for and how to provide feedback to best support teachers? We will share an observation tool, model a pre & post observation conversation, examine a range of coaching interventions, and consider action steps based on patterns that are observed in science classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders and coaches play an important role in supporting teachers as they shift to more student centered instruction. Participants will be provided with an observation tool and coaching interventions that promote trust and increase reflective practice to meet the needs of students and teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Affolter, Grace Lugo

Explore tried-and-true strategies firsthand for supporting student-driven revision of written work. Walk away with strategies to help students self- and peer-assess their work and improve it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn what a critique lesson can look like in which students generate success criteria for quality scientific explanations. They will walk away with strategies to implement in their own classrooms to support students with the NGSS practice "constructing explanations."

SPEAKERS:
Kristie Rachell, Claire Hiller, Kafi Chase, Alissa Berg

Imagine a world where you can solve real-world problems, build robots, and use cutting-edge of technology. The Department of Defense (DoD) offers diverse STEM programs for kindergarten to post-secondary students and teachers, including competitions, camps, professional growth opportunities and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Department of Defense has an extensive and diverse portfolio of STEM programs for kindergarten to post-secondary students and teachers. Attendees will discover the wide range of programs offered by the research offices of the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force and Space Force.

SPEAKERS:
Louie Lopez, Kathryn Lasky, Brian Leftridge, Winnie Boyle, Elyse Lohrbach, Kathleen Miranda

In this session, we will share how to use NGSS performance expectations to design classroom assessments. Sample assessments will be provided that require students to incorporate models and use evidence to support their responses.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will examine sample assessments for three-dimensional questioning and be given a chance to enhance a question on a topic relevant to their teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Anna Kopacz, Nicole McRee

Learn effective ways to help students formulate effective questions, design explorations to answer their questions, apply analytical and critical thinking skills, collect and interpret data, and determine effective ways to communicate their findings and the concepts they have learned. Handouts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to help students read like a scientist, how to formulate effective questions they want to answer, how to set up explorations and learning experiences, how to apply skills and communicate their findings so that students can think, act, and communicate like scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell

Nothing excites an educator more than learning a new skill and sharing it with others! The goal of this session is to introduce Place-Based STEM using digital mapping and storytelling resources. Educators will receive direct instruction in digital mapping and resources for their classes!

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn to connect location and geography to science content locally, regionally, and globally through the use of digital mapping and problem-based learning STEM strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Ragsdale

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Teach about plate tectonics, minerals & rocks, earthquakes & volcanoes, geologic time, atmosphere, weather and climate using the most effective and recognized tool available - Layered Earth! We invite teachers to come and see our newest, browser-based NGSS aligned editions.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Goodman

Blank stares and closed mouths no more! The Visual Non-Glossary makes rich, equitable small-group conversations super easy by providing structured visuals and guiding discussion questions and sentence stems for each of 1,500+ vocabulary words K-12 in Science, available in both English and Spanish.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to get kids to think deeply and talk elaborately about science content. We will interact in small groups with science content to see how all students of different backgrounds can intuitively engage with structured visuals.

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Fleenor

In this session, participants will build their capacity to elicit, identify, and appreciate the range of intellectual resources students use as they make sense of phenomena. This session will help leaders work directly with educators to better appreciate students’ multiple ways of knowing and better shape instruction to support diverse sense-making through science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will help leaders work directly with educators to better appreciate students’ multiple ways of knowing and better shape instruction to support diverse sense-making through science and engineering practices.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Neill, Philip Bell, Angie Kolonich

Our world demands creative thinkers and problem-solvers. But what is creativity, really? If our job is to foster innovation and prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the future, how exactly do we do that in classrooms from K to 16? What I have found out just might surprise you.

TAKEAWAYS:
Research shows that creativity can (and should) be taught. We want to assess it, but it seems so subjective! Attendees will get some background, critique some assessment tools, and collaborate to design research-based criteria to use in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Elise Naramore

The Science Teacher Symposium is a model focused on science content knowledge that simultaneously provides the space and support teachers need to focus on their own wellbeing. Hear the impacts and lessons learned after 6 years of crosscutting connections and 2 years of embedded resilience training.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand the pros and cons of the in-person vs. virtual versions of the multi-day symposium model and will learn about the incredible impacts the resilience training has had on the educators involved, including increased teacher retention.

SPEAKERS:
Meg Gebert, Alison Smith, DaNel Hogan

Sponsoring Company: Wildlife Conservation Society

WCS presents Field Sight pairs the insight of our educators with the expertise of WCS field staff to bring you stories of the conservation work we are doing all over the world. Learn about our exciting fieldwork protecting wildlife, and bring this valuable information into your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Anine Booth

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Apply creative problem-solving skills and engineering practices to chemistry and physical science challenges with race cars and rockets. Experience how Carolina makes it easy to incorporate STEM into your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau

Join the US Patent & Trademark Office with activities from the free online invention education platform EquIP HQ, Patent Sensei, and Patent Quest. Gain a conceptual understanding of some of the steps needed to take during the patent process including developing skills to help perform a patent search.

TAKEAWAYS:
All students have the power to invent. The USPTO is committed to providing free resources to help K-12 students realize their potential as inventors. Unlocking young inventors' potential, EquIP HQ introduces students to the patent process, igniting creativity and innovation in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Juan Valentin

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Modern science education goes beyond memorization and traditional experiments. Educators now aim to cultivate transferable skills for students to thrive beyond the classroom. This requires an approach where students engage in a multidimensional world of inquiry, activating their curiosity and empowering them with critical scientific and data literacy skills. Join the discussion on the evolving landscape of science education to meet enhanced standards.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Powers, Harshil Parikh, Kathy Perkins, PhD, Hannah Bonville

What started out as our solution to “viewing science fair projects can be boring” evolved into a well-attended, hands-on experience for our families and community. In this session, we will share our station-oriented activities and how to use them to build relationships with families and your school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with the resources and confidence to organize large events for their school and community using science to build relationships. Session participants will be given an outline of helpful resources, tools, and ideas they can use to manage their own events.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Hunt, Anne Fritz

Embark on an AI-powered journey with Chat-GPT to grow your teacher toolbox! Join us to discover how Chat-GPT can offer options for differentiation and equity within your science classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will observe and synthesize differentiated activities to better address performance expectations using ChatGPT, such as finding animations for abstract concepts, tiered reading materials, supports for ESL students, culture integration in lessons, and enrichment opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Kipp

Sponsoring Company: TCI

This workshop offers a unique opportunity for educators to gain practical insights into integrating literacy skills within the science curriculum. Attendees will leave with tangible strategies and tools to enrich their teaching practices, fostering a more engaging learning experience for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

In the STEM classroom, an effective teacher selects actions that have an impact on student achievement. Come learn about the 15 STEM Teacher Actions to enhance your instructional practices and achieve improved student achievement.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Campana

This session introduces art, music, reading, writing, and drama ideas to be woven through your lessons on climate change. I have multiple examples of climate-related projects that have been used successfully with students to educate and empower. Dare I say that teaching climate change can be fun?!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers learn how to enrich their teaching and inspire their students by incorporating The Arts into their climate lessons. In addition, The Arts can provide creative and fun project-based learning that has the potential to communicate climate science effectively to the greater population.

SPEAKERS:
Kottie Christie-Blick

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Learn how to make magnetism visible and quantifiable for students! Dive into Earth science concepts such as modeling field strength, polarity, and orientation using the Go Direct® 3-Axis Magnetic Field Sensor. Investigate permanent magnets and electromagnets with hands-on, ready-to-use experiments.

SPEAKERS:
David Carter, Josh Ence

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

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.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Materials science combines many fields such as physics, chemistry, engineering, and math to understand the properties of, and create new materials for, the modern world. Get some hands-on learning and get access to resources that will provide exciting cross-content experiences in your classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore materials science and help students make connections between the understanding of the STUFF things are made of and how this can change our world. Making things like cars, cellphones, medical technology, space exploration, sustainable energy and so much more possible! Materials Matter!

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Grandell

Join us to discuss recent research on supplementing and modifying science instructional materials and to hear from teachers about the important things to keep in mind while modifying and supplementing materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
For many reasons, including alignment to standards and lack of class time, most educators modify their science instructional materials. Teachers say that they would like professional learning, time, and models to help them make these modifications to meet their students’ needs.

SPEAKERS:
Andy Weatherhead, Karey Pierce, Tram Nguyen, Cecelia Gillam, Jennifer Childress Self

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Dive into modeling the movement of ions and nutrients across membranes. Help your students connect theory with the results from popular homeostasis labs.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson, Kris Herman

Sponsoring Company: PASCO

Gain vital teaching tools to make global phenomena feel relevant to students to improve their understanding of climate change. We’ll show you how to engage students while monitoring local CO2 levels, modeling ocean acidification, and exploring global data sets with free classroom-ready resources.

SPEAKERS:
Sophia Guzules

Although teachers understand the importance of literacy integration, the process of literacy integration remains elusive...until now! This session will support the development of a concrete plan for integrating literacy into your classroom. Resources included!

TAKEAWAYS:
Literacy integration does not mean teaching students to decode. Literacy integration, at its core, is the process of making text visible in the classroom so students can read, write, and speak like professional scientists. Literacy integration makes science fun!

SPEAKERS:
Mesa Davis

Discover engaging phenomena and relevant content (sensor technology, medicine, and the environment) to promote equity in your classroom by engaging ALL students in nanotechnology and scientific learning to help improve our world and the human experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Nature-inspired solutions are needed to solve real problems and nanotechnology provides the tools to develop innovation solutions and engage students in learning; identify the locations of nano NGSS-aligned activities, resources, and virtual experiences for your classroom in any STEM subject area.

SPEAKERS:
Daniella Duran

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

As a NOAA Planet Stewards Educator you can become a STEM agent of change in your school and community. Learn how to access professional development opportunities, education resources, and funding, to increase students’ science literacy, and have them respond to real world environmental threats.

SPEAKERS:
Symone Barkley, Bruce Moravchik, Karen Metcalf, Kelley Hodges, Kyla Trahan

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Learn how to enhance students’ overall communication in and out of the science classroom throughout their learning. Delve deeper into topics that include listening using classroom norms, strategies that help students with short response, and how to enhance students’ use of CER!

SPEAKERS:
Brian Klaft

Promoting reading and writing while learning science? Utilize proven literacy strategies to enhance your students’ science knowledge and science literacy for the 21st (STEM) century.

TAKEAWAYS:
Enhancing student learning in science utilizing literacy strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Beverly DeVore-Wedding

Engage in a research strategy grounded in the Global Competence Framework. Using maps and data visualization tools, including the EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening Tool, participants will consider different perspectives, investigate the world, communicate ideas, and plan to take action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn a research strategy that helps make student research personally meaningful and globally relevant while developing their global competence. Learn how to use data visualization tools to explore environmental justice in your own community and inspire students to take action for a more just world.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Emery, Catherine Knasas, Caroline Stabile

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Agriculture, biology, and business knowledge are essential on the modern farm. In this hands-on workshop, use gel electrophoresis to visualize genotypes for a gene necessary for high quality cheese, and help a dairy farmer select which breeding pairs give her the best chance to have a Ca$h Cow!

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Hagins

Justice-centered science instruction is a critical process for building transformative, empowering classrooms. The TEECH Justice toolkit for K-12 educators provides resources and planning templates for creating community-driven, justice-centered science learning experiences for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Classroom learning experiences that center local issues impacting students and their communities are more engaging and meaningful for students, especially for students traditionally underrepresented and underserved by science education.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Meyer

Sponsoring Company: Anatomage, Inc.

The Science Table provides a library of over 60 biology, chemistry, and physics experiments with realistic-quality visuals on an interactive 7 foot-long touch-screen table. The workshop will focus on incorporating the Science Table into middle school, high school, and college level classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Jake Lehman

Sponsoring Company: Edvotek

Bring inquiry into your classroom with food science! Learn how to extract dyes from candy to analyze using agarose gel electrophoresis and paper chromatography. Students use the simple techniques as a starting point to design experiments, test hypotheses, and use STEM techniques to analyze results.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Snowflack, PhD, Tom Cynkar

Game-based learning is a powerful way to engage learners and introduce STEM topics. Working with experts, we designed an escape room for students and their families to increase their understanding of neuroscience phenomena and how the brain works. Try demo activities as you learn to design your own.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will demonstrate how to develop an educational escape room to serve informal and formal science learning objectives and get families actively interacting with science and engineering processes. It will also review methods of assessment, especially for out-of-school settings.

SPEAKERS:
Daisy Reyes, Lucas Leprince, Sandra Roberts

Physical computing allows students to design and create interactive objects that emphasize computational thinking skills. Participants will engage in activities designed for middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Microcontrollers are small computers that come with several integrated sensors. Their functionality makes them useful for both investigations and engineering projects. We will focus in how engineering tasks using microcontrollers provide opportunities for student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Susan German, Michael Bowen

Using a probe from the popular “Uncovering Student Misconceptions” series, the co-author will share student responses to address this key concept for teaching climate change.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understanding student misconceptions in this foundational component of climate change is critical prior to teaching the subject. Discover how engaging, open-ended probes provide insight into student ideas and misconceptions, while learning ways to support them in understanding the concepts accurately.

SPEAKERS:
Brett Thomsen, Laura Tucker

In this session, we will explore how educators and partners are working together in Boston to create climate change project-based learning opportunities for students in grades 6-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore teacher-created, climate-focused PBL tasks, citizen science resources, and strategies for building sustainable partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Shoer, Elisabeth Colby, Holly Rosa

Get ready for three-dimensional teaching with ways to sequence instruction that promote long-lasting understanding for your students by using a simple yet powerful sensemaking approach: Explore-Before-Explain.

TAKEAWAYS:
An overview of essential planning considerations covers becoming an “explore-before-explain” teacher and designing lessons that use the assets all students bring to learning science.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Blesse, Patrick Brown

In this workshop, we introduce and explore applications of virtual reality (VR) learning resources as tools to help students connect with a dataset, incorporate accessible placed-based learning into classrooms, and communicate the nature of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about three different application models of VR by engaging with VR tours in the context of climate science lessons developed by education and outreach specialists from the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith, Daniela Pennycook

Biogeochemical cycles are often an abstract concept students struggle to make a meaningful connection with. “Why are we learning this” sustainable agriculture through use of plant nutrients is a real-world bridge for that conceptual gap.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will learn about biogeochemical cycles and their environmental importance through the lens of sustainable agriculture by exploring the chemical makeup of plant nutrients and how they interact with soil chemistry in order to sustainably grow food.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Guevara

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Discover hands-on approaches to STEM learning that equip middle schoolers for high school and beyond. Attendees will explore updated activities with the Vernier Go Direct® temperature, light, force, and gas pressure sensors to model real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
David Carter, Josh Ence

After trying several K-12 solutions-based design challenges, choose one to customize for your students and environment. Adapt and leave ready to teach the entire QUEST (Question-Uncover-Explore-Solve-Teach). Written for Guam, these empower students to design projects that solve local problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will begin customizing one student-relevant purposeful design challenge QUEST, have access to many more, and will recognize the benefits of purposeful design challenges being part of a larger QUEST unit that requires intentional learning of STEM concepts and practices.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Arndt

Using a co-designed NGSS curriculum unit, we highlight solutions to challenges in designing and implementing a phenomenon-based investigation unit. Participants examine both design templates and finished curriculum to familiarize themselves with a revision and customization process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with curriculum design templates to use when customizing curriculum to support students’ sensemaking of phenomena. An opportunity will be provided to explore templates and ask clarifying questions. Participants will have access to a curriculum unit designed using the templates.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Hug, Nick Leonardi

We use the 3-H socioemotional learning cycle to engage learners, using hands-on inquiry around the composition of different soil types. Teachers learn how to identify the soil types of clay, humus, sand, and compost, and apply this information to what can grow and flourish in different soil types.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be provided with lesson plans and student work to initiate discussions about classroom applications. At the end of the session, participants will learn how to apply the 3-H model to engage students' hearts, heads, and hands in science learning using the phenomenon of soils.

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Trundle, Rita Hagevik

Use the My NASA Data Earth System Satellite Cards and Data Literacy Cubes in multiple activities with different strategies to analyze global NASA Earth data, understand the relationship among different environmental variables, and explore how the data changes seasonally.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in active learning about Earth as a system and the relationship between key environmental variables. They will also learn how to engage learners in analysis of false color images of satellite data using scaffolded questions for different Lexile and WIDA proficiency levels.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Taylor, Rosalba Giarratano, Angela Rizzi

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore the movement of water with an interactive Aquaporin model to connect the molecular structure with protein function – and learn about this exciting phenomenon.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Herman, Kris Herman

Discover how to promote equity and diversity in STEM classrooms through holistic assessment. Gain insights into fostering inclusivity, addressing bias, and ensuring fair evaluation practices. Leave with practical tools and strategies to create an inclusive learning environment for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Unlock the joy of learning while promoting equity & diversity in STEM! Holistic assessment fosters inclusivity, tackles bias, & ensures fair evaluation. Let's create an exciting, inclusive environment where all students thrive in STEM!

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Tracey

Explore advanced space propulsion methods, from chemical to laser propulsion, in this hands-on session. Learn how light intensity changes with distance using PocketLab Voyager Sensors and laser pointers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain a deeper understanding of light and laser intensity variations with distance through engaging experiments and practical applications. Model how to implement the Pocketlab sensors and notebook into their curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Jenny McCall

Participants will engage in hands-on activities focused on force and motion concepts. Activities are easy set-ups, using low-cost household materials that promote inclusivity of all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be engaged in multiple activities that promote learning and inclusivity of all students. Necessary materials and best teaching practices will be shared so that attendees can immediately incorporate knowledge and activities into their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Starks

Are you ready to take you teaching to the next level and create a innovative and engaging classroom environment for your student? This Hands On Minds On PD session will share research-based instructional practices, to enhance student engagement in the classroom environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore a diverse range of innovative teaching strategies that encourage active learning through integration of technology, labs, and interactive learning resources to enhance learning experiences. Participants will access a wealth of online tools and teaching strategies.

SPEAKERS:
ROBBIE KEUCHLER JR

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Why aren't there eclipses during each lunar cycle? Explore this phenomenon through a modeling activity that looks at both the Earth's and the Moon's orbital planes. Come experience this hands-on interactive session and take home your own Lab-Aids Orbital Plane model.

SPEAKERS:
Ed Miller

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Turn the traditional prescriptive lab on its head, adapting the learning style to meet your students as they explore and do science around real-world phenomena. See how you can combine videos, simulations, VR experiences, flexible assessments, and editable labs to create hands-on curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Savannah Stanley, M.Ed.

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Discovered new-to-you Vernier sensors in your classroom or storage? Join our beginner-friendly, interactive workshop to help you understand how to assess, calibrate, and start using hands-on Vernier solutions. Explore our suite of sensors and how they work with our Graphical Analysis app.

SPEAKERS:
Colleen McDaniel, Nüsret Hisim

Do you want your students to understand how current scientific research is relevant to their learning and has real world applications? We will present an accessible STEM curriculum, informed by current work in a university research lab, that integrates nanoscience phenomena with content standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about current research in the field of nanoscience and will gain access to a STEM curriculum package that draws on nanoscience to help all students in grades 5-8 make connections between STEM content and their everyday lives.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Kwan, Donna Terrasi, Silvia Kenna

Come ready to wear your student hats and your teacher hats as we dive deep into how to integrate education for sustainable development (ESD) into the classroom! Through ESD we empower students to become advocates for environmental justice simultaneously with teaching our content.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover ways to empower your students while integrating ESD into your classroom. The natural ties between science concepts and environmental justice creates opportunities to develop leadership skills in your students while encouraging advocacy and learning the underlying scientific principles.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Brandt, Nicholas Kukla

We will discuss the work of the Second National Conference for Justice in Geoscience and explore how diversifying and working towards justice in geoscience fits in our classrooms. Presented by a middle school science teacher on the writing team working on plans to continue this conference work.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn about the current work of the Second National Conference: Justice in Geoscience. Then, in community, we will critically examine and reflect on topics such as environmental justice, how to learn from students about justice in geoscience, and how this fits in our educational contexts.

SPEAKERS:
Allyson Randall

Join other educators on the Giant Map of Colorado! Learn how to integrate physical mapping into science-focused, problem-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators have the opportunity to learn how to access a Colorado Giant Map, for inclusion of Place and Problem-Based Learning. This can help address climate science, ecosystems, geology, river concerns, weather, and scientific history of Colorado.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Ragsdale

Teaching students to use the Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER) Framework is not easy. This workshop bridges the gap between theory and practice by providing a stepwise strategy that makes the process of evidence-based critical thinking visible to students. All activities are student-approved!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to successfully implement CER in their classrooms. In addition, attendees will leave the session with three readymade activities that are easily implemented but have a high impact.

SPEAKERS:
Mesa Davis

Join members of NSTA’s Professional Learning Committee to explore effective strategies and resources that focus on helping students make sense of data using the Crosscutting Concepts. In this session, you will engage with the strategies and consider how to implement them with students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with sensemaking strategies for engaging students in the Science and Engineering Practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data, through the lens of the Crosscutting Concept of Patterns, that can immediately be implemented with students!

SPEAKERS:
Kimberley Astle, Rebecca Garelli

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Teach protein synthesis using reusable magnetic manipulatives to model the flow of information through DNA translation and transcription. Visualize each step of the process and apply their models to a region on the beta-hemoglobin gene and the mutation associated with sickle-cell disease.

SPEAKERS:
Ryan Hainey

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Revitalize student engagement in science inquiry! Join our session on scaffolding Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) experiences. Empower students to think critically, make sense of the world, and leave with practical strategies for a deeper understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Stocz

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Come meet scientists from the NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey and learn how GPS uses time to pinpoint your location, enabling your phone to tell you where you are and how to get to the nearest pizza joint. Learn how to bring the lofty concepts of surveying and accurate positioning down to earth.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Winester, Derek Van Westrum, Galen Scott

Are you looking for an evidence-based framework for observing science classrooms and giving feedback to teachers? Learn how the NSF-funded DoS observation system can help coaches and educators develop a common language to speak about productive science learning in MS classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science leaders will learn to use DoS, which integrates the Framework for K-12 and equity, to build the capacity of colleagues in their districts to use a structured method and shared language to observe classrooms and give feedback to teachers about areas of strength and opportunities for growth.

SPEAKERS:
Virginia Andrews, Victoria Oliveira

We will share strategies, ideas, accommodations, and ways to adapt and obtain student collaboration and engagement through the lens of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) focus. Come learn strategies for including diverse learners in your project-based classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with ready-to-use resources and ideas for instruction with students with diverse needs focusing on project-based activities within the STEAM framework. These ideas can be adapted to lessons in many content areas.

SPEAKERS:
Theresa Robertson, Sandy Carr

Transform your assessment tool into a powerful instrument for enhancing learning. Designed for educators from K-16, with an aim to streamline the grading process, make rubrics strengths-based, differentiable across all levels, and centered on developing transferable skills. Bring your own rubric!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with their own revised rubric that not only simplifies grading but also fosters student engagement and achievement. They will discover ways to provide constructive, actionable feedback that drives improvement and facilitates student growth.

SPEAKERS:
Elise Naramore

Sponsoring Company: MiniOne Systems

Sickle cell is an autosomal recessive disorder, and genetic testing is available to determine carrier, affected and normal genotypes. Run and visualize an electrophoresis gel to determine the genotypes of a family with history of sickle cell, and hear about progress with treating this disease.

SPEAKERS:
Crystal McDowell

You have a coherent phenomenon-based learning plan for your students, and midway through, you get sick, or have jury duty-- now what?!? This session will highlight approaches to substitute plans that are flexible, easy to implement, and support student learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
When students are tasked with sensemaking and figuring out, day in and day out, it is easier to have that happen without the teacher present. Utilizing a quality curriculum that supports student coherence and phenomenon-based learning is the best tool to make that a reality.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney

During this talk Jason will explain what Science Ninjas is, why CLEAPSS and King’s College, London (University of London) decided to undertake this research and what it’s taught he, and his colleagues, about supporting elementary and middle school teachers to plan effective active learning lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
This presentation provides educational professionals and coaches with insights into the effective practices and ways of working that we have developed to support elementary and middle school science leaders to promote hands-on learning across their schools.

SPEAKERS:
Jason Harding

Discover how AI can ease your workload and transform your instruction. Explore ways to harness the power of AI for your personal and professional gain. Learn how to leverage AI for deeper student learning. Whether you’re brand new to AI or a seasoned user, leave with ideas to implement right away.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how AI tools such as ChatGPT can be a game-changer in the classroom—saving teacher time and deepening student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Take a deeper dive into understanding the importance of learning progressions in 3-dimensional learning using STC Middle School. Experience the importance of a coherent story line in student understanding. Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort

Sponsoring Company: TCI

Join our session to learn how to harness the power of three-dimensional Performance Assessments! Beyond evaluating learning, these assessments offer students a meaningful context to demonstrate understanding. Explore the role of performance assessments in teaching core science concepts effectively.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Kumar

Sponsoring Company: The NEED Project

Inquiry-based, hands-on STEM and critical thinking activities that help students to develop a comprehensive understanding of energy, electricity, hydropower, and emerging ocean technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Vernon Kimball

This session will share the results of a four-year investigation into the genetics of different varieties of watermelons, and will highlight the advantages of using watermelons as a model organism for genetics investigations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Watermelons offer several advantages as a model organism for student research, including a variety of easily identifiable traits that exhibit Mendelian and non-Mendelian patterns, ease of growth, ease of cross-pollination, potential for cultural connections, and opportunities for original research.

SPEAKERS:
Steven Gaskill

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Why can't you walk through walls? This complex question spans biology, chemistry, physics, and involves strange quantum phenomena. Explore the answer and discover how to incorporate recent scientific innovations into your classroom through compelling storylines.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Students bring a range of intellectual and cultural resources, which they have accumulated in their unique life experiences, into the classroom as they learn science. These resources can be considered different “facets” of student thinking. In this session leaders will explore a protocol for identifying and attending to facets of student thinking from formative assessments. The protocol can be used to assist educators in recognizing, building on, and responding to the range of ideas—or Facets of students’ thinking—during instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students bring a range of intellectual and cultural resources, which they have accumulated in their unique life experiences, into the classroom as they learn science. These resources can be considered different “facets” of student thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Neill, Philip Bell, Ricky Scott

Monitoring implementation is a key piece of a successful science curriculum rollout. In this session, participants will examine methods for collecting data and feedback from teachers during the transition to a new curriculum and using it to adjust plans and support continuous improvement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders benefit from developing data collection and evaluation tools to continuously improve the implementation of new instructional materials and the professional learning program.

SPEAKERS:
Vanessa Wolbrink, Jenny Sarna, Andy Weatherhead

These two sessions will focus on leadership. These sessions will include a discussion of the structures that need to happen to support these shifts in science instruction. How do you get teachers on board to engage in this work? For example, what are examples of the stories you need to tell to support teacher interest and buy in. What are examples of sustainable structures at a system level to support this work? What are examples of observation and instructional tools to support this work? In session 1, we will draw on case studies to engage how storytelling can be used to support onboarding teachers and to strengthen a science infrastructure. In session 2, we will share observation and instructional tools for leaders to support this work.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use classroom videos and other examples to illustrate how to do this work in schools.

SPEAKERS:
Stefanie Marshall, Katherine McNeill

Do you find yourself falling down the Google rabbit hole when searching for lesson ideas? We have a time-saving solution. Participants will gain access to a newly compiled list of numerous resources for middle level science teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be given access to a list of resources compiled specifically for middle level science educators.

SPEAKERS:
Kathleen Brooks

Many beverages contain various sugars, and most of that sugar comes from corn. Reading nutrition labels can inform students of the amount of nutrients in various beverages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Young students find it difficult to equate mass measurements with volumes. Also, students, when reading labels, do not do math! Single serving amounts do not mean the total grams of sugar in a container.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham

Participants will engage in a variety of activities, collect information, discover new resources, and network with middle-level leaders from NSTA and NMLSTA. The new ideas and materials will be something that can be used next week.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have networking opportunities with other middle-level science educators, both presenters and other attendees. In addition, they will discover new resources for all aspects of science teaching and they will engage in a variety of new activities to use with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Lou Lipscomb

The National Middle Level Science Teachers Association supports middle level science teachers through many free activities open to members and nonmembers as well as members only benefits and opportunities for awards including Science Classroom Teacher Awards and the Hurd Award.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain a better understanding of the benefits of NMLSTA membership.

SPEAKERS:
Alison Seymour

During the middle level Share-A-Thon, we will give a brief overview of MySciLife and its functionality. Then, we will share practical ways you can begin to integrate it into your lessons to create more student engagement and collaboration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about the FREE science social learning platform, MySciLife, and what opportunities are available to engage their students.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Nolan

This presentation will highlight the free resources available for educators through the NASA Infiniscope project. This includes NGSS-designed digital learning experiences, a virtual tour creator, and an adaptive lesson builder all supported with live and asynchronous professional development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about classroom-ready content that they can use immediately and tools to create their own digital content for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sina Kirk

We will share climate solutions activities from our catalog of free educational resources. We will also share information about free virtual programming suitable for grades 6 and up, as well as upcoming teacher professional development for middle level educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain new resources for teaching middle school students about climate solutions, and discover virtual learning opportunities for both teachers and students, offered by the UCAR Center for Science Education.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Snode-Brenneman, Tim Barnes, Melissa Rummel

This STEM project from www.need.org will challenge students to use various materials to insulate a cardboard house, test its energy efficiency, and evaluate economic returns.

TAKEAWAYS:
Energy House is a STEM project from www.need.org that challenges students to design an energy efficient home with a cardboard box. The students must stick to time, budget, and materials constraints, which makes this an excellent engineering design project.

SPEAKERS:
Cori Nelson

Chat with alumni of extraordinary free professional development opportunities for science teachers. Where might your curiosity and thirst for learning lead you?

TAKEAWAYS:
Free travel, field experiences, and training programs are available to teachers looking for professional growth opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen

Teachers will receive ready-made activity packet to be used with the free middle school lesson plans in middleschoolchemistry.com and the free elementary school lesson plans in inquiryinaction.org.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get access to free comprehensive lesson plans in chemistry for middle school and elementary school.

SPEAKERS:
James Kessler

Observations of students entering middle school and their perceptions of science. How much of these perceptions are preformed, and how much are still malleable?

TAKEAWAYS:
Students leave our classrooms with a definition of what science is and isn't and how it can and cannot be used in their lives and careers.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Laborn

Presentation of a researcher designed tool for the purpose of authentic student data collection of wind speed & direction. Using the idea of a graph and a compass, a measurement tool was created for students to plot their wind direction and wind speed in place of (x,y) coordinates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with a template and understanding of how to implement tool for students to individually collect authentic wind data in a manner that is visually meaningful to them for analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Laborn, Robert LaBorn

Interested in writing for Science Scope? Come talk to the editor!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn tips and tricks for successful manuscript submission

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Patty McGinnis

Learn how to incorporate innovative and safer non-animal methods in your dissection labs. Teachers will have the opportunity to demonstrate AR/VR tech as well as realistic non-animal resources that will both amaze and engage middle level students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to find and access non-animal methods for their classrooms, therefore enhancing student learning as well as creating a safer science environment.

SPEAKERS:
Alisa Brooks, Nicole Green

We will share the development of the Word Wall in our Science Classrooms and how they became interactive and informative to all of our Students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will walk away with an idea to support the use of scientific vocabulary for a diverse classroom of learners.

SPEAKERS:
Dawn Konieczny, Kim Nagle

Join Girls Who Code for strategies and tools on how to a) recruit and retain girls and BIPOC students in STEM, b) design inclusive holistic programs that build life skills, c) keep your curricula relevant to the changing tech landscape, and d) access free resources for 3-12th graders of all genders.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn strategies and tools on how to a) recruit and retain girls and BIPOC students in STEM, b) design inclusive holistic programs that build life skills, c) keep your curricula relevant to the changing tech landscape, and d) access free resources for 3-12th graders of all genders.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Ong

The Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network is the best resource for accessing free and scientifically vetted instructional resources on everything related to climate and energy. This session introduces tips for utilizing this comprehensive resource for your teaching scenario.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to access, curate, and combine high-quality climate science, climate change, and energy resources for your teaching scenario.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Holzer

Showcasing free educational resources, classroom materials, and teaching strategies surrounding the Climate Emergency: Feedback Loops series of scientific documentaries. The documentaries and their resources are suitable for grades 6-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to incorporate these documentaries to teach specific climate change science in the classroom in an interactive and engaging manner, utilizing our free resources designed for educators.

SPEAKERS:
Arlo Perez

eCYBERMISSION’s virtual STEM competition for 6th-9th graders promotes self-discovery as teams compete for awards while also supporting teachers with a wealth of resources. eCYBERMISSION's table will provide details regarding the competition along with a fun interactive activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Throughout the competition, students and teachers are provided access to eCYBERMISSION staff, standards-aligned resources, grant opportunities and much more.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Kutsch

We share the newest results of a study on effective multiple-choice questions in STEM education. We examined Science educators’ revisions to help reduce problems such as gender/racial/ethnic bias, and difficulty that are often present in test questions, while including common misconceptions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Evaluate assessment questions that you use to assess students’ sensemaking of elements outlined in the NGSS DCIs. Are the questions free of bias, not too difficult, or indicative of overall student performance? Do they include common misconceptions that students hold? Learn what works, and what does

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Crockett

Join two instructional coaches who will lead a medical-themed session where attendees will have the opportunity to travel through the cross-curricular leveling-up (station-based) activity. Attendees will leave the session with instructional strategies to fuel student engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will participate in a cross-curricular leveling-up (station-based) activity. Attendees will also receive access to a website that includes meaningful instructional sequences, grade-appropriate resources, a cross-curricular map, rubrics, and student organizers fueling student engagement.