The goal of this session is for participants to be able to feel confident and competent with incorporating multiple SEPs into everyday sensemaking lessons in their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience a hands-on lesson that walks them through the basic steps of how to lead a sensemaking lesson that incorporates multiple SEPs.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Schumann (Katy High School: No City, No State), Elizabeth Morris (Katy ISD: Katy, TX)

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 (Collaborative Science Teaching and Learning Group Consulting: Midlothian, VA)

Engaging students in science practices, like arguing from evidence, supports a vision of inclusive instructional strategies. Come explore how students in a fourth grade classroom argue from evidence to figure out which organism was pollinating the moonflower, which only blooms at night.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with an example of how to structure argumentation in the 4th grade classroom through observing student data organization and student discourse.

SPEAKERS:
Betsy Barent (Lincoln Public Schools: No City, No State), Miranda Orellana (Elementary Teacher: Lincoln, NE)

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Gay (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

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 (Hallsville Middle School: Hallsville, MO), G. Michael Bowen (Mount Saint Vincent University: Halifax, NS)

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 (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

Combining visual and text elements, Science Explainers help deepen student understanding by creating artifacts that give them creative freedom to walk through the solution to a problem, exercise, or example in a way they understand.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the best practices for making effective Explainers (physical and video) in their classroom. A variety of topics will be made available, allowing attendees to practice the method themselves and take them back to their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady (Atkins High School: Winston-Salem, NC)

Hear how a K-8 district just north of Chicago with 18 schools is transforming science teaching and learning through cultivating Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), leveraging teacher leaders, and centering student voice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teacher leaders & students are crucial to scaling reform efforts. Participants will walk away with a detailed model for cultivating science PLCs and example strategies for elevating student voice.

SPEAKERS:
Kristie Rachell (Haven Middle School: Evanston, IL), Meghan Thomas (Educator: Evanston, IL), Megan McDermott (Nichols Middle School: No City, No State), Elida Patino (Kindergarten Dual Language Teacher), Alissa Berg (Evanston Skokie School District 65)

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 (Nebraska Department of Education: Lincoln, NE), Mary Nyaema (University of Illinois Chicago: Chicago, IL), Bill Herrera (edCount, LLC: No City, No State), Charlene Turner (Senior Associate: Laramie, WY)

Members of NSTA's Professional Learning Committee want to meet you! Join us as we kick-off the Sensemaking and Crosscutting Concepts Conference Course. This session gives an overview of how CCCs are used to enrich SEPs and DCIs, enhance student sensemaking, and guide future instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session is a call to action for realizing the power of CCCs. Attendees will have an opportunity to connect with NSTA's PL Committee, collaborate with fellow science leaders, and leave with an invitation to continue the conference course to further understandings of sensemaking and CCCs.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Sharon Cates (Phenomenon Science Education: Amherst, MA), Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

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 (Postdoctoral researcher: No City, No State), Brian Reiser (Learning Sciences, SESP, Northwestern University), Claire Hiller (Chute Middle School: Evanston, IL), Stephanie Baldwin (Haven Middle School: Evanston, IL), Kafi Chase (Chute Middle School), Yang Zhang (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL)

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 (CU Science Discovery: Boulder, CO), Ian Schwartz (Boulder Valley School District: Boulder, CO), Tim Ogino (CU Science Discovery: Boulder, CO)

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

TAKEAWAYS:
Classroom norms help ensure equitable science learning

SPEAKERS:
Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Learn fun strategies for using informational texts to support your young learners’ sensemaking. Investigate supports with these texts that help students gather more information, use new vocabulary, and experience new ways of talking about their ideas about the world of science around them.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Gutierrez (Activate Learning: Greenwich, CT)

Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

See how Colorado schools are using phenomena to drive K–2 science instruction. We'll dive into a PhD Science® module to discover how phenomenon-driven instruction anchors student learning. Participants will hear from a piloting Colorado district and leave with access to the free K–2 OER materials.

SPEAKERS:
Madeline Cronk (Great Minds: Washington, DC), Rebecca Rolater (pK-12 Science Performance Improvement Partner: Aurora, CO)

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 (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

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 (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

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 (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

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 (Retired Educator: National City, MI)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Decode concealed clues and unveil invisible evidence using spectroscopy! This demonstration will cover how students can use the Go Direct® SpectroVis® Plus Spectrophotometer and Vernier Spectral Analysis® app to capture and identify the spectra for invisible ink in a note left at a crime scene.

SPEAKERS:
Nüsret Hisim (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR), Colleen McDaniel (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

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 (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

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 (Dublin Coffman High School: Dublin, OH)

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

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will develop an understanding of an equity project framework for science education for supporting professional learning and implementation projects. They will learn how open education resources (http://stemteachingtools.org/) can help them develop equitable approaches to science teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Philip Bell (University of Washington: Seattle, WA), Michal Robinson (K-12 Science, AP/IB Program Manager: Montgomery, AL)

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 (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI), Tim Herman (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

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 (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

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 (Selden Middle School: Centereach, NY)

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 (Chemistry Teacher: Boone, NC), Ryan Hainey (Product Manager of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Forensics: Burlington, NC)

Check out and learn how to access free ML-PBL integrated science curricular units for Grades K-5. See how the features of PBL support sensemaking, check out examples of unit overviews, literacy integration and recommended trade books, and research supporting the Multiple Literacies in PBL Project.

TAKEAWAYS:
After viewing examples from multiple units within the ML-PBL K-5 unit sequence, participants will learn how to access the free K-5 curricular resources on the Sprocket site. Handouts provide access to support for accessing and implementing the resources, or for adapting current units.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere (CREATE for STEM Institute, Michigan State University, Retired)

Science and Children is the preeminent resource for educators of elementary and early childhood-aged children. Whether it is finding ideas for your classroom or writing articles to share with a wider audience, Science and Children is your resource for science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Find out how to write for Science and Children or discover the implementable ideas, strategies, and lessons contained within each journal.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn (National Science Teaching Association)

Participants will explore an engineering design challenge that engages upper elementary students in the creation of tiny homes as a solution to homelessness after a local natural disaster. Explore Design Thinking principles and how empathy plays a role in authentic and inclusive STEM inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Engage in an NGSS-based engineering design challenge where you design a solution for homelessness caused by natural disasters and learn the role of empathy in STEM inquiries by using Design Thinking principles and place-based strategies that engage all learners in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Williams (Isidore Newman School: New Orleans, LA)

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 (Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering: Alexandria, VA), Kathryn Lasky (NSTA/Army Educational Outreach Program), Brian Leftridge (U.S. Army: Lakeland, TN), Kathleen Miranda (Naval STEM Coordination Office: No City, No State), Winnie Boyle (NSTA: No City, No State), Elyse Lohrbach (United States Air Force: No City, No State)

Take a deep dive into the practice of developing and using models! We’ll explore how creating and using models help students build science ideas and can support students’ in developing and writing explanations. Experience the power of building science ideas together as part of a learning community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Developing models individually, in groups and as a class makes all students essential members of the knowledge-building community.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

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 (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Discover new ways to help students think and work like scientists and engineers. Through a hands-on lesson, we will model instruction and resources that support 3-dimensional teaching & learning including teacher instructional slides, student friendly materials, simulations, & student investigations

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

The crosscutting concepts are particularly powerful at the elementary level. Join as we explore their power!

TAKEAWAYS:
Leverage crosscutting concepts in ways that help elevate science learning across the k-5 grades

SPEAKERS:
Carla Zembal-Saul (Penn State: University Park, PA), Mary Starr (Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network)

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 (TCI: Mountain View, CA)

The NGSS highlights phenomena as one of the components of equitable instruction. This interactive workshop introduces an instructional tool that helps K-8 science teachers identify an appropriate phenomenon that will enable the teacher to plan and implement three-dimensional science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have opportunities to share their perspectives in identifying anchoring phenomena, use a phenomenon tool to evaluate a range of phenomena and non-phenomena, and discuss some common issues in identifying and using anchoring phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Xiang (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY), Caitlin Ousley (Saint Agnes School/Archdiocese of Louisville: No City, No State), Kristin Cook (Bellarmine University: Louisville, KY)

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 (Clayton State University: Morrow, GA)

Three different options will be shared that will help teachers bring their students outside where they can connect with nature. This includes 2 PBLs. Logistics and content will be clearly explained so that teachers can use these ideas immediately with their classes that focus on ecology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn 3 different successful low-cost activities (including 2 PBLs) that they can use directly in their classrooms to connect their students with nature regardless of their geographic location. The presenter will share materials to help teachers plan logistics and content.

SPEAKERS:
Nadene Klein (Daniel C. Oakes High School: Castle Rock, CO)

Join us in mastering the art of the “explore-before-explain” instructional sequence, and witness the transformation in your classroom as you nurture an environment where every student’s voice resonates.

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:
James Concannon (William Woods University: Fulton, MO), Patrick Brown (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

Figuring out phenomena engages students in the nature and process of science through the integration of all three dimensions. Observe how scientists investigate a question. Then use a web tool to illuminate the nature and process of science and apply to any lesson or phenomenon in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use the Science Flowchart interactive journaling tool to illuminate the dynamic nature and process of science, and how to apply the tool to any phenomenon or lesson in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Smith (Pound Middle School: Lincoln, NE), Lindsey Roy (Science and Digital Learning Coordinator: Lincoln, NE), Betsy Barent (Lincoln Public Schools: No City, No State)

Participants will learn about the characteristics of hiqh-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and how to identify them. They will use EdReports resources to compare and contrast materials based on markers of quality and discuss how to use this process when selecting HQIM for their local context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through engaging in a sample materials selection process, participants will gain an understanding of the characteristics of high-quality instructional materials (including sensemaking and the presence of phenomena and problems) and how to use EdReports' free resources.

SPEAKERS:
John-Carlos Marino (Science Lead), Shannon Wachowski (EdReports.org: Fort Collins, CO)

Engage in teacher play with LED lights, objects, and screens that invite PK-2 students to independently investigate light & shadow phenomenon. STEM coaches and teachers will come away with a plan that gives children access to STEM learning every day during small group reading instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM coaches and PK-2 teachers will take away a list of easily obtained open-ended materials and a classroom-tested plan to allow students to independently engage in student-led STEM investigations every day that grows STEM dispositions and elevates student literacy learning as an added benefit.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Dykstra VanMeeteren (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)

Research shows that time in nature is worth your WILD, with increased benefits for children. In this workshop, Denver Zoo will highlight the benefits of play in nature; how to build it into curriculum/schedules and ideas for implementing nature play tactics that engage entire school communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to increase learning through play in nature and parent/caregiver participation in their school community.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Buckley (Conservation Learning Coordinator: Denver, CO), Emily Murgia (Denver Zoo: Denver, CO)

Learn how student interest & identity are co-equal dimensions with disciplinary core ideas, science & engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts when designing phenomenon-driven assessments. Participants will learn how to use tools to elicit information about students for use in design.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators engage with the 5D Assessment Project's tools to elicit and use information about students' interests and identities to design meaningful, phenomenon-driven assessment opportunities. Work with examples of meaningful assessment aligned to the elements of the NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Cooper (Contextus), Kevin Cherbow (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Abraham Lo (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

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 (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA)

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 (Hallsville Middle School: Hallsville, MO), G. Michael Bowen (Mount Saint Vincent University: Halifax, NS)

Participants will directly experience and undertake a more authentic science investigation by adapting and extending exisiting hands-on investigations. This is a step toward more student-directed investigations that allow exploration and the creation of evidence-based claims (i.e. sensemaking).

TAKEAWAYS:
Using the provided hands-on activities, participants will be given a plausible scenario encouraging them to explore and then create evidence-based claim(s) — modelling a more student-directed approach. This process strongly aligns with the sensemaking framework of explore-before-explain...

SPEAKERS:
Ian Kennedy (The Roadshow: Wellington, 0)

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 (Haven Middle School: Evanston, IL), Claire Hiller (Chute Middle School: Evanston, IL), Kafi Chase (Chute Middle School), Alissa Berg (Evanston Skokie School District 65)

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 (Clayton State University: Morrow, GA)

This workshop session will engage participants in a storyline unit that uses digital tools to explore data on temperature changes around the world, greenhouse gas emissions, and future scenarios if we employ a range of carbon emissions and sequestration solutions. Please bring a laptop or tablet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Analyzing climate change data and using mathematical models for climate change solutions can support student sensemaking and prepare youth for informed action.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Mohan (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Betty Stennett (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Audrey Mohan (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

What will be describe in this session is are community science events that can be organized with themes that use natural phenomena or NGSS standards, practices, and outcomes that a school would like to promote. We will also share how we form these partnerships with local schools and museums.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to update these events to go beyond the traditional Family Science Events that are superficial. One main takeaway are example indepth activities and resources that can be used with families and students at local schools and museums. We share information about resources.

SPEAKERS:
Morgan Glann (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Eli Vincent (Student: , MI), Lauren Rupe (Student: , MI), Jim McDonald (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Emma Patrus (Student)

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 (Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Denver, CO), Patrick Brown (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

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 (Van Andel Education Institute: Grand Rapids, MI)

Educators and researchers from the inquiryHub partnership between DPS and CU Boulder share their experiences as they co-designed (and co-redesigned) the iHub Biology curriculum, professional learning to accompany it, and other classroom tools to support its use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers partnering with researchers can yield engaging curriculum materials that support more equitable teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Watkins (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO)

We asked the question, how can a picture walk of trees in forested environments spark student thinking about energy needs of trees? This presentation reports on the findings with undergraduates and shares insights on how the picture walk can be used with middle, secondary, and undergraduate students

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use an everyday phenomena of trees in forested environments to spark students in sensemaking about from where trees access their energy and what they do with that energy; foundational ideas for understanding photosynthesis and respiration.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Sharp (Missouri University of Science and Technology: Rolla, MO), Rebecca Krall (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY)

Delve into children’s literature that merges storytelling and science explanations, inviting elementary students to unravel intriguing investigations and uncover how and why science works.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will examine children’s literature that enhances critical thinking and guides elementary students in refining science models and explanations post-investigation. This session will showcase the transformative potential of literature in elementary science.

SPEAKERS:
Colleen Saxen (: Dayton, OH), Michelle Fleming (Wright State University: Dayton, OH)

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 (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association)

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 (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Nick Leonardi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: No City, No State)

Share ideas and discuss ways to navigate the political and socio economic climates of diversity, equity and inclusion in science education. Highlight examples of schools and districts that have implemented DEI initiatives with current successes, pitfalls, and next steps for science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
The importance of addressing DEI in science education. This emphasizes the need for open discussions and idea sharing on how to navigate the political and socioeconomic landscapes related to DEI in science education.

SPEAKERS:
Sephali Thakkar (National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA): No City, No State), Sharon Delesbore (Stephen F. Austin High School: No City, No State), Leena Bakshi (STEM4Real: No City, No State), Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Come learn two transformative whole class discussion routines for your classroom. “Data Discussions” support students in finding patterns in their data while “Sensemaking Summaries” guide them to integrate findings from multiple investigations to develop data-based explanations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be equipped to use “data discussions” in lessons to help students notice and analyze meaningful patterns in investigations, and use “sensemaking summary” talks to help students develop sophisticated explanations of phenomenon by synthesizing key findings from multiple investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Forsythe (Texas State University: San Marcos, TX)

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 (OpenSciEd: San Carlos, CA)

Learn strategies for planning an anchoring phenomenon routine that will generate questions to drive student learning. Participants will wear a "student hat" to share an experience to make sense of phenomenon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Planning inquiry-based lessons are easy as 1, 2, 3... Using an anchoring phenomenon routine to drive student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Karla White (Earl Harris Elementary: Bethany, OK), Lisa Pitts (Oakdale School: Edmond, OK)

Join us for an enlightening session where we delve into the profound role of culture in STEAM education. Discover why embracing cultural diversity is not just essential, but transformative. You'll leave equipped with practical strategies and the confidence to create an inclusive learning environment!

TAKEAWAYS:
Why are culturally inclusive strategies important in STEAM classrooms? How can you synthesize strategies that challenge and engage a diverse group of learners? In this session, we will reveal a planning tool that you can use to advocate for learner success in STEAM classroom settings.

SPEAKERS:
Deanna Taylor (Interactive Learning Solutions LLC: Columbia, SC)

Introducing Sprocket: Powered by Educurious! Sprocket is a free platform with OER project-based learning science courses for educators everywhere. Created by researchers, experts, and educators, Sprocket is now part of Educurious. Join us for a guided tour of Sprocket’s courses and online community.

TAKEAWAYS:
Sprocket is the world’s only OER platform providing access to evidence-based, full-year, project-based learning courses at no cost. Participants will learn how to navigate Sprocket, access the curriculum, and connect with an online community of colleagues and collaborators.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rosenberg (Digital Content Specialist: Rohnert Park, CA), Hanna Jaramillo (Educurious Partners: Seattle, WA), Sara Nachtigal (Educurious Partners: Seattle, WA), Alexandra Goodell (Educurious: No City, No State)

What is the connection between coherent instructional sequences from the students’ perspective and equitable access to science learning? Learn how coherent storyline units support students’ genuine engagement and perseverance as they work to explain a complex phenomenon over the course of a unit.

TAKEAWAYS:
Storyline unit Instructional routines provide a coherent path from students’ questions about a phenomenon to the explanation or model of that phenomenon.

SPEAKERS:
NSTA Online Advisors (Teachers), Holly Hereau (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Talk is fundamental to learning. This workshop engages participants in a variety of talk strategies specifically designed for improving classroom equity while engaging in STEM learning experiences. Many supporting resources are shared that teachers can learn from and directly use with students.

TAKEAWAYS:
The goal of this session is to support teachers in understanding how best to meet the needs of all learners by starting from where students are at and drawing on their intuitive ideas and real world experiences to inform instruction. All strategies are framed as equitable 3D formative assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison (Educator and Learning Scientist: Seattle, WA), Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Investigate strategies and ideas for using informational texts in science. As students obtain, evaluate, construct explanations, and communicate information about the world around them, engaging with informational texts is critical for building this background knowledge and supporting sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Tracy Marmolejo (Activate Learning: Greenwich, CT)

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 (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

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 (Product Manager of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Forensics: Burlington, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Learn easy strategies for teaching life cycles, plants’ needs, structures & functions, & SEPs with Fast Plants phenomena. Learn techniques for growing Fast Plants, modeling germination, & investigating what plants need. Take away an elementary reader to accompany the flowering plant life cycle.

SPEAKERS:
Hedi Lauffer (Director of Teaching & Learning)

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 (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

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 (Selden Middle School: Centereach, NY)

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 (TCI: Mountain View, CA)

Explore the myriad of ways K-5 learners share their sensemaking

TAKEAWAYS:
Expand ways in which we see children's ways of communicating.

SPEAKERS:
Carla Zembal-Saul (Penn State: University Park, PA), Mary Starr (Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network)

Here we present curriculum units exploring phenomena in freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems at multiple scales, from micro to macro. In these units, students investigate concepts of ecosystem stability with curricula based on science research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to facilitate NGSS-aligned, inquiry-driven classroom investigations of ecosystems at multiple scales. We will share multiple examples of investigations based on our current work through GEMS, a NSF Biology Integration Institute. Curriculum materials will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Patrick Wilson (PhD Student: Urbana, IL), Nick Leonardi (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: No City, No State), Jeannette Cullum (Graduate Student: Urbana, IL)

Chemistry storylines supporting phenomena-based curriculum and alignment to Next Generation Science Standards. High school chemistry teachers partnered with Northwestern University Materials Research Center to design and implement two new modules— STEM+C Solar Cell Project and SCI+Art Project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how NGSS inquiry and design pedagogy can be used with Materials World Modules. Each module connects everyday phenomena to NGSS performance expectations, emphasizing how to build toward design and engineering skills. Presenters will share modifications to meet varying academic levels.

SPEAKERS:
Ami LeFevre (Niles West High School: Skokie, IL)

Come and experience A Medical Mystery and explain a middle school girl’s symptoms from a doctor’s note. You will use computer interactives to gather data and analyze it for evidence to back up your claims. You will leave with complete access to this freely available unit. Bring a laptop or tablet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how explaining the symptoms of a 7th grade girl as she becomes suddenly ill can provide an engaging context for learning about interacting body systems. Participants will come away with a rich digital resource that includes student activities and educative teacher supports.

SPEAKERS:
Betty Stennett (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

Critical thinking is a buzzword we often hear. However, can you define what it actually is? In this session, we will learn the intricacies of the term and go through a phenomena-based lesson on habitat fragmentation that will build all students' capacity for critical thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a more concrete understanding of critical thinking and a tool they can take back to their classroom to help all students practice and reflect on their critical thinking. Definitions will be collaboratively constructed based on current research and lesson activities.

SPEAKERS:
Bailey Nafziger (Georgia Southern University)

This session will provide teachers with practical and effective strategies for supporting Multilingual Learners. Through hands-on activities, we will model best practices for scaffolding the language demands of a science lesson and the language development opportunities provided by the Practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science learning and language development are mutually supportive. Language learning occurs as a product of using language. As Multilingual Learners engage in the SEPs, they use disciplinary language to make sense of phenomena and use their emerging language to communicate their new understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Diana Velez (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Claudio Vargas (Sci-Lingual Education: Oakland, CA)

Eliminate the obstacle of finding OER that adheres to local pacing by experiencing a tool to adapt existing high-quality instructional materials. This planning roadmap leverages sensemaking best practices while maintaining coherence surrounding an anchoring phenomenon for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover the intentionality behind the components of a planning roadmap that maintains coherence while adapting storylines found in OER to local pacing guidelines. Participants will engage in a thermal energy phenomenon and experience prioritizing science ideas for a lesson sequence.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Cox (Knox County Schools: Knoxville, TN), Trudy Rogers (Knox Co Schools: Knoxville, TN)

Interdisciplinary learning empowers students to combine frameworks and concepts across the curriculum to examine a theme or solve a problem from different perspectives. This enables them to see the interconnectedness of the content they are learning and apply it in a meaningful way.

TAKEAWAYS:
By implementing well-structured interdisciplinary units, teachers can effectively guide students in building deep skills within and across content areas. This session will provide administrators and teachers with an effective blueprint to begin a program in their own schools.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Chipman (Akiba Schechter Jewish Day School: Chicago, IL), Michelle Rotfeld (The Alcuin School: Dallas, TX)

Taking up and building on students’ ideas and ways of knowing is important for equitably supporting student sensemaking, but this can be a challenge. In this session, participants practice talk moves that encourage K-3 students to build on their prior experiences and drive learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
How can we more effectively leverage student prior knowledge for sensemaking in the classroom? Participants will practice talk moves to guide students to actively reason about a K-3 appropriate phenomenon, engage with alternative ideas, and build to more complex scientific explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Short (The Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC), Emily Harrison (Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC)

We will introduce our recently published NSTA book containing a collection of units and resources to help teachers engage students in three-dimensional learning through model-based inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about four biology model-based inquiry units for rigorous and equitable instruction. Developed with secondary science teachers, the session guides three-dimensional learning, anchoring phenomena, modeling, and scientific explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Campbell (University of Connecticut: Storrs Mansfield, CT), Ron Gray (Northern Arizona University: Flagstaff, AZ)

Led by members of NSTA Early Childhood-Elementary Committee, the session addresses the relationship between science education & children’s literature by providing an interactive platform for educators to discover how literature can support & enhance science & engineering practices in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore the integration of children's literature with science and engineering practices through cross-disciplinary connections and hands-on activities. Resources provided.

SPEAKERS:
Simone Nance (University of Southern Indiana: Evansville, IN), Jennifer Williams (Isidore Newman School: New Orleans, LA), Katie Morrison (University Child Development School: Seattle, WA), Jenn Brown-Whale (Howard County Public School System: Ellicott City, MD), Annette Venegas (Kent School District: Kent, WA), Anne Lowry (Aleph Academy: Reno, NV), Melissa Parks (Stetson University: Deland, FL)

Phenomena based science assessments allow students to transfer knowledge to new phenomena while using all three dimensions. As students demonstrate understanding they also deepen their learning. We will examine sample tasks and hear from students and teachers on their experiences with these tasks.

TAKEAWAYS:
Transfer tasks ask students to make sense of phenomena using 3D understanding. These tasks can provide continued learning while assessing students. Identifying key features and hearing from students and teachers for how to support these tasks can help teachers implement them in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Ridder (Boston College OEI: No City, No State), Thomas Clayton (K-5 STEAM Specialist: Berkeley Heights, NJ), Renee Affolter (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

Practice techniques for carbon footprinting and novel ecological impact assessment strategies for influencing mindful consumer choices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain tools to guide students to consider the systemic ecological impact of consumption choices.

SPEAKERS:
Maya Bhagat (The School District of Philadelphia: Philadelphia, PA), Maggie Osman (The U School - School District of Philadelphia: Philadelphia, PA)

Join me as I share my experience of transforming a local citizen science project into a phenomenon-driven unit that uses a storyline approach.

TAKEAWAYS:
You’ll walk away with a step-by-step process for taking a place-based or citizen science project and learning how to build a storyline around it, including finding an authentic phenomena that will not only drive the unit, but engage you and your students.

SPEAKERS:
Kyle Beeton (Lisbon School Department: Lisbon, ME)

Many graduate programs include a requirement to write an article for publication. This roundtable will offer Q+A for graduate students with two professors who specialize in helping their students get published.

TAKEAWAYS:
Instructions and tips for graduate students hoping to publish in NSTA journals.

SPEAKERS:
Brooke Whitworth (Clemson University: Clemson, SC), Colby Tofel-Grehl (Utah State University: Logan, UT), Peter Lindeman (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Grade 5 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, teaching and learning, 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 (Nebraska Department of Education: Lincoln, NE), Mary Nyaema (University of Illinois Chicago: Chicago, IL), Bill Herrera (edCount, LLC: No City, No State), Charlene Turner (Senior Associate: Laramie, WY)

Presenters will discuss assessment shifts of the CCCs from an implicit to an explicit approach, highlighting the benefits that has on teaching and learning. Students who use CCCs regularly build confidence in their science practices and develop a stronger sense of science identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how CCCs are a lens for student sensemaking, uncover the HOW and WHY we use assessment to drive learning forward, and reflect on their own next steps for assessment and instruction related to CCCs for student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Sharon Cates (Phenomenon Science Education: Amherst, MA), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

OpenSciEd Biology's 3rd unit explores who gets cancer and why and where we should focus efforts on treatment and prevention. Learn how students build understanding of inheritance and variation of traits through modeling, investigations and cause and effect thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit supports students as they figure out understandings of inheritance and related ideas. Participants will see how students build these ideas through a series of investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

Science Leadership Cadre: A Professional Learning network of K-12 Science Educators committed to supporting high quality, equitable science learning for all students in our region.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to bring teachers, teacher leaders, coaches, and administrators together to learn, share resources and ideas, and provide support to each other in the work to successfully implement high-quality science teaching for K-12 students.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Peason (Associate Director of Science Education Outreach: Rochester, NY), Ananda Weigand-Sheerer (teacher leader: Rochester, NY), Michael Occhino (The Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development: Rochester, NY), Kimberly Fluet (Associate Director of Science Education Outreach: Rochester, NY)

eCYBERMISSION, part of AEOP, is an online STEM competition for students in grades 6-9 that promotes teamwork, self-discovery, and the real-life applications of STEM. The competition’s phenomenon-based learning approach encourages students to investigate and solve real-world problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
eCYBERMISSION is a free virtual STEM competition for grades 6-9 that is supported by a wealth of standards-aligned resources. Attendees will discover strategies to utilize student-chosen local phenomena as the basis for long-term projects while participating in a rewarding STEM competition.

SPEAKERS:
Carey Dieleman (National Science Teaching Association: No City, No State), Lora Gibbons (Mountain Heights Academy: West Jordan, UT), Laura Stary (Southcrest Christian School: Lubbock, TX), Brian Kutsch (National Science Teaching Association, eCYBERMISSION)

This session explores an interdisciplinary 5E lesson investigating sound and vibrations using physical and virtual (Scratch) instruments. Participants will learn how music and science educators collaborated to design the lesson, and how music and science can be used to explore cultural connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore an innovative, interdisciplinary 5E lesson as an example of ways to integrate music into elementary science classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on exploring instruments’ properties, what sounds the instruments make, and how people play them referencing cultural connections.

SPEAKERS:
Graham Johnson (Adjunct Professor, Field Specialist, Ph.D. Candidate), Alesia Moldavan (Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Science Education)

Through hands-on activities using real-world data, participants will explore and participate in lessons about how microfossils within ocean floor sediments reveal information about Earth’s history and geologic processes, such as tectonic activity and climate change.

TAKEAWAYS:
The International Ocean Discovery Program creates educational resources that enable students to use real-world data from parts of our planet usually hidden to them; many of these resources can be synthesized as a unit to show how microfossils provide evidence of many different geologic processes.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Maya Pincus (Columbia University / U.S. Science Support Program: Palisades, NY)

In this session, we will examine the skills that scientists and engineers utilize in their work and explore ways to incorporate these with our students. Participants will move through stations that employee the use of different science and engineering practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have a better understanding of the science and engineering practices and learn ways to create small shifts in their lesson planning to give students authentic experiences in science.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Boykin (Science Specialist)

Collaborative talk between students is essential to students’ scientific sensemaking and learning. However, promoting, organizing, and facilitating large group, or even whole-class, talk can be challenging. This workshop engages participants in a variety of large group talk strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
The goal of this session is to provide a space for teachers to reflect on their whole-class discussion routines and strategies, and learn new approaches for facilitating collaborative sensemaking talk that welcomes all learners into discussions, honors their ideas, and contextualizes learning.

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison (Educator and Learning Scientist: Seattle, WA), Kelsie Fowler (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Come investigate how phenomenon-based science can be articulated in the scheme of project-based learning. We’ll use both physics and chemistry to make the case that the context of a project makes the learning, explanation, and application of phenomena much richer and more relevant for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Gary Curts (Activate Learning: Greenwich, CT)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Have you wanted to implement a Project-Based Learning unit in your classroom? Equity through Science Education (ESE) provides interdisciplinary science units for Grades 6-8. Experience hands-on lessons that deepen sensemaking for ALL students.

SPEAKERS:
Pam Richards (Accelerate Learning, Inc.: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Experience how science lessons can be structured using teacher instructional slides, where students work in groups, with specific roles, to develop claims [about how motion energy moves and changes] based on evidence observed through hands-on experiences. Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Add excitement to your class with live organisms! Explore how organisms find food and interact. Discuss how these two hands-on activities can be applied to younger students: How creatures find food, and to older students: Social behavior and inter-species interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Chemistry Teacher: Boone, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

With the transition to 3-dimensional learning, is there still a place for dissections in the classroom? The answer is yes! As you dissect a frog, we will demonstrate how to integrate the 3 dimensions of learning while highlighting adaptations and the relationship between structure and function.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau (Retired Educator: National City, MI)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Empower students in a year-round multidimensional journey! From spectators to active discoverers, practice the practices with student-led resources. Build skills and foster achievement through questioning, investigating, data collection, analyzing patterns, and drawing evidence-based conclusions.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsie Stocz (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use a river model to investigate how flowing water erodes and deposits sediments to create common landforms. They then design erosion control structures and use the river model to test them. Based on the results of their initial testing, students redesign and retest their structures.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Parker (Dublin Coffman High School: Dublin, OH)

Learn how to build upon the NGSS SEPs so that students get more out of investigations and labs. Using hands-on explorations, students can learn to improve their collection and analysis of data – along with the communication of the results and learning. These strategies will make a difference.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session provides teacher strategies and resources to support students with investigations and labs. The quality of observations and analysis of scientific data can be enhanced, thus helping students communicate their findings to others.

SPEAKERS:
Jason Harding (Teacher Educator)

Join us to explore the nature of science using parallel circuits and the SEPs to make sense of unexpected circuit behavior. Uncover the underlying scientific principles and learn how to use the systems thinking phenomenon iceberg to track student sensemaking during 3-dimensional science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand the nature of parallel circuits and understand why the perplexing parallel circuit breaks the rules based on the photon energies of different colors of light. This will all be done while using the iceberg model to record patterns, structure, and mental models.

SPEAKERS:
Deborrah Black (Tucson Unified School District: Tucson, AZ), Lisa Kist (Gridley Middle School: Tucson, AZ), DaNel Hogan (Waters Center for Systems Thinking: , ID)

Learn how a class studying local ecosystems as part of a community science project utilizes multiple modeling approaches, including embodied modeling, system modeling with SageModeler, and data analysis using CODAP to enhance learning, contribute to research, and raise environmental awareness.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using multiple modeling approaches throughout the year improves understanding and is more inclusive by providing multiple avenues for students to engage with core ideas and crosscutting concepts, as they engage in multiple NGSS practices, specifically those related to modeling and data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Damelin (The Concord Consortium: Concord, MA), Angela Gospodarek (Gorham Middle School: Gorham, ME)

This session introduces a way to create meaningful and authentic investigations for use in science classrooms that will help students learn the disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices at the same time.

TAKEAWAYS:
An opportunity for participants to experience an investigation that gives students an opportunity to use core ideas and practices from multiple disciplines to develop a solution to a problem.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

Deep dive into phenomenon-based learning! In this immersive workshop, participants will experience phenomena, collaborate with other educators, and develop a toolkit of ways to captivate students’ curiosity. Instructors will model examples and offer time to connect around ways to elevate engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will walk away with an understanding of how phenomena can drive high-quality instruction, and a real-time toolkit of resources to support them moving forward. Using the Next Generation Science Standards framework, teachers will collaborate around student engagement in a meaningful and authentic way.

SPEAKERS:
Pam McWilliams (Science Partner for Curriculum and Instruction), Rebecca Rolater (pK-12 Science Performance Improvement Partner: Aurora, CO)

Advanced spatial thinkers do well in science, and building spatial skills can improve achievement. In this session, we will explore why science teachers should care about spatial skills, pedagogical approaches to build these skills, and how they can be put into practice to build science knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will (1) understand what spatial skills are and why they are important for success in science, and (2) learn to identify how an NGSS performance expectation activates students to think spatially and how to leverage this to build scientific knowledge through engaging classroom practices.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Dupuis (Science instructional facilitator: , NC), Katie Stevenson (South Redford School District: Redford, MI)

Learn about and apply tools from a federally-funded professional development program around translanguaging. These tools will allow you to plan lessons that leverage emergent bilinguals' multilingualism and lived experiences as they analyze and interpret data and scientific texts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Translanguaging recognizes, values, and leverages emergent bilinguals full communicative repertoire. Science teachers can use strategic translanguaging moves to strengthen how science practices, such as analyzing and interpreting data, better foster biliteracy development.

SPEAKERS:
Edward Lyon (Sonoma State University: Rohnert Park, CA)

How do we get more students to see their ideas as important and valuable? How do we get more students to be willing to share and build on others’ ideas? We will explore strategies and examples for adapting curriculum to help elevate student voice and perspective for more equitable sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Encouraging student voice and perspective can reposition students as knowledge makers and support their science identity and motivation. We will share strategies and classroom examples for promoting student voice as well as a way to think about adapting curriculum to support equitable sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine McNeill (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA), Renee Affolter (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

The Atlas is a collection of 62 maps of the practices, core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and performance expectations in NGSS and other Framework-based standards. The maps show how goals in science are meant to build upon each other and relate to each other over a student’s K-12 education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to read the maps and use other tools in the Atlas to understand and interpret standards and plan instructional sequences as part of their work in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

We are awash in assessment data, but it can be overwhelming to make sense of it. Join us to learn tips and strategies for how to wrangle these data, ask questions from it, and derive meaning from it for effective change for our students and teaching. Gain frameworks and tools to apply to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore 3 easy practices used in a variety of schools and classrooms to gain actionable steps to approach assessment data differently at any level in which they are working, so you can work smarter not harder.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC)

This workshop provides participants the opportunity to engage in and reflect on science learning aligned to a framework for designing instruction that is more equitable and engaging for all students. Participants will reflect on the framework and consider ways it can apply in their own setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a framework and concrete examples of its application for creating science learning experiences that are more equitable and engaging, and reflect on its use at the school, district, or regional level in supporting enactment of high-quality curriculum & instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Christi Sanderson (mySci Instructional Specialist: University City, MO)

Little is known about how the framing of phenomena impacts students’ interest and sense of relevance. We share findings from a study where we asked students to rate how relevant and interesting they found four phenomena either described using an engineering, a local, a neutral, or a justice framing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Framing a phenomenon as an engineering design problem, a social or environmental justice issue, a local event, or a neutral problem influences students' perception of interest and relevance, which can influence how they engage as learners.

SPEAKERS:
Diego Rojas-Perilla (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Zoe Buck Bracey (Senior Science Educator and Director of Design for Justice: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

Using phenomena in your classroom is a crucial way to drive instruction. However, many times phenomena are not localized and therefore do not relate to student interest. In this session, learn about different ways to use local phenomena to increase engagement in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
A list of possible local phenomena to use in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Autumn Rivera (Glenwood Springs Middle School: Glenwood Springs, CO)

Grading that supports student sensemaking doesn't have to keep you at school all night. Learn approaches to grading that prioritize 3D sensemaking and utilize technology, collaboration, and existing resources so you have can your evenings back.

TAKEAWAYS:
The process of giving feedback and assigning grades is easier when there are strong materials and assessments to build from, and technology can help make it faster without decreasing effectiveness for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney (OpenSciEd: San Carlos, CA)

What might seem like student apathy and lack of engagement may be a student simply needing connection, community, and care. Join high school teachers as they share instructional practices and strategies used to create a positive and equitable classroom that can improve student outcomes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be led through a variety of engaging activities and instructional practices put together over the past 3 school years. The activities are aimed at building engagement within the classroom with special attention to student trauma and equitable practices.

SPEAKERS:
Sydney Recknagel (Reeths Puffer: No City, No State), Kari Parnin (Science Consultant)

There’s an ever-growing need for accessible resources to inform teaching climate change concepts in a variety of disciplines. Participants will tour the new Fifth National Climate Assessment and Climate Literacy Guide, share feedback with developers, and explore applications for the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
This interactive workshop will immerse educators in new authoritative climate information resources: the Fifth National Climate Assessment website; featuring an art gallery, key messages, engaging graphics, and the updated Climate Literacy Guide, a framework of climate principles and concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Carol O'Donnell (Smithsonian Science Education Center: Washington, DC), Jenna Hartley (US Environmental Protection Agency: No City, No State), Haley Crim (Climate Engagement and Capacity-building Coordinator: Silver Spring, MD), Frank Niepold (NOAA Climate Program Office: Silver Spring, MD), Aaron Grade (National Climate Assessment Staff Scientist: Washington, DC)

The water-flea, Daphnia, is a charismatic model organism in the life sciences. They are easy to find in lakes/ponds and to care for, making them great for classroom investigations. Here we present two interconnected curriculum units exploring the effects of pollution on Daphnia and their ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to facilitate NGSS-aligned, inquiry-driven classroom investigations with Daphnia. We will share two examples of interconnected investigations based on our current work as science graduate students at the University of Illinois. Curriculum materials will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Wilson (PhD Student: Urbana, IL), Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Jeannette Cullum (Graduate Student: Urbana, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a model lesson from OpenSciEd for High School and see how the new Carolina Certified Edition makes these high-quality instructional materials even better! Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

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 (Chemistry Teacher: Boone, NC), Ryan Hainey (Product Manager of Biotechnology, Genetics, and Forensics: Burlington, NC)

Sponsoring Company: InnerOrbit

When transforming 3D teaching and learning within a school or district, what is the role of 3D assessment reform? How can a focus on phenomena-driven NGSS assessments lead to instructional change? Hear how Boulder Valley School District in CO leveraged InnerOrbit’s assessment platform and profession

SPEAKERS:
Erin Greenwood (Platt Middle School: Boulder, CO), Erin Cooke (Customer Success Manager), Brendan Finch (InnerOrbit: No City, No State)

Let's talk about how you can foreground science while you elevate literacy in an interdisciplinary classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to identify opportunities to include high-quality science-focused literacy in the elementary classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Miranda Fitzgerald (University of North Carolina Charlotte: No City, No State), Marshall Escamilla (Tumble Media Production: Greenfield, MA), Mary Starr (Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network)

Given the many science-related global challenges, science teaching demands an emphasis on evidence and logic. An important precursor to this is getting students involved in activities that stimulate their curiosity. This workshop will focus on stimulating curiosity and argument-driven inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
The teacher is the leader within the classroom and must command a set of teaching practices that grab student interest and help them conduct investigations into phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Padilla (retired: Sterling, CO)

Scientific misinformation caused tens of thousands of COVID deaths and threatens millions of people due to climate change. I will explain why it is essential to teach students how to find trustworthy scientific information and discuss key teaching strategies to accomplish this vital goal.

TAKEAWAYS:
Everyone needs accurate scientific information. Teachers should teach students how to find trustworthy information and resist misinformation, because most students are not good at evaluating information they find online. This feasible goal is consistent with the NGSS but should become a higher priority.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Zucker (Independent Scholar: No City, No State)

We will use high-resolution images and descriptions of traits to construct evidence-based hypotheses for where two different fossils should be placed on the evolutionary tree of dinosaurs. The activity follows the same processes used by paleontologists to classify their fossil finds.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain access to materials that provide the backstory for an in-depth data analysis activity that can be used with students. Resources include hi-res images of fossils, descriptions and diagrams of traits that are useful for classification, and phylogenetic trees of dinosaurs.

SPEAKERS:
David Randle (American Museum of Natural History: New York, NY)

Meaningful phenomena and authentic problems make learning experiences in science classrooms more relevant and equitable for students. Come learn what makes phenomena meaningful and problems authentic and then leave with some high-quality instructional materials that you can use in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Meaningful phenomena and authentic problems are more than a hook or an example – they drive learning and provide a context for sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Hutner (The University of Alabama: Austin, TX)

Learn how to formatively assess students in different ways using data and plan meaningful active learning experiences with interactive notebooks based on that data. You will explore various formative assessments from a student's lens.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how formative assessments can be used in their classroom and plan using the provided science planning protocol, creating a final product.

SPEAKERS:
Chrissy Brouwer (School District of Osceola County: Kissimmee, FL)

How can we effectively prepare the next generation of scientists when science instruction is so vastly different from actual science practice? In this session, you’ll learn how research scientists work in a lab environment and how you can transfer those practices directly to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will understand 6 practices of lab researchers that differ from science instruction in most classrooms. They’ll learn how to incorporate these practices into their classroom to better prepare the next generation of scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango (Van Andel Education Institute: Grand Rapids, MI)

Fostering collaborative discussions is an ongoing process to reflect upon often. Join two veteran OpenSciEd teachers as they share successful strategies to help students set their own goals, gain confidence in speaking with peers, and eventually engage in a more student-led learning experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a variety of effective, simple, and practical strategies or activities that will help students build confidence in talking with peers, reflect on and set personal goals for growth, and have a true voice in their own learning path. Strategies can be implemented immediatelyl

SPEAKERS:
Heather Galbreath (Lombard Middle School: Galesburg, IL)

Put on your medical hat and diagnose your patients through this interactive workshop. Gain firsthand experience and learn about the phenomenon-based unit that teaches students about the cell cycle, cancer, and stem cells. Everything you need to know to implement this unit in your classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see and experience this phenomenon-based unit. They will have the tools and materials to implement this unit into their biology classes.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Ambrose (Walhalla High School)

Learn to flip student uncertainty to rev up student motivation to understand concepts! SUPeR stands for Student Uncertainty as a Pedogogical Resource. The approach was developed by Drs. Ying-Chih Chen and Michelle Jordan at ASU. Learn tips and tricks for student uncertainty to drive your class!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will understand when to maintain, raise, and lower student uncertainty to keep curiousity driving their classroom. Teachers will learn sensemaking strategies and ways to assess uncertainty in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Rapkiewcz (Mesa Public Schools: Mesa, AZ), Mandy Heal (Mesa Public Schools: Mesa, AZ)

Sensemaking and Three-Dimensional Learning is an important aspect in today's science classrooms. This interactive session provides tools necessary to build engaging lessons for all students. This will include both high and low tech. Examples will stem from NGSS standards and framework.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided resources to take back to their schools and/or classrooms ready to implement. Teachers will have a short time to brainstorm and elaborate on their practices and exchange ideas with other educators.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Moss (Instructor/Supervisor: , KS), Meghan Shave (Emporia State University)

See how students can use carts and tracks to determine the cause and effect relationships in Newton’s 2nd law through gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data. Briefly learn how technology-mediated lesson study has helped rural science teachers collaborate to design 3 dimensional lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
In one class period, students can gather, analyze, and interpret data to derive Newton’s 2nd Law by testing the cause-and-effect relationship of force and mass on acceleration.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Morris (Carbon High School: Price, UT), Joshua Stowers (Brigham Young University: Provo, UT)

This new version of the Quick-Reference Guide (aka The Purple Book) is a must-have reference tool for working with NGSS and other Framework-based, 3D standards. This session will review the features of the book and show how to use the tools and resources in it to unpack the crosscutting concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to unpack the three dimensions using the tools and resources in the Quick-Reference Guide and will gain insights into the meaning of the crosscutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Our brains and our students' brains are programmed to engage with stories. This is true not only for the stories of STEM discoveries and history but also for broader applications. Engagement, understanding, and even classroom culture all benefit when the instructor becomes the storyteller.

TAKEAWAYS:
Come learn how to find, cultivate, create, and deliver the stories embedded within your content area with a published author and 16-year science educator. Also, learn techniques for adding story where it might not seem apparent and building the story of your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady (Atkins High School: Winston-Salem, NC)

Learn how one school implemented a science-based, service learning program that takes elementary students into our local wetlands and brings the Science and Engineering Practices to life.

TAKEAWAYS:
1.) Learn how to establish mutually beneficial local partnerships that support science instruction; 2.) Discover how to encourage students to problem-solve local issues and take action in their communities; and 3.) Walk away with ideas and strategies for taking learning beyond the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Elaine Sevin (Isidore Newman School: New Orleans, LA), Jennifer Williams (Isidore Newman School: New Orleans, LA)

Schools and districts seeking to implement 3D instructional practices that support all students need assessments that elicit evidence of students’ thinking. We will introduce practices for using science notebooks as resources to guide instruction that supports students and their growing ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers and leaders will experience, see examples, and learn practices for leveraging science notebooks as informal assessments of students’ 3D thinking and for using them to drive sensemaking practices that support all students.

SPEAKERS:
Jill Grace (K-12 Alliance/WestEd: San Marcos, CA), Jill Wertheim (WestEd: San Francisco, CA)

Artificial intelligence is changing the game and soon will be commonplace in your students’ lives. Come explore ways to effectively use AI tools such as ChatGPT to enhance your professional development and teaching practice, as well as where AI can lead you and your students astray.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be able to describe how AI tools such as ChatGPT work; use AI to build their professional knowledge and generate lesson ideas, such as how to adapt activities to local phenomenon; and recognize the limitations of AI tools in areas such as safety and questioning strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Forsythe (Texas State University: San Marcos, TX)

Learn how historical primary sources can be paired with guided questions and analysis to challenge misconceptions about the nature of science. Join us for this workshop to experience how the free, digitized resources from the Library of Congress can lead students to more authentic views of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to access millions of free digitized primary sources and practice inquiry-based strategies that challenge misconceptions about who does science and what that looks like, and provide surprising historical evidence that illustrates the evolving practice of science.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Apfeldorf (Library of Congress: Washington, DC), Kelsey Beeghly (Einstein Fellow: Altamonte Springs, FL)

Do you or the educators you work with have questions about what science teaching and learning look like in classrooms implementing your state standards? Join us for a session where you will receive support to lead this module using classroom video of contemporary research-based teaching in action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will build an understanding of sensemaking and receive a toolkit to lead this session with other educators.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Mathews (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Students bring a range of intellectual resources—based on their unique life experiences—into the classroom as they learn science. These resources can be considered different “facets” of thinking. Teachers explore a protocol for identifying and attending to facets through formative assessments.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will help participants: analyze cognitive formative assessment responses to surface the range of student thinking about science topics and concepts, guide instruction based on that diversity of student ideas, and design formative assessment tasks to support equitable 3D instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Philip Bell (University of Washington: Seattle, WA), Tiffany Neill (Research Scientist: Oklahoma City, OK), Ricky Scott (Tooele County School District)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Join us for an engaging MS/HS hands-on workshop full of ideas & resources for using Fast Plants as model organisms to teach environmental / agricultural / biological science content, CCCS, and SEPs. Get “how-to” tips and 3 investigations, including lesson plans and companion Open Source resources.

SPEAKERS:
Hedi Lauffer (Director of Teaching & Learning)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use diagrams to create a 3D clay model of some of the organs and structures in the human torso. The concepts of structure and function are introduced as students begin to think about how the organs can be grouped into body systems based on their function within the human body.

SPEAKERS:
Ed Miller (Selden Middle School: Centereach, NY)

Sponsoring Company: InnerOrbit

In this session we’ll provide concrete strategies to use throughout each of your units to help students engage with phenomena and sensemaking consistently, so they can more confidently approach the phenomena-driven tests or new units of instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Giulia Mota (InnerOrbit: Thousand Oaks, CA), Brendan Finch (InnerOrbit: No City, No State)

Elementary-age children come to science learning with expansive resources that we must leverage for sensemaking. Their brilliance unfolds when we create and maintain space for them to lead investigation and design opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through an elem science example, focus on how elem. science learning changes when students lead.

SPEAKERS:
Carla Zembal-Saul (Penn State: University Park, PA), Mary Starr (Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network)

The best teaching relies on the best evidence: how students think about core ideas in science and understanding where their ideas come from. Learn how this leads to responsive instruction that builds a bridge from where students are to where they need to be.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to effectively use formative assessment probes from the NSTA Uncovering Student Ideas series for responsive assessment and instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Page Keeley (NSTA Past President: No City, No State)