We will introduce our 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 chemistry 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:
Audrey Baird, Ron Gray

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

If you can only attend one session, make it this one. Transform your classroom with exciting, easy-to-perform (& crowd-pleasing) chemistry & physical science demos! Perfect for teachers, admins, and new educators, this session showcases unique demonstrations and classroom classics to engage students.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D., Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

How do forensic scientists find evidence in invisible ink? Students must think like both detectives AND scientists to find out! By capturing spectra of ink samples, students investigate electromagnetic radiation, explore light-matter interactions, and use mathematical models to calculate energy.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Use a lab and demo to talk about resources and the environment, using copper as an example. The labs can be used for many fields - geology, environmental science, chemistry; focus on the impact of resource acquisition; and provide resources to highlight the depth and complexity of these issues.

TAKEAWAYS:
Copper recovery from ore with two methods - these labs can be used for many fields: geology, environmental science, chemistry; they focus on the impact of resource acquisition; and they provide resources to highlight the depth and complexity of these issues.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Richardson

Participants will experience Modeling Instruction in Chemistry by planning and conducting data collection and analyzing data to develop models. They will also develop representations (graphs, diagrams, and equations) for their model and present them in white boarding discourse.

TAKEAWAYS:
In student mode participants will experience how the Science and Engineering Practices can be a regular part of student experience in the chemistry classroom as they develop and deploy models. In teacher mode they will reflect on what is required to create this learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Braxton, AMTA Executive Officer

A showcase of dynamic spreadsheet chemistry lessons that provide instantaneous, differentiated feedback to students as they learn or practice new content independently or in small groups. This method amplifies confidence for students of all abilities and frees teachers to assist those most in need.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn the power of digital spreadsheet chemistry lessons and learn how to create or edit their own lessons. If they wish, they can sign up to receive already created chemistry lessons for free to trial with their students.

SPEAKERS:
Sean Regan

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Explore easy, engaging, and safe chemistry activities that guarantee a reaction in your students. These lab activities support 3-dimensional learning and work every time, not just periodically.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Engage students in authentic science learning about lead contamination through interactive activities that integrate cognitive and technical perspectives.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will discover the significance of reframing lessons and traditional lab experiments through the lenses of cognitive and technical authentic science learning, empowering students to engage meaningfully with real-world scientific issues like lead contamination.

SPEAKERS:
Eual Phillips

Experience Playdoh as a highly functional three-dimensional tool connecting two-dimensional learning. These STEM strategies engage and promote interactions with all learners across curriculums.

TAKEAWAYS:
Playdoh is a highly functional classroom manipulative that makes three-dimensional learning possible using two- dimensional curriculum

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Erica McNeil

How can we make chemistry more interesting, relevant, and exciting to students while maintaining rigor? Hear from different high school chemistry teachers about how they used food-based phenomena aligned to NGSS to teach chemistry concepts like bonding, IMFs, chemical reactions, and properties.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how teachers have used different series of lessons centered around different food-based phenomena and labs and how this has helped student engagement, disposition, their idea about what science is, and the understanding of science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
April Thompson, Jocelyn Puett, Alyssa Wachsman, Kate Strangfeld, Makala Woods

It is quite a task to keep teenagers engaged in concepts being taught in the classroom, especially if it is a subject that they are uninterested in. This lesson focuses on one of the ten broad concepts of physics, Light, and provides an opportunity for the students to have hands on learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learning doesn't involve just lecturing for sixty minutes. There are many different learning types, and in a classroom, you may experience different backgrounds, knowledge level, and comfortability. This lesson should remind the attendees how important it is to keep learning interesting.

SPEAKERS:
Ellianna Trilling

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Come and participate with the author of the book, Arthur Eisenkraft, for a close-up look at a new Physical Science book. Experience a fun, take-home lab and learn more about this super curriculum from Activate Learning.

SPEAKERS:
Gary Curts, Arthur Eisenkraft

How can we teach concepts like ions, ionic compounds, & chemical rxns in a fun, meaningful, & rigorous way? Through the phenomenon of popping boba! We will walk through a series of investigations and hands-on labs to explore its properties and how it is made.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a phenomenon-based lesson rooted in core chemistry concepts. They will engage in easy, investigative, and fun hands-on labs and see how we unpack how a gel-encapsulated liquid (popping boba) forms by exploring ions, charges, ionic bonding, and electrostatic attractions.

SPEAKERS:
April Thompson, Jocelyn Puett, Alyssa Wachsman, Megan McCall, Kate Strangfeld, Makala Woods, Hannah Holt

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

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

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Join experienced inclusion teachers as they share practical strategies for supporting ALL students in chemistry classsroom. It will include a short, NGSS-aligned, phenomenon-based lesson, demonstrating how to adapt instruction for diverse student needs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with concrete strategies for supporting neurodivergent students,

SPEAKERS:
Cathy Zavacki, Anjana Iyer

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

This session covers essential safety practices, including hazard analysis, proper PPE, GHS labels, risk management, and communication with administrators. Ideal for all science teachers, science supervisors, administrators and lab supervisors. Leave with actionable tips to prioritize safety! Visit https://www.flinnsci.com/safety/ for more information.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel, Ph.D.

In this session, teachers will unpack the OpenSciEd Chemistry curriculum from a teachers point of view. Then they will work together to share tips and best practices around utilizing OpenSciEd in chemistry for their specific school context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have a better understanding about OpenSciEd in Chemistry through sharing with other teachers - no matter where they are in using this curriculum - and identify a future working group to navigate the curriculum together.

SPEAKERS:
Anthony Stetzenmeyer

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to facilitate deeper student understanding of mole ratios, stoichiometry, and limiting reactants. This hands-on activity uses common household chemicals to simplify setup and a Wireless Pressure Sensor to support live data collection and immediate data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker, Holly Hereau

We will be discussing the use of modeling in the chemistry classroom. Using modeling students are able to develop questioning and reasoning skills to explain complex, real world lab data analysis, chemistry articles and readings, and various phenomena on a molecular "Zoomed In" level.

TAKEAWAYS:
By utilizing modeling students are able to organize thoughts, justify conclusions, and rationalize arguments. Modeling can easily be used to explain concepts from Coulomb's law to intermolecular forces and how certain concepts explain complex chemical interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Reidy, Kevin Wessler

Cognitive science has identified flexible and often counterintuitive cognitive strategies that boost learning across diverse groups of students . Teachers will learn how to implement these techniques within their classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to apply multiple practical, flexible, and research-based cognitive strategies, including retrieving information from memory, distributing practice across time, scaffolding, and mixing together different examples, within their own classrooms to improve student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Tullis

There is no shortage of jaw-dropping discoveries made from meteorites. Known as the “poor man’s space probe” most meteorites come from the asteroid belt, but now that we have actual material from a known asteroid, we better sharpen up about meteorite science because we’re going to need it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will how to teach about the exciting history and evolution of meteorites science through falls and discoveries. From 500 years ago to recent meteoritic events, the science just keeps advancing as we are showered by these enigmatic rocks from space.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Horejsi

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Learn about our 3 most popular chemistry sensors that support hands-on, phenomenon-based learning with real-time data. You'll learn how to investigate acid-base reactions, gas laws, and reaction rates with easy-to-use probeware and data-analysis apps that work together to promote 3D learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Organic Chemistry is a highly relevant topic which can be made accessible for students at all levels. In this workshop, participants will learn how to create a dynamic elective course that will help students experience relevant content, and also try out some of the experiments used in the course.

TAKEAWAYS:
Organic Chemistry courses can offer highly relevant science content, and with the right approach can be made into an engaging, memorable, and accessible experience for students with diverse backgrounds.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Alvarez, Derrick Wood

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Revolutionize your teaching with this hands-on introduction to POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning)! Designed for science teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators, this session will explore team roles, the POGIL Learning Cycle, and strategies to develop problem-solving critical skills.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mancini

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Discover Vernier’s comprehensive solutions for chemistry, biology, and physics educators, including sensors, software, lab books, and professional development. Learn how to integrate our data-collection tools into your classroom and walk away with practical tips and best practices for success.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Sponsoring Company: Kognity

Discover how the strategic use of feedback and reflection can revolutionize your instructional practices and student learning outcomes. In this collaborative session, engage with fellow educators to explore practical strategies for fostering a classroom culture that listens actively, reflects thoughtfully, and continuously improves.

SPEAKERS:
Wayne Wright

The modeling-focused activity centers on interpreting student work and providing effective feedback on students' modeling and argumentation practices using the Argumentation and Modeling Science Practice Instructional Tools.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn techniques to offer feedback on (1) the reasons behind the differences in particle motion during freezing and melting and (2) the most effective ways to depict particle motion visually.

SPEAKERS:
Alex St. Louis, Jaclyn Murray

Implentation of spectroscopic evidence in an elective high school chemistry course to identify various unknown organic structures.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be provided with resources and assessments to identify an unknown organic compound given its % composition. The spectroscopic methods used are Infrared Spectrometry, Mass Spectrometry, and proton NMR Spectroscopy.

SPEAKERS:
Jeromy Bentley

Want to hear from a high school biology, chemistry, physics, and E/S teacher on how their transition to the new standards went last school year? This presentation will reflect on their year of teaching STEELS and offer action steps to make the transition easier for other educators.

TAKEAWAYS:
Main takeaways will be the positives, challenges, and action steps that PA educators can use to navigate the transition to the new STEELS standards in a high school biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science class.

SPEAKERS:
Katelyn Daggan, Thomas Densmore, Ruth Henderson, Anthony Prinzo

Modeling Instruction has transformed science classrooms, making research-backed practices such as student generation of concepts, multiple representations, and teamwork an integral part of the learning process. Experience a “modeling cycle”: lab investigation, development of a model, and deployment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to describe Modeling Instruction and will know where to go for support in implementing this practice in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Gary Pritts, Amanda Horan

Want to digitally capture all students' sensemaking in chemistry? Discover the potential of Canva’s infinite whiteboard for fostering collaboration and creativity through modeling and QFT. Leave with practical tips, editable protocols, and fresh inspiration to start implementing immediately!

TAKEAWAYS:
This interactive session uses Canva’s whiteboard as an effective platform for all students to collaboratively engage in SEPs, such as creating models and asking questions in an equitable learning environment. This chemistry focused session provides student examples and tips for implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah English

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

In this workshop, you’ll learn how to facilitate deeper student understanding of mole ratios, stoichiometry, and limiting reactants. This hands-on activity uses common household chemicals to simplify setup and a Wireless Pressure Sensor to support live data collection and immediate data analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Riley

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Use phenomena to inspire inquiry and mastery of chemistry and physics. Learn NGSS-aligned strategies, including the 5E model, to build storylines that spark curiosity, drive student questions, and deepen understanding of core ideas, practices, and concepts through engaging, student-led investigation

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore, Michael Wysession

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Explore water’s structure, polarity, and hydrogen bonding in this hands-on workshop. Through interactive activities, gain insight into water’s role in biological and environmental systems. Aligned with NGSS, this session offers an innovative approach to teaching fundamental chemistry principles.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt

Learn what representations and data your students can use to bridge phenomena and mathematics, and how to use tasks to assess 3D stoichiometry understanding, as opposed to rote algebra skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to assess student problem-solving ability and conceptual understanding through students' use of multiple representations and approaches in chemistry classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Get started with Vernier! Explore our top sensors for chemistry, biology, and physics and learn how to integrate real-time data collection into your curriculum. Support student-led science learning with hands-on, sensor-based investigations that help students make sense of the world around them!

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Models are excellent tools assisting students’ understanding of chemical structure and function. Different models highlight different aspects of the chemical they represent.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students can discuss how the 3-D structures of molecules affect their chemical properties as they “Act as Enzymes”. The students use another analogy, the English language, to explain cellular processes and growth. Models are used to develop questions, predictions, and explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham

A discussion of philosophy and experiences of reshaping teaching and learning of conceptual physics at a small technical college. The presentation will detail the use of a portfolio assessment approach instead of traditional high-stakes exams, and the effects on student performance and attitudes.

TAKEAWAYS:
The use of a portfolio assessment strategy allows students the chance to learn and apply physics through doing, rather than memorizing and applying formulas. A draft based approach encourages students to continually revise and improve their understanding of difficult concepts over the semester.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Romanovich

Have you ever wondered why the excited chatter during a science investigation disappears when teachers ask their students to write science explanations? Students enjoy hands-on investigative activities but need support to shift from their provisional language to science-specific language.

TAKEAWAYS:
Writing strategies and talk moves can improve students’ ability to develop clear writing. Appropriate scaffolds benefit all students, particularly multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Participants will learn how to support students’ development of ideas into written explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Haverstick

Join this workshop: “A Chemical Inquiry: Let’s Learn Equilibrium!” and participate in a “hands on” activity to help students overcome common chemical equilibrium misconceptions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to use Inquiry to overcome student misconceptions about chemical equilibrium.

SPEAKERS:
Gregory Dodd

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Streamline your chemistry curriculum with engaging one-period labs, demos, and POGIL activities! Perfect for both new and veteran chemistry teachers, this session provides ready-to-use experiments for core topics to ensure students grasp concepts while appreciating the beauty of chemistry. Handouts included! Visit www.flinnsci.com.

SPEAKERS:
Jillian Saddler, Jonnathan Medina Ramos, Ph.D.

Attendees will participate in hands-on, inquiry-based classroom activities and demonstrations based on research involving air quality, algae, bees, flies, and macroinvertebrates. We will showcase how these activities, using flexible resources, help students build essential scientific skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will be equipped with different strategies and contexts to promote students’ engagement and essential scientific practices through hands-on activities and demonstrations that focus on air quality, algae, bees, flies, and macroinvertebrates.

SPEAKERS:
Carlos Vazquez Vargas, Marisel Cherena-Martinez, Aixa López Muñoz, Michelle Borrero, Jacqueline Lopez, Wilmari Torres-Ortiz, Yajaira Torres - De Jesus, Myraida Torres Cotto, Elianid Espinosa

This presentation shares my research on using computer simulations to model concepts in a middle school chemistry unit. Models offer a framework for understanding chemical processes, tested and refined in virtual simulations, helping students engage in iterative learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
A key takeaway from this presentation is that computer simulations, combined with models, enhance middle school students' understanding of chemistry

SPEAKERS:
Jerry Coronado, Cecilia Duenas

Retakes have been a hot topic in allowing students to demonstrate learning mastery. This has been supported by many including the work of Dr. Joe Feldman, author of Grading for Equity, but how does this work in practice in a science setting? Join to hear from someone who has tried this out.

TAKEAWAYS:
An honest reflection on the application of offering retakes to students in written assessments to help you make an informed decision on your own grading practices.

SPEAKERS:
Will Leech

A showcase of dynamic spreadsheet chemistry lessons that provide instantaneous, differentiated feedback to students as they learn or practice new content independently or in small groups. This method amplifies confidence for students of all abilities and frees teachers to assist those most in need.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn the power of using free digital spreadsheets in making presentations for new content. The use of this tool makes practicing content and skills helpful, engaging, and memorable. Educators will be able to envision how to use this tool in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Sean Regan

Learn how cheesemaking can be used to explore scientific concepts like evidence of chemical changes, chem reaction rates, solubility, and pH. Participants will experience how to investigate these concepts in a fun, exploratory way that emphasizes building science practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see a simple hands-on lab that can be easily scaled up or down and see how students can make sense of curd formation by drawing on what they already know, making meaningful observations, analyzing data, asking questions, and applying an understanding of how chemical reactions work.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Velasquez

See how we can use cheesemaking to explore concepts like chemical reaction rates, solubility & precipitation, and pH. Participants will see how students can investigate these concepts in a fun, exploratory way that emphasizes building science practices. An easy investigative hands-on lab is included

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will do a simple hands-on lab that can be easily scaled up or down and see how students can make sense of curd formation by drawing on what they already know, making meaningful observations, analyzing data, asking questions, and applying an understanding of how chemical reactions work.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Boggs

Research shows that students benefit from doodling and sketching in the classroom. Discover how doodle/sketch notes were implemented in regular, inclusion, and special education settings to teach students the importance and value of note-taking practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, we will share the results of an action research project focused on implementing doodle/sketch notes in the Chemistry classroom. Strategies will be shared for modifications and accommodations, as well as how to transition to more independent note taking practices.

SPEAKERS:
Adiba Mirza, Shefali Mehta

For new science teachers, developing a classroom community can be challenging. In the chemistry classroom, students can feel isolated and uninterested due to the complexity of the content and the seemingly irrelevant material. By establishing classroom culture, all students can achieve success.

TAKEAWAYS:
New science teachers establishing themselves as a “warm demander” can help provide an authenticity that will allow students to not only create a learning community where all individuals work together to achieve success, but also help to bolster relevance with the material through student belonging.

SPEAKERS:
Liam Gallagher

This poster presents strategies for creating equitable chemistry classrooms that engage first-generation students. It includes specific examples of inclusive practices and culturally relevant approaches, demonstrating how these methods can be integrated into lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to create lessons that connect with the cultural backgrounds of first-generation students while exploring effective classroom practices that utilize collaborative learning to boost engagement and academic achievement in chemistry.

SPEAKERS:
Wenting Hu

An introductory chemistry course was taught in virtual and hybrid formats, with the lab component being the only difference in course design. A weighted cohort was used to compare student exam and final grades between the two designs. No significant differences were seen.

TAKEAWAYS:
In a propensity score weighted cohort, balanced for sex and race, no statistical difference was observed in student outcomes in an introductory chemistry course between students who took virtual or hybrid courses.

SPEAKERS:
Alex Stephens

This presentation shares my research on using computer simulations to model concepts in a middle school chemistry unit. Models offer a framework for understanding chemical processes, tested and refined in virtual simulations, helping students engage in iterative learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
A key takeaway from this presentation is that computer simulations, combined with models, enhance middle school students' understanding of chemistry

SPEAKERS:
Jerry Coronado, Cecilia Duenas

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Try this green chemistry approach to titration using conductivity measurements instead of pH indicators! Explore how to titrate ammonia with vinegar—common household chemicals—and teach key acid-base concepts while promoting sustainable, eco-friendly lab practices with hands-on Vernier technology.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Martin

Experience the synergy of physics, statistics, and data science using PhET simulations and CODAP. Dive into new interactive tools like Gas Properties, Diffusion, and Projectile Sampling Distributions, while exploring hands-on lesson design. Preview cutting-edge work with Circuit Construction Kit.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to design classroom-ready lessons that merge physics, statistics, and data science, using the latest PhET simulations and CODAP tools and physics education research insights. Gain access to innovative strategies that drive analytical thinking and data fluency in students.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Blackman

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

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

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Linn, Norman Marshall

Join this session to relax and unwind while learning how to provide students with movements of their body to model the molecular geometries that transform 2D Lewis structures into their 3D shapes while deepening their understanding of molecular polarity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience an alternate way for students to understand VSEPR beyond modeling kits and virtual technologies that many students will not have access to on assessments. This also helps students understand the difference between polar bonds and molecular polarity.

SPEAKERS:
Krystle Moos

PART OF NMEA SHARE-A-THON-- Hydrothermal vents may be several thousand meters deep, so finding new areas of vent activity can be challenging. Dive into a hands-on investigation on how to locate these unique habitats plus explore what tools ocean explorers use to find them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through hands-on investigations/activities, educators will construct explanations with evidence for how/why scientists use physical/chemical data to determine patterns that help find hydrothermal vents. Then they will analyze mission scenarios to determine the best robot technology to locate vents.

SPEAKERS:
Tami Lunsford

This workshop on carbon capture and storage integrates the engineering design process and socio-scientific modeling to take social factors into consideration while explaining complex socio-scientific issues like geoengineering.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session provides teachers with the tools to implement a hands-on climate engineering activity and utilize socio-scientific models in the engineering design process that engage students in real-world, ethical, and culturally relevant climate discussions.

SPEAKERS:
Gayle Buck, Arya Karumanthra

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific

Revolutionize your teaching with this hands-on introduction to POGIL (Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning)! Designed for science teachers, curriculum developers, and administrators, this session will explore team roles, the POGIL Learning Cycle, and strategies to develop problem-solving critical skills.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Mancini

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Explore easy, engaging, and safe chemistry activities that guarantee a reaction in your students. These lab activities support 3-dimensional learning and work every time, not just periodically.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon

Let's discuss and share resources and best practices for aligning our Chemistry instruction to the NGSS standards. What does it look like? What does it NOT look like? What are you favorite resources?

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with a better understanding of what the NGSS and NGSS "like" chemistry course can look like. The main takeaway is that it is not necessary to "teach the book".

SPEAKERS:
Patti Duncan

Atomic structure, ions, & ionic compounds can be hard to make relatable and interesting to students. We’ll walk through labs and activities that help students explore these concepts and apply them to make sense of things like sports drinks, bottled water, and claims around electrolytes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in easy labs and activities that center around the phenomenon of sports drinks and electrolytes. They will hear how teachers used these activities in different classrooms and how they helped elicit student curiosity in unexpected ways and how students connected them to other

SPEAKERS:
April Thompson, Jocelyn Puett, Alyssa Wachsman, Megan McCall, Kate Strangfeld, Makala Woods

Food is a powerful tool for teaching science: it’s approachable, accessible, and relevant. But classrooms aren’t kitchens—how can we harness the power of food in simple, safe, and easy ways, and why should we do it? This session is open to all grade levels but will cater to grades 5-8.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in an easy lab to see how we use food in a safe, low-cost, and accessible way to explore concepts like temperature, atoms, and states of matter. Activities heavily emphasize NGSS standards and science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Shawn Boggs, Peggy James, Ashley Vandgrift, Mary Velasquez

Demonstrations in Physics to support curriculum, and also in Chemistry to support curriculum. They will reinforce instruction of various topics in physics and chemistry.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will gain practical knowledge in Physics and Chemistry to further enhance learning of subject matter in several areas you teach.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Hain

Are you ready to transform your chemistry curriculum? Discover how we are empowering students with voice and choice not just in lessons or projects, but for an entire semester! Join us as we share our innovative approach to chemistry electives, where students select their own lenses for learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Chemistry education can effectively integrate real-world applications while ensuring mastery of foundational concepts and skills.

SPEAKERS:
Tracy Wazenegger, Lauren Coil-Sherck

Are your students confused about the difference between specific heat and heat? If they are, come join this session that explores the difference between temperature, heat, and specific heat centered around a phenomena from our favorite Christmas movie.

TAKEAWAYS:
The session focuses on utilizing a phenomena to drive modeling and discussion of temperature and specific heat with two difference substances. Moving through a process that utilizes participant discussions and revising models will reveal the differences between temperature, heat, and specific heat.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah English, Krystle Moos

This session is one chemistry PLC's story about creating chemistry curriculum using NGSS. We will share our mistakes, learnings, and successes in our many attempts creating chemistry curriculum while incorporating NGSS. Bring a unit with you that you would like to edit using NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how to create chemistry curriculum using NGSS and a sample unit created by the presenters.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Sande

This paper presents three innovative high school chemistry project designed around green chemistry principles to enhance student engagement and environmental awareness. Lessons include creating biodegradable hydrogels for sustainable farming, exploring molecular gastronomy, and fermentation process.

TAKEAWAYS:
These hands-on activities connect real-world sustainability challenges with chemistry concepts, fostering critical thinking and promoting eco-friendly practices in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
ANA CAMPOS

Are you ready for it? Come learn how to integrate Taylor Swift’s global influence into chemistry lessons, fostering student engagement and deepening their understanding of scientific concepts, making your course an "era" they will never forget!

TAKEAWAYS:
Chemistry can be intimidating, but linking it to familiar stories or characters breaks down complex ideas into simpler, more digestible parts.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Allessio

An overview of how Modeling Instruction can build understanding in science so that students can solve problems reasoning from models instead of relying on having seen similar problems in the past. The connection between Modeling Instruction and the NGSS Science Practices will be included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students build a stronger foundation when they learn science by doing it the way practicing scientists do. Through Modeling Instruction they develop a small set of core models that allow them to address a wide range of challenges and problems without the need to memorize large amounts of material.

SPEAKERS:
AMTA Executive Officer, Geoff Nunes

We have all been there... we're teaching our chemistry content & a student says, "When will I ever use this?!" In this session, we will explore the high school chemistry units/concepts & I'll provide an organized document with several examples of how each concept can be seen in the "real world".

TAKEAWAYS:
Receive an organized Google Drive document with supplemental materials, links, etc. of real world examples of all chemistry standards. There will also be time for attendees to share and add to the document with real world phenomena/examples that they know of, too!

SPEAKERS:
Taylor Edens

Diving into what inquiry-based instruction looks like in the high school chemistry classroom. Built on the foundation of a statewide survey, the results from this national survey on chemistry education are analyzed and disseminated through the context of place-based education and equity of place.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with an understanding of what true inquiry-based instruction looks like in the high school chemistry classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Bice

Sponsoring Company: Positive Physics, Chemistry, Biology and more!

Positive Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Physical Science, Environmental Science & Engineering (positivephysics.org) is the award-winning online question and lesson bank that students actually like! Learn how to implement it in your classroom, get strategies for making learning accessible and fun for all students, and receive FREE subscriptions for your school/district for the rest of the year! Key features include: Immediate feedback, randomization, a student-friendly environment, integration with Google Classroom, Canvas, and Schoology, AI Tutor availability, and NGSS & AP alignment.

SPEAKERS:
Jack Replinger

Want to help students navigate to clearer understanding of atomic nature? Learn how to help students picture the invisible through the union of animation and student drawing, progressively build students' understanding of key chemistry concepts chemical change, physical change, atoms and molecules.

TAKEAWAYS:
Based on chemical education research and the union of open access animations, teachers can use student drawings to guide students to deeper understanding of atomic matter and chemistry.

SPEAKERS:
Cara Hale-Hanes

Chemical formulas, 2-D pictures, and 3-D models illustrate various characteristics of atoms and small molecules, but they cannot depict actual structures. Some models are good, others poor; it is important for students to know an atom’s and a molecule’s structure to understand its properties.

TAKEAWAYS:
Electrons in the outer shell of an atom relate to the binding of atoms thus forming molecules of specific structure, and ultimately, function. Bonds between atoms are not fixed, molecules are not rigid structures. Models assist students’ understanding of molecular bonds.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham

Scientific innovation takes creativity and in this workshop, you will learn how to ignite creativity in the engineering design process. Working through a student-chosen design challenge, you will see how students can use the storytelling in Science News Explores to design richer solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to enhance the first step in the engineering process by using Science News Explores which makes contemporary research accessible to students through scaffolds and lower reading lexiles.

SPEAKERS:
Cara Hale-Hanes

A Science Lab should be a fun and engaging instructional space for students to explore their curiosities and learn about the wonders of our world. However, potentially serious hazards can lurk behind the scenes. Even the most diligent teachers can miss them and expose their students to danger.

TAKEAWAYS:
A science lab has so many potential hazards that it takes over 7000 pages of regulations to cover all of them. This workshop will discuss some of the most critical hazard/risks Participants will be exposed to better professional safety practices to keep themselves and their clientele safer.

SPEAKERS:
Kevin Doyle

Are you a new or tenured chemistry teacher looking for some short, fun hands-on laboratory activities that reinforce the NGSS and increase students' critical thinking and problem-solving skills? Then, this is a session you will not want to miss.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will perform a handful of laboratory experiment procedures to learn first hand what their students will experience in class as summative assessments that are not memorize and forget. This will help these teachers to better understand where common mistakes and misconceptions may be made.

SPEAKERS:
Paula Irwin