Discover ways to strengthen NGSS practices through interdisciplinary practices with children's literature, beginning with Ada Twist and Rosie Revere.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Hesson

Come learn how we integrate science and language arts mini units, using food chains to guide participants through the process. Also, learn how we instruct our teacher candidates in higher education to do the same and then implement the lessons in local schools with immediate feedback from us.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to integrate science with language arts in classrooms, as teachers or instructors of higher education.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Lampley, Frances Hamilton

This poster showcases how you can transform your Canvas courses into inclusive, dynamic, and enriching learning experiences for all students. Swing by to tap into essential strategies, tools, and best practices to foster inclusivity, diversity, and accessibility through your school's Canvas site!

TAKEAWAYS:
This poster showcases strategies such as Canvas Groups for collaborative learning, media opportunities with Canvas Studio, and using Canvas to showcase student understanding in vibrant, visual ways. Plus, discover proven webinar engagement strategies to captivate and inspire your online learners!

SPEAKERS:
Tanya MacMartin, Ed.D.

These materials have been compiled by the NSTA Middle Level Teaching Committee working in conjunction with our affiliate the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association (NMLSTA). They include a comprehensive document that displays resources linked to NGSS PEs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a set of online resources that they can use immediately!

SPEAKERS:
Anne Schoeffler

In today’s diverse classrooms, student engagement and a sense of belonging are essential to academic success. This session explores the value and implementation of high-quality instructional practices that foster both active engagement and a deeper sense of belonging among students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies in collaborative learning, tech integration, and culturally responsive instruction which they can implement immediately to enhance student motivation, class cohesion, and overall academic achievement.

SPEAKERS:
Tanya MacMartin, Ed.D.

Transitioning to a learner-centered classroom can be challenging but rewarding. This shift turns students from passive recipients into active participants, encouraging them to take responsibility for learning. By fostering curiosity, they become problem-solvers, engaging deeply in their education.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore transitioning from a teacher-centered to a learner-centered classroom, enhancing student responsibility, engagement, and problem-solving. This session offers tools for fostering active learning, curiosity, and effective classroom management in a learner-driven environment.

SPEAKERS:
Shefali Mehta, Mridula Bajaj

In this session, participants will use the Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate thinking routine to unpack science performance expectations of a sample unit. Leaders will be equipped to replicate this process with their teachers, supporting them in connecting and breaking down performance expectations

TAKEAWAYS:
Leaders will learn how to use the “Generate, Sort, Connect, Elaborate” routine to unpack science performance expectations, enabling them to guide teachers in connecting expectations across units and breaking down their components, ultimately supporting deeper student understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Porzillo

One of the authors of the Early Years column in "Science & Children" will share example columns and related classroom activities, as well as professional learning resources available through EC STEM Lab. The table will feature hands-on activities and giveaways.

TAKEAWAYS:
Very young children are capable of incredible science and integrated STEM thinking, doing, and imagining.

SPEAKERS:
Alissa Lange

Become part of the Science and Children team as an author or reviewer.  Science and Children is the premier journal for educators working with children in early childhood and elementary. We share classroom-tested ideas and innovative practices for all educators, including preservice teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Expand your leadership pathway by becoming an author or reviewer for NSTA's ECE Journal, Science and Children.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn

Come unpack practical strategies for creating vibrant K12 STEM classrooms that foster student engagement and promote academic risk-taking. Attendees will leave with actionable tools to elevate their teaching pedagogy, inspire creativity, and cultivate a student-centered learning environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about seven essential pedagogical skills of "rockstar" STEM teachers - what they are, why they are so important, and how to learn to do them well. Attendees will receive immediately actionable resources to employ in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Girtain, Carolyn Kielma, Anthony Grisillo, Kristen Record

University/College instructors talk about how they integrate NSTA resources in their courses for preservice teachers. Come and listen to their stories and ask them questions! Find out the benefits that this opportunity provides you and your teacher candidates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Many university/college instructors are using NSTA resources in lieu of a textbook when teaching preservice teacher courses. Participants will meet some of these instructors to learn how they integrate NSTA resources in their courses and about the benefits of the program.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez

The STEM Cultural Online Night project explored how integrating culturally responsive instruction improves STEM affinity and cultural competence among American and Korean teacher candidates through six weeks of international online collaboration, enhancing cultural awareness into STEM education.

TAKEAWAYS:
The session will highlight the benefits of cross-cultural collaboration in developing effective, culturally-aware teaching strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Jiyoon Yoon

Bringing a popular film into the classroom can be a great way to increase enthusiasm or engage learners. Movie sheets provide a free treasure trove of guiding questions and concept checks to make sure the students are following along.

TAKEAWAYS:
Over the last decade, my pre-service students and I have been creating free movie sheets that are posted to the free site (moviesheets.com) for anyone to use. The sheets cover all types of genres, academic levels, and disciplines.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bechtel

This poster illustrates how science teacher educators can prepare elementary teachers to adopt a more holistic, interdisciplinary approach to science instruction that emerges directly from student interests.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees who participate in this poster session will leave with two practical frameworks (W)holistic Science Pedagogy and Youth Participatory Science for planning their instruction. They will engage with examples of the frameworks in action to better understand how to implement them in their class.

SPEAKERS:
Terrance Burgess

Using three damaged natural bone human educational skeletons, this research developed practices for restoring, identifying, and dignifying these valuable educational resources. New curriculum developments focusing on skeleton centered activities have emerged due to their increased functionality.

TAKEAWAYS:
Understanding the ethical considerations with using donated natural bone human skeletons should lead to their proper care and restoration.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Sathoff, Emelye Josko

The work of a science education leader involves resilience in growing capacity in others. In short, adults learn differently than our students. So come learn how to develop a coaching mindset and utilize strategies to coach science educators through change to improve science teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Much of the work of a science education leader is coaching adults. It’s important to know that adult learning is different. When science leaders deeply understand what drives social behaviors, they can better engage in coaching conversations to promote the targeted change in practice.

SPEAKERS:
Derek McDowell

Do you teach courses for preservice teachers? Learn how NSTA's resources, webinars, and online community can help students become the BEST teachers they can be. We will discuss what’s available on the NSTA website and how to easily access it from your own Class Landing Page. Membership is included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Instructors using NSTA as their Textbook (or as a supplement) have students who create a library of resources, grow their network of professional colleagues, and enhance their content and pedagogical knowledge of science. Membership is included.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez

Join NSTA and Taylor & Francis staff to learn the best ways to access NSTA's journal content online, and how to use journal articles in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Best ways to access NSTA's journal content online, and how to use journal articles in your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Valynda Mayes, Dr. Patty McGinnis, Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn, Peter Lindeman

Discover an interdisciplinary approach to modeling pollination. Engage in an interactive science and engineering session to explore how pre-service teachers integrated science, engineering, robotics, and AI to address real-world phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage directly with machine learning tools and explore its applications in science education. They will learn strategies for integrating this technology into the classroom while working with models that align with NGSS standards.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Umeda, Stacy George

This session will introduce the W.H.E.R.E. Model template and demonstrate how to use this tool to help you plan, build and implement your own STEM lessons into your curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand how specific strategic guiding questions can help them identify the key components of learning as they build their lesson instruction .

SPEAKERS:
Michael Comer

Inviting all Preservice Teachers and Instructors to learn about NSTA’s Preservice Teacher Chapters. Preservice Teacher Chapters support individuals entering the profession with leadership experiences, networking opportunities, and professional learning resources available at NSTA.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice Teachers and Faculty Advisors walk-away informed to participate in NSTA’s Preservice Teacher Chapter Program.

SPEAKERS:
Jim McDonald, Eli Vincent, Alexandra Chester, Flavio Mendez, Jordan Kobielus

Join us for a presentation on the Hypothesis-Experiment Class (HEC)! Explore the implementation and outcomes of HEC, focusing on a plan about free electrons in metals like coins and cutlery. Engage in hands-on activities that reveal how HEC fosters a love for science and deepens understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the Hypothesis-Experiment Class fosters students’ joy in learning science and grasping concepts. Our material about free electrons will be distributed to attendees. The material is practical and fun for students in various educational environments.

SPEAKERS:
Mariko Kobayashi, Koji Tsukamoto, Tomoko HASEGAWA, Haruhiko Funahashi, Taro YAMAMOTO

Join a shared venture of learning in early childhood preservice teacher preparation underscoring the importance of cultivating a positive science learning community environment and championing science education through joyful science teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover how curiosity, exploration, and reflective practice shape effective teaching methods, fostering joyful science teaching and learning. Stay curious!

SPEAKERS:
Laurel Byrne

Explore the structure, goals, and resources of our academy designed to equip future math and science educators. We'll cover curriculum, mentorship opportunities, hands-on teaching experiences, and strategies for keeping STEM teachers in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
This presentation will provide an overview of how our academy prepares preservice math and science teachers. Attendees will learn about the program's curriculum, mentorship opportunities, hands-on teaching experiences, and strategies to help prepare STEM teachers and keep them in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Dominic Ramos, Katherine Meraz

This presentation will provide instructional leaders, mentors, coaches and supervisors with a research-based NGSS-aligned toolkit to support novice teachers to enact 3D teaching for all students. Attendees will have an opportunity to practice using one SEP tool to develop targeted feedback.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be able to use the ASET toolkit to develop targeted feedback regarding NGSS-alignment for novice science teachers with a focus on supporting equitable engagement of students. Attendees will practice applying the Analyzing and Interpreting Data SEP tool to a short classroom video.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Ross, Meredith Vaughn, HUI-JU HUANG, Corinne Lardy

This presentation will focus on managing student behaviors in the STEM classroom. Participants will learn key strategies for creating a successful learning environment for their students, including relationship building, passion for STEM, and putting trust into each student.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through this presentation, teachers will leave with valuable strategies for delivering STEM curriculum in a safe, engaging, and rewarding way by harnessing the individual strengths and interests of the students in their classroom and giving them the power to explore the world around them.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Backstrom

Join a discussion to address the current teacher shortage and how it is specifically problematic in the STEM fields. Participants will review current teacher preparation statistics and certification policies and discuss ways current educators can address shortages.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with statistics and ideas they can use to support local school Districts getting more involved with University teacher preparation programs and a guide to mentoring student teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Alvarez

Have you read great articles in the NSTA journals that changed or added to the ways you and your students do science for the better? You could inspire other educators across the country in the same way by sharing your teaching ideas, activities, or lessons as an NSTA journal author!

TAKEAWAYS:
Instructions and tips on how to prepare and submit your manuscript for publication in NSTA's journals.

SPEAKERS:
Valynda Mayes, Dr. Patty McGinnis, Elizabeth Barrett-Zahn, David Wojnowski, Brooke Whitworth, Peter Lindeman, Beth Murphy

Learn how the 'Observe & Wonder' thinking routine lays the foundation for deeper learning in science. This presentation explores strategies to enhance students’ observational skills and foster curiosity, which are key to mastering other scientific practices and thinking routines.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with practical strategies to help students sharpen their observation skills and spark curiosity, establishing a foundation for inquiry, sense-making, and developing other key thinking routines, such as prediction, categorization, and analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Lionel Sandner, Sandra Mirabelli

University students partner with a 5th-grade teacher to create a water quality and rights unit for multilingual learners. The interdisciplinary unit combines hands-on learning with local case studies, enhancing language skills and environmental awareness, providing practical teaching experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
This partnership empowers university students and multilingual fifth-graders, fostering environmental literacy and language skills through collaborative, real-world learning about water rights and quality.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Cody, May Lee

What does it mean to "unpack" standards? Does it help your science practice to unpack standards before you teach? This session discusses both topics - the process by which standards are unpacked and the impact of that process on the confidence you have in your ability to to teach science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn the process of unpacking standards by participating in the process. In addition, they will learn how the process of unpacking, or at least knowing how the process is completed, impacts their confidence in their ability to design and teach impactful science lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Robertson

Join us in hands-on activities where students Observe & Wonder, Predict & Infer, Sort & Categorize, Analyze & Interpret and Conclude & Apply to explore, think critically and make sense of the world. Engage all learners in science through thinking routines that foster sense-making and 3D learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain a toolkit of engaging, classroom-tested science activities, literacy strategies, anchor charts, and assessment tools to support students’ skill development and sense-making, aligned with 3D learning and the NGSS Science & Engineering Practices.

SPEAKERS:
Lionel Sandner, Sandra Mirabelli

As teacher educators, we must equip preservice teachers to honor diverse student experiences in science education. To address challenges from differing cultural backgrounds, we've integrated AI tools into our courses to develop culturally responsive NGSS lesson plans. We’ll share these strategies

TAKEAWAYS:
Equip science teacher educators with AI tools, strategies, and insights to help science teacher candidates enhance their lesson planning and assessment development to include a focus on equity, social justice and culturally responsive teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Olayinka Mohorn-Mintah, Logan Caldwell

What do students take away from science classes? This interactive session unpacks how classroom experiences influence the choice of education majors. Participants will examine data, discuss innovative instructional approaches, and leave with practical tips and techniques to enhance science students.

TAKEAWAYS:
The immersive and interactive process would allow participants to examine their current instructional practices, actively engage in data analysis, explore ambitious science protocols, and gain practical tools to support utilizing the approach in classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Dana Morris, Krystle Moos, Justina Ogodo

The dissemination of study results in this session addresses the critical need to provide rural preservice teachers with opportunities to engage in Global Citizen Science (GCS) projects that permeate beyond geographic isolation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain a better understanding of incorporating Global Citizen Science projects into their teaching practices along with an overview of strategies for overcoming the challenges of geographic isolation in rural settings.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Lumbreras, Gwinn North

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

There is no shortage of phenomena-based curricular materials. The difficulty districts face is implementation at scale with dwindling PD dollars. We will discuss the research on scaling high-impact teaching and learn how to put low-cost systems into practice without undue burden on teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the 4 categories of instructional change, which are and are not effective, and how to set up low-cost systems for diffusing evidence-based instructional practices across a teaching network, such as a school district.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore

Designing effective anchoring phenomena is challenging. This interactive session will engage participants in a variety of anchoring phenomena examples appropriate for multiple content areas and grade levels. If you are wanting new ideas and something to take home to use immediately, this is the place for you!

TAKEAWAYS:
Examples of anchoring phenomena in a format that is engaging to participants and relevant to any STEM classroom to maintain student interest.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bindis, Flavio Mendez

Stories provide a window into preservice elementary teachers’ anti-deficit perspectives on astronomy and how it is practiced. Attendees will critique published astronomy storybooks. Then small groups will write and share an outline of a story using criteria from the resource that will be provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Children’s storybooks contain implicit biases about who does astronomy, what counts as astronomy, and how place shapes astronomy. Attendees will learn to critique representation (e.g., racial and gender diversity), identify astronomy practices, and teach astronomy using stories.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Ragonese, Julia Plummer

The 3D unit aligns with a fifth-grade NGSS Performance Expectation to provide a practical opportunity to investigate the conservation of matter of an open system contained within a closed system. Participants investigate and model the phenomenon. The unit emphasizes modeling and C-E-R.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will (1) investigate and explain why an object grows, yet the amount of matter remains the same within a closed system, (2) make observations and measurements and engage in collective sensemaking, and (3) explain a phenomenon by developing a model and writing a C-E-R statement.

SPEAKERS:
Alex St. Louis, Jaclyn Murray

A customizable outline for increasing educator success entering the profession is shared. A portfolio consists of twelve components that demonstrates foundational understanding and creates career supports. The packet consists of leading overview and evaluation project bookends.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be given a Google drive link to the portfolio components that can be downloaded and modified, or used as is. Ideas for possible course modifications will be shared. Examples can be provided of complete portfolios and exemplar ancillaries.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bechtel