In this workshop, we will explore several phenomena-based hands-on science activities developed by the Exploratorium Teacher Institute, known as science snacks. We will apply an equity lens to draw connections from the scientific phenomena to some social phenomena. Participants will learn to make metaphorical connections between the science of perception and equitable teaching practices, which will help in science teacher professional development, science teaching, and also in public outreach.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to make metaphorical connections between the science of perception and equitable teaching practices

SPEAKERS:
Eric Muller, Desiré Whitmore, Rachel Myers

Explore interactive strategies to inspire student engagement in complex science discussions. Using genetic engineering as a focus, this session highlights how you can support students in discussing the intersection of innovation with bioethics and public policy. Learn approaches to guide students in researching diverse perspectives on GMOs and CRISPR use and regulations, analyzing case studies, and participating in discussions. Discover ways to foster civil discourse on ethical debates while building independent research and synthesis skills. You will leave with practical tools and free resources to make real-world connections, helping students strengthen communication, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills. Aligned to honors and AP Biology (Unit 6), the session also connects to environmental science, ethics, government, and economics, offering interdisciplinary connections for deeper learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn strategies and gain resources to engage students in real-world science conversations, with a specific focus on the intersections of genetic engineering, bioethics, and policy. This is to better support building student research, communication, and critical thinking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Lane

This presentation is centered around the 2019 National Geographic Magazine, "The Race Issue". This is a mini-unit that engages secondary students in accountable talk about the science of race, diversity, and genetics. The unit includes microscopy, guided readings, hands-on activities, and discussion. Participants will leave with tools to share with their students that are safe and appropriate. Contextualizing race within the study of genetics allows students, and adults, to speak about misconceptions and experiences. This session will share differentiated lessons for learners at multiple levels (grades, IEPs, gifted). Prerequisites for this unit are an understanding of mitosis and meiosis, experience in accountable talk and microscopy. I have done this unit for 6 years with much success, I teach in a diverse, urban school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a "camera-ready" unit, that is relevant and appropriate, to extend their current genetic lessons. The unit engages participants in the science behind the discussions of race, ethnicity, and diversity. The lesson is adaptable for all learners in a 7-12 life science class.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Busker-Postlethwait

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the education landscape, with new tools and features transforming what’s possible for science teachers. This session will explore both the how and the when of using AI intentionally in everyday teaching practice. Participants will learn strategies for writing effective prompts, selecting the right tools for different tasks, and creating classroom-ready materials during the session. They will also consider how to decide when AI can serve as a powerful support for teachers and when more traditional methods remain the most effective. Throughout the session educators will consider AI as a teacher-directed tool that enhances instruction through teacher-expertise. Participants should bring a laptop or device capable of connecting to AI platforms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to select appropriate AI tools for both instructional and non-instructional tasks, practice writing effective prompts, and create a classroom-ready resource. They will also develop a personal framework for deciding when and how AI can support teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Ariela Ikezawa

In a science classroom, accountable and productive talk is essential for developing students’ understanding of scientific concepts and for fostering critical thinking. In this session, participants will engage with a breakdown of what this looks and sounds like, and how it contributes to student growth. Included learnings in the session: how to encourage students to actively participate in discussions, not just listening passively; how to encourage peer-to-peer dialogue, not just student-to-teacher talk; teaching respectful debate and understanding of multiple viewpoints; and encouraging students to apply concepts to new situations or real-world problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn and practice the classroom-tested practices of accountable and productive talk that turns science class into a space for thinking, not just knowing and helps students become inquirers, analyzers, and communicators (core components of scientific literacy and critical thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Annette Venegas

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Literacy instruction does not have to compete with science for instructional time. When thoughtfully designed, science lessons can serve as a powerful context for building reading, writing, and academic language skills—particularly in elementary classrooms. In this session, participants will explore how phenomena-driven science instruction advances literacy by using purposeful reading, evidence-based writing, and structured discussion to support student sense-making through the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). The session focuses on practical approaches to lesson design that support diverse learners and promote sense-making across disciplines. Participants will review classroom examples from Discovery Education’s Science Techbook, illustrating how three-dimensional, phenomena-driven lessons can be structured to deepen engagement and reinforce core literacy skills within science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Hampton, Justin Karkow

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Join our interactive workshop where literacy meets exploration! Experience through hands-on modeling, playing a card game, and reading stories about how students can build explanations of confusing weather phenomena. Learn strategies to build your students’ literacy skills. Leave with classroom resources. Smithsonian Science for the Classroom earned an All-Green rating from EdReports. 

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera, Rachel Patton, Dr. Sarah Glassman

Explore an April Earth Month calendar that offers a diverse range of daily engaging and educational activities designed to inspire environmental consciousness. The resource can be printed or distributed digitally, and all actions can be done at home or school. This provides attendees with an accessible tool to participate in events that promote a healthier, more sustainable future for our planet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore an April Earth Month calendar that offers a diverse range of daily engaging and educational activities designed to inspire environmental consciousness.

SPEAKERS:
Benjamin Charles

Climate change naysayers, anti-vaxxers, COVID myths, wonder diets & greenwashing by industry -- all challenge our students. Here, we present a set of inquiry lessons for developing competences in NGSS SEP#8, “Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.” Help students navigate the concepts of scienc media literacy: expertise, credibility, the role of consensus and institutions, the nature of trust, cognitive pitfalls, and recognition of deceptive tactics. From the Editor of the "Fact-or-Faux" column in NSTA's The Science Teacher.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore a collection of inquiry lessons about scientific misinformation and media literacy practices. "Fantastic Beasts" | "The Vaccine Skeptics of 1721" | "Fact Checking 101 & 102" | "The New Madrid Earthquake, 1990" | "The Science Liars Game" | "The Noisy Response to Silent Spring, 1963" & more.

SPEAKERS:
DOUGLAS ALLCHIN

This study examined elementary teachers’ perceptions of integrating science, math, and ELA as part of interdisciplinary STEM teaching. Surveys and interviews with K–6 teachers showed that most believe students understand concepts better through integration than when subjects are taught separately. Teachers most often integrated ELA and science and reported the greatest confidence in this pairing, while full three-subject integration was less common and approached with lower confidence. Teachers highlighted benefits such as increased engagement, stronger conceptual connections, and multiple exposures. Key barriers included limited time, curriculum misalignment, resource shortages, and lack of collaboration. Supports identified to support integration included leveled nonfiction texts, hands-on investigations, targeted professional development, and dedicated planning time. A first-grade 5E light and sound unit was developed to model the integration of these subjects and will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain insight into K-6 teachers’ perceptions of integrating ELA, math, and science, including the benefits they see for students, the challenges of interdisciplinary teaching, and supports to assist interdisciplinary teaching, as well as an example interdisciplinary unit.

SPEAKERS:
Catherine Kurniawan, Heather Bliss, Kelly Hutchinson-Anderson

Join the NSTA PL committee for one or all of the interactive sessions in our Interdisciplinary Connections strand to explore the what, why, and how of interdisciplinary science teaching and learning. Each session will engage participants in interactive experiences to solve problems or investigate phenomena using science while focusing on a particular pairing of interdisciplinary opportunities. In this session, you'll explore how engaging in purposeful ELA activities during a phenomenon-based lesson is essential to both figuring out phenomena in science and boosting literacy development! Participants will engage in a science learning sequence in which they read, write, listen, and speak in authentic ways like scientists do and will discover how ELA can be leveraged and integrated into science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience a model lesson and learn how to align ELA standards with authentic science practices like reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Discover how integrating purposeful ELA activities into phenomenon-based science boosts both literacy and science sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli, Rebecca Abbott, Kathy Renfrew, Jesse Wilcox

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Ready to experience the next generation of science instruction? In this interactive session, educators will explore how real-world phenomena drive authentic three-dimensional learning. Using Discovery Education’s Science Techbook as a model, participants will see how coherent, phenomena-based storylines engage students in the Science and Engineering Practices to make sense of Disciplinary Core Ideas through Crosscutting Concepts. Be among the first to experience this innovative approach to learning, featuring classroom-ready slideshow lessons, phenomena-driven investigations, built-in differentiation, and hands-on learning designed to strengthen literacy and math while supporting authentic three-dimensional learning. You will leave with practical tools and a clear framework for moving from activities to deeper understanding—empowering students to think like scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Hampton, Justin Karkow

It is essential for middle school science students to learn to generate new ideas, interpretations, and solutions collaboratively. In this presentation, we first convey a stance that values and leverages multilingualism and multilingual learners' (MLs) lived experiences. We then share work done with science teachers and teacher educators through the federally funded Biliteracy and Content Area Integrated Preparation (BCAIP) Project to translate this stance into moves that mobilize MLs' full linguistic repertoire (i.e., translanguaging). Specifically, we use a middle school science unit, Ecosystem Interactions and Resources, to model how bilingual texts, collaboration norms, and multilingual assessment performances serve as translanguaging moves to scaffold data and text analysis along with collaborative language development. Attendees come away with resources and tips to designing a trajectory of collaborative inquiry for their own classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Multilingual learners benefit when are supported in mobilizing their full linguistic repertoire (i.e., translanguaging) for the purpose of generating new ideas, interpretations, or solutions collaboratively.

SPEAKERS:
Edward Lyon

Discover how NSTA Kids Press books can move from page to practice in your classroom. Presenters will share encore favorites and premiere new titles, highlighting how these books support the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). Participants will see practical ways to launch inquiry projects, connect to other curricular areas, and integrate literacy into science instruction. Each featured book will include classroom-ready ideas, from hands-on activities to assessment strategies, plus suggestions for extending learning with related texts. Whether you are looking to spark curiosity, strengthen student understanding, or make cross-curricular connections, you will leave with new ideas for teaching science and engineering practices through engaging stories.

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

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Parks, Patricia Vermillion, Rina Zampieron, Katie Morrison, Simone Nance, Jennifer Williams, Anne Lowry

Implementing hands-on, student-centered models of instruction such as the 5E through labs and other activities can be challenging in practice because of unavailability of time and materials. Additionally, it is a challenge to help students understand the science phenomena behind each experience, and not just the experience itself. Structured visuals bridge that gap: they are easy to make or find, and they intuitively engage students in deep, rich thinking and academic conversation. Additionally, they help level the playing field by providing all of the needed background information for students to access critical thinking opportunities about science concepts. Participants in this session will experience exploration of science phenomena from students’ perspective by engaging in peer-to-peer academic conversations using structured visuals. Participants will also be shown how to create structured visuals and structured visual resources such as The Visual Non-Glossary.

TAKEAWAYS:
Structured visuals are easy to prepare and implement, and they can either replace labs or dramatically enhance them. Structured visuals get students talking and making inferences and connections. This session shows how to find, make, and use them.

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Fleenor

Sponsoring Company: Publisher Spotlight

Let’s be real: the word “research” doesn’t exactly make most students' hearts race with excitement. But when research becomes an act of curiosity, discovery, and storytelling—suddenly, it’s irresistible. As an award-winning STEM author and illustrator for kids, I’ve spent years turning tricky science topics into page-turners. (Yes, even farts and garbage.) And in the past year, I’ve taken that process into classrooms—guiding students to not only love research…but write about it, too. This interactive workshop is the grown-up version of those popular school sessions, built for educators who want to help their students investigate like scientists and communicate like authors. You’ll learn how to help kids ask curious questions, spot stronger sources, and—here’s the “cheat code”—write nonfiction using narrative structure and their unique author’s voice. When students start to see how STEM topics show up in their everyday lives, everything clicks.

SPEAKERS:
Bethany Barton

Educators are trying to find the time to engage students in authentic science learning experiences, but they are restricted by schedule and curricular demands. INTEGRATING science and literacy ALLEVIATES challenges such as time constraints, disconnected learning, and low engagement. Utilizing science trade books stimulates knowledge building, which engages, equips, and empowers our students by contextualizing their comprehension. This session includes evidence-based research, practical insights, and hands-on application. Participants will: EXPLORE an integrated lesson using the 5E model and literacy strategies for reading, writing, speaking, and listening that deepen students’ understanding of science content connected to NGSS standards. CREATE an integrated lesson using a template and collection of science trade books. REFLECT on their experience, challenges encountered, and key takeaways. They will leave the session empowered with practical tools to elevate their teaching practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
INTEGRATING science and literacy ALLEVIATES challenges (time constraints, disconnected learning, low engagement). This presentation includes evidence-based research, practical insights, and hands-on application, to empower educators with knowledge and practical tools to contextualize comprehension.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Westhafer

In a world where algorithms compete for our students’ attention, teachers can reclaim the brain’s oldest—and most potent—learning technology: story. Neuroscience shows that when we hear a story, not a list of facts, our brains fire in synchrony—engaging emotion, motion, and imagination. In this session, teachers become narrative architects, designing lessons around the “And–But–Therefore” (ABT) framework to build curiosity, tension, and resolution. Through pop-culture examples, short demos, and brain-based insights, participants will see how storytelling transforms abstract STEM ideas into memorable, emotionally resonant learning. Attendees will leave ready to analyze any lesson for its narrative flow, reframe it with ABT, and harness the same storytelling circuitry that makes students binge their favorite shows—to make them binge your class instead.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers can become narrative architects—using story structure, neuroscience, and the ABT framework to design lessons that capture attention, spark curiosity, and make STEM ideas stick in an age of constant distraction.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady

The Next Generation Science Standards describe a vision of scientific literacy that emphasizes informed and participatory citizenship on issues related to science in society. Many elementary teachers, however, avoid debatable socioscientific issues such as whether we need zoos, the value of a national space program, or whether certain sports are too dangerous for children because of concerns about arguments in their classrooms and fear of broaching moral/ethical issues. During this interactive session, participants will be introduced to the theoretical framework behind the Socioscientific Issues (SSI) approach. They will then collaboratively engage in an activity from the NSTA Press book, It’s Still Debatable, during which they will model negotiation of a debatable issue while analyzing the lesson’s use of SSI, NGSS three-dimensional science learning, alignment with interdisciplinary standards, and multiple means of assessment for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this interactive workshop, participants will learn an array of strategies for using debatable societal issues related to science to develop their elementary students’ scientific literacy while modeling interdisciplinary, inclusive, three-dimensional science teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sami Kahn

Explore the possibilities of combining Science, Poetry, and Art as each is an act of discovery; all require keen observational skills, new perspectives, and thrive on productive communication. Understanding more about the Earth we share is a lifelong learning experience, a chance to broaden students’ horizons. Join award-winning Author/Poet Joan Bransfield Graham, a former teacher, traveler, and avid photographer, whose newest book is AWESOME EARTH:  Concrete Poems Celebrate Caves, Canyons, and Other Fascinating Landforms, for a world tour of landforms, poetry writing tips, ideas for student activities, and projects. What better way to examine the amazing landforms on our Earth than with shape itself--concrete poetry. Brevity, shape, and rhyme provide helpful clues for students acquiring English. Learn how to make shape poems, “mask” poems, and employ other “voices,” and writing techniques you can use next week, and every day, with your students! Handout will be available. K-5.

TAKEAWAYS:
Combine Science, Poetry, and Art to learn about some of our awesome landforms. Using Joan’s Five Favorite Poetry Tips, a variety of “voices,” and shape itself, you’ll learn how to help your students write their own poems to better understand our Earth’s “unfolding story” and their own stories.

SPEAKERS:
Joan Graham

How do we balance innovation, private rights, and civic responsibility? This session connects America’s founding principles to modern challenges in science and engineering. Using primary sources and considering modern challenges, you will explore activities and civil discourse practices that help students analyze whether discoveries should be shared for the public good or protected as private property. Gain strategies to guide students in designing inventions that address civic needs and in proposing how innovations should be shared. With alignment to engineering and civics standards, and integration of literacy and technology, the session offers an engaging way to connect the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, or U.S. history more broadly, to science and engineering classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to guide students in examining the balance between scientific innovation, private rights, and the public good in U.S. history and today. This integrates engineering, civics, and civil discourse as students design solutions to civic needs.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Lane

EL NINO is the largest year-to-year climate variable. There are numerous local science stories to use for relevance for students. But agency definitions, educational lessons, science-communicator descriptions, and Youtube depictions of this phenomenon are convoluted! A clear and concise conceptual lesson needs to be developed. Elementary school scaffolding can be used to build a simple and memorable model for students, teachers, and policy makers. Ocean and Climate Literacy's Principle #3 (The Ocean is a major influence on weather and climate) can be used as a 'bingo card' to help students build their models. And the NGSS 7 crosscutting concepts can be launch pads for students' discussion the interconnectedness of the ocean and the atmosphere; dance partners across a 10,000 long dance floor.

TAKEAWAYS:
A memorable conceptual model of El Niño: A wave, a water cycle, a geyser.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Witte

Discover engaging, classroom-ready strategies that connect literacy, language, and science thinking. In this session, participants will explore innovative prompts, such as "Twitter-aided Socratic Circles" and "Science Tweets," that strengthen students' ability to reason, write, and communicate scientific ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how these quick, adaptable routines can spark curiosity, deepen understanding of science phenomena, and support the three dimensions of learning. Walk away with ready-to-use examples, templates, and inspiration for making sensemaking both fun and rigorous in your classroom!

SPEAKERS:
Sara Tolman

This engaging project allows students to design and build their own circuit game.

TAKEAWAYS:
This engaging project allows students to design and build their own game. Students will use a folder, brass fasteners, insulated wires, a battery, and a mini light bulb to create a closed circuit gameboard. Teachers will learn how to create the board and to help students research potential topics.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson

In this session, we will model close reading lessons using both a document camera (traditional method) and a computer (technology integration) to demonstrate intentional annotation in science texts and assessments. Participants will engage in simulated classroom experiences, gaining a clear understanding of what effective text analysis with purposeful annotation looks and sounds like, as well as how to facilitate it. Short, manageable science passages will be used to ensure active participation and meaningful discussion. We’ll begin by exploring traditional annotation techniques using the document camera, then transition to digital tools—showing how uploaded texts can be annotated to support 21st-century learners. This hands-on approach will equip participants with practical strategies for blending traditional and modern methods to enhance comprehension and critical thinking in the science disciplines.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session empowers teachers to use intentional annotation (AI) to guide students in navigating grade-level science texts. AI, Please! boosts close reading and comprehension by combining purposeful annotation with practical classroom strategies to elevate science literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Yolanda Williams

Capture your students’ imagination with a journey into the world of bats! From blood-loving vampires to tiny bumblebee bats and giant flying foxes, this unit explores the science behind these misunderstood creatures while answering the question, “Why should we save bats?” Students dive into science, engineering, math, and literacy activities, learning about bats’ structure, function, and role as keystone species. The session highlights how to use trade books to teach science and literary standards. The culminating activity—a Save the Bats Breakout—immerses teachers in an escape-room style challenge that applies ELA standards, Greek/Latin stems, science, and math. Along the way, students uncover how misconceptions create prejudice and how knowledge empowers them to advocate for positive change. Fly away with a unit full of unforgettable, hands-on learning!

TAKEAWAYS:
This integrated STEAM/Literary unit immerses learners in the fascinating world of bats to explore science, math, engineering, and literacy. Discover how bats function as keystone species, bust myths, and learn how to use argumentation to advocate for this misunderstood creature.

SPEAKERS:
Wendy Wing

This presentation explores how AI can support student sensemaking by guiding learners through the process of building models from regional, relevant datasets. Participants will see how interdisciplinary connections between science and statistics can be strengthened when students use AI as a scaffold to develop spreadsheet formulas, test predictions, and refine hypotheses. Rather than conducting analysis for them, AI prompts students with guiding questions and formula structures that empower them to explore correlations and relationships independently. This approach emphasizes student agency, encouraging learners to make predictions, brainstorm modeling strategies, and iteratively improve their work. By situating the activity in regional contexts, the project ensures relevance and authenticity, helping students connect data patterns to real-world phenomena. Educators will leave with strategies for integrating AI into classroom projects that deepen inquiry, foster statistical reasoning,

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will go on a data adventure exploring real datasets, uncovering variable relationships, and using AI as a supportive tool. This journey, appropriate for grades 6-12, deepens inquiry, strengthens modeling skills, and inspires more meaningful, data-driven learning.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Stirling, Lora Gibbons, Theresa Goltermann

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

In this session, we will integrate science with language arts to share hands-on activities about observable patterns in space, including the sun, moon, and stars. The activities address NGSS progressions for elementary space standards. Several children’s books and language arts strategies will be shared. Integrating science and language arts provides students an opportunity “to develop reading and writing skills and to apply comprehension strategies while simultaneously learning about science concepts and processes” (Clark & Lott, 2017, p. 702). Attendees will leave with strategies that integrate science with the six language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing. Please join us for an out of this world experience!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with strategies that integrate science with the six language arts: reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Lampley, Frances Hamilton

Children are natural wonderers—always noticing, questioning, and imagining. This session explores how natural phenomena can spark curiosity and serve as a powerful provocation for learning. Through crosscutting concepts such as patterns, cause and effect, and structure and function, we will discover how nature inspires inquiry, reimagines how we live and learn, and opens engaging opportunities for children to explore science with joy and wonder.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how nature transforms science from abstract ideas into real, hands-on experiences making rich, interdisciplinary connections while sparking curiosity and deep, authentic learning.

SPEAKERS:
Christie Wylie

Using the book The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer 2010, attendees will integrate the story with the concepts of energy and basic circuits (PS3.A: DEFINITIONS OF ENERGY). This literary piece focuses on one young man’s quest to build a wind mill to pump water, light two small light bulbs, and power the family’s radio. Attendees will utilize small windmills to convert the mechanical energy of the windmill to light a small light bulb and lift a small mass.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive a 5 E learning cycle, linked to English standards, Common Core Math Standards and NGSS as well as the instructions for 3 D printing a Simple Windmill, wires a bulb holder and small bulb.

SPEAKERS:
Jan Mader, Elizabeth (Tommi) Holsenbeck

Ditch the workbooks, coloring pages, and foldables! Discover how sensemaking notebooks can transform your K–5 science lessons into powerful tools for learning. In this session, you’ll explore how to help students document their thinking, analyze data, and build literacy while strengthening their 3-dimensional understanding of NGSS. Together, we’ll tackle key questions: What should an elementary science notebook look like? What belongs inside? How do we guide students to record observations, explain their reasoning, and make sense of phenomena? You’ll see examples of how notebooks support the Science and Engineering Practices, integrate writing and drawing, and provide a window into student thinking. Sensemaking notebooks give you the flexibility to adapt to your teaching style and your students’ needs—all while centering the four essences that drive meaningful, lasting learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will walk away with clear strategies and examples for designing flexible sensemaking notebooks that help K–5 students record observations, explain reasoning, analyze data, and connect literacy with 3D NGSS learning—making science meaningful and accessible for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Lesley Gates

This session bridges the Science of Reading and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) to help educators design interdisciplinary learning that builds strong readers and critical thinkers. Participants will explore how the five essential components of reading—phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension integrate into the NGSS science and engineering practices when viewed through the STEM4Real Connect, Create, Cultivate Framework. Using this framework, attendees will learn how to connect foundational literacy with real-world scientific phenomena, create lessons that engage students in discourse and evidence-based reasoning, and cultivate a culture of language-rich, inquiry-based classrooms. Through hands-on examples and model lessons, educators will discover how to leverage NGSS to reinforce reading comprehension and vocabulary development without replacing existing curricula. Leave with a curriculum-agnostic lesson that supports reading, literacy and STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with a practical, culturally-responsive and adaptable learning sequence aligned to the Science of Reading and NGSS that strengthens literacy, builds background knowledge, and supports all learners; regardless of curriculum or grade level.

SPEAKERS:
Leena McLean

This session will get you started on writing a practitioner article for The Science Teacher. We will discuss what we are looking for and give you a step-by-step process for writing the article. Time will be given to brainstorm with others and get an outline started for your article.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will learn how to start writing an article for The Science Teacher and the expected components of the article.

SPEAKERS:
Brooke Whitworth

Reading science text can be challenging for students, especially for those who are learning English. Join us for a hands-on learning experience where we will model and discuss evidence-based reading strategies that elicit and leverage students' prior knowledge, lived experiences, and language skills to increase comprehension of complex science ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to implement reading comprehension strategies that support multilingual students in reading complex science texts.

SPEAKERS:
Claudio Vargas, Diana Velez

Do your students forget the notes they just took? Students love to sketchnote in science! Come learn how visual note taking leads to deep processing and retention of content. Editable templates will be provided. This hands on session provides you with a mini workbook to practice making visual notes. This session is for 6-12th grade teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to greatly increase student processing using templates and a new strategy of sense making called Sketchnotes.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Weibert

Science texts are central to instruction, yet many students—especially multilingual learners and those with IEPs—struggle to access them. Curricula often provide texts without guidance for supporting comprehension. This interactive workshop addresses that challenge by leveraging insights from the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and aligning with the NRC Framework for K–12 Science Education and the NGSS Science and Engineering Practice of Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information. Participants will engage in a model literacy-rich science experience, then apply strategies to spot text barriers, analyze vocabulary demands (focusing on Tier 2 words), and plan scaffolds to support all students. Leave with practical tools to adapt lessons or implement high-quality materials, ready to design inclusive supports that help every student access and succeed in science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn to analyze vocabulary and structural demands in science texts, identify potential barriers, and apply UDL- and science-of-reading–based strategies to adapt materials so all students can access and make sense of science content.

SPEAKERS:
Althea Hoard, Daniel Sonrouille

As borderlands educators, we support Mexican American students by differentiating processes, assessments, and classroom culture to navigate language/ cultural dynamics in NGSS-based, inquiry-driven lessons. In break-out groups, we: 1. explore strategies for communication, such as vocabulary charts, sentence starters, data visualization, to support science and engineering practices; 2. illustrate formative (storytelling, drawings, surveys) and summative assessments (one-page infographics, interviews) that provide multiple ways to elicit student thinking; 3. link investigations into students’ cultural and community knowledge through daily experiences with food, weather, biodiversity, and environmental issues; and 4. foster equitable participation in groups shaped by gender/ cultural dynamics, such as machismo. Finally, we showcase a 5th-grade ice cream inquiry lesson tied to NGSS outcomes with these strategies and invite you to brainstorm ways to apply them in your classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will apply differentiated strategies across processes, assessments, and classroom culture to support Mexican American students in NGSS-aligned lessons, such as an ice cream activity with 5-PS1-3 and its related 3D learning outcomes to observe and compare material properties.

SPEAKERS:
Leanne Trevino, Jahdaly Rios, Karla Quintanilla Garza, Gustavo Perez, Andrew Kipp, Cecilia Marin, Samuel Rivera, Gabriela Ristaino

Students must develop effective disciplinary literacy practices. They must learn the difference between reading with understanding and reading complex texts like a scientist – reading charts and graphs to make inferences about data; reading and using specialized language and text structures; and reading controversial text, to critique and refine knowledge. Students must learn how to formulate questions to be answered; design investigations to help answer those questions; observe phenomena objectively and analyze and annotate observations; apply critical thinking skills to determine effective ways to communicate findings. Disciplinary literacy, the application of knowledge, combined with analytical and critical thinking skills, should enable students to think, act and communicate as scientists. Attendees will learn how to guide and enable students to engage in this process successfully. Handouts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to help students formulate effective questions to guide their investigations, and then apply their critical thinking skills and disciplinary skills (objective observations and analysis of phenomena), to determine cause and effect and analyze results of the investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell

Researchers and educators agree that locally contextualized, language-rich science and engineering-based instruction exploring scientific phenomena is essential to achieving access and rigor for all students, including multilingual learners (MLs) (Lee et al., 2019; Marshall, et al., 2021). This session aims to engage participants in exploring innovative science lessons developed through an NSF-funded project and demonstrate tools for integrating language into science content instruction. The session will engage participants in the Instructional Conversation (IC) pedagogy (Mellom, Hixon, & Weber, 2019) – a collaborative, conversation-based, and culturally and linguistically-responsive instructional approach, found to positively impact the academic and linguistic growth of MLs. Participants will explore tools and scaffolds that establish a learning environment where multilingual learners feel safe to take intellectual and linguistic risks and engage in Science and Engineering Practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to the Instructional Conversation (IC) pedagogy (a model for differentiated small group instruction) and explore the application of the IC pedagogy and practice using tools and strategies within ICs to engage multilingual learners (MLs) in science content instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Hixon, John Mativo, Robin Osborn, Paula Mellom, KeShaun White, Wren Cheatum

From Tatooine’s twin suns to Endor’s forest moon, this Star Wars-themed lesson guides students through Earth-Moon-Sun relationships using familiar planets from a galaxy far, far away. Students compare fantasy and real planetary systems, model eclipses and tides, and build literacy through science-fiction CERs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will receive a creative unit comparing real space science with Star Wars worlds to build understanding of Earth-Moon-Sun interactions.

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

This session will describe the CER model for constructing arguments and explanations, break down the components, and provide resources for classroom integration in alignment with content standards. Educators will learn about evidence-based arguments and their importance to the science classroom, explore the role of arguments in the sense-making process as it is used to teach the disciplinary core ideas of the NGSS, and participate in hands-on examples of practical classroom strategies for integrating the CER framework. The workshop will describe and model a sequential process for introducing, teaching, and strengthening writing skills that can be adapted for all content areas without taking time away from required content standards. Teachers will leave feeling better equipped to support young scientists learning the necessary science skills of writing arguments. We aim to improve domain specific literacy skills and authentic writing opportunities aligned with the NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
The CER model for writing is an effective framework for engaging in arguments from evidence and constructing explanations. CER can be taught in a sequential process while supporting students' sensemaking of the content standards using a plethora of editable resources that can be easily adapted.

SPEAKERS:
Chloe Tracy

Class pets are a fun way to spark a love for nature in young learners! Stop by this Share-a-thon Station to learn how to incorporate class pets into your early childhood curriculum. There will not be live animals at this station; teachers will learn strategies to bring class pets into their own classrooms. Examples include butterflies, beetles, pill bugs, and earthworms. Educators will leave with lesson ideas, including hands-on learning experiences, read-alouds, and math, writing, and art connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to care for and manage class pets in the early childhood classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Lucy Krause

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. The session provides a teaser for why PBL in elementary science and for more fully integrating science and literacy. Session handouts include access reminders to increase the likelihood that attendees will consider taking a closer look. Participants will have access to support for implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
After viewing examples from ML-PBL K-5 units, participants will learn how to access the free K-5 resources on the Sprocket site. Handouts provide information for access and implementation, for adapting current units, and for integrating science and literacy throughout the school day.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Codere

Integrating science and language arts has become more common practice since the release of the ELA Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards. At this share-a-thon table, participants will learn about a two-day mini unit taught in first grade, where students participated in a variety of activities that provided opportunities for peer collaboration. First, they used data to identify characteristics of living things. Next, they used those characteristics to determine whether items were living or nonliving during different activities. Additionally, multiple areas of language arts were incorporated, including writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visually representing. Finally, the lesson culminated in an outdoor scavenger hunt before students used their drawing and sentence-writing skills to demonstrate new knowledge. Activity ideas and handouts will be shared, including how to properly implement an outdoor scavenger hunt.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn to effectively integrate science and language arts while teaching students about living and nonliving things, as well as how to properly implement an outdoor scavenger hunt.

SPEAKERS:
Frances Hamilton

Although genetic engineering and molecular biology have been part of the biology curriculum for decades, the past several years have seen the introduction of new techniques that dramatically alter the landscape of human biology. These now include the possibility of directly modifying the human genome using CRISPR to treat diseases that previously were beyond the reach of medical science. This possibility has now become reality with the cure of an infant suffering from a fatal genetic disorder by CRISPR-mediated genetic editing. We will examine how these powerful techniques work, suggest ways to incorporate them into the curriculum, and explore the promise and peril that awaits the brave new world of human genetic modification. Participants will be engaged in an interactive discussion about current events in biology and share ideas about how to incorporate phenomena in their classrooms. Participants will receive case studies to bring back to share with their students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to high interest case studies/phenomena that will engage their students in biology, demonstrating that biology is both dynamic and relevant to their lives.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller

Multilingual learners often need extra support to fully engage with science content, but the goal is independence. In this session, elementary teachers will explore strategies for creating scaffolds that provide just the right amount of support, then systematically fade them as students gain knowledge, language skills, and confidence. Through examples, hands-on activities, and discussion, participants will learn how to scaffold science investigations, discussions, and writing so students can move from guided participation to independent problem-solving. Teachers will leave with practical, classroom-ready approaches to support multilingual learners’ language and content growth while fostering independence, curiosity, and a love of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Develop strategies to fade scaffolds effectively for multilingual learners in science, supporting a transition from guided participation to independent thinking while fostering curiosity and mastery.

SPEAKERS:
Maria Cieslak

In an era of widespread misinformation, cultivating scientific literacy is essential for preparing students to critically evaluate information and make informed decisions. This session explores evidence-based strategies for improving scientific reasoning and critical thinking in both high school and postsecondary science education. We will discuss how to integrate media literacy, primary literature analysis, and science communication into science curricula to equip students with the skills to navigate scientific claims in a digital age. Additionally, we will address common misconceptions, cognitive biases, and how to help students distinguish between credible science and pseudoscience. Participants will leave with practical strategies, assessment tools, and classroom-ready activities that promote science literacy across disciplines, with an emphasis on fostering collaboration between secondary and postsecondary educators to create a more cohesive approach to scientific reasoning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gain a clear understanding of why scientific literacy is vital in combating misinformation and helping students critically evaluate scientific claims in today’s digital world.

SPEAKERS:
Cheryl Robertson

Join us for an interactive workshop where we will explore how pairing science activities with literacy strategies builds conceptual understanding using the vocabulary of science. Participants will engage in hands-on activities through five Fail-Safe Thinking Routines: Observe & Wonder, Predict & Infer, Sort & Categorize, Analyze & Interpret, and Conclude & Apply along with interdisciplinary vocabulary practices, including word parts, concept clusters, and word sorting. They will see how explicit vocabulary work helps students use academic language more purposefully in science, describe phenomena accurately and precisely, and deepen understanding of technical terms central to disciplinary knowledge. By connecting literacy strategies with NGSS Science & Engineering Practices, teachers can support diverse learners, automate core skills, and free cognitive space for deeper sense-making. Participants will leave with classroom-tested tools to seamlessly integrate science and literacy.

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

SPEAKERS:
Lionel Sandner, Sandra Mirabelli

Every science classroom includes students with diverse learning needs, and small instructional shifts can make a big difference in their engagement and success. In this session, we will explore common learning differences and how they may appear in the science classroom. Participants will see a concrete example of a differentiated science project designed to support students with learning differences, and then engage in collaborative discussion to share strategies, ask questions, and brainstorm ways to make science more accessible for all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn practical strategies for recognizing learning differences in the science classroom and designing differentiated projects that help all students thrive.

SPEAKERS:
Joanne Tan

As instructional coaches, we understand the difficulties of trying to “teach it all” and yet deal with time constraints and demands of solely focusing on ELA and math, meeting students' needs and behaviors, and lack of time for planning and preparation. Because science plays a huge role in increasing student engagement and intrigue, provides background knowledge and experiences, and increases vocabulary, we need a way to bring science into the classroom on a consistent basis. The solution is to bridge together the content and strategies of both science and ELA through reading, writing, speaking, and listening. In this session, we will begin with the 5E instructional model and how literacy plays a role in this model. We will then dig into engaging strategies that teachers can use to increase collaboration, discourse, and sensemaking. Finally, we will look at strategies that support English language learners in both science and increasing language.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with engaging strategies and activities that can be used within classrooms to bridge science with literacy, ideas on how to bring literacy into science, and science into ELA.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Corso, Kelli Conner

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

The Science of Reading shows why background knowledge is essential for language comprehension. Let’s discuss how teachers can use science experiences to grow students' background knowledge and strengthen essential literacy skills before they're introduced to nonfiction/ informational text. Reframe your approach to reading comprehension—through the lens of science!

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the educational landscape. While AI can feel like a burden to traditional teaching, it offers powerful opportunities when harnessed well. Teachers face the dual challenge of using AI to enhance their practice while simultaneously preparing students to use AI responsibly and effectively. This session explores both sides of the equation. Drawing from classroom experience and current national guidelines, participants will examine the benefits and pitfalls of AI in education. Attendees will gain practical AI strategies for lesson planning, standards alignment, and identifying misconceptions, plus tools that ease teaching burdens and equip students with AI literacy and ethical use strategies. The session will include classroom examples, forward-looking policy insights, and collaborative brainstorming, leaving attendees with ready-to-implement strategies that position AI as both a teaching partner and a student learning tool.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover how AI can move beyond burden by streamlining teacher tasks like lesson planning, grading, and standards alignment, while also providing strategies to prepare students for responsible, ethical, and practical AI use.

SPEAKERS:
Kenji Nomura

What does the Science of Reading have to do with reading and writing science? Quite a bit, actually! In this session, we will explore some of the reasons students struggle to read, write, and comprehend scientific texts. More importantly, we’ll dive into some strategies you can use to support students in accessing grade-level texts, including doing more hands-on science! Educators will engage in real practice and take away tangible ideas to bring better literacy practice into any type of science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use strategies from the Science of Reading philosophy to help students become better readers, writers, and speakers of science.

SPEAKERS:
Obie Martin

Exposure to lead has lifelong health impacts, especially for children who are most vulnerable. North Carolina’s Clean Classrooms for Carolina Kids™ program provides an authentic context for student learning as schools test water for lead and address environmental health hazards. In this workshop, participants will step into a middle school project-based learning unit where students investigate three real-world case studies of lead exposure, analyze data to uncover causes and impacts, and apply cross-curricular skills in science, math, social studies, and ELA. Acting as scientists and engineers, students engage in sensemaking by leveraging the science and engineering practices in the context of a real-world phenomena culminating with students designing informational materials for various audiences that propose actions for safer communities. Participants will experience portions of the unit from a student perspective and leave with adaptable resources to integrate environmental health into engaging, standards-aligned instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how a cross-curricular PBL unit empowers middle school students to investigate lead exposure, analyze real data, and advocate for safer communities through evidence-based action.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Mills

Three-D science assessments can be challenging to construct, especially to incorporate critical thinking skills. Join us as we explore the criteria for high-quality science assessments and discuss strategies for writing them. Your session leader is a widely-published writer of science assessments and curriculum, and he has a wealth of experience to share.

TAKEAWAYS:
When you write a science test, keep its focus on the science knowledge and skills that you want students to demonstrate. Clear focus = Useful, fair assessment!

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Berman

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Ward's OpenSciEd Elementary Kits invite students to solve problems through reading and science. Join us for a sampling of the activities that teach everyday topics like weather, landform changes, and water testing. No need to take time away from reading: books are included with each unit to address literacy skills.

SPEAKERS:
Norman Marshall

Make student thinking come to life with notebooks! No more cutting and gluing! Ditch the worksheets and get students owning their work. Increase the rigor of student work—learn new strategies for organizing content and how to use templates for any science class. This is notebooking like you have never seen before! Take home many current NGSS classroom examples to get you started. This session is for 6-12 grade teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Notebooking in science should focus on sense-making and creating ownership of the work. Moving away from worksheets and discovering-1.) The how and why of science notebooks; 2.) How to engage ALL students in science; and 3.) Templates scaffold student learning for success.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Weibert

Reimagine science note-taking as a tool for sense-making, not transcription. In this session, participants will explore interactive strategies, including input/Output pages, guided note-taking, visual models, and scaffolded prompts, that deepen students' ownership of learning. Rooted in NGSS and research on literacy practices, these approaches elevate student ideas, support multilingual and neurodiverse learners, and make complex concepts accessible. Educators will analyze classroom note-taking components, practice applying note-taking strategies to content, and design a process applicable to their own lesson sequences that integrates disciplinary core ideas with student voice. Participants will leave with practical tools, templates, and strategies to transform note-taking into a pathway for science literacy and critical thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience hands-on science note-taking strategies using Input/Output practices and analyze how note-taking fosters rigor, literacy, and ownership of science ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Henri Shimojyo

Why do students hold on to misconceptions about scientific ideas even after instruction? Research in psychology reveals that cognitive biases—such as confirmation bias, anchoring, and availability bias—shape how people interpret evidence and make decisions. These biases influence not only our students but also us as educators. This interactive session examines how cognitive biases interfere with scientific reasoning and persistence of misconceptions. Participants will engage in activities to uncover their own biases, then explore classroom strategies that guide learners toward evidence-based reasoning. Emphasis will be placed on fostering critical thinking and metacognitive reflection to strengthen students’ ability to evaluate claims, question assumptions, and apply scientific practices with greater accuracy. Educators will leave with practical techniques to help students identify bias, challenge flawed reasoning, and build habits of mind essential for science literacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Cognitive biases shape how students (and teachers) interpret evidence, often reinforcing misconceptions. By engaging in bias-awareness activities and embedding metacognitive reflection, educators can equip students to think more critically, evaluate claims, and reason scientifically.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsea Robertson, Cheryl Robertson

In this session, we will share how our district leverages state assessment data to identify patterns in student misconceptions and weaknesses, and then uses The Writing Revolution (TWR) strategies to directly address those gaps in science. By analyzing where students struggled on constructed-response and data analysis items, we can design intentional scaffolds that support students in writing to demonstrate their scientific knowledge—rather than losing credit due to incomplete or imprecise written responses. Participants will see concrete examples of how TWR sentence- and paragraph-level strategies (e.g., Because–But–So, sentence expansion, appositives, and subordinating conjunctions) are aligned to the types of reasoning and explanatory tasks required on the state exam. We will model how teachers can transform assessment data into targeted literacy-based interventions, helping students both strengthen their command of content and more clearly communicate their scientific reasoning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers can leverage state assessment data to identify where students struggle with three-dimensional science tasks, then apply targeted writing strategies that support sensemaking and help students clearly communicate their scientific understanding on assessments.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn DiAndrea, Dr. Kristen Cummings

Inspired by How to Train Your Dragon and developed through the AEOP-RESET 2025 program, this lesson engages students in asking, “Could a dragon really fly? How big would its wings need to be?” Using film clips, discussion, and the Engineering Design Process, students apply dimensional analysis and the square-cube law to compare real animal flight data with Toothless’ fictional design. Through guided investigations, scaling calculations, and creative blueprinting, students explore math, science, and engineering in a high-engagement, literacy-integrated challenge. The culminating project tasks students with designing a scientifically realistic, flight-capable dragon while documenting their work in an Engineering Design Journal. This session highlights how fantasy and STEM integration can deepen engagement, equity, and critical thinking for diverse learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate fantasy literature with STEM by using dimensional analysis and the Engineering Design Process to engage students in exploring flight, scaling laws, and creative problem-solving through a “Design Your Dragon” challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Alvin De Lara

This Lesson Showcase shares an interdisciplinary elementary unit developed in response to a parent’s concern about food waste at school. Using the bilingual trade book Rainbow weaver / Tejedora del arcoíris as a central teaching resource, students engaged in real-world investigations of food waste at home and school. Hands-on activities, such as sorting and weighing food waste, helped students connect abstract science concepts to real world experiences. Literacy connections through reading, discussion, and family interviews made complex science content more relevant to their everyday lives. Students also highlighted cultural traditions that shaped how families reuse food and materials, illustrating the power of integrating personal and community knowledge into science learning. By grounding lessons in authentic issues of waste and sustainability, the unit encouraged student agency by linking science with meaningful action in their lives and communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive all lesson materials and resources to implement this interdisciplinary, bilingual unit that connects food waste, culture, and sustainability through hands-on science, literacy, and family knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Caitlyn Ishaq

Scientific vocabulary is often a major barrier for emergent bilingual students, as the terms are highly content-specific and rarely used in everyday conversation. Without direct vocabulary support, students may struggle to access key scientific concepts. This poster session, presented by a veteran teacher with a doctoral degree in Curriculum and Instruction, highlights small group strategies such as pictionary, word pop, and graphic organizers that create intentional opportunities for emergent bilingual students to identify, classify, manipulate, and apply scientific vocabulary in meaningful ways. Emphasis will be placed on hands-on experiences, visual supports, and language scaffolds that promote active engagement. Participants will explore how leveraging small group settings can foster deeper comprehension, confidence, and long-term retention of science vocabulary, ensuring that emergent bilingual learners can access rigorous science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical strategies for using small group instruction to foster deeper comprehension, build confidence, and support long-term retention of science vocabulary, ensuring that emergent bilingual learners can access and thrive in rigorous science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Suzelene Pooler

El Niño is the most energetic year-to-year climate variation on Earth. El Nino impacts food, water resources, health safety around the world. Climate change will likely increase El Nino’s impacts.. But practically all definitions of this important Earth Systems phenomenon are convoluted: “a condition, a cycle, characterized by, climate pattern, a weather pattern, etc.” The Decade of the Ocean gives us an opportunity to collectively build a basic conceptual model based on the scaffolding from elementary school: a water wave and the water cycle. The Ocean Literacy Essential Principle #3 (MS) provides a ‘bingo card’ structure for applying the seven crosscutting concepts that will yield a memorable visual and textual model.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will go away with an easy-to-remember and easy-to-share conceptual understanding of El Niño: how the ocean and atmosphere are dance partners of our Earth System of Systems.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Witte

Informal learning environments are vital for children in K-2 to improve science learning and achievement. This poster will describe the development of a science kit to teach children in K-2 about composting using storytelling in public libraries. NGSS life science standards, science practices, core ideas, and crosscutting concepts for the kit will be discussed, as well as hands-on learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
After attending this session, attendees will be able to describe the development of a science kit to teach children in K-2 about composting using storytelling in public libraries.

SPEAKERS:
Abednego Bansah, Kerri Greene, David Holben

The Science of Reading is a comprehensive skill that is the understanding how humans learn to read and how reading should be taught effectively. It is not only from literacy and linguistics but also from neuroscience, psychology, and cognitive science. Far from being limited to early literacy, the Science of Reading applies across all content areas, supporting reading comprehension and academic success in every subject including STEM subjects.

TAKEAWAYS:
A main takeaway is that reading is not natural and it must be taught explicitly and directly! It needs to be taught from multiple diciplines like neuroscience, psychology, and lingustics.

SPEAKERS:
Lydia Chapman

This poster shares findings from a systematic review of secondary writing interventions in math and science. We describe how technology is used to support writing in secondary math and science, specifically examining the use of digital tools, AI, and multimodal supports that are part of interventions. Attendees will gain insight into how technology can be used to leverage learning when using writing in math and science.

TAKEAWAYS:
secondary math and science, examining the use of digital tools, AI, and multimodal supports.

SPEAKERS:
Tessa Arsenault, Kathleen Conley

Stories stick—facts fade. This poster showcases classroom-tested ways to harness the power of narrative to make science unforgettable. From movie-style “explainers” to pop-culture anchors like The Martian and Metamorpho and the Periodic Table, students learn to think and communicate like storytellers of science. Using quick, adaptable frameworks such as the And–But–Therefore (ABT) structure, teachers can transform ordinary lessons into moments of curiosity and connection. The poster highlights what happens before, during, and after these story-infused lessons, with examples of student work, ready-to-use templates, and QR-linked resources. Walk away with practical tools to make your classroom a story lab—where science content connects, creativity thrives, and every student finds their voice as a storyteller of the natural world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Stories make science stick. By using simple storytelling frameworks—like the And–But–Therefore (ABT) model and short, movie-style explainers—teachers can transform lessons into narratives that spark curiosity, strengthen understanding, and help students think like storytellers of science.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady

Today’s techbook trend has educators balancing the power of digital tools with the need for hands-on meaningful learning while embedding literacy. Led by a K–8 science specialist supporting over 35,000 students on this journey, participants will explore how science notebooking transforms digital curriculum into meaningful, student driven, hands-on sensemaking. Grounded in the NRC Framework and NGSS, the workshop will highlight structures such as sketchnoting, graphic organizers, and vocabulary strategies to help students make sense of ideas, build models, and use evidence to explain thinking. Real classroom examples will showcase sentence starters, scaffolds, and student handouts that make science talk and writing accessible for all learners. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use templates, formative assessment strategies, and practical ways to turn digital resources into active, literacy rich science learning, addressing both technology integration and hands-on science engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with practices and templates showing how science notebooking transforms digital resources into meaningful, hands-on sensemaking experiences that strengthen literacy, support equity, and foster engagement for all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Kayla Boykin

Discover how notebooking practices transform classrooms into spaces of authentic sense-making, equity, and student agency. Rooted in NGSS, this approach engages students in documenting claims, evidence, and reasoning while connecting phenomena to science ideas. Participants will explore strategies for notebook setup (Table of Contents, Anchor Charts, Resource Sheets), Input/Output structures, and 4-Quadrant inquiry cycles. Using student work samples and classroom models, attendees will experience how notebooking builds critical thinking, supports multilingual and diverse learners, and fosters a lifelong passion for science

TAKEAWAYS:
Experience notebooking as a sense-making tool through hands-on activities, as well as to analyze strategies that foster rigor, equity, and ownership (Input/Output, 4-Quadrant Inquiry, student cooperative practices).

SPEAKERS:
Henri Shimojyo

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

The Science of Reading emphasizes not just phonics instruction, but reading comprehension. Making meaning of text involves weaving together background knowledge with academic language and vocabulary—which is also integral to figuring out scientific phenomena! Join us to experience how coherent, storyline-based teaching and learning in science helps students engage in sensemaking and cultivate cross-disciplinary skills.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott, Leslie Stenger

Help students become savvy media consumers by inviting them to design and diagnose their own disinformation. Teams select an incredible science news story and pair it with two other bogus discoveries -- the class (and teacher!) try to guess which is real. Discussion after the game highlights the concrete ways we can be easily misled by plausible arguments, fake evidence, persuasive methods, and deceptive tactics. Optional extension: find real examples of science disinformation online or in social media that illustrate those strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using a game format, students learn about deceptive and disinformation strategies in the science media.

SPEAKERS:
DOUGLAS ALLCHIN

What is translanguaging? How can we leverage it to support all students’ science learning and language development? Join us for a hands-on experience, discussion of translanguaging principles, and exploration of strategies that break down language and cultural "barriers" in 3D science teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to design and implement translanguaging strategies that promote inclusion and enrich science learning by drawing upon students' full linguistic and cultural repertoires for sense-making.

SPEAKERS:
Claudio Vargas, Diana Velez

Build scientific identity and literacy while combating misinformation through hands-on STEM activities, science media, and community science. Discover free, adaptable resources developed from 30+ years of trusted science journalism. Stop by our table to explore activities from programs like Down to Earth, Hack Your Brain, and Cephalopod Week. Our resources help students identify reliable sources, understand how science works, and evaluate claims confidently through engaging educational experiences. Discover book club resources featuring diverse science authors, discussion guides, and curated media that make complex topics accessible and transform passive consumption into active learning. Our conversational science communication approach bridges the gap between experts and the public. Walk away with practical strategies for using trusted science media to foster critical thinking and empower students as informed consumers of scientific information.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use trusted science journalism to build scientific literacy and combat misinformation. Discover free resources, including hands-on activities, book club guides featuring diverse authors, and practical approaches for helping students develop critical thinking skills.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Roberts

This informal share-thon highlights the STEAM Powered Careers collection, a series of ten children’s books created with scientists and educators to introduce first–third graders to a wide range of STEAM careers and role models that reflect their communities. Participants will explore free, ready-to-use lesson plans that accompany each title, see examples of how the books have been used in out-of-school-time and afterschool settings, and receive links to download all ten books and lessons at no cost. The first attendees to visit the table (or contribute during the share-out, depending on the format) will also receive physical copies of select books to bring back to their programs.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore free, ready-to-use lesson plans that accompany each title, see examples of how the books have been used in out-of-school-time and afterschool settings, and receive links to download all ten books and lessons at no cost. The first attendees to visit the table (or contribute

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Dieuwertje Kast

Unfortunately, public health measures taken during the pandemic and post-pandemic years have engendered widespread political and public hostility. This workshop will explore how effective Biology education can counteract these trends by promoting student understanding of disease mechanisms and of the scientific tools available to safeguard human health. Every crisis brings opportunity, and behind the challenges we face as science educators is a looming opportunity to engage our students in some of the most important questions that affect their lives. Even our youngest students are acutely aware of the ways in which the Covid pandemic has impacted their lives, and this awareness provides a genuine opportunity to engage students with the scientific process. The ways in which diseases such as cholera, smallpox, the flu, and Covid affect the human body will be explored in light of recent research. The science of specific countermeasures for each will be review

TAKEAWAYS:
The application of core biological principles to the challenge of disease presents a unique opportunity to engage students with topics of interest that are deeply relevant to their everyday lives. As a result, they can be used to enhance student interest and teaching effectiveness.

SPEAKERS:
Kenneth Miller

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

The Science of Reading shows us why background knowledge is essential for language comprehension, but how do we provide learners with opportunities to build background knowledge? By addressing how learners often labeled as "poor readers" are simply missing the experiences that give meaning to what they read, this session discusses how teachers can use science experiences to grow students' background knowledge and strengthen essential literacy skills before they're introduced to nonfiction/informational text. Don't miss this opportunity to reframe your approach to reading comprehension—through the lens of science!

SPEAKERS:
Ramy Mahmoud

This session explores how the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) and research-based writing strategies can be combined to deepen student sensemaking in science. Participants will see how QFT engages students in generating their own questions around phenomena, fostering ownership and authentic connections to content. We will also highlight literacy strategies—such as Because–But–So, subordinating conjunctions, and sentence expansion—to strengthen student questioning and written explanations. Connections to Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs) and Crosscutting Concepts (CCCs) will be made explicit. Examples across grade levels will demonstrate how QFT and literacy scaffolds can work together to support three-dimensional assessment and instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to blend QFT with research-based writing strategies to help students ask better questions, write to show their thinking, and make sense of phenomena through SEPs and CCCs. Ready-to-use classroom resources and modeled examples will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn DiAndrea, Dr. Kristen Cummings

Climate change is one of the most important scientific topics of our time—and students are eager to learn about it. SubjectToClimate is an innovative and free online platform that provides teachers with a suite of engaging and interactive climate change teaching resources and lesson plans that are aligned to NGSS standards. In this 10-minute presentation, our presenter will introduce SubjectToClimate's science resources and demonstrate how they can be used to enhance climate change education. We will walk through the platform's features, including lesson plans by teachers, news for students, teaching guides, and more. Attendees will leave this presentation suite of free resources they can immediately access to effectively teach climate change, no matter their grade level or subject. Join us to learn how SubjectToClimate can help you educate and inspire the next generation of climate leaders.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave this presentation suite of free resources they can immediately access to effectively teach climate change, no matter their grade level or subject.

SPEAKERS:
Benjamin Charles

Primary scientific literature is difficult for non-specialists to understand. One method of reading scientific literature, the CREATE (Consider, Read, Elucidate the hypotheses, Analyze the figures, Think of the next Experiment) method, has had success in college classrooms. In this workshop, you will learn how the CREATE method can be adapted to a high school audience. Students are provided with assignments for each step of the method, culminating with a mini grant panel where they propose experiments and evaluate each other’s work. You will read a paper on CRISPR methods as if you were the student in the classroom, completing the activities in real time. You will leave the workshop with easily adaptable resources to use with any primary science article of your choosing. We will also discuss and share strategies and resources for identifying and choosing primary science articles to include in your curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how the CREATE method can be adapted to the high school classroom, providing a clear and systematic approach to reading primary science literature.

SPEAKERS:
Shelby Montague

Science and engineering practices offer a clear framework for exploring phenomena and designing solutions, and we briefly highlight our strategies to include our Mexican American students in these investigations. We discuss: 1. supporting student communication through sentence starters, word banks, and vocabulary charts for asking questions and defining problems; 2. using 2D top-down and side drawings to develop and use models; 3. creating concept maps to organize investigations; 4. visualizing data through surveys with bar, line, and pie graphs to analyze results; 5. sharing findings through storytelling, product demonstrations, and peer presentations; and 6. navigating cultural and gender dynamics to foster productive roles in group work. During the Q&A, we invite our audience to share their strategies and supports for Mexican American students, and we share our resources and examples with our audience to help them apply these strategies in their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore strategies to develop activities that enhance equity with science and engineering practices for Mexican American students and integrate these strategies into their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Cecilia Marin, Gabriela Ristaino, Karla Quintanilla Garza, Gustavo Perez, Andrew Kipp, Jahdaly Rios, Leanne Trevino, Samuel Rivera

What happens when a classroom becomes a stage for sensemaking? In this session, participants will discover how a student-led TEDx conference can serve as a powerful vehicle for integrating phenomena, science and engineering practices, student ideas, and science ideas into daily instruction. Attendees will learn practical strategies for guiding students as they identify real-world phenomena, design questions, and conduct research that bridges STEM and humanities. Students then transform their findings into authentic TEDx talks, blending science literacy, engineering design, and communication skills. This approach highlights how educators can cultivate curiosity, amplify student voices, and connect learning to the broader community. From scaffolding research and refining arguments to integrating media production and presentation, this session offers a replicable framework for engaging students in authentic, idea-driven science learning that deepens understanding and builds confidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies for using student-led TEDx talks to integrate the four pillars of sensemaking (phenomena, practices, student ideas, and science ideas) into classroom practice, empowering learners to research, reason, and present authentic, real-world solutions.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Robinson, Katie Musick, Jesse Wren

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Science

Join us for an interactive exploration of how wind, water, and ice shape Earth’s surface through erosion. Using modeling and integrated literacy activities, participants will examine the difference between slow processes, such as mountain weathering, and rapid events, such as landslides. By engaging in hands-on modeling, participants will illustrate landform characteristics and visualize the impact of erosion over time. Leave with valuable classroom resources. 

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera

We’ll begin by examining reading data to highlight the reality that all science teachers are also literacy teachers. Participants will be introduced to the Science of Reading and Scarborough’s Reading Rope, with a focus on the strands most applicable to science instruction. Throughout the session, the importance of oral language will be emphasized, and all strategies will be framed through the lens of teachers as adult learners exploring the topic of neutron stars. Explicit strategies will be modeled, including vocabulary routines and morphology instruction, to show how these practices support comprehension of complex texts. Teachers will engage in a hands-on activity to build background knowledge, and they will practice a vocabulary routine designed to support reading a complex science text.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session connects the Science of Reading to secondary science teaching, with strategies grounded in Scarborough’s Reading Rope. Learn vocabulary routines and collaborative structures support comprehension for all students, especially MLLs. Leave with practical tools for immediate classroom use.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Bricker

Discover how NSTA Kids Press books can move from page to practice in your classroom. Presenters will share encore favorites and premiere new titles, highlighting how these books support the Science and Engineering Practices (SEPs). Participants will see practical ways to launch inquiry projects, connect to other curricular areas, and integrate literacy into science instruction. Each featured book will include classroom-ready ideas, from hands-on activities to assessment strategies, plus suggestions for extending learning with related texts. Whether you are looking to spark curiosity, strengthen student understanding, or make cross-curricular connections, you will leave with new ideas for teaching science and engineering practices through engaging stories.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use NSTA Kids Press books to engage students in the Science and Engineering Practices through inquiry projects, cross-curricular connections, and hands-on activities that bring science learning to life.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Parks, Simone Nance, Jennifer Williams

How can we help preservice teachers grow confident in facilitating inquiry-based, integrated science instruction? In this session, I present a “Teacher Toolbox” framework rooted in metaphor, reflective practice, and literacy integration. Designed for early childhood and elementary science methods courses, this approach helps preservice teachers identify, name, and apply instructional “tools” — such as questioning strategies, picture books, sensemaking routines, and science/literacy connections — while building their science teacher identity. Participants will explore sample toolbox templates, student work, picture book pairings, and reflection prompts that support 3D learning, NGSS-aligned integration, and the development of teacher agency. Leave with resources and ideas to implement the toolbox metaphor in your own methods courses or professional learning sessions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain an understanding of how metaphor can shape teacher identity and confidence. They will also explore a customizable "Teacher Toolbox" framework and take away sample tools, reflection strategies and literature-based science integration ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Kelley Spahr

Believe it or not, there’s still a place for paper in the modern classroom! Interactive notebooks have long been crucial in developing student knowledge, accountability, and ownership of learning, yet they remain a logistical struggle for many teachers. Don’t let glue or scissors get in the way of a great learning tool. In this session, attendees will explore multiple solutions to common notebooking concerns while deepening or developing their classroom notebook systems to meet their unique needs as educators as well as those of their students. Topics covered will include assessment, parent communication, classroom management, and organization. Integration of digital assignments with paper notebooks and printed workbooks will also be explored. Not specializing in one grade or science subject, this presentation will span multiple grade and cognitive levels and present solutions from diverse classrooms while identifying a range of needs, then designing solutions that work for you.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore multiple solutions to common notebooking concerns while developing or deepening their classroom notebook systems to meet the unique needs of their students. Topics covered will include assessment, parent communication, classroom management, and materials organization.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Newell

Evidence-based science is under unprecedented attack by conspiracy theorists and vested interests. These attacks are newly-empowered, omnipresent, and designed in ways that directly target the goal of building scientific literacy as defined by the National Academy of Sciences: “knowledge and understanding of scientific concepts and processes required for personal decision making, participation in civic and cultural affairs, and economic productivity.” As science education leaders, our work means nothing if, we don’t build this kind of scientific literacy and create informed and engaged citizens (in addition to satisfying local and national standards, of course). To do that, we must understand the sources of these attacks, and refocus our teaching in ways that empower students to recognize and reject misinformation and disinformation. We can best do this by focusing on critical thinking, source evaluation, and a deeper understanding of scientific evidence and the nature of science.

TAKEAWAYS:
As science educators, we must understand sources of anti-science rhetoric and the tactics of denialists, and equip students with functional scientific literacy to recognize and reject disinformation. To succeed, we must utilize existing strategies and create new ones attuned to students’ worldviews.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine

Finding relevance in real-world scientific events increases students’ motivation for learning. Elementary schools have neglected to include science as a main part of the curriculum hindering students’ development of critical thinking and argumentation-building skills. This session introduces storytelling to enhance science understanding. As a scaffold, Rosita the pink dolphin, helps students purposefully evaluate connections between lines of evidence and alternative explanations of human impact to the environment. The story promotes content integration between science and English Language Arts to further scientific literacy among children. As a collaborative effort, preservice candidates will create the art and a second storybook-like scaffold focusing on mitigating actions to promote awareness of anthropogenic damage. In its initial phase, this project is a modified version of the model-evidence-link (MEL) resources on middle grades and high school Earth and Enviromental science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how elementary pre-service teacher students interpret and extend model-evidence-link (MEL) relationships within a story about mitigating actions to promote awareness of anthropogenic damage. Their work samples should incite discussion about elementary MEL interpretations.

SPEAKERS:
Omah Williams-Duncan, Lorraine Ramirez Villarin

Anti-vaxxers, climate change naysayers, COVID myths, wonder diets & greenwashing by industry -- all challenge our students. Help them develop skills in assessing scientific claims in the media. || NSTA’s The Science Teacher has featured a special column on media litereacy for past two years. This workshop brings these short “Fact-or-Faux?” essays to life and demonstrates how to lead lessons that develop skills in the NGSS SEP#8, “Obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.” In particular, you’ll see how to adapt the familiar inquiry approach from scientific practices to science media practices. Help students navigate the concepts of expertise, credibility, consensus, and recognition of deceptive tactics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to lead an inquiry oriented to science media literacy practices (and underlying concepts), experiencing a few examples and exploring an online library of others.

SPEAKERS:
DOUGLAS ALLCHIN

NGSS and Science of Reading (SoR) frameworks have common principles that can be linked to support deeper learning in both science and literacy instruction. By aligning practices from the Science of Reading with NGSS's emphasis on inquiry, evidence-based reasoning, and cross-disciplinary thinking, you can create a more integrated approach to teaching both literacy and science. These connections promote stronger comprehension, critical thinking, and the ability to transfer skills across subjects. We will explore connections between the frameworks and include practical strategies for integrating literacy and science instruction in K-5 classrooms, empowering educators to bridge these essential skills. Participants will learn how vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and text structure awareness support key NGSS practices and how critical thinking in reading supports students in making sense of crosscutting concepts in science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how aligning NGSS with the Science of Reading strengthens comprehension, critical thinking, and cross-disciplinary learning. Participants will leave with practical strategies to integrate literacy and science instruction in K–5 classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Pesnell

Short on STEM time? We’ve got you covered! Discover how Picture-Perfect STEM lessons turn everyday literacy blocks into powerful science learning experiences. In this hands-on session, you’ll explore ready-to-teach activities built on the 5E model, using beloved children’s picture books as the spark for investigation and problem-solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away with practical strategies, real-world connections, and easy-to-implement kits that make STEM integration effortless. Perfect for engaging your youngest learners in sensemaking and three-dimensional learning—all aligned to your state standards!

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Crawford

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

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

SPEAKERS:
Ricardo Padilla

Multilingual learners bring valuable linguistic and cultural assets to the science classroom, yet many experience foreign language anxiety that limits their participation and achievement. Research shows that language anxiety can restrict students’ willingness to engage in scientific discourse and hinder their conceptual understanding of science (Taibu & Ferrari-Bridgers, 2020; Downing et al., 2020). By intentionally addressing language anxiety, science teachers can lower the affective filter, increase student confidence, and create more equitable opportunities for sense-making and argumentation. In this session, teachers will learn practical strategies to help multilingual learners manage language anxiety. Presenters will share examples from their own science classes, along with data from student surveys and classroom observations demonstrating how these approaches improved student discourse and confidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
Reducing language anxiety in science classes lowers the affective filter, boosts multilingual students’ confidence, and promotes fuller participation in scientific discourse and sense-making.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Knudtsen, Melissa Kovar

Stories spark imagination—and science is full of them. In this interactive session, participants will learn how to use storytelling as a tool to introduce and reinforce elementary science concepts. Through modeled examples, they will see how stories transform abstract ideas into concrete, relatable experiences—for example, a water droplet’s journey to explain the water cycle or a “brave germ” to explore the immune system. Attendees will co-create short narratives and practice integrating them with hands-on activities aligned to NGSS. We’ll discuss scaffolding strategies, such as using visual supports, anchor charts, and student illustrations, to make narratives accessible to all learners. By blending storytelling with inquiry, participants will discover how to build engagement and comprehension while connecting science to literacy skills. They will leave with adaptable narrative frameworks, sample lessons, and ideas for student-created science stories.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use storytelling as a practical strategy to make abstract science concepts concrete, engaging, and accessible for elementary students.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Kavanagh

Attendees will explore tools to help students see themselves as engaged citizens who can address environmental and health issues in their communities. We will use primary sources from key moments in U.S. history to learn how scientists, researchers and members of the public made a difference in an environment- or health-related issue. Examples will be taken from high-quality, trusted organizations like PBS, Library of Congress and National Archives. We will split participants into groups so they can examine these documents as part of a warm-up activity. We will then use civic-based tools in which participants can learn to problem-solve and invent solutions to health and environmental issues they care about.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to examine primary sources to identify environmental and health issues where they live and the role of civic and invention education in creating and sharing solutions.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Osborn, Victoria Pasquantonio

This engaging lesson, designed for K-2, introduces the concept of weather to students. During the 60-min workshop, participants will learn from SubjecttoClimate’s elementary lesson plan on how to activate students to inquire, investigate and inspire with regards to earth & climate science. Key elements will include: learning ‘what is weather?’, watching and reading Fabienne’s Wild Weather Adventure, starting individual weather journalling as well as designing a weather wheel to predict Earth’s climate in 30 years. Attendees will engage in turn-and-talks and guided usage of activities. We’ll also discuss classroom applications, adaptations, and differentiation strategies. Walk away with a classroom-ready NGSS aligned lesson and ideas on how to implement climate change into what you’re teaching now.

TAKEAWAYS:
During this 60-min workshop, participants will learn from SubjecttoClimate’s elementary lesson plan on how to activate students to inquire, investigate and inspire with regards to earth & climate science.

SPEAKERS:
Benjamin Charles

Move beyond definitions! Experience how the “Observe & Wonder” thinking routine builds the foundation for inquiry, curiosity, and vocabulary development in science. In this interactive session, participants will engage in hands-on activity to see how structured observation and descriptive writing help students sharpen attention, separate observation from inference, and describe phenomena with accuracy and precision. Explore literacy strategies that put science vocabulary into action using descriptive language, shades of meaning, and word parts to strengthen understanding of scientific concepts. These approaches help students express their thinking with accuracy and confidence while developing the language of science. By connecting literacy strategies to NGSS Science & Engineering Practices, teachers can lay the groundwork for deeper sense-making and later routines like Predict & Infer. Participants will leave with practical strategies and access to additional free activities online.

TAKEAWAYS:
Our goal is to show that interdisciplinary literacy is not an added burden but an essential tool for empowering all students as scientifically literate citizens. Participants will leave with vocabulary strategies that build curiosity and sharpen observation skills.

SPEAKERS:
Lionel Sandner, Sandra Mirabelli

The Elevating Engineering with Multilingual Learners (EEMLs) PL model integrates both NGSS-aligned disciplinary content and pedagogical practices– NGSS-aligned science AND supporting multilingual learners (MLs). This session will share strategies for teachers to get to know their students and engage in rigorous reflection with an eye towards how to support MLs in science and engineering. Specifically, we will share the documents and resources that teachers in EEMLs used to track and reflect on their MLs progress over the year. We will share protocols that teachers used during plan-teach-reflect cycles during the school year, where they collaboratively worked on implementing engineering lessons that support English Language development. These documents were a part of teachers’ culminating portfolio of teaching and final presentations (which will also be shared) that highlighted their own and their students’ growth over time in both engineering and English Language development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how EEMLs PL helped teachers implement engineering with intentional supports for multilingual learners (MLs). Attendees will leave with tools they can use to better support their MLs and reflect on their students’ growth over time in science, engineering, and English Language development.

SPEAKERS:
Nico Janik, Ashley Iveland

This presentation will present results from a test correction practice that enables students to earn back points by showing their understanding of missed exam questions. The test correction process requires students to provide scientific support to explain why a choice is correct and why their original choice was incorrect. This practice builds understanding of missed concepts and also improves learning and testing skills, both important parts of sensemaking. Example missed questions can also be used as a pre-assessment or as part of the review prior to an exam. Examples of the process and opportunities to practice corrections will be included in the session.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with the ability to incorporate student examination of question choices into a pre- or post-assessment. Using this method can help increase student understanding of course objectives.

SPEAKERS:
Marjorie Rothschild

This session will present strategies for helping students make sense of data and observations through discussion and notetaking, based on a classroom action research project. This project focused on the impact of using whiteboard activities, concept mapping, graphic organizers, and discussion protocols on student’s critical thinking, pattern recognition, and data-driven reasoning. Examples of student work and research findings will be shared, along with classroom-tested resources. Participants will leave with practical tools useful for enhancing student reasoning, collaborative learning, and sense-making across grade levels and content areas. This project was funded by the Professional Development School Network (PDSN) and The College of New Jersey (TCNJ).

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover how concept mapping, graphic organizers, and whiteboards support student reasoning and data sensemaking. Participants will receive practical resources and insights from a grant-funded action research project.

SPEAKERS:
Shefali Mehta

Participants will explore how to support students in writing like scientists using Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning (CER). Designed for educators ready to integrate data analysis and promote scientific writing, this session emphasizes helping students make clear claims, back them with evidence, and explain their reasoning. Educators will engage with phenomena, three-dimensional learning, focusing on SEP: engaging in argument from evidence. Participants will leave with practical strategies, including sentence frames, scaffolds, classroom activities, and digital tools using Google Forms and Autocrat to collect, organize, and provide feedback on CERs. Attendees will gain methods to make science writing engaging, accessible, and meaningful for all learners, while helping students build confidence as they observe, reason, and communicate like scientists.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with practical CER tools: Including note-taking strategies, sentence frames, a rubric, and activities to support all learners. Plus guidance on using Google Forms and AutoCrat to streamline student work collection, provide feedback, to enhance CER lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Alejandra Worozaken

What happens when rocket science and storytelling collide? This session explores how meaningful stories can emerge from data and how those narratives help build data literacy for diverse learners. Rather than treating data as static numbers, we’ll look at ways to guide students in shaping those points into a story arc where numbers transform into characters, tension, and resolution. Teachers will see how narrative frames can make data less intimidating and more engaging, turning abstract points into arcs that learners can follow, question, and retell. Along the way, we’ll share classroom-tested examples from VASFA’s programs and highlight datasets and resources that connect data-driven storytelling with NGSS practices. The back-and-forth between story and data reveals a powerful lens for inquiry: stories guide what we notice, while data reshapes the tale we tell. Participants will leave with strategies to help students read data like a story and write stories from data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to help students turn raw data into story arcs, using rocket flights, datasets, and classroom-tested resources that make numbers feel approachable, stories memorable, and inquiry-driven learning more powerful.

SPEAKERS:
Kenji Nomura

Science Notebooking 101 is for teachers who want to get started with interactive student notebooks in their classroom. This session includes how to set up notebooks, create graphic organizers following NGSS standards, modeling, sketchnoting, using rubrics, grading notebooks, writing scaffolds, and other helpful hints. Interactive notebooks are student-generated notebooks that become a reference book for sequenced assignments throughout the school year. Our presentation will show how to set up a student notebook for an entire unit. Also included are organizational ideas for Claim/Evidence/Writing (CERs) prompts to aid in cross-curricular planning/support.

TAKEAWAYS:
An example notebook consisting of ideas and templates will be given to attendees that will help teachers introduce practical strategies and guide critical thinking for students.

SPEAKERS:
Sheryl Tabutol

This session will explore development and implementation of a K-2 nutrition-based life science and reading program in Mississippi public libraries. This session will not only showcase the collaboration of K-2 science and reading educators; public, school, and academic librarians; scientists; and the public in the development of the informal science education program, but also the approach of using a storyline and children's books to facilitate science learning of children in K-2.

TAKEAWAYS:
After this session, attendees will be able to describe the development of nutrition-based life science STEM kits for implementation in informal learning environments.

SPEAKERS:
Abednego Bansah, Kerri Greene, David Holben

Introducing flowering plants to young learners provides a powerful context for developing scientific inquiry, language, and collaboration. This session explores how economical, brightly colored sand pails can be used as mini-gardens for growing fast-germinating edible and flowering species such as garden cress and marigolds. Through hands-on investigations, students observe plant structures, growth patterns, and interactions between companion species while engaging in practices like measurement, drawing, and discourse. Lessons are structured using an Explore-Before-Explain framework to nurture curiosity and conceptual understanding in early elementary classrooms. Participants will experience key activities and examine strategies for integrating plant science into existing curricula using low-cost materials and accessible methods. These approaches are drawn from the Petal Pails curriculum, which will be referenced as one example of implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how to use simple sand pail gardens and flowering plants to foster inquiry, language development, and conceptual understanding in early elementary science through hands-on, low-cost investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Rillero

This research presentation shares findings from a systematic review of secondary writing interventions in math and science. We describe how the writing process was incorporated, what additional literacy practices students engage in, and which research-based writing practices were emphasized. Attendees will gain insight into how writing can be used to support learning in math and science, and more specifically, what evidence-based practices should be prioritized to strengthen students’ writing and content learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how writing can be meaningfully integrated into secondary math and science, highlighting the evidence-based practices and strategies that shape student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tessa Arsenault, Kathleen Conley

Data science skills are critical for success in STEM careers and a science-informed citizenry as noted in the NRC framework. Students transitioning between high school and college are often new to working with complex large datasets and need structured guidance on skills dealing with outliers, gaps, or messy trends. Instructors also face challenges accessing these datasets and lack time to create activities. One source of easily accessible large datasets is the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI). The OOI Data Lab Manual is an open educational resource that provides scaffolded activities related to topics covered in many science courses. It allows students to engage with scientific data visualizations to develop skills and apply concepts which increase student confidence and data literacy. I will demonstrate teaching strategies, available activities and new labs that focus on emerging topics in climate change such as ocean acidification and the impacts of forest fires on the ocean.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will introduce attendees to the OOI Ocean Data Labs, an open educational resource that can be used to increase students’ data skills. I will highlight the use of lab activities in the classroom and show how they relate to NGSS earth science concepts and NRC science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Jean Anastasia

Led by members of NSTA Early Childhood-Elementary Committee, this workshop will introduce participants to the concepts on text sets. Participants will also discover where to find books on a variety of topics and criteria for choosing books to include in text sets

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to create and use text sets in the science classroom

SPEAKERS:
Rina Zampieron, Anne Lowry

Introduce your students to key connections between science and civics using primary sources from high-quality, trusted organizations like PBS, Library of Congress and the National Archives. Attendees will examine news articles, photographs and political cartoons from the past to the present on topics including the polio vaccine, Space Race, ocean pollution, aviation and medicine. We will then discuss the role that civic participation has played in the work of the scientists, inventors, and advocates involved in these historic events. We will share specific primary-source based lessons and tools that science teachers can use to connect their lessons to civic education. We will conclude by sharing specific examples of students who have demonstrated strong civic participation through their work in science class.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn meaningful connections between science and civic education using specific examples from U.S. history.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Osborn, Victoria Pasquantonio

Research shows that when students encounter diverse STEM role models, they are more likely to develop confidence, persistence, and a stronger sense of belonging. This session shows how short, high-interest biographies of women in STEM can spark curiosity while reinforcing NGSS practices and cross-curricular literacy. Participants will explore how to incorporate narrative nonfiction texts into science instruction to support practices such as obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information while connecting content to real-world contexts. Two flexible, plug-and-play routines will be modeled: Scientist of the Day (Warm-Up): a quick 3–5 minute slide-based routine with a reflection question, and Scientist Spotlight (Deeper Dive): a 10–15 minute strategy pairing a biography excerpt with a mini-inquiry or phenomena-based activity. Using The Look Up Series as an example text set, attendees will leave with adaptable activities, a slide template, and a QR bundle of mini-labs and prompts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with two plug-and-play routines, a slide template, and a QR code bundle of prompts and mini-labs that integrate women-in-STEM biographies with NGSS practices, which will assist in building student identity, resilience, and belonging in science.

SPEAKERS:
Aubre Andrus

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

The Science of Reading shows why background knowledge is essential for language comprehension. Let’s discuss how teachers can use science experiences to grow students' background knowledge and strengthen essential literacy skills before they're introduced to nonfiction/ informational text. Reframe your approach to reading comprehension—through the lens of science!

Students often struggle to develop academic vocabulary in science. This session will focus on getting students to speak, listen, read and write using academic language in science. While academic vocabulary should be developed in all phases of the 5E model, we will focus on the Explain phase where participants will engage in a Talk Read Talk Write using vocabulary-focused structured visuals, the QSSSA strategy for structured conversations, and get ideas of how to differentiate reading passages for Emergent Bilingual students to improve Scientific Literacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to incorporate vocabulary-focused structured conversations, reading and writing to improve Scientific Literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Gibson

How do literacy and science practices strengthen one another and what can that look like in elementary classrooms? In this session, participants will learn about key research-based principles for integrating literacy and science in elementary classrooms. We will also engage with K-5 materials from the OpenSciEd Elementary curriculum as a model for how these principles can be enacted in classrooms. This will include a review of student-facing materials, including a variety of grade-level science texts, to showcase how integrating literacy practices into science lessons enhances science and literacy learning. We will also examine teacher-facing materials and other curricular resources to understand how these tools help make the connections between science and ELA explicit. Finally, the presentation will highlight how teachers can apply these key principles into their classrooms to support young children’s sensemaking and ELA development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrating literacy practices within elementary science strengthens learning in both science and ELA. Participants will learn key research-based principles for integrating literacy into science time to support students’ sensemaking in science, while also building their ELA skills.

SPEAKERS:
Gail Housman, Amanda Dahl

Implementing hands-on, student-centered models of instruction such as the 5E through labs and other activities can be challenging in practice because of unavailability of time and materials. Additionally, it is a challenge to help students understand the science phenomena behind each experience, and not just the experience itself. Structured visuals bridge that gap: they are easy to make or find, and they intuitively engage students in deep, rich thinking and academic conversation. Additionally, they help level the playing field by providing all of the needed background information for students to access critical thinking opportunities about science concepts. Participants in this session will experience exploration of science phenomena from students’ perspective by engaging in peer-to-peer academic conversations using structured visuals. Participants will also be shown how to create structured visuals and structured visual resources such as The Visual Non-Glossary.

TAKEAWAYS:
Structured visuals are easy to prepare and implement, and they can either replace labs or dramatically enhance them. Structured visuals get students talking and making inferences and connections. This session shows how to find, make, and use them.

SPEAKERS:
Stephen Fleenor

Discover how to make STEM learning more comprehensible and language-rich with Bridging Language and Learning: Empowering Multilingual Learners in STEM, a toolkit developed for the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC). This hands-on resource equips educators and STEM partners with over 140 practical strategies and 130+ links to templates designed to strengthen literacy and language development for multilingual learners in STEM contexts. Participants will explore five essential practices, which are creating welcoming environments, building background knowledge, developing vocabulary, providing structured speaking and listening opportunities, and encouraging student writing, to help all learners thrive in rigorous STEM settings. Leave with ready-to-implement ideas that connect language, literacy, and STEM learning in any environment, from classrooms to community spaces.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to strengthen STEM learning for multilingual learners using the DSEC Bridging Language and Learning toolkit, exploring practical strategies that integrate language, literacy, and STEM to help all students thrive in rigorous, engaging environments.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Marquis Mason, Nicole Mills

This session explores how to evaluate, select, and effectively integrate Project Zero’s Visible Thinking Routines into science classrooms to promote deeper student engagement and understanding. Drawing inspiration from Ron Ritchhart’s books and research, participants will learn practical strategies for fostering a classroom culture of active thinking. I will share insights from my own journey implementing these routines, including classroom data on their impact and connections to Mind, Brain, and Education principles. Attendees will leave with concrete examples, implementation tools, and ideas for cultivating student-centered inquiry and reflection in their own teaching practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn what Visible Thinking Routines are, how they deepen learning in science, and gain ready-to-use tools, templates, and resources to enhance student engagement, reflection, and classroom thinking culture.

SPEAKERS:
Fernando Azcona

STEM integration at the early elementary level provides powerful opportunities for students to develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and collaboration skills while deepening their reading, writing, and civic understanding. This session will share practical strategies to weave STEM into ELA and Social Studies instruction, using inquiry-based learning, storytelling, and hands-on exploration. Participants will leave with developmentally appropriate lessons, ready to use materials and strategies that connect math, science, and engineering practices to foundational literacy and social studies skills, making learning more meaningful, equitable, and engaging for young students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn practical and engaging strategies for integrating STEM with literacy and social studies to deepen student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Gabriella Lamothe

Students often struggle to develop academic vocabulary in science. This session will focus on getting students to speak, listen, read and write using academic language in science. While academic vocabulary should be developed in all phases of the 5E model, we will focus on the Explain phase where participants will engage in a Talk Read Talk Write using vocabulary-focused structured visuals, the QSSSA strategy for structured conversations, and get ideas of how to differentiate reading passages for Emergent Bilingual students to improve Scientific Literacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to incorporate vocabulary-focused structured conversations, reading and writing to improve Scientific Literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Gibson

Students often bring deeply held misconceptions into science classrooms, and these ideas frequently persist despite instruction. Insights from cognitive psychology help explain why: memory structures, prior knowledge, and faulty schema all contribute to the resilience of misconceptions. This session explores how educators can move students from misconception to mastery by applying evidence-based strategies grounded in how the brain learns. Participants will examine practices such as retrieval practice, elaboration, and conceptual change teaching, with a focus on integrating them into daily instruction. Through interactive examples and lesson design applications, teachers will learn how to reinforce accurate scientific understanding, promote long-term retention, and create opportunities for students to actively reconstruct knowledge. Educators will leave with practical tools to help learners replace misconceptions with scientifically sound concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
By leveraging strategies from cognitive psychology, such as retrieval practice, elaboration, and conceptual change teaching, educators can help students replace persistent misconceptions with accurate scientific understanding and strengthen long-term mastery.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsea Robertson, Cheryl Robertson

Structured student interactions (SSI) are important because they promote active learning, improve conceptual understating, allow all students to access content, and relay crucial social and emotional skills. Over my past 22 years of teaching I have found ways to incorporate structured student interactions into all of my lessons. During this session participants will learn about the importance of these interactions, gain access to a list of many types of SSI, and be lead through practicing SSI during a lesson on energy including a SEL check-in, partner listen and share, group models, driver-navigator routine, and partner reflection. Although these strategies are pulled from my chemistry and physics classroom they can be used in any science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a greater appreciation for the importance of structured student interactions, the confidence in using them in their own classrooms, and a list of interactions with step-by-step instructions to seamlessly integrate into their own lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Stein Meisner

Turn stories into STEAM adventures! In this session, participants will learn how to guide students through a storytelling project that blends literacy, theater, engineering, and coding. Working in groups, attendees will brainstorm a simple story, design props or backdrops with everyday materials, and use robots or coded sequences to act out part of the story. The musical theater teacher will model how to add voice, music, and movement, while the STEM educator connects the project to engineering design and computer science concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with practical ideas for connecting robotics, engineering, and the arts to literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine Mathias, Ch'Loris Clemons

Participants will learn how to integrate PreK-2 science and math concepts into English Language Arts (ELA) instruction to support students’ literacy development while nurturing critical thinking, problem-solving, and a lifelong interest in the world around them. Primary students are exposed to the 5 C’s of STEM: critical thinking, creativity, communication, collaboration and character which will help them to be better prepared for a 21st Century workforce.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM learning in the Primary grades supports the most critical point of brain development (between birth to age 5). STEM learning improves social-emotional learning skills, builds vocabulary and encourages a positive school experience.

SPEAKERS:
Vivianne Young, Kimberly Berry

Science misconceptions take hold because they seem reasonable or logical or appealing, despite little to no evidence to support them. We'll take a look at some common misconceptions, and then discover how science practices and a skeptical mindset can triumph over the most tempting false notion. Your session leader is a veteran writer and editor of science educational materials, and he has much knowledge and many experiences to share.

TAKEAWAYS:
We're all susceptible to believing exciting but false ideas. Come away with a lesson to help students develop a skeptical, scientific mindset.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Berman