Your STEM journey begins here. Incorporate STEM and PBL into the K–5 curriculum. Receive ideas for program development, grants and funding, as well as  inexpensive or free field trips.

TAKEAWAYS:
Incorporating STEM curriculum and PBLs into the K–5 grade–level curriculum requirements. Finding and scheduling in-house free and inexpensive field trips, guest speakers, and virtual experiences for all students at your school. Funding and grant writing information and sources to fund your STEM program.

SPEAKERS:
Johanna Disney (McKendree Elementary School: Lawrenceville, GA), Julie Wilkerson (McKendree Elementary School: Lawrenceville, GA)

Hear about various NSTA competitions and how they can bring STEM and the NGSS into the classroom, as well as give students and teachers a chance to earn recognition and prizes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about NSTA competitions Learn about how you can use competitions as a resource to implement NGSS and STEM into your curriculum Learn how you and your students can win prizes and recognition

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Hartman (BrainPOP: Pittsburgh, PA), Alexis Mundis (Army Educational Outreach Program: Arlington, VA), Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Develop critical thinking and research skills in your science students via debate. Bring the ideas you study into the real world. Hear how I researched and planned a debate to give my students a chance to investigate how communities evaluate environmental concerns.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to structure a science debate in the classroom How to select an appropriate topic How to help students find relevant information for the debate

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Kurson (Collegiate School: New York, NY)

Attention will be paid to contemporary perspectives on how to integrate three-dimensional science learning, language learning, and computational thinking with all students, including English language learners. In addition, student artifacts illustrating such integration will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
1) Contemporary perspectives on how to integrate science, language and computational thinking 2) Curriculum materials and classroom instruction to promote such integration 3) Analysis of student artifacts illustrating such integration

SPEAKERS:
Okhee Lee (New York University: New York, NY)

Get the tools to plan and execute a successful STEM Family Night geared toward all ages.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to plan a STEM family night What types of activities do you choose How to get parents involved

SPEAKERS:
Jacqueline Mumford (St. Paul School: Salem, OH), Misty Dietrich (St. Paul School: Salem, OH), David Pancurak (St. Paul School: Salem, OH)

The elementary classroom provides an ideal place for teachers to integrate two of the areas that have many commonalities—science and literacy skills. Identify and integrate fairy tales and fables into STEM teaching lessons. Example lessons and suggested children’s books for use will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will 1). identify and integrate fairy tales and fables into STEM teaching lessons; 2). participate in activities that model the integration of children’s stories and science content; 3). discuss strategies for integrating both science and reading skills.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Anne Royce (Shippensburg University: Shippensburg, PA)

Attention will be paid to contemporary perspectives on how to integrate three-dimensional science learning, language learning, and computational thinking with all students, including English language learners. In addition, student artifacts illustrating such integration will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
1) Contemporary perspectives on how to integrate science, language and computational thinking 2) Curriculum materials and classroom instruction to promote such integration 3) Analysis of student artifacts illustrating such integration

SPEAKERS:
Okhee Lee (New York University: New York, NY)

Hear how the Samueli Foundation along with its partners designed and scaled the STEM Learning Ecosystem to now 89 communities around the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
What it takes to build a STEM Ecosystem How to build a STEM Ecosystem The evidence to support the value of a STEM Ecosystem

SPEAKERS:
Veronica Gonzales (Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES): Cleveland, OH)

Discover STEAM-y starters in books we know, love, and have on our shelves. Titles, activities, and resources will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn why picture books are great starters for STEAM exploration. Discover favorite books and challenges. Explore how to add STEAM into already utilized texts in your curriculum and classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Burton (Trinity School: Atlanta, GA)

The authors of the Picture-Perfect STEM series will share lessons and strategies that integrate STEM and literacy in grades K–5.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore model lessons that integrate STEM and literacy. 2. Learn how picture books can be used in the 5Es learning cycle. 3. Discover engaging picture books that can inspire STEM learning.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Ansberry (Picture-Perfect Science: West Chester, OH), Emily Morgan (Picture-Perfect Science: West Chester, OH)

Hear about various NSTA competitions and how they can bring STEM and the NGSS into the classroom, as well as give students and teachers a chance to earn recognition and prizes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about NSTA competitions Learn about how you can use competitions as a resource to implement NGSS and STEM into your curriculum Learn how you and your students can win prizes and recognition

SPEAKERS:
Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Matthew Hartman (BrainPOP: Pittsburgh, PA), Alexis Mundis (Army Educational Outreach Program: Arlington, VA)

Hear about a PBL project called Filling the Gap that connects educators with local STEM businesses to develop classroom units around real business issues/problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with: 1. Understanding of a local STEM Ecosystem in western North Carolina 2. Understanding of the Filling the Gap Program 3. Examples of PBL units partnering classroom teachers with local STEM businesses

SPEAKERS:
Carol Moore (STEM West: CLAREMONT, NC), Regina Barrier (North Carolina School of Science and Math - Morganton: Morganton, NC)

Discover Orton-Gillingham strategies and activities for science vocabulary, concepts, and organizational skills that can be used immediately in all grade levels and inclusion classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Vocabulary-based strategies for all levels of students. Language-based differentiation that can be adjusted for STEM classrooms. Orton-Gillingham method can be adapted for all levels of science classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Kathryn Wink Gilligan (The Bridge Academy of New Jersey: Lawrence Township, NJ)

Are you a grades 6–12 science teacher in need of a science lab makeover? Attend this Shell Science Lab presentation and learn how you can apply to win the Shell Science Lab Challenge! Learn the tips to completing a winning application. You will have an opportunity to actually begin to complete the application and have your questions answered.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Pick up tips to completing an application. 2. Learn how to apply for the competition . 3. Learn how to begin the application process.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH)

Practical exercises convinced these science teachers to use art in their classrooms to improve learning. Leonardo was right: art and science belong together. See how!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how the physical act of drawing can enhance science learning and observation skills. 2. Take away practical exercises that help teach observation skills . 3. Discover how drawing practice can dovetail with the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Sally Bensusen (Visual Science Studio: Lovettsville, VA)

Have a great activity to share? Join in for an overview of how to write for The Science Teacher. Learn tips and tricks for being a published author.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Participants will learn about the inner workings of the journal. 2. Participants will gain skills in how to write for the journal. 3. Participants will be introduced to what kinds of articles are sought for the journal.

SPEAKERS:
Ann MacKenzie (Miami University: Oxford, OH)

Engage your students in this multidisciplinary application of civics and the scientific process. Implement this real-world problem-solving venue in your school!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to plan and execute co-curricular classes that integrate aspects of criminal justice, forensic science, and crime scene investigation. Expand these experiences for students by encouraging the involvement of other teachers/faculty in your schools. Explore how the implementation of student agency in the classroom can encourage students to grow in their ability to prioritize and chose responsibly, which is a lifelong skill.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Field (WestonHigh School)

Can the popular comic book medium be used to better support students learning chemistry? Science comic books are comic books designed to visually engage readers using sequential art to navigate a narrative that delivers science content. My investigation showed that students who read the comic book had higher gains in chemistry content knowledge than those who read the chemistry text. Given the findings, science comic books will be an effective educational tool.

TAKEAWAYS:
How science comics can benefit my students. How I can use science comics in my classroom. What science comics are there to use and where to find them.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Preece (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY)

Uncertainty and lack of predictability can stimulate the biological mechanisms of stress. Join in for a practical look at the science of stress from the perspectives of neuroscience and behavior. How do we benefit from stress and get harmed by it? How can we and our students regulate stress in the distance learning environment, in a way that promotes health and learning?

TAKEAWAYS:
Social-Emotional Mind and Brain Science Classroom Management

SPEAKERS:
Tim Blesse (Denver Museum of Nature & Science: Denver, CO)

Hear about various NSTA competitions and how they can bring STEM and the NGSS into the classroom, as well as give students and teachers a chance to earn recognition and prizes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about NSTA competitions Learn about how you can use competitions as a resource to implement NGSS and STEM into your curriculum Learn how you and your students can win prizes and recognition

SPEAKERS:
Alexis Mundis (Army Educational Outreach Program: Arlington, VA), Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Matthew Hartman (BrainPOP: Pittsburgh, PA)

Experience the Question Formulation Technique: a simple, powerful strategy that can spark curiosity and deepen remote learning by teaching students to ask their own questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Participants will learn the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) by experiencing it for themselves. They will walk away with a practical strategy they can immediately use in a remote setting to teach students how to ask better scientific questions and drive science inquiries. 2. Participants will explore student work from science classrooms across the country to see how the strategy can be used for a range of instructional purposes. 3. Participants will reflect on their learning, think on how they can implement it in their own setting, and get access to free tools and resources to do so.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bolduc (Ellington Middle School: Ellington, CT), Katy Connolly (Right Question Institute: Cambridge, MA)

Join us as we discuss pandemic rethinking of an in-depth, in-person program led by university students engaging diverse upper-elementary girls in a STEM pathway, and opportunities for participating college mentors.

TAKEAWAYS:
1) Critical role the community advisory panel played in informing, guiding, and advocating for their audiences during the pandemic . 2) Student mentors have a powerful impact on the direction and depth of programming, including nurturing interests and role modeling with the next generation of scientists. 3) Key aspects of connecting young, diverse girls to the STEM pathway.

SPEAKERS:
Gianna Sullivan (University of Colorado Museum of Natural History: Boulder, CO), Lina Perez Angel (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO), Rachel Fox Freeman (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

Faculty and current students will discuss Pitt-Johnstown’s unique approach to their STEM Endorsement Certification, including students’ personal experiences and future teaching goals, and the program’s benefits and implications for  research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in discussion to learn about: • Current focuses on teacher preparation in STEM education • Pennsylvania’s approach to endorsing students via their STEM Endorsement Certificate model and its program design and evaluation competencies • Pitt-Johnstown’s unique approach to the model, through a Q&A with faculty and current students.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Chesney (University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown: Johnstown, PA)

Reduce costs for learning materials by using Open Education Resources (OER) in STEM and CTE courses. Resources, tools, and processes will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be given: • A list of discipline specific OER resources • Criteria for evaluating OER resources =

SPEAKERS:
Esperanza Zenon (River Parishes Community College: Gonzales, LA)

It takes a village to build a STEM culture. We will share how two international schools built a culture of making through makerspaces and maker fairs.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how to develop partnerships with outside organizations, corporations, and makers. 2. Understand that STEM ecosystems vary from one school to another, there is no one recipe, but there are guiding principles. 3. Gain understanding in how a maker space and a school maker faire can build a STEM culture.

SPEAKERS:
Craig Gingerich (American School of Doha: Doha, 0), Brian Wright (American School of Doha: Doha, Qatar)