NSTA STEM21

July 26-30, 2021

All sessions added to My Agenda prior to this notice have been exported to the mobile app and will be visible in your account when the app launches. Any sessions added now, will also have to be added in the app.
Grade Level


Topics


















Strands






Session Type










Pathway/Course

FILTERS APPLIED:Hands-On Workshop, Upper Elementary, Physical Science

 

Rooms and times subject to change.
20 results
Save up to 50 sessions in your agenda.

Effectively Using “Science Kits” to Achieve the NGSS

Monday, July 26 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Using Science Kits Presentation
This file contains a PDF copy of the presentation given at NSTA STEM 21 on Monday, July 26, 2021.

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Learn how to use your existing science kit materials to support your students with NGSS, based on experiences from the Elementary Science Olympiad program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. how to modify "instructional kits" available to them to allow for authentic student inquiry; 2. how to structure instruction to allow for cycles of failure and feedback; and 3. how hands-on science supports implementation of the NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
John Loehr (Science Olympiad: Oakbrook Terrace, IL), Shari Haug (: Elmhurst, IL)

STEM Learning with Light and Shadow

Monday, July 26 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

STRAND: Lower Elementary / Early Childhood

Show Details

Learn how to engage preK–2 students in light and shadow concepts as they engineer light sources, materials, and screens to produce a desired effect.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Identify meaningful contexts for exploring light and shadow phenomena that already exist in the young child's world; 2. Engage in strategies that enable young learners to explore how properties of materials interact with light, and then use their understanding of light and properties of materials to engineer effects on a screen to communicate with peers; and 3. Recognize multiple paths to conceptual understanding contingent on each child's unique backgrounds and experiences.

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

Hands-On Engineering and Phenomena-Based Learning with Science+

Monday, July 26 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Power Point File
Register for free content
Click on Sign Up at the top

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Discover how to engage students in science using three-dimensional learning with engineering projects and computational thinking. Free access to grades 3–5 lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore real-world phenomena to motivate students and guide learning; 2. Learn practical tips for reaching all three dimensions of the science standards; and 3. Understand how to guide students in conducting online research and analyzing authentic data.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Pike (CYBER.ORG: Bossier City, LA), Laurie Salvail (CYBER.ORG: Bossier City, LA)

Sensing Science Through Modeling Matter Free Apps for Kindergarteners

Monday, July 26 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM

STRAND: Lower Elementary / Early Childhood

Show Details

The Sensing Science project has developed and researched a curriculum to support learning about states of matter and its phase changes at the kindergarten level.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Free apps for use in your classroom; 2. Models that assist students in the understanding of why the three states of matter are different; and 3. Free interactive stories introducing phase changes to students.

SPEAKERS:
Carolyn Staudt (The Concord Consortium: Concord, MA), Nathan Kimball (Curriculum Developer: Newton, MA), Jamie Broadhead (Videatives, Inc.: Amherst, MA)

Cricket Challenges: Engaging Readers in Exploring Their Natural World

Monday, July 26 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Cricket Challenges Engaging Readers In Exploring Their Natural World.pptx
Cricket Challenges Handout.pdf
Nature Writing Prompts Handout.pdf
Nature-Themed Books Handout.pdf

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

This session presents interactive “Cricket Challenges” to engage students in nature-based activities designed to encourage curiosity and to make cross-curricular STEM connections to literature.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Innovative ways to engage readers to use fiction as a springboard to explore their natural world and make text-to-real-world connections; 2. Handouts including instructions for activities such as “An Outdoor Challenge for Every Season," ”Creating a Nature Wonder Hour,” “Nature Scavenger Hunts,” “Creating a Nature Journal from the Point of View of the Main Character in the Book You’re Studying,” and “Bloom Bingo”; and 3. Writing prompts educators can use to encourage students to analyze and explore their natural world.

SPEAKERS:
Jo Watson Hackl (Author: Asheville, NC)

Explore the Solar System: NASA’s Scale of Discovery

Monday, July 26 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Presentation Recording
Scale of Discovery 2021 PowerPoint
Powerpoint with embedded info and notes
Scale of Discovery Combined Files.pdf
ALL files (what would have been in person handouts) from todays presentation in one document

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Let’s make a foldable solar system scroll. Come learn how to apply ratios to create a scale model of the planets based on your height.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. With a properly scaled solar system scroll, participants will identify inner and outer planets and readily SEE why they are named as such; 2. Understanding the concept of rations and fractions, part-to-whole, participants will leave being able to create a proportional solar system in their classroom, on a football field, or across their state; and 3. This activity can be used at any grade level.

SPEAKERS:
Barbie Buckner (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center: Greenbelt, MD)

Green Screen in STEM

Monday, July 26 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Using Green Screen in the Class Room Slide Presentation
This the slide presentation used in the Green Screen in STEM session. Most pictures will have links to the materials or more information.

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Need a simple and creative way to engage students? Create a green screen area in your classroom. This workshop will demonstrate a simple way to make creative videos with a green screen.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use a chroma key with different apps and programs; 2. Simple video editing techniques; and 3. Using different objects for green screen props.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Crane (Randolph Academy: No City, No State)

NSTA Press Session: Explore-Before-Explain: A Practical and Fun Approach to Make the NGSS Come Alive!

Monday, July 26 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
STEM NSTA__Explore Before Explain_July 2021.pdf

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Get ready for STEM and the NGSS by sequencing instruction to promote your students’ long-lasting understanding with a simple yet powerful approach: Explore-Before-Explain.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. participate in two explore-before-explain STEM activities; 2. identify the benefits of guiding students to construct explanations based on personal observations and data analysis; and 3. collaboratively brainstorm ways they can tweak one of their existing STEM activities following the explore-before-explain instructional strategy to meet the vision of the NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Fayen (Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden: Dallas, TX), Patrick Brown (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

Topaz Japanese Internment Camp: Integrating Science, Social Studies, and ELA Through STEM to Examine Real-World Historical Situations

Monday, July 26 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NSTA STEM 2021 Conference.pptx
Our Topaz Journal.docx
OWL Chart.docx
SocialStudiesTemplates.docx

STRAND: Upper Elementary

Show Details

Historical issues create rich opportunities to utilize Science, Social Studies, and ELA disciplinary skills—through STEM—to increase student engagement and a deep understanding of complex problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Session attendees will learn both pedagogical concepts and history as they work to understand and solve perplexing problems that faced Japanese-Americans interned at Topaz. Using the Topaz Japanese internment camp as the backdrop, session participants will: 1. learn how to pair both fiction and informational texts (including primary source documents); 2. discover ways to integrate NGSS standards, Social Studies, ELA, and STEM through lessons and problem-solving activities; and 3. focus on the 5Es and 3-D learning.

SPEAKERS:
Julie Siebach (Retired Teacher: Cedar Hills, UT), Deborah Draper (Cedar Ridge Elementary School: Tulsa, OK)

Teaching Beyond the Water Cycle with the Water Footprint Calculator

Tuesday, July 27 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Beyond the Water Cycle NSTA Presentation.pdf
This is a PDF of our presentation about teaching about water use with water footprints, based on information from watercalculator.org.

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

Humans use water, often in inequitable ways. Our online tools, which include a calculator and NGSS-focused lesson plans, help educators learn how to teach beyond the water cycle.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. understand how we use water and what a water footprint is; 2. understand how water is connected to the global systems that create our food, energy, and consumer goods; and 3. learn about our free virtual tools and content that help them teach students about their water use as a part of their overall environmental impact.

SPEAKERS:
Robin Madel (Grace Communications Foundation: New York, NY), Kai Olson-Sawyer (Grace Communications Foundation: New York, NY)

NSTA Press Session: Argument-Driven Engineering: A Three-Dimensional STEM Design Challenge About Vaccines

Tuesday, July 27 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

Learn about Argument-Driven Engineering and how to give students opportunities to use core ideas and practices from science, engineering, and math to figure out solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use the ADE instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use core ideas and practices from science, engineering, and mathematics to design a solution to an authentic and meaningful problem that will make the world a better place; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support ongoing changes in student thinking as they learn to use core ideas and practices from science, engineering, and mathematics to figure out solutions to problems.

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

Chemical Kitchen: Crafting Phenomenon-Focused Studies Based On Student Questions

Tuesday, July 27 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

Explore how to build studies that put phenomena first and engage students in discovery through initial investigations designed to spark questions and curiosity. Discover how to be responsive to student interests as you decide "where to go from here."

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Transform your approach to planning by putting phenomena first; 2. Find out how to embed content and practices into hands-on learning activities that allow students to discover science ideas; and 3. Learn a simple process to identify "where to go from here" based on students' interests, questions, needs, and your curricular demands.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole VanTassel (iExploreScience LLC: Erie, PA)

NSTA Press Session: Argument-Driven Engineering: A Three-Dimensional STEM Design Challenge About Hand Warmers

Tuesday, July 27 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

Learn about Argument-Driven Engineering and how to give students opportunities to use core ideas and practices from science, engineering, and math to design solutions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use core ideas and practices from science, engineering, and mathematics to design a solution to an authentic problem that will help make the world a better place; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support students as they learn to use core ideas and practices from multiple disciplines so design challenges are more than just tinkering until something works.

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

NASA STEM: Newton’s Third Law: Rocket Races

Tuesday, July 27 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NSTA July 2021 Newton Cars.pptx

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

Explore NASA STEM Engineering Design resources to engage students in building a rocket race car to demonstrate Newton’s Third Law.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. NASA astronauts on board the International Space Station provide STEMonstrations with activities in simple video format; 2. NASA’s free STEM educator guides provide detailed information to implement STEM in the classroom; and 3. Investigate Newton’s Third Law of Motion by designing and constructing rocket-powered racing cars.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Kohler (NASA Glenn Research Center: Cleveland, OH)

STEM Identity: NGSS-Focused Project-Based Learning in the Digital World

Tuesday, July 27 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM

STRAND: Middle Level

Show Details

This workshop explores the connection between the NGSS, STEM identity, and project-based learning (PBL) through a series of culturally responsive activities for virtual learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. critically consider their own STEM identity and the STEM identities of their students to inform PBL in online and in-class learning environments; 2. respond to students’ needs and interests to plan PBL that develops their STEM identities; and 3. learn instructional strategies that engage students in PBL and the Scientific and Engineering Practices within the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Lane (University of the District of Columbia: Washington, DC)

Data Analysis Made Easy: Connecting Math and Science Through Technology

Wednesday, July 28 • 11:45 AM - 12:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Data Analysis made Easy

STRAND: High School

Show Details

Increase student engagement in analysis and evaluation of real data. Engage students of different ability levels in mathematical models with measurements not previously accessible in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Combine graphing calculators with handheld sensors to maximize class time; 2. Use real data to develop mathematical models; and 3. Learn how to test your hypothesis by doing an experiment and analyze your results.

SPEAKERS:
Karlheinz Haas (Science/Math Instructor, Retired: Tequesta, FL)

Dog-Mode Design Challenge

Wednesday, July 28 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Dog Mode Design Challenge - STEM21.pdf

STRAND: High School

Show Details

Keep your pets safe from being left in hot cars by using automatic sensors to design an alarm that could save their lives.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Solve a real-work problem with coding and engineering design, no prior experience needed; 2. Learn about inputs from sensors (temperature) and if-then-else decision logic to control an output (sound or color LED) based on the sensor readings; and 3. Gain exposure to possible STEM careers in automobile design features.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA)

Show Your STEM: Communicating Scientific Ideas and Understanding

Wednesday, July 28 • 12:45 PM - 1:30 PM

STRAND: High School

Show Details

This workshop introduces strategies and digital tools to help students develop high-quality STEM presentations and posters in online and in-class learning environments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. embody the role of a student conducting a scientific/engineering investigation leading to a STEM presentation; 2. be able to create a digital STEM visual using presentation applications; and 3. learn instructional strategies that engage students in developing high-quality presentations and Scientific and Engineering Practices within the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Alicia Lane (University of the District of Columbia: Washington, DC)

STEMSS Family Engagement to Support Language Learners

Friday, July 30 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM

STRAND: STEM Ecosystems: Supporting Diverse, Equitable Practices and Partnerships

Show Details

Explore family engagement events that provide fun, hands-on experiences and an opportunity to teach parents strategies to support their children's academic vocabulary at home.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in both virtual and in-person family engagement events that expand classroom learning that families with members of all ages can participate in; 2. Learn strategies to support linguistically diverse students in the STEMSS (STEM + Social Studies with an emphasis on real-world, cross-curricular learning) classroom; and 3. Develop a plan to integrate these strategies into your family engagement events to help parents learn how to support academic vocabulary at home and to bridge the home-school connections to increase opportunities for language learners.

SPEAKERS:
Margarita Jimenez-Silva (University of California, Davis: Davis, CA), Karen Guerrero (Arizona State University: Tempe, AZ)

Keeping STEM Alive: Integrating in ANY Setting

Friday, July 30 • 1:45 PM - 2:30 PM


(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Keeping STEM Alive in Any Setting

STRAND: STEM Ecosystems: Supporting Diverse, Equitable Practices and Partnerships

Show Details

The global pandemic forced many educators to pivot to virtual or hybrid learning. In this session, you will learn tips and tricks to keep quality STEM education alive in any setting.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. see an example of how an in-person, integrated STEM learning experience can be changed to work in a virtual or hybrid setting; 2. be provided with resources to promote inclusive and equitable practices that increase student collaboration and engagement in a virtual, hybrid or face-to-face setting; and 3. leave with an existing STEM unit that can be completed in their own classroom, whether it be virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

SPEAKERS:
Theresa Goltermann (Tabb Middle School: Yorktown, VA), Vonceil Anderson (Baltimore City Public Schools: Baltimore, MD), Laura Drager (Montgomery County Educational Service Center: Dayton, OH), Rebecca Stanley (DoD STEM/RTI International: Durham, NC)

Back to Top