2021 Los Angeles Area Conference

December 9-11, 2021

Grade Level


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Pathway/Course

FILTERS APPLIED:PreK - 5, Hands-On Workshop, Physical Science

 

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

How to Give Children More Opportunities to Use Science and Literacy to Make Sense of the World Around Them

Thursday, December 9 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 403B


Show Details

This session introduces a way to create learning experiences that will give students opportunities to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking as they use the DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to ensure students have access to science by designing investigations that promote and support the use of literacy skills; 2. How literacy can be used in the service of sensemaking; and 3. How to embed formative assessment of science practices and literacy skills into an investigation in a meaningful and informative way.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Hutner (The University of Alabama: Austin, TX)

Inspiring Literacy and Science Interest with Data

Thursday, December 9 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 402A



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Session Resource Document Form
Form to access Resource Document and slide deck from the session.

Show Details

We use data to do science; data literacy is its own set of skills. Young learners benefit when we integrate data, literacy, and science together.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Identify how data literacy is a critical aspect of literacy and science literacy in the 21st century; 2. Explore strategies and resources to use to authentically integrate data into K–5 science instruction; and 3. Develop a plan for next steps to elevate data as an aspect of meaningful connections between literacy and science.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC: No City, No State)

Does Black English Stand Between Black Students and Success in Science?

Thursday, December 9 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 404


Show Details

Discussion centers on tools to properly analyze Black students’ scientific work to determine if the misconceptions and misunderstandings are a learning issue or language issue. This workshop focuses on the use of language to reduce the ethnic achievement gap in science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Analyzing students’ work from a linguistic lens; 2. Recognizing biases when it comes to student language; and 3. Pushing Black students academically forward without making them feel torn between two language worlds.

SPEAKERS:
Jonte' Lee (Whittier Elementary: Kansas City, KS)

NASA's Space Food and Nutrition

Thursday, December 9 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 403B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NASA Space Food & Nutrition Files
use this link to my NSTA collection of resources for the NASA Space Food & Nutrition Files that includes the powerpoint from my 2021 session

STRAND: Integrating Multiple Learning Experiences and Connecting to Move Forward

Show Details

Explore caloric and nutritional values of NASA's space food. Discover a menu of inquiry activities/resources to integrate into the classroom to satisfy your STEM appetite.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore NASA STEM activities that investigate space food and nutrition for astronauts living on the Space Station; 2. Construct sample space food menus to develop a better understanding of nutrition for human space exploration; and 3. Make connections between math, science, nutrition, and exercise while exploring the impact of living in space and in our gravity-filled environment here on Earth.

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

STEM Teaching Tools: Resources for Justice-Centered Science Instruction

Thursday, December 9 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 514


STRAND: Developing More Inclusive Classrooms

Show Details

Choose which of these free resources for equitable science instruction are most relevant to your work. Then read, discuss, and plan!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Science learning is culturally rooted, and strong instruction should take an asset-based approach to young peoples’ ways of thinking and knowing; 2. Developing more inclusive classrooms is a constant process. There are always steps educators can take to support equity, no matter where they are in their journey; and 3. These resources offer tangible next steps educators can take toward equity in their classroom, from identifying meaningful anchor phenomena (stemteachingtools.org/brief/42) to teaching biology in more gender-inclusive ways (stemteachingtools.org/brief/76) to fostering more student talk (stemteachingtools.org/brief/35).

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison (Educator and Learning Scientist: Seattle, WA), Abby Rhinehart (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Develop Engaged, Future-Ready Science Learners

Thursday, December 9 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B


Show Details

Attendees will actively engage with innovative, technology-rich tools while learning strategies to teach data collection and analysis, engineering design processes, coding, and robotics. Discover engaging ways to apply coding to make devices “work,” adding rigor and complexity as learners gain skills and understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to: 1. design accessible, equitable hands-on learning experiences, in which ALL students actively participate and engage with innovative technology tools, helping students learn essential science concepts, engineering processes, and learn how to collaborate with peers to increase understanding; 2. teach authentic data collection and analysis, so that students can learn how to explore and test variables and measure and analyze their effects; and 3. use programmable technology tools and devices as effective teaching tools, helping students learn how to input code to achieve a desirable outcome, and how to analyze, diagnose, and correct the code when the device doesn’t perform as intended.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell (Educational and Technology Consultant: Prairie Village, KS)

NESTA Presents: Addressing the NGSS Through Topographic Maps and Profiles

Thursday, December 9 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 404



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
LA 2021 Topographic Maps and Topographic Profiles.pdf
Activity that will be completed during the session. Several of the topographic maps used are placed based and should be familiar to anyone from the greater LA Basin.
NSTA 2021 -Topographic Maps and Profiles.pdf
PowerPoint of presentation that shows how to construct the two models used to help students understand how 2D topographic maps represent 3D surfaces.

Show Details

Make the conceptual leap from 2D to 3D and make teaching topography, topographic maps, and topographic profiles a concrete, engaging hands-on learning experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Modeling is a key process within the NGSS, participants will walk away with multiple engaging hands-on activities that will allow their students to model and visualize 2D topographic maps and profiles as 3D representations; 2. Using topography that is unique to the community (Mt. Saint Helens for example), participants will be able to understand the environmental and topographic impacts of geological processes; and 3. Making the abstract concrete using simple and inexpensive materials makes the learning accessible and impactful to more diverse learners.

SPEAKERS:
Richard Jones (University of Hawaii-West Oahu: Kaploei, HI)

NMLSTA-Sponsored Session: The Great Water Design Challenge

Friday, December 10 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Algal Blooms and Algae Resources.docx
Flooding and Severe Weather Resources.docx
General Topics and Resources.docx
IMSA Developed Research Questions.docx
IMSA Team Schedule.docx
Individual School Schedule Letter.docx
Marine Debris Resources.docx
Plant and Animal Invasive Species Resources.docx
Problem Statement List.docx
School Team SME Sessions.docx
Student Generated Questions for SME.docx
The Great Water Design Challenge LA.pdf
Vector Borne Diseases Resources.docx

Show Details

Problem solving? Creativity? Collaboration? Design Challenge? Join in a mini design challenge and develop your own challenge tailored for your class before you leave.

TAKEAWAYS:
Design sprints: 1. support innovation by solving a problem in a quick and creative manner; 2. engage students in 21st-century skills; and 3. incorporate many of the Next Generation Science Standards Science and Engineering Practices.

SPEAKERS:
Liz Martinez (Curriculum/Professional Development: Escondido, CA)

What Do I Do with This? Making Sense of Your Assessment Data

Friday, December 10 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 505



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Session Resource Document Form
Form to access the Resource Document and slide deck from the session.

Show Details

We are awash in assessment data, but often it’s overwhelming to make sense of it. Join us to learn tips and strategies for wrangling data.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore new ways to organize data collection and raw data to aid in exploring the data for stories after it is collected; 2. Acquire skills in tying questions, data types, and data visualizations to enhance your ability to make sense of the assessment data; and 3. Identify next steps to better utilize and leverage your assessment data to help you measure students’ success and know what steps to consider next.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC: No City, No State)

3-2-1 Lift-Off! NASA’s Beginning Engineering Science and Technology (BEST) Curriculum

Friday, December 10 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 501



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NASA 3..2..1..BEST presentation files
This is a link to my BEST collection of resources including the PowerPoint used for the 3...2...1... Lift-Off NASA's BEST Curriculum

Show Details

Use each stage of the Engineering Design Process to complete a team challenge of building and launching a satellite while making connections to NASA missions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn about and use the engineering design process to build and perform a drop test of a satellite using NASA’s BEST activities; 2. learn how to integrate the process skills of measuring, calculating, designing, and evaluating while teaching the engineering design process; and 3. make real-life connections to how NASA engineers use the engineering design process and work as teams to accomplish their mission goals.

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

NSTA Press Session: Argument-Driven Inquiry as a Way to Bring Three-Dimensional Instruction to Your Classroom

Friday, December 10 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B


Show Details

Argument-Driven Inquiry is an instructional model that gives students an opportunity to learn how to use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena and creates a learning environment where students are able to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. How to give students an opportunity to use their own ideas and ways of communicating to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. How to give students more opportunities to decide what counts as valid and acceptable and develop new criteria for what counts evidence in science.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Hutner (The University of Alabama: Austin, TX)

Teaching Science Standards Through Coding

Friday, December 10 • 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
CYBER.ORG
Check out the amazing work and free resources from CYBER.ORG!
Power Point File
Register for Free Content
CYBER.ORG is grant funded through the Department of Homeland Security and provides free resources and professional development to teachers in the United States.

Show Details

Learn how to reach the three-dimensional science standards in your classroom through hands-on coding with the BBC micro:bit and free online Microsoft MakeCode simulator.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. gain personal hands-on experience using a BBC micro:bit to teach the Next Generation Science Standards; 2. learn how to teach problem solving through coding at an age-appropriate level with tips and pointers from presenters who each have over 10 years' experience in the elementary classroom; and 3. walk away with a free sample lesson from CYBER.ORG that includes the corresponding Next Generation Science Standards for the upper elementary classroom.

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

Science—It's LIT!

Saturday, December 11 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 506



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Lab RERUN
*Not my original document. Use for wrap up and clarifying lab/hands-on activities
SPACE Writing.pdf
*Not my original document. Prompts for writing in the science classroom. Use for daily activities, lab activities, etc.

Show Details

Discover best practices for incorporating ELA and technology—they're easy to implement in your classroom! Grab your device and let's talk all things science…it's LIT fam!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Examples of activities and assignments will be shared that can be incorporated in a variety of classroom science activities; 2. Attendees will create a foldable that can be used for a variety of topics and see how it was used in the classroom; and 3. Attendees will participate in a digital activity that can be manipulated to fit their content.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Starks (Houston Middle School: Germantown, TN)

Leading Conversations Around Identity, Race, Belonging, and Bias in STEM Spaces

Saturday, December 11 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 505


Show Details

Join the UCLA Science Project as we explore structures and formats for science leaders looking to engage teachers around social justice in STEM classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Co-construct a learning experience centered around inclusion and belonging within school site meetings; 2. Recognize how our identities and lived experiences impact our approaches to science education and leadership; and 3. Establish space and culture that sustains conversations around equity issues.

SPEAKERS:
Leticia Perez (WestEd: Alameda, CA), Zachary Cue (UCLA STEM+C3 and Science Project)

Language Proficiency and Rigorous Science Instruction—What’s the Connection?

Saturday, December 11 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
California Association of Science Educators (CASE)
Sci-Lingual Education
Language and Literacy Resources: developing language in the context of science.
Science Centered Language Development
Science Practices and ELD Standards K-5
Slides for CASE Session Language Proficiency and Science

Show Details

What can we learn from examining the CA ELPAC science-related test items? Join us for a hands-on exploration into how three-dimensional NGSS teaching and learning can increase students’ English language proficiency.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Language proficiency is not a prerequisite for content instruction but an outcome of effective content instruction. Science learning and language development are mutually supportive; 2. As Emerging Multilingual Learners engage in science practices, they use disciplinary language and language functions (describe, sequence, evaluate, synthesize, etc.) to make sense of phenomena and to communicate their ideas; and 3. The functional use of language in social contexts improves language learners' communication abilities. Using language for meaningful purposes in an engaging science context improves students' ability to communicate in all areas and increases their language proficiency levels as measured by the ELPAC.

SPEAKERS:
Claudio Vargas (Sci-Lingual Education: Oakland, CA), Peter A'Hearn (California Association of Science Educators: Folsom, CA), Diana Velez (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Infusing Your STEM Curriculum with Real-World Connections

Saturday, December 11 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 505



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Infusing Your STEM Curriculum with Real World Connections

STRAND: Integrating Multiple Learning Experiences and Connecting to Move Forward

Show Details

Discover how students may use their mobile devices to document “science in action,” anytime, anywhere, in this unique intersection between socratic questioning and place-based learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
How students may use their mobile devices: 1. to demonstrate their knowledge of scientific concepts in a real-world context; 2. connect this real-world context to crosscutting concepts; and 3. explore how this learning model may be used to support service learning in the science curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Walters (Marymount School of New York: New York, NY)

NASA’s Scale of Discovery and the Solar System Scroll

Saturday, December 11 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NASA's Scale of Discovery & Solar System Scroll activity files
This link will take you to my collection of NASA's Scale of Discovery & Solar System Scroll activity files including the powerpoint used in my NSTA 2021 session.

STRAND: Integrating Multiple Learning Experiences and Connecting to Move Forward

Show Details

Let’s make a pocket 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 (ESS1, ESS2); 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 takes unique NASA content, places it in context within the curriculum, and makes applications beyond the solar system that include scientific inquiry and scientific discovery while using mathematics to show proportions and relate to the overall structure of our solar system (ETS2).

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

Creating and Maintaining an Equitable Science Classroom

Saturday, December 11 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B


STRAND: Developing More Inclusive Classrooms

Show Details

STEM classrooms should establish a welcoming environment in which all individuals can use their cultural knowledge and practices to make sense of the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. A shared understanding of equity and social justice in science classrooms and STEM communities; 2. Approaches to identify and honor student-lived experiences and cultures; and 3. Challenge conventional notions of what counts as science.

SPEAKERS:
Jon Kovach (UCLA Science Project: Los Angeles, CA)

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