2021 Los Angeles Area Conference

December 9-11, 2021

Grade Level


Topics

















Strands







Session Type





Pathway/Course

FILTERS APPLIED:Hands-On Workshop, Successful Collaborations Between Informal and Formal Educators, Biology

 

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

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)

Taste Buds in Your Gut? Exploring Taste, Cell Communication, and Glucose Homeostasis

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 505



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Lesson Resources
Google folder with lesson resources and PPT from session

Show Details

Experiment with the “sugar-blocking” tea Gymnema sylvestre and model cellular communication pathways in the tongue and the gut before evaluating possible mechanisms of action.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn: 1. how to model the physiology of sweet taste perception; 2. how the systems that detect sugar can be disrupted; and 3. how to evaluate three proposed mechanisms of action.

SPEAKERS:
Joan Griswold (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

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)

Teaching Beyond Insulin: Exploring Environmental Contributions to Type 2

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 513



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
GSEO Environmental Survey

Show Details

You’ve used blood glucose regulation to teach homeostasis. Extend those lessons with classroom-ready strategies that address how policy and place contribute to type 2 diabetes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will; 1. become familiar with a research-based storyline that disassociates genetics from health outcomes; 2. l Learn that type 2 diabetes is a complex condition that is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as access to resources, personal choice, product marketing, public policy, socioeconomic status, and stress; and 3. learn that environmental factors can both increase and decrease a person’s risk for type 2 diabetes.

SPEAKERS:
Joan Griswold (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

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 (University of Washington), Abby Rhinehart (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

Phenomenon-Based, Literacy-Rich Learning Using Digitized Museum Objects

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B


STRAND: Literacy/Science Connections in the Classroom

Show Details

Engage with Research Quest, free, online, NGSS-focused, phenomenon-based investigations using authentic museum objects and research to build students' literacy, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. experience an exemplar set of free resources that successfully integrate NGSS and ELA standards to provide students with meaningful, self-directed learning; 2. recognize that providing students with opportunities to research phenomenon-based problems professional scientists devote their careers to using the collections and data they build new knowledge from can empower students to better understand the enterprise of science, the natural world, and the natural history of our world—while building their literacy and critical-thinking skills; and 3. understand that creating opportunities to make critical thinking visible is an essential scaffold necessary to support student efficacy with problem finding and problem solving.

SPEAKERS:
Madlyn Larson (Natural History Museum of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT)

Synthetic Biology: The Intersection of Biology, Engineering, and Computer Science

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 505



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Presentation
Synthetic biology resources
List of resources for synthetic biology with links to curricula, books, videos, journal articles

Show Details

Participants will combine engineering and biology as they work through a free activity from a no-cost introductory curriculum on the emerging field of Synthetic Biology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Looking for free resources and innovative ways to introduce engineering into K–12 classrooms? American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) pre-college division will share them!

SPEAKERS:
Leonardo Morsut (University of Southern California: Los Angeles, CA), Wendy Wooten (Reseda Charter High School: Reseda, CA)

Build a Probe to Stimulate Muscle Movement

Thursday, December 9 • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 503



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Build a Probe to Stimulate Muscle Movement - LA Conference Paper.docx
Paper related to "Build a probe to stimulate muscle movement.
Build a Probe to Stimulate Muscle Movement.pdf
PowerPoint related to "Build a Probe to Stimulate Muscle Movement" as a PDF
Template for Constructing Muscle Stimulator.pdf
Template to parts list layout for "Build a Probe to Stimulate Muscle Movement"

Show Details

This workshop provides participants with materials to construct a probe that can safely stimulate muscle movements in the arms and hands to build understanding of the nervous system’s interactions with the muscular skeletal systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How the nerves utilize electrochemical energy to create muscle movements; 2. How muscles when stimulated can move limbs; and 3. How to repurpose and utilize a TENS unit to demonstrate interactions of the neural and muscular skeletal systems.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Malone (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs: Colorado Springs, CO)

Polishing Students’ Argumentation Skills: Using Discussion Diamonds to Support Discourse and Evidence-Based Writing

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 506



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Discussion Diamond Handouts.docx
Discussion Diamonds Presentation.pptx
Slip or Trip.pdf

Show Details

Experience how the discussion diamond protocol can help support students’ argumentation skills and Claim-Evidence-Reasoning writing through peer discourse.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Student discourse can be used to support the development of students’ argumentation skills; 2. The discussion diamond protocol provides students with a structure to build scientific arguments based on evidence and reasoning in collaboration with their peers; and 3. The discussion diamond protocol is a versatile tool that can be adapted for students at different skill levels and in various subjects.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Ciccarello (Beverly Hills High School: Beverly Hills, 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)

Getting Students to Read in Science

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B


STRAND: Literacy/Science Connections in the Classroom

Show Details

Reading should not be limited to English courses. Leave with strategies on how to motivate students to explore science through scientific novels. Review three years of qualitative data on how novels increased  literacy, scientific fluency, scientific connectivity, and college preparation in a marine biology course.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teahers will: 1. learn how to use articles to make their content more applicable to the lives of the students; 2. receive strategies on how to get students to read more scientific articles; and 3. receive resources on selecting grade-appropriate scientific articles.

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

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: Del Valle, TX)

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)

Blood Glucose Balance: Using an Online Game for Diabetes Education

Saturday, December 11 • 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.)
Blood Sugar Balance game

Show Details

As an extension of our Type 2 Diabetes curriculum, we developed an online game to learn about blood glucose metabolism and the impact of disease.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use the web-based game Blood Glucose Balance to engage learners in the complex phenomenon of glucose metabolism and diabetes; 2. Blood glucose levels are regulated to stay within a healthy range. Type 2 diabetes is the result of chronic high blood glucose levels over time, as mechanisms for regulation fails; and 3. Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition that is heavily influenced by environmental factors such as access to resources, personal choice, product marketing, public policy, socio-economic status, and stress.

SPEAKERS:
Joan Griswold (University of Washington: Seattle, WA)

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)

Making Student Thinking Visible: Developing and Using Models in Instruction and Assessment

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 511



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Modeling NSTA LA 2021.pdf

Show Details

We will explore how students can use modeling and linked practices to engage with phenomena. Participants will take home a goody bag and lesson plans.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. We will demonstrate how students can use modeling, argumentative writing, and data analysis to explain different scientific phenomena throughout Earth and space sciences, life science, and physical sciences; 2. Participants will have the opportunity to build and revise three different kinds of models during the session as learners, and then reflect on how to use the same strategies with their students; and 3. Everyone will engage with different modeling scaffolds that increase inclusion and link the practice of modeling to others such as arguing from evidence, analyzing and interpreting data, and obtaining, evaluating and communicating information.

SPEAKERS:
James Clark (Director: Pleasanton, CA), Samantha Johnson (Arroyo High School: San Lorenzo, CA)

Crash Science Inquiry: Investigating Distracted Driving Dangers

Saturday, December 11 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B


Show Details

Complete a distracted driving simulation and discover free award-winning videos, STEM activities, and real-world applications exploring science, engineering, and vehicle crashworthiness. Free lesson plans included.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. complete a distracted driving simulation; 2. explore how scientific and engineering principles can be modeled in classrooms using crash test–related videos and activities; and 3. apply this crash science and vehicle safety knowledge and engage in safer behaviors when riding in or driving a vehicle.

SPEAKERS:
Griff Jones (University of Florida)

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)

Cells in Context

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

Los Angeles Convention Center - 503



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
https://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/#item2

Show Details

Let me introduce you to a free 3-D unit featuring progressive modeling supported by multimedia tools. It's a realistic and dynamic exploration of cells, cell systems, and disruption by pathogens. To learn more, please visit  https://teach.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Where to access a new, free, NGSS-friendly unit on cell structure and function, cell systems, and pathogens; 2. How to integrate realistic multimedia and paper-based modeling exercises to depict the dynamic inner workings of cells and tissues; and 3. Experience with cell models that can be carried through to cell systems and infection by pathogens.

SPEAKERS:
Molly Malone (The University of Utah: Salt Lake City, UT)

Historical Accounting of Oppression in STEM Spaces

Saturday, December 11 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 408B


STRAND: Developing More Inclusive Classrooms

Show Details

Empowering students to make science-based decisions requires acknowledgment and dialogue around the injustices marginalized communities have endured within scientific fields.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Develop empathy through the exploration of historical events that have accumulated generational mistrust of STEM communities; 2. Create opportunities to acknowledge and validate personal experience even when it might contradict our personal experience or larger data sets; and 3. Explore the impact of the objectivity myth perpetuated within STEM educational spaces.

SPEAKERS:
Justin Betzelberger (UCLA Science Project: Los Angeles, CA), Zachary Cue (UCLA STEM+C3 and Science Project)

Mathematics and Computational Thinking Using Authentic Data and Practices

Saturday, December 11 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Los Angeles Convention Center - 502B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
NSTA LA 2021 Mathematical and Computational Thinking.pdf

Show Details

Start highlighting the practice of mathematics and computational thinking! We’ll utilize resources that allow students to engage in traditional and less traditional ways.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Participants will engage as learners in different levels of mathematical representations, all of which emphasize how to make the practice more inclusive of all students; 2. Everyone will leave being able to demonstrate at least three different ways to mathematically represent authentic data; and 3. Participants will look critically at how to scaffold different graphical texts for student analysis.

SPEAKERS:
James Clark (Director: Pleasanton, CA), Samantha Johnson (Arroyo High School: San Lorenzo, CA)

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