Explore climate science and justice intersections in teaching and learning through practical examples and resources for classroom engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Climate science justice Learning activities and resources to build capacity within the educational systems to engage in this much needed work, and specifically to foster inquiry and civic practices for both educators and students. Resources to help educational leaders navigate the implementation of such learning across varied educational systems and community contexts

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison (University of Washington), Michael Heinz (New Jersey Dept. of Education: Trenton, NJ)

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:
Teachers will: 1. learn how to use articles to make their content more applicable to the lives of their 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)

Participants will explore methods to help all science students create better scientific arguments from data. Presenters will use AP Biology Exam Free Response Questions and Scoring Guidelines to show participants how to evaluate student science writing and engage students in peer review.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to internalize the rubrics as AP Readers do. Use peer review to evaluate student writing. Use tech tools to engage students in analysis of data and self-review of science writing.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Lesh (Winters Mill High School: Westminster, MD), Amy Inselberger (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL)

Join me for a multidisciplinary, open-ended investigation that incorporates absolute and relative dating, anomalies, historical context, volcanoes, solar proton events, energy cycles, Earth systems, terrestrial events, and supernovas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will have a better understanding of the process of constructing knowledge. Students will have to analyze and defend their results. Sometimes there is no answer key, only possible solutions from constructing and analyzing data from several sources that cross traditional disciplines.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Young (NASA/NSO/UoL Program Manager: Laughlin, NV)

Connect the human impact of trash pollution to engineering design. Get your students thinking critically and creatively as they collaborate in real-world problem-solving.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Connecting the human impact of single-use plastics and their effect on aquatic ecosystems; 2. Exposing students to basic coding and engineering design in an NGSS-focused content classroom; and 3. Developing a project that enhances STEM skills in students such as collaboration, curiosity, and creative problem-solving.

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

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. Emphasis will be placed 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)

What is bioinformatics? This session introduces bioinformatics with the goal of identifying organisms from lists of DNA sequences, providing real-world context to classroom DNA extraction.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. Learn how the classroom DNA extraction is an important stepping stone to discoveries in biology and genetics through bioinformatics. 2. Explore public databases that provide free tools to submit and analyze DNA sequences and require only a computer with internet capabilities. 3. Connect biology and computer science departments at a time when biology is becoming an increasingly collaborative and digital discipline.

SPEAKERS:
Zack Bateson (National Agricultural Genotyping Center: Fargo, ND)

Learn about interdisciplinary projects that have been used in a variety of science content areas (Chemistry, Biology, Earth Science, and Horticulture) to reach all students, from English language learners to AP Biology. Brainstorm and create your own ideas for projects in your classroom. The focus will be on creating games, children’s books, skits/videos, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Interdisciplinary connections; 2. Project ideas; and 3. Reaching all students.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Cykert (Rogers High School: Newport, RI)

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)

Discover how to implement three-dimensional learning into any science curriculum, all while engaging learners to become phenomenal!

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use SEPs to drive student instruction. Molecular level modeling of processes using data to support claim

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

Explore proven methods for developing collaborative relationships between students and professionals to utilize science and engineering practices to address authentic challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Attendees will be given clear examples of impactful collaboration between formal and informal educators and professionals through interactive activities; 2. Through a guided work burst, participants will use a framework to develop their own written products to use with their students to develop collaborative relationships with informal educators and professionals, which can be assessed by a single point rubric for their effectivenessl and 3. Attendees will participate in an open panel discussion with experts and seasoned educators to address challenges and concerns, and how to create learning opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Milord (DreamUp, PBC: Washington, DC)

Learn how to effectively integrate free science-based resources from public land agencies into engaging and rigorous project-based learning experiences for students of all ages.

TAKEAWAYS:
- Learn how to access free lesson plans, data sets, multimedia resources, and experts that can help you create authentic projects focused on NGSS-aligned learning goals. - Learn about recent research that shows how a high-quality project-based learning framework provides the best learning outcomes for science students of all ages. - See exemplar projects that illustrate why PBL is a natural fit for learner-centered, experiential, inquiry-based lessons.

SPEAKERS:
James Fester (Hill-Murray School: Maplewood, MN)

Emphasis will be placed on five-minute daily strategies that will get students to become fluent in scientific vocabulary.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Develop students’ critical-thinking skills through the use of scientific vocabulary words; 2. Provide teachers with five-minute daily strategies to strengthen students’ scientific vocabulary usage; and 3. Provide teachers with exercises that will help students recognize the difference between Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary words.

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