Sponsoring Company: National Geographic Learning | Cengage

As a teacher, connecting with students and connecting students to the curriculum is becoming either more difficult or more effortless, depending on the perspective. The ability to teach students using state-of-the-art technology makes for displaying concepts and topics more efficient than ever. With the global pandemic amidst and with no foreseeable end in sight, we’ve converted to convenient online instruction. But how do we incorporate that meaningful teacher-student social interaction? Carter will pull from his own experience to share the events that sparked his early interest in science and the teachers who curated that spark. He will discuss his current research with the New York African Burial Ground and the importance of listening to students to hear their perspectives and enrich the lesson. Setting a trajectory for students and teachers themselves is a necessary component of academia, and we must introduce students to all career paths and create a solid plan of development to continue evolving as masters of instruction.

NSTA wishes to thank National Geographic Learning | Cengage for sponsoring this speaker.

SPEAKERS:
Carter Clinton (Penn State: University Park, PA)

Sponsoring Company: Legends of Learning

From unplugged to plugged-in game design, explore how games create an authentic learning experience in which students collaborate, communicate, and have fun in the process!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Use an innovative approach to game-based learning as a primary vehicle for science instruction; 2. Make lessons fun and accessible while encouraging students to take personal responsibility for their education; and 3. Create an equitable learning environment where students can progress at their own rate, allowing for differentiation based on student needs.

SPEAKERS:
Joselyn Whetzel (Legends of Learning: Laurel, MD), Joshua Goldberg (Legends of Learning: Laurel, MD)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) is a way for students to explain observed phenomena in a scientific way. This structured approach allows students to use observations and data from an investigation. Students use critical reasoning to connect the claim, evidence, and reasoning together. CER is an acclaimed and highly successful instructional strategy that is changing how students understand concepts and write explanations for phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand the benefits of using the CER Framework; 2. Construct and critique a scientific explanation; and 3. Develop appropriate scaffolds for scientific explanation skills.

SPEAKERS:
Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Pam O'Brien (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Beyond Labz

Built on a platform developed over 20 years, Beyond Labz creates an open-ended environment providing students the opportunity to experiment, practice, fail, discover, and learn.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Beyond Labz simplifies and reduces the cost and expertise needed to provide crucial laboratory experiences and practice for Secondary and Higher Ed students; 2. Attendees will learn how the labs are used for pre- and post-lab experiences, credit recovery and lab make-up, student engagement in class, and meeting NGSS standards; and 3. Basic onboarding and start-up instructions will be provided for drop-in solutions, and instructions for using some of the more sophisticated features will also be described.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Woodfield (Brigham Young University: Provo, UT)

In July, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine issued the report Call to Action for Science Education: Building Opportunity for the Future . In the report—funded by the Carnegie Corporation—leading scientists, educators, and other key stakeholders identify effective science education practices and lay out the major challenges educators face to implement a coherent K–16 science education program.

The report provides recommendations that call on federal agencies, state and local governments, and other stakeholders to elevate the status of science education and make science education a core national priority, and empower and give local communities the resources they need to deliver equitable science education and to track progress. Panelists will provide key highlights from the report, share their vision for the future of science and STEM education, and discuss what educators can do to help implement the report’s recommendations.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Schweingruber (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Washington, DC), Erika Shugart (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Jim Short (Carnegie Corporation of New York: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: The NEED Project

Engage in hands-on, critical-thinking activities to help students explore the technology, siting considerations, and benefits of floating offshore wind turbines.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how to describe and measure wind speed and why that is important for siting a wind turbine; 2. Be able to test, modify, and re-test a design to learn how wind can do work; and 3. Learn about free NGSS-focused curriculum resources.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Swan (The NEED Project: Manassas, VA)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Let’s explore several intervention strategies to help struggling students in STEM. We'll move beyond differentiation and scaffolding. Come learn other proven intervention techniques to help students. Let’s modify our traditional outreach to connect with students so that they gain greater understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore several intervention strategies to help struggling students in STEM; 2. Compare differentiation and scaffolding strategies and learn successful adaptations of each strategy; and 3. Explore effective intervention strategies that are built into the STEMscopes curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Pam O'Brien (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

Designed to address the Next Generation Science Standards, this workshop will focus on using agriculture to increase the relevancy and authenticity of content in science classrooms, provide valuable resources, and introduce attendees to professional learning opportunities.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How NGSS can or will incorporate agricultural content to create relevant and authentic content for students; 2. Learn about the developed resources available for science teachers to integrate science into their classrooms through the lens of agriculture (middle and high school); and 3. Explore professional development (CEU credit events) available to science teachers through AFBFA.

SPEAKERS:
Jenna Large (American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: Washington, DC), Craig Rebich (American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Mitosis, meiosis, chromosome structure, and crossing over will be explored in this hands-on modeling event. Bring your student hat and be ready to engage.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Model chromosome structure and anatomy; 2. Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis; and 3. Model mechanisms that contribute to genetic variation.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Williams (Shelter Island Union Free School District: Shelter Island, NY)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Come learn several strategies to help students organize their learning. Transform the old composition notebooks into a useful and engaging tool that incorporates technology and multimedia. Interactive student notebooks use various modalities and a left/right–side format, and offer students an electronic portfolio of learning. Join us!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn: 1. several strategies to help students organize their learning; 2. how to adapt old student notebooks into digital interactive portfolios with Slides, Jamboard, Flipgrid, Padlet, and Screencasify; and 3. how to structure notebooks for left-side "Output" and right-side "Input."

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Pam O'Brien (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: The Walking Classroom

Walk, Listen, and Learn! The Walking Classroom is a research-proven program that enables students to get fresh air and exercise while building content knowledge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand the research-proven impact that exercise during the school day has on student physical, mental, and academic health; 2. understand how The Walking Classroom engages different learning styles and helps narrow the achievement gap; and 3. learn how The Walking Classroom works by experiencing the program and learn how to create a walking classroom of your own.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Fenn (The Walking Classroom: Chapel Hill, NC)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Modeling CRISPR technology engages students in understanding the foundational concepts of molecular biology and biotechnology through two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of the CRISPR/Cas9 protein.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Receive professional development in the endogenous CRISPR/Cas9 system and learn how it can be incorporated into your current biology curriculum; 2. Use models to investigate how the mechanism of the CRISPR/Cas9 system are used to edit genomes; and 3. Discuss the ethical issues related to using gene editing technology.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Williams (Shelter Island Union Free School District: Shelter Island, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Attendees will explore a virtual decomposing corpse along with other clues to solve a mystery.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Data-assisted problem solving; 2. The science behind decomposition and variables that affect it; and 3. Storytelling is a powerful way to engage students into learning science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Lukens (Retired Science Teacher: Sioux Falls, SD), Jessica Kohout (Independent Contractor: Ellicott City, MD)

Sponsoring Company: The NEED Project

Introduce basic energy concepts early on with hands-on lessons disguised through songs, stories, games, and chants to teach energy buzzwords.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn fun, free energy-themed lessons designed to reinforce vocabulary and concepts; 2. Learn a variety of language arts skills and artistic skills to teach students about energy and STEM information; and 3. Learn how to easily differentiate energy in literacy activities for primary, elementary, and intermediate levels and align to NGSS and state standards.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Swan (The NEED Project: Manassas, VA)

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Research has shown that the actual doing of science or engineering will pique students’ curiosity, capture their interest, and motivate their continued study. Combining this information with simple shifts in instructional sequencing will help students construct scientific meaning. Are you ready to open your eyes to a whole new world of scientific inquiry!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore the research-based 5E instructional model with adaptations for acceleration and intervention; 2. Learn several techniques to embed hands-on learning experiences in various classroom environments; and 3. Learn how to make simple shifts in your instructional plan and sequence to foster better student understanding of concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Dr. Kenneth Heydrick (: Houston, TX), Pam O'Brien (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Software & Technology

Excite your students with hands-on science, whether you’re in the classroom or teaching remotely through collaborative data collection and real-time analysis. Seeing data collected right before their eyes using the Vernier Graphical Analysis™ Pro app gives students the ability to connect abstract concepts to real-world applications. Learn how to use our app to energize your classroom through data sharing, interactive sample experiments with synced data, custom videos, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Educators can create experiments and share the data with students in real time; 2. Seeing data collected right before their eyes gives students the ability to connect abstract concepts to real-world applications; and 3. Graphical Analysis Pro helps students experience three-dimensional learning.

SPEAKERS:
David Carter (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Sponsoring Company: The NEED Project

Explore hands-on stations to learn about the forms of energy and energy transformations. Share with your elementary students lots of “ooh” and “aah” experiments!

TAKEAWAYS:
Workshop participants will: 1. receive resources and creative ideas for teaching numerous energy concepts correlated to NGSS as well as their state standards; 2. learn simple energy transformations through hands-on activities; and 3. visualize through experiments and follow-up informational text how energy forms and transformations are in the world around us.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Swan (The NEED Project: Manassas, VA)