Take your students beyond your classroom walls through virtual speakers and field trips with those on the front lines of science, exploration, and conservation.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the benefits of bringing exciting scientists, explorers, and conservationists live into your classroom through virtual guest speakers and field trips; 2. Explore how easy it is to do with exciting resources like Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Explorer Classroom, Google, and more; and 3. What to do before, during, and afterwards so your students get the most from these experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Joe Grabowski (Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants: Elora, ON)

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 learn about and use the engineering design process to build and perform a drop test of a satellite using NASA’s BEST activities. Educators will learn how to integrate the process skills of measuring, calculating, designing and evaluating while teaching the engineering design process. 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)

Come learn about a variety of formula poems that can reinforce science learning on a wide range of topics. See student examples and try writing some.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about a wide variety of formula poems that can be used across elementary grade levels and tie easily to commonly taught science concepts. Attendees will learn how they might modify the formula poems to meet the needs of diverse students. Attendees will realize how to use the poetry as a type of informal assessment to see what science content students know and what they still need reinforced.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Altieri (Coastal Carolina University: Conway, SC)

Learn how a science teacher incorporated HOTS (higher-order thinking skills), technology, and alternative assessments in her classroom and doesn't want to go back to traditional assessments.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Describe higher order thinking skills and how educators need to help students obtain these skills. 2. Show examples of how technology can be used as a tool to help students learn HOTS. 3. See examples of how alternative assessments were used in a science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Emilie Tekely (Dauphin County Technical School: Harrisburg, PA)

Discover how to successfully launch and retrieve payloads engineered by your students into the stratosphere. In the 21st century, the sky is truly the limit!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to design, predict and track stratospheric ballooning projects. Attendees will learn about the FAA guidelines and regulations associated with unmanned balloons. Attendees will learn about the challenges and pitfalls of gathering data from extreme environments up to 20 miles from the surface of the Earth.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Ferrell (St. Georges Technical High School: Middletown, DE), Michael Oberly (Springer Middle School: Wilmington, DE)

Participants will dissect completed three-dimensional lessons written to NGSS standards for grades 6–8 in order to identify and apply each of the dimensions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. NGSS Performance Expectations can serve as a helpful guide and tool when developing 3D lessons 2. By exploring completed 3D lessons we can build competency in developing our own 3. Inquiry based learning is an excellent way to ensure we are utilizing NGSS 3D Standards

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Ellis (Argyle Middle School: Silver Spring, MD), Amy Levine (Silver Spring International Middle School: Silver Spring, MD)

Looking for ways to connect what students learn at school with their home learning environment? This session will provide participants with many overarching hands-on science lessons that integrate the science and engineering practices and can easily be completed at home or school. Materials are cheap and easily accessible for parents/teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Overarching science concepts at each grade band; 2. Connecting hands-on science activities to at-home learning; and 3. Creating at-home lesson templates.

SPEAKERS:
Amber Cobb (Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative: Branch, AR)

Learn how Next Time You See books can connect students with nature and inspire them to write their own books about natural objects and phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
• Explore research about the positive effects of time in nature on children and adults • Learn how literacy and science can be connected through writing activities • Receive classroom-ready resources (videos and graphic organizers) to guide your students through a Mentor Text Study

SPEAKERS:
Debra Sawyer-Moulton (NSTA Sales Rep for DC, DE, MD, PA, VVA, WV: Charlestown, MD)

Experience hands-on Science and ELA investigations with the FoodPrints Curriculum’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching nine major food and garden education themes.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in hands-on investigation from three different elementary lessons: Edible Plant Parts, Seed Dispersal, and the Garden Ecosystem for grades 1–3 that can be used in the classroom and in outdoor learning using literacy-based approaches aligned to Common Core ELA and hands-on science investigations aligned to NGSS; 2. Learn methods for teaching and assessing vocabulary using live worms, engage students in discourse as they sort real food to classify edible plant parts, create seed packets using nonfiction text features while addressing speaking and listening standards, using student discourse, real-world and authentic vocabulary and incorporating read alouds to support instruction and learning methods for authentic assessment with each investigation; and 3. Explore the FoodPrints Curriculum’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching elementary science lessons with garden and food education themes and gain free access to our lessons and resources for preK—5.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Ramsey (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC), Susan Bandler (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC)

Unpack executive functioning and best practices for increasing students with learning challenges' efficacy in Project Based Learning. We'll discuss workshop barriers and pitfalls you've experienced.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Unpack executive functioning for students with learning challenges in science education. 2. Identify the best practices, tools and strategies, to help students manage Project Based Learning (PBL) in Science. 3. Model the continuum of more hand-holding to less when facilitating PBL in science education for both primary and secondary students.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Chambers (The Siena School: Silver Spring, MD)

We are awash in assessment data, but often it’s overwhelming to make sense of it. Come 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)

Using protocols will scaffold students’ learning as they apply science and engineering practices to science lessons. Come see how this approach can change your science instruction!

TAKEAWAYS:
1). Teachers will receive a grade-band appropriate set of protocols ready to use in the classroom. Printable copies, teaching slides, and digital versions compatible with Google Classroom will all be provided. 2). Experience a model lesson using the Science and Engineering Protocols. 3). Training on how to use the Science and Engineering Protocols to engage students in doing science, not just learning about science.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Gutzwiller (Murray City School District: West Jordan, UT), Rachael Coleman (Jordan School District: West Jordan, UT)

Practice hands-on strategies for engaging students with scientific notebooks, letters, photos, and drawings; and highlighting scientific practices, nature of science, and connections between science and society.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Access to millions of free, digitized primary sources the Library of Congress has for K-12 science educators, such as: Thomas Jefferson’s weather journal, Robert Hooke’s first drawings of cells, photographs from the Dust Bowl, historic newspaper accounts about lead paint and electric cars, and much more! 2. Multiple hands-on strategies for integrating science-related primary sources in the K-12 classroom, to facilitate student engagement, critical thinking and student-centered construction of knowledge. 3. An understanding of how primary source analysis can lead to unique insights related to the Nature of Science, such as: how scientists and engineers think, practice, and apply scientific principles and discoveries in the real world; how scientific ideas evolve over time; and how science and engineering are related to society.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Apfeldorf (Library of Congress: Washington, DC)

Fulbright's DAST program is seeking U.S. teachers for two- to six-week projects all over the globe. Come hear from 2020 Uzbekistan Fellow Allan Miller and learn how you can apply.

TAKEAWAYS:
What is the Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teacher Short Term Program for US Teachers and how can a teacher apply? An understanding of the presenters experience in Uzbekistan in Jan / Feb 2020 training the first cohort of STEM teacher trainers at the Samarqand Institute for Teacher Education An overview of the 3 Dimensions of the Next Generation Science Standards, which served as the foundational learning for grounding the Uzbek Teacher Trainers in an understanding of "What is STEM?"

SPEAKERS:
Allan Miller (Champlain Valley School District: Shelburne, VT)

Discover how to create engaging lessons, connecting to student interests and to the science and natural phenomena that surround us. Pick up strategies to engage K–6 students in explorations, helping them recognize and understand real-world science, while creating a lifelong love of science. Handouts!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. innovative strategies to help children identify, explore, and understand a variety of interesting, real-life science that surrounds them in their everyday world; 2. how to design lessons that emphasize exploration, and give students the opportunity to test variables and analyze their effects; and 3. effective questioning strategies to engage students and increase the depth of student thinking, also helping to make student thinking visible; and to help teachers use effective questioning strategies to help students clarify and articulate their understanding of essential science phenomena and concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Knoell (self: Shawnee Mission, KS)

Early positive experiences in STEM are critical for future student success. Come explore research and resources for increasing STEM practices, student discourse, and family engagement! Bring your laptop for hands-on engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. STEM activities for young learners; 2. Resources for STEM discourse; and 3. Family engagement strategies for math explorations.

SPEAKERS:
Tanaga Rodgers (D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education: Washington, DC), Lauren Thompson Allen (D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education: Washington, DC)

Literacy has used “text to…”connections  to help students make authentic connections. Strategies/examples of expanded “text to…” connections for science and math are modeled.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. Explore how to expand a common literacy strategy of “text to” connections when using picture books in the elementary science classroom. 2. Engage in investigations that model the use of “text to” connections which help students connect their own authentic experiences and help students understand and make sense. 3. Consider criteria for the selection of books, identification of phenomenon, and selection of investigations can be a powerful experience for students.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Anne Royce (Shippensburg University: Shippensburg, PA)

Engage with Research Quest, free, online, NGSS-focused, phenomenon-based investigations that use 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)

This presentation will review the PBL strategy and how it is being used to enhance students’ learning, in-class and virtually, in relation to epidemiology.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Current research supports that project-based learning increases scientific efficacy and an explanation of project-based learning will be included. 2. Science is a collaborative endeavor and educators must teach students how to collaborate; both face-to-face and virtually. 3. Epidemiology is a field of study where many types of scientists must collaborate to solve public health problems and this field is accessible to middle and high school students.

SPEAKERS:
Emilie Tekely (Dauphin County Technical School: Harrisburg, PA)

Explore ways to integrate science and ELA with picture books to help students master science concepts, while at the same time enforcing literacy standards!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using picture books will help bring the science to life while enforcing ELA National and State Standards; 2. Inquiry can be embedded and implemented with the use of interactive picture books; and 3. You can use any picture book to engage and help students practice crosscutting concepts and engineering skills.

SPEAKERS:
John Taylor (Marvin Ridge High School: No City, No State), Douglas Hunnings (Elkhart Community Schools: Elkhart, IN), Aliya Caldwell (ETHOS Innovation Center: Elkhart, IN)

Authors of this report from the Board on Science Education of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will give an overview of the report’s key issues, conclusions, and recommendations.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Challenges facing elementary science education; and 2. Solutions for increasing elementary science education.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Schweingruber (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Washington, DC), Amy Stephens (The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Washington, DC)

Grades K–8 teachers—please join us for this hands-on workshop using biomimicry to design a system to land payloads safely to the surface of Mars.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. integrate data using pocketlab sensors; 2. learn about modifications to this lesson that can help increase equity for all learners; and 3. see examples of formative assessments that can be used to assess student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Pitts (Oakdale School: Edmond, OK), Sheryl McCarthy (The Good Shepherd Catholic Montessori: Cincinnati, OH)

This workshop focuses on how high-quality instructional materials designed for the NGSS provide for language skills to be developed by all students, including emerging multilingual students, by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
(1) By engaging with content first before learning science-specific vocabulary, students of varying language proficiencies are provided with an opportunity to express their ideas using the language they have. (2) Implementing meaningful student discourse in the science classroom can shift the focus on science and engineering practices and away from academic vocabulary. (3) Strategies that support emerging multilingual learners actually support all learners in developing proficiency in the science and engineering practices.

SPEAKERS:
Neelo Soltanzadeh (WestEd: San Francisco, CA)

Explore IRIS’s new web-based interactive earthquake lab! Have your students learn and practice earthquake location and analysis techniques with real seismic data! Bring a laptop/tablet!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Analyze and interpret data to help explain how patterns in seismic data allow earthquakes to be located; 2. Construct an explanation of how models of Earth structure are used in conjunction with recordings of seismic waves to calculate earthquake locations; and 3. Investigate how different methods can be applied to the same dataset to calculate earthquake locations using an online toolkit.

SPEAKERS:
John Taber (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Chevy Chase, MD), Wendy Bohon (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Washington, DC)

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)

Join us for a hands-on FoodPrints lesson that explores the Three Sisters Garden to teach teamwork, SEL practices, cooperation, groups discussion, and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in a hands-on engineering investigation to design and build a Three Sisters Garden model and learn the Native American legend of the Three Sisters Garden as participants work in groups to explore the themes of teamwork, cooperation, and empathy as it relates to their investigation and the legend. 2. Participants will practice strategies to engage students in discourse and develop habits for discussion and collaboration through a series of hands on investigations, as well as explore tools for assessing through discourse. 3. Explore the FoodPrints Curriculum’s interdisciplinary approach to teaching elementary science lessons with garden and food education themes, and gain free access to our lessons and resources for Pre-K through 5th grade.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Ramsey (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC), Susan Bandler (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC)

This session provides ideas for engaging students in Science, Math, and Literacy while addressing learning loss and school culture.

TAKEAWAYS:
Ideas on how to address leaning loss through fun and engagement. Integration of Science, Math, Literacy, and local studies Building a school culture based on positivity and love

SPEAKERS:
LaCosta Hodges (Oakvale Elementary School: Oakvale, WV), Racine Stefancic (Oakvale Elementary School: Oakvale, WV), Summer Thomas (Oakvale Elementary School: Oakvale, WV)

Discover ideas, curricula, and lessons/activities from the Space Station Explorers Program. They inspire curiosity, develop skills, and promote learning in scientific, mathematical, life science, and Earth science spheres by engaging students with the International Space Station.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to access the ideas, curriculum, and lessons/activities of the Space Station Explorers Program How the program integrates appropriately and easily into the classroom (physically or virtually) as well as activities for learning at home. How to become a Space Station Explorer Ambassador

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Pore (Bishop O'Connell High School: Arlington, VA)

Attendees will actively engage with innovative, technology-rich tools and learning strategies to teach data collection and analysis, engineering design processes, coding, and robotics. Come learn 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 (self: Shawnee Mission, KS)

Discover Switch Classroom, a free, online, objective curriculum about energy use and nonrenewable and renewable resources centered on AP Environmental Science and NGSS Energy standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore the Switch Energy Alliance resources, including Switch Classroom, energy videos, and full-length documentaries. The Switch Classroom curriculum covers six units of comprehensive lessons detailing renewable and nonrenewable energy sources, energy production fundamentals, and how energy decisions are made; 2. Learn how to set up your own class using Switch Classroom, creating a customized energy unit for your students that includes video and your choice of activities (multiple-choice quizzes, critical-thinking writing and diagramming, and lab and math-based calculation activities); and 3. Increase your students' ability and skills to explain concepts, analyze visual representations, and propose solutions to complex energy decisions in a nonpartisan and objective manner.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Kistler (Upper St. Clair High School: Pittsburgh, PA), Ruthann McComb (Elkin High School: Elkin, NC)

This workshop provides participants with explicit literacy strategies designed to increase academic discourse by supporting students with understanding, doing, and communicating science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to utilize scaffolds such as science talk moves, sentence stems, etc. to increase academic discourse. Participants will learn how to integrate connected text to support reading accuracy, fluency, and comprehension throughout daily science instruction. Participants will learn how to implement reciprocal teaching to increase academic discourse, reading comprehension, and student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Jacqueline Stephens (DeKalb County School District: Stone Mountain, GA)

EPIC Bioscience are free, online investigations for NGSS middle school life science. Students collect and analyze data from digitized museum specimens to develop evidence-based arguments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Online science investigations can engage students in real-world issues, promote accurate data collection, and facilitate critical thinking and reflection. Digitized museum specimens increase student motivation during data collection and support understanding of data findings. Online data collection can facilitate accurate data collection and reduce barriers related to specimen access.

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

Orchestrate whole-class and independent inquiries that integrate science, social studies, technology, and literacy using phenomena, investigations, historical primary sources, picture books, and driving question boards.

TAKEAWAYS:
(1) Participants will learn strategies for using driving question boards to support student agency and manage multidisciplinary student inquiries that connect to an anchoring phenomenon. (2) Participants will learn how to layer texts like picture books and primary sources to support student writing and inquiries in science and social studies. (3) Participants will learn strategies for supporting student writing across the disciplines of science and social studies with the help of digital tools.

SPEAKERS:
John Smith (Chester A Arthur School: Philadelphia, PA)

Participants will learn about the successful and varied informal and formal science partnerships developed by members of the NSELA leadership community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Successful partnerships between formal and informal science institutions increase student and community engagement in STEM education; 2. Success stories include STEM ecosystems; and 3. The NSELA Learning Center provides resources and support for ongoing learning about formal and informal science partnerships.

SPEAKERS:
Andy Weatherhead (National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA): Downingtown, PA)

Are you new to elementary science education, or looking for ways to streamline your current science instruction? If so, this is the place for you! In this session I will share tips, strategies, and best practices that I’ve found to be successful year after year to not only teach rigorous material, but to do it in a consistent way that ensures student engagement and learning!

TAKEAWAYS:
- How to setup a routine specifically for science instruction to help units flow more smoothly - How to thoroughly use the standards to plan your units - How to embed claim, evidence, and reasoning practice opportunities, and engineering activities throughout your instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Nancy Flowers (Cumberland County Elementary School: Burkesville, KY)

Explore how to take advantage of NSTA’s vast resources and pathways—including both asynchronous and synchronous options—to create personalized professional learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the value of being a School or District NSTA Partner; 2. Explore how to maximize online professional learning for all teachers; and 3. Discover how to utilize NSTA's online learning resources to support in-person professional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tricia Shelton (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Learn how to utilize the technology you’ve come to love in innovative ways not discussed by their accompanying user guide for both instructional and noninstructional purposes.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Technological platforms can be used creatively to do more than what each platform is marketed for 2. Technology is beneficial for both instructional and non-instructional practices 3. Technology is a powerful tool for educators whether students are in person or virtual

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Allessio (Robbinsville High School: Robbinsville, NJ)

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)

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)