2021 Portland Area Conference

October 28-30, 2021

All sessions added to My Agenda prior to this notice have been exported to the mobile app and will be visible in your account when the app launches. Any sessions added now, will also have to be added in the app.
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Rooms and times subject to change.
23 results
Save up to 50 sessions in your agenda.

Using Children's Literature to Build Science Literacy In Young Scientists

Thursday, October 28 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D136



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Portland NSTA 2021 Supporting Literacy FINAL.pptx

Show Details

Do you want to learn how to integrate children’s literature into your elementary science block? This workshop will walk you through some children’s books that not only engage students and help build literacy skills but also provide a foundation for NGSS-focused STEM-related projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. gain an understanding of developing science literacy in their young students through literature; 2. walk away with resources (ideas and activities) to strengthen literacy and science skills; and 3. use children's literature as a way to enhance STEM learning in their classrooms through hands-on activities.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Pearcy (Jefferson Elementary School: Spokane, WA), Jayna Ashlock (Logan Elementary School: Spokane, WA), Kendra Robinson-Harding (Jefferson Elementary School: Spokane, WA)

Getting Students to Read in Science

Thursday, October 28 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D137/138



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Vocabulary Tiers

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

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

Thursday, October 28 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D139/140


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 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)

NSTA Press Session: Argument-Driven Inquiry as a Way to Bring 3-D Instruction to Your Classroom

Thursday, October 28 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Oregon Convention Center - G131/132


Show Details

Argument-Driven Inquiry is an instructional model that gives students an opportunity to learn how to use the DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena. It 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:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

Before an Earthquake: Education Resources That Support the ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System

Thursday, October 28 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D137/138



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Participant resources and worksheet
Participant resources and worksheet
Links to featured activities and how to get more information. ShakeAlert, earthquake science.
Slide deck
Slide deck from presentation, including video clips. ShakeAlert, earthquake science.
Slides
Presentation slides. ShakeAlert, earthquake science.

Show Details

Explore free NGSS-focused activities from the USGS and partners on earthquakes, shake intensity, and how the ShakeAlert system works.

TAKEAWAYS:
After this session, participants will be able to: 1. find and use free activities and animations available at the ShakeAlert Education and Training Materials Website; 2. describe how P- and S-waves are critical to how the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning system works and how ShakeAlert improves earthquake preparedness; and 3. use USGS ShakeMaps to describe the factors that affect the intensity of earthquake shaking (Magnitude versus Shake Intensity activity).

SPEAKERS:
Jenny Crayne (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI): Portland, OR)

Say What? Getting Students to Learn and Use Scientific Vocabulary Words

Thursday, October 28 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D139/140



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Science Terms
Vocabulary Tiers

Show Details

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)

Capturing Students’ Wonder and Curiosity Using Amateur Radio

Thursday, October 28 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - A106



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1_veRCEaT9T_tLoNpt8NSXLJQBIWTap1Ab2HFAW_fcYA/copy
Google Slides presentation of Amateur Radio activities that can be done in the classroom
Supply List
If you want to make your own Morse Code key, but don't want to search for the supplies...

STRAND: Innovating the Future of Education: Technology and Science Education

Show Details

I will showcase and demonstrate hands-on, low-cost activities using amateur radio, including speaking with astronauts on the ISS, and tracking transmitters that orbit Earth.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What amateur radio truly is (and isn’t); 2. Ways to use amateur radio in the classroom; and 3. Hands-on activities using radio, regardless of if you have a radio license .

SPEAKERS:
Joanne Michael (Wiseburn Unified School District: El Segundo, CA)

Determining the Expansion Rate of Supernova Remnants Using Web-Based NASA Data and STEM Image Analysis Tools

Thursday, October 28 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D133/134



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Exapnsion Rate of an SNR js9.pptx
NASA Science Olympiad Guide for using js9
JS9 is an astronomical image display and data analysis program that works in a web browser. User guides and activities can also be found on this page.
NASA's Universe of Learning
The Expansion Rate of a Supernova Remnant - a js9 activity (revised).docx
Activity instructions and partial answer key.

STRAND: Innovating the Future of Education: Technology and Science Education

Show Details

Use STEM web-based analysis software and real data to determine the rate of a supernova remnant expansion and its uniformity.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Astronomical observations with the same parameters separated by time can be used to study the dynamics of a supernova remnant; 2. Expansion velocity of a supernova remnant can be used to determine its age and perhaps connect it to historical observations of such; and 3. Js9 web-based software provides students with real opportunities to do astronomical research.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Perry (Lewiston High School: Lewiston, ME)

Using Authentic Data to Make Meaningful Connections

Thursday, October 28 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - A106



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Slide Deck
Slide deck in PowerPoint format for the Authentic Data Session

STRAND: Successful Collaborations Between Informal and Formal Educators

Show Details

Join museum educators and classroom teachers to learn how data collection and analysis can help students make meaningful connections with content and with each other.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn: 1. how to create a unit of study around authentic data collection and analysis; 2. data collection and analysis can connect teachers (or students) who can't connect in person; and 3. about tools for data collection and analysis.

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Baldioli (Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Washington, DC), Kate Kogge (AFOSR: No City, No State), Michelle Rahn (Will Rogers Junior High School: Claremore, OK)

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

Thursday, October 28 • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Oregon Convention Center - A107-109


STRAND: Developing More Inclusive Classrooms

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. 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. Push Black students academically forward without making them feel torn between two language worlds.

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

Literacy Through Book Clubs in the Science Classroom

Thursday, October 28 • 2:30 PM - 3:30 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D136



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Book Club Presentation
Presentation for Book Clubs in the Secondary Science Classroom

STRAND: Literacy/Science Connections in the Classroom

Show Details

Learn how to break down standards, incorporate book clubs, and implement workshops to intentionally teach literacy skills that transfer to all aspects of life.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learners will: 1. learn how to intentionally break down the science standards to focus on the literacy skill to teach the science content; 2. practice breaking down their own science standards into literacy activities that can be run in a workshop classroom; and 3. learn how to use book clubs to support literacy through the workshop method within the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Katerina Flanders (Lambert High School: Suwanee, GA), Kelli Schuyler (Lambert High School: Suwanee, GA), Desmond Jackson (Lambert High School: Suwanee, GA)

Phenomenon-Based Instruction: Unpacking the 3-D NGSS

Friday, October 29 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Oregon Convention Center - A107-109


Show Details

The focus of this presentation is to equip teachers with the pedagogical and technological skills needed to drive three- dimensional NGSS-focused instruction using phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Help teachers develop and use thought-provoking phenomena to enable students to make connections between the science concept and real-life situations; 2. This session provides participating teachers opportunities to experience lessons in the same manner as students; and 3. Help teachers to use digital platforms for academic dialogue that would spike discontent in the students' understanding of the phenomena, driving them to use science practices to explore their curiosities further.

SPEAKERS:
Chidi Duru (Prince George's County Public Schools: Upper Marlboro, MD)

Analysis of Supernova Remnants Using X-Ray Spectroscopy with Web-Based NASA Data and STEM Image Analysis Tools

Friday, October 29 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - C123



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
A Quick Look at Cassiopeia A
NASA Science Olympiad Guide for using js9
JS9 is an astronomical image display and data analysis program that works in a web browser. User guides and activities can also be found on this page.
NASA's Universe of Learning
Xray Spectroscopy js9 (revised).docx
Activity instructions and partial answer key.
XRay Spectroscopy of SNR js9 (revised).pptx

STRAND: Innovating the Future of Education: Technology and Science Education

Show Details

Identify elements in the spectra of supernova remnants to determine the properties of collapsed and exploded stars using web-based NASA X-ray data and image analysis tools.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Js9 web-based software can be used to analyze NASA data sets to determine the type of supernova; 2. Js9 provides students with real opportunities to do astronomical research; and 3. Energy spectra from NASA data are used to determine the elements in a supernova remnant.

SPEAKERS:
Pamela Perry (Lewiston High School: Lewiston, ME)

Connecting Three-Dimensional Learning to Upcoming Out-of-This-World Phenomena

Friday, October 29 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - E142/143



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
PPT for 3D astronomy workshop for Portland and Houston conferences - 21Oct2021.pdf
Solar Science and Eclipses.pdf
WSGD snd SS flyer for Portland and Houston - 21Oct2021.docx

STRAND: Integrating Multiple Learning Experiences and Connecting to Move Forward

Show Details

Get ready for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses. See how learning activities about Earth, the Moon, and Sun provide three-dimensional learning experiences to connect to these events that will be more spectacular than the 2017 eclipse.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. have a better understanding of what is meant by three-dimensional learning; 2. see how 3-D learning can lead to knowing what causes lunar phases and eclipses; and 3. be prepared to enjoy the solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024.

SPEAKERS:
Dennis Schatz (Institute for Learning Innovation: Beaverton, OR)

Science At Home: Bridging the Gap

Friday, October 29 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D137/138


STRAND: Integrating Multiple Learning Experiences and Connecting to Move Forward

Show Details

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 an at-home lessons template.

SPEAKERS:
Curtis Varnell (Guy Fenter Education Service Cooperative: Branch, AR)

Using Picture Books Can Promote Literacies with Text to…Connections

Friday, October 29 • 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

Oregon Convention Center - A106


STRAND: Literacy/Science Connections in the Classroom

Show Details

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 that help students connect their own authentic experiences and help them understand and make sense; and 3. consider how the criteria for the selection of books, identification of phenomena, and selection of investigations can be a powerful experience for students.

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

Famous Fossils of Washington and Oregon

Saturday, October 30 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D139/140



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
FF of WA & OR.pdf

Show Details

Join me as I share eight short stories about the most significant fossil discoveries in Washington and Oregon combined with a hands-on experience that connects to each story.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Use storytelling to engage students in the NGSS Earth Science Standards that include fossil evidence; 2. Utilize prehistoric animals as motivation to read and research about the place that you live; and 3. Make connections to the John Day Fossil Beds in Oregon and the Burke Museum and Stonerose fossils in Washington.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Watrin (WSTA: Olympia, WA)

Using Objects and Pictures to Welcome All Students to Phenomena-Based Science Learning

Saturday, October 30 • 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Oregon Convention Center - D133/134



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Portland VTS Presentation.pptx
resources for visual and objects.docx

STRAND: Developing More Inclusive Classrooms

Show Details

Have you ever wondered how using a single picture or object can spark any student’s curiosity about science? Get the tools to help all your students embrace science with open arms and excitement.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. learn how to use pictures to spark interest in science phenomena; 2. experience a Visual Thinking Strategy (VTS) lesson incorporated with science; and 3. experience how using objects can spark students' interests and leads to students asking their own questions.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Pearcy (Jefferson Elementary School: Spokane, WA), Carrie Ryan Walls (Woodridge Elementary School: Spokane, WA), Emily O'Halloran (Linwood Elementary School: Spokane, WA)

What Is Making My Neighorhood SO HOT!

Saturday, October 30 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D139/140


STRAND: Innovating the Future of Education: Technology and Science Education

Show Details

Find out why by studying the phenomenon of the urban heat islands using the GLOBE Urban Protocol Bundle and My NASA Data. Training and ongoing support offered virtually.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Science content on heat islands, cloud formation, Earth’s energy budget, and NASA satellites collecting this data; 2. Face-to-Face interactions in collecting data (clouds, air, and surface temperature) using the GLOBE Observer App; and 3. Instructional materials from GLOBE and NASA to teach the science content and protocols aligned to NGSS.

SPEAKERS:
Kevin Czajkowski (The University of Toledo: Toledo, OH)

A STEM Ice Core Investigation That Integrates the Three Dimensions of NGSS

Saturday, October 30 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D136



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Ice Core Records NGSS.pdf
NASA's Chandra X-Ray Observatory
NASA's Universe of Learning STEM Literacy Program

Show Details

Let me introduce you to 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:
1. Students will have a better understanding of the process of constructing knowledge; 2. Students will have to analyze and defend their results; and 3. 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)

DIG Field School: Paleontologists and Teachers Working and Learning Together

Saturday, October 30 • 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - D137/138



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

STRAND: Successful Collaborations Between Informal and Formal Educators

Show Details

Teachers partner with University of Washington paleontologists during four days of the summer field season in central Montana to dig fossils that add to our understanding of the extinction of the dinosaurs.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how you and your students can participate in ongoing research about the extinction of the dinosaurs through the University of Washington and Burke Museum DIG Field school; 2. Learn to identify 66 million-year-old species from microfossils; and 3. Receive access to 10 Lessons on Earth History and Fossils, all connected to NGSS standards.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Watrin (WSTA: Olympia, WA)

Locating Earthquake Epicenters Online

Saturday, October 30 • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

Oregon Convention Center - E145


STRAND: Innovating the Future of Education: Technology and Science Education

Show Details

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

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:
Tammy Bravo (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Vancouver, WA)

Art and Science: A Powerful Combination

Saturday, October 30 • 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Oregon Convention Center - E146


STRAND: Successful Collaborations Between Informal and Formal Educators

Show Details

Learn how Mid-Columbia Ballet, LIGO, and teachers created an exciting unit combining art and science to engage students. Participants will engage in activities and discussions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. understand how multiple informal and formal educators can work together to achieve their goals; 2. be able to identify possible partners in their region; and 3. learn how informal and formal partnerships can teach content standards, crosscutting concepts, and engineering practices in a unique way.

SPEAKERS:
Renee Kollman (Adams) (Mid-Columbia Ballet: Richland, WA), McKenzie Munn (Marcus Whitman Elementary School: Richland, WA), Amber Strunk (LIGO Hanford Observatory: Richland, WA)

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