Teach homologous structures by having students design and build limbs and compare them with other students’ creations.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. design a hands-on activity to illustrate homologous structures; 2. design an engineering activity for students to design and build limbs, like arms, wings, and flippers; and 3. use these limbs to begin a discussion about homologous structures and common ancestors.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Rockow (Leslie Middle School: Salem, OR)

Learn what representations and data your students can use to bridge phenomena and mathematics, and how to assess kinematics understanding, as opposed to rote algebra skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using authentic data from real, open-access journal articles to model motion; 2. Students using multiple representations to shift back and forth from pictures, graphs, and math; and 3. Assessing students' understanding through their performance using real data.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Moore (University of Nebraska Omaha: Omaha, NE)

The focus of this session is to engage educators in a discussion about authentic and effective assessment that informs teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
Strategies for: 1. designing appropriate and meaningful assessments that go beyond mutiple choice; 2. managing project-based learning and assessment; and 3. incorporating formative assessments—both formal and informainto instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Vicki Meeler (Newton County Schools: Covington, GA)

College faculty and teacher educators will explore NGSS-focused strategies and materials for preparing teachers to teach about matter in the elementary grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn more about the content knowledge for teaching (CKT) about matter that elementary teachers need to know in order to teach in ways that align with the NGSS; 2. learn how to elicit elementary teacher/preservice teachers’ CKT for matter with research-based CKT assessment tasks; and 3. learn how to support the development of elementary teachers’ CKT for matter using free materials and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Josie Melton (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA), Emily Borda (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA)