Discover free age-appropriate "Cooped Up Kids" activities that connect kids to the outdoors and exciting science content whether in school, remote, or blended.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover free hands-on lessons that are tied to the NGSS and Common Core Standards and discuss how to implement them whether learners are at home or in school; 2. Describe the socio-emotional benefits of place-based outdoor experiences for diverse K–8 students; and 3. Learn how to access a variety of free educational interactives, online multimedia resources, and citizen science projects scaffolded by lessons that are perfect for K–8 settings.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Fee (The Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ithaca, NY)

Discover research-based approaches on how to build a strong makerspace community that taps into foundational scientific literacy skills. Participate in a makerspace project-based literacy challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve culturally responsive teaching in an informal makerspace environment through the development of makerspace pop-up activities and training approaches following a makerspace project-based literacy process; 2. Increase scientific literacy achievement through informal literacy hands-on makerspace pop-up activities focused on STEM real-world activities; and 3. Describe opportunities and hands-on mobile approaches to build capacity of existing informal makerspace learning of remote communities, diverse learners, and STEM professionals serving underrepresented minority populations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Miller (Sul Ross State University: Alpine, TX), Thomas Tomas (Little Singer Community School: Winslow, AZ)

My NASA Data shares scientifically interesting stories and other resources that can be implemented for Earth Day.

Click here for a list of materials needed and activity instructions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. gain access to data stories that can be used on Earth Day; 2. learn of interactive models that incorporate NASA Earth data; and 3. walk away with access to NASA resources for their Earth science classrooms that can be linked directly to their learning management systems.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rizzi (NASA Langley Research Center/ADNET: No City, No State), Elizabeth Joyner (NASA Langley Research Center: Hampton, VA)

Sponsoring Company: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

In this workshop, participants will discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics, such as climate change and environmental science. Participants will identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula and will define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation. This workshop will be led by faculty and staff from the University of Wisconsin-Steven Point’s Ed.D. in Educational Sustainability Program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. discuss how sustainability can be an integrative thread throughout STEM topics; 2. be able to identify strategies for integrating sustainability into their existing curricula; and 3. be able to define sustainability in terms of systems thinking and future orientation (e.g., beyond reduce, reuse, recycle).

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Potter-Nelson (University of Maine at Farmington: Farmington, ME), Erin Redman (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: Stevens Point, WI), Rachael Rost (University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point: Stevens Point, WI)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

Learn how to create a project-based camp or classroom lesson that enable students to apply concepts, such as photosynthesis and the water cycle, to design a smart irrigation system. Inspired by real-world events, students are motivated to apply problem-solving skills and learn some basic programming to come up with innovative solutions to using water more efficiently.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Developing models to better understand a process; 2. Constructing explanations and designing solutions; and 3. Introducing students to coding to solve a science problem with an engineering solution.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD)

Sponsoring Company: LaMotte Co.

Water is the single most valuable resource essential for life on Earth, yet is subject to increasing scarcity, pollutants, and overuse. The Tapwater Tour curriculum makes the real-world connection between the phenomena explored in the lesson and actual hands-on laboratory activities that students experience while revealing the quality of their own tap water. Group discussions, activities, and analysis of class data provide opportunities for teamwork, collaboration, and reflection.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Simple hands-on methods that students can easily and safely perform in the classroom, or as teacher demonstrations for distance learning, will be presented; 2. Examples of phenomena to engage students in water quality testing will be given; and 3. Ideas for adapting lessons to suit student audience/grade levels/abilities will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Hill (LaMotte Co.: Chestertown, MD)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA Office of Education

Modern society is awash with data that tell complex stories in the language of mathematics, physics, and chemistry. Most humans are intensely visual and find it difficult to find meaning in just numbers. NOAA's answer—SOS Explorer (SOSx), now available as a FREE APP on your tablet or smartphone!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Interpreting data through visualizations; 2. Using mobile device apps in teaching; and 3. Resources available from NOAA.

SPEAKERS:
Beth Russell (NOAA's Global Systems Laboratory: Boulder, CO), Hilary Peddicord (NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory: Lyons, CO), Stephen Zepecki (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

EarthKAM: Have Your Students Take Photos from ISS
Presenter: David Curry

The Post-COVID Dissection Lab
Presenters: Nicole Green and Bailee Henderson

Teaching Physics on the Cheap
Presenter: Shannon Hudson

Shape of Life: Virtually Teaching The Greatest Story Ever Told—Evolution of the Animal Kingdom on Planet Earth
Presenter: Denise Ryan

NMLSTA Award Opportunities
Presenter: Alison Betz Seymour

Parent/Family Involvement in Science: Why It's Important and How to Make It Work
Presenter: Jessica VanValkenburg

Teaching the Engineering Design Process Through Urban Gardening
Presenters: Elizabeth Weissman and Rebecca Somogyi

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Ryan (Shape of Life: Capitola, CA), David Curry (Newtown Middle School: Newtown, PA), Nicole Green (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA), Bailee Henderson (Animalearn: , United States), Shannon Hudson (Crawfordsville Middle School: Crawfordsville, IN), Alison Betz Seymour (Science Teacher: Winchester, 0), Jessica VanValkenburgh (Columbus State University: Columbus, GA), Elizabeth Weissman (The Ramaz School: New York, NY)

Explore global climate change data and human impacts using the Bremerhaven Klimahaus as a model to engage students in asking questions and taking local action.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Climate change impacts vary by location and disproportionately affect disadvantaged populations; 2. Individual actions have impacts on multiple scales from local to global; and 3. Empathetic, scientifically literate youth working in partnership with community members can be agents of change.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen (Science Education Consultant: Fair Lawn, NJ)

Using COVID data and multimedia sources, teachers can elevate students’ understandings of science as a human endeavor, and explore diverse contributions and other nature of science themes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. acquire multiple classroom resources for COVID data, updates, and multimedia; 2. examine connections among pandemic examples and grade level nature of science (NOS) themes in the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS); and 3. explore opportunities to enhance science lessons with key NGSS NOS themes such as science as a human endeavor, diverse contributions and cultures, using a variety of methods, and knowledge open to revision in light of new evidence.

SPEAKERS:
Daniel Bergman (Wichita State University: Wichita, KS)

Explore using the SEPs to make remote STE instruction inquiry based. Participate in a remote hands-on investigation. Receive a toolkit of resources, strategies, and instructional tools.

Materials needed:

• Markers or crayons
• Large sheet of heavy weight paper (11x17 or 8.5 x14)
• 4–6 ice cubes all about the same size
• 4 paper cups big enough to hold 2 ice cubes
• Cooler or access to freezer to keep ice frozen
• Aluminum tray
• Black or white tray (take-out container will work)

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Leave with a toolkit of distance-learning practices and investigations to enhance students’ use of the SEPs; 2. Learn about distance-learning tools that support the engagement of all students in STE; and 3. Develop new ideas for performance-based assessments using distance-learning strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Rosemary Rak (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Angela Damery (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Sandra Ryack-Bell (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Margaret Brumsted (Education Specialist: Riverside, RI)

Participants explore strategies and resources for engaging students during face-to-face and virtual instruction. Equity, differentiation, and nonlinguistic representations of instruction and learning will be targeted.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn research-based strategies that increase student engagement so that all students are involved in the learning process; 2. learn new ways to increase the confidence of learners who may be reluctant to engage in classroom activities and discussions; and 3. obtain numerous activities, templates, games, resources, etc. they can use with their students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the attendees.

SPEAKERS:
Iris Mudd (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: Winston Salem, NC)

WeatherBlur, an online citizen science platform, links schools in the Gulf of Maine with schools in the Gulf of Mexico to explore local environmental issues.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Empowering students to tackle difficult environmental challenges seen in their communities and get their voices heard; 2. Promoting idea exchanges and collaboration between different communities and cultures from around the country; and 3. Enhancing environmental and data literacy.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Clark Uchenna (Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance: Augusta, ME), Megan McCall (Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies: No City, No State)

Teachers will learn to integrate bias recognition as part of the normal science curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Recognizing bias requires practice; 2. Recognizing bias requires critical thinking; and 3. Recognizing bias can be integrated as part of the normal learning process.

SPEAKERS:
Bailey O'Reilly (Academie Da Vinci Charter School for the Arts and Technology: Dunedin, FL)

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 (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA)

Explore global hunger issues via case studies of sustainable farming practices to understand how the inequity of resources leads to inspired innovation based on sustainable science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hunger exists everywhere and impacts everyone; 2. Solutions must be culturally and regionally appropriate; and 3. Long-term food sustainability is achievable with science.

SPEAKERS:
Sue Meggers (Interstate 35 Community School District: Truro, IA)

My NASA Data will model interactive resources for students learning in-person and via virtual environments that feature short activities, lessons, and access to NASA data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. walk away with access to NASA resources for their Earth science classrooms that can be linked directly to their learning management systems; 2. learn of interactive strategies for using these resources with students in a variety of learning environments; and 3. learn of an Earth science data visualization tool that enables students/educators to access and visualize NASA data for a particular region or time period.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Joyner (NASA Langley Research Center: Hampton, VA), Angela Rizzi (NASA Langley Research Center/ADNET: No City, No State)

Based on three-dimensional learning and field-tested in high school classes, Virtual Field Labs can be used synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hands-on virtual tool for teaching climate change concepts; 2. Student-generated data activities led by climate change scientists; and 3. Generate, graph, and analyze data on the way to making claims supported by evidence related to the investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Louise Huffman (U.S. Ice Drilling Program: Hanover, NH), William Grosser (Curriculum Designer: Auburn, CA)

The fascinating phenomena of Earth and space science take on heightened relevance in learners’ lives when presented through the frameworks of geoheritage and place-based education.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. There are practical approaches for accentuating the excitement of Earth and space sciences as they are shown to intersect with human life, history, and culture; 2. The connection of geoscience with human history and culture—what is increasingly known as geoheritage—has great potential in education as a reference framework that encourages learning as well as promoting conservation of significant natural features; and 3. The dimensions of the NGSS, the big ideas of geoheritage, and the design principles of place-based education are mutually supportive—which together lead to strategies for meaningful learning in Earth and space science.

SPEAKERS:
Aida Awad (Education Consultant/ Adjunct: Ormond Beach, FL), Missy Holzer (Great Minds PBC), Rebecca Dodge (Midwestern State University: Wichita Falls, TX), Eric Pyle (James Madison University: Harrisonburg, VA), Dawna Cerney (Youngstown State University: Youngstown, OH), Dianna Gielstra (Prescott College Online Graduate Degree Program: Prescott, AZ), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA)

Discover lesson plans and teaching resources to better integrate science and engineering practices in our food system.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in the practice of phenomena-based learning through the phenomena of photoperiodism; 2. Improve critical thinking while investigating food production systems; and 3. Integrate STEM concepts through design thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Gardner (Utah State University: Logan, UT), Tessa Matuszak (National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization: Palm Coast, FL)

Sponsoring Company: American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History teaching cases are curriculum materials designed to facilitate student exploration of sets of data they did not collect themselves. Participants will use videos, essays, and analysis tools to investigate how blue whales, the largest animal to ever live, survive by eating some of the smallest.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about: 1. how blue whales have evolved into the largest animal to have lived on Earth; 2. the AMNH teaching case model designed to contextualize large sets of data for students; and 3. opportunities to explore AMNH teaching cases with other teachers.

SPEAKERS:
David Randle (American Museum of Natural History: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

The 16 units in Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school are driven by engaging anchor phenomena that prompt students to ask driving questions. Students engage in storylines using the science and engineering practices to collect evidence that answers their questions, learning both core ideas and crosscutting concepts along the way.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Curriculum units should begin with an anchor phenomena that stimulates student questions; 2. A unit should be designed to allow students to collect evidence from investigative phenomena that they can use to answer their questions; and 3. Students should make sense of phenomena by engaging in practices that lead them to develop disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Hailey Adams Mangum (Discovery Education: Chicago, IL), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

In this session you will learn how to use a simulation of an aquatic ecosystem to help students see the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors such as dissolved oxygen, pH, and temperature. The simulation makes it possible to model environments that would otherwise be very difficult to monitor and experiment with. Plus, the fish animations are really cool!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using simulations with students can help them better visualize the mechanisms behind phenomena; 2. Simulations are a great complement to hands-on learning and work best when hands on isn't possible/practical; and 3. Effects of changes to certain variables in aquatic ecosystems can have negative effects on the organisms that live there.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Kohout (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD)

Sponsoring Company: PAEMST

Come learn about the highest recognition for STEM educators in the United States. We will discuss eligibility criteria, nomination, application, and review process for the awards. Awardees receive a certificate; a $10,000 award; a trip to Washington, DC, for a recognition event; and access to over 5,100 award-winning teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How you can win $10,000; 2. How you can apply for this prestigious award from the U.S. Government; and 3. The benefits of applying for this award.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Mayes (National Science Foundation: Alexandria, VA)

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

Innovation in Biology
Presenter: Jessica Kohout

Eureka! Bioprospecting for Medicine
Presenter: Liz Martinez

FIRST at Home
Presenter: Libby Simpson

Opportunities and Resources for All Middle Level Educators!
Presenters: Anne Schoeffler and Edralin Pagarigan

Inspiring the Future of Aerospace
Presenter: Melissa Sleeper

Ten STE(A)M Skills for Everyone
Presenters: Lydia Kidane

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Edralin Pagarigan (Golden Ring Middle School: Rosedale, MD), Lydia Kidane (Sustainable Forestry Initiative: Washington, DC), Jessica Kohout (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD), Liz Martinez (Curriculum/Professional Development: Escondido, CA), Libby Simpson (FIRST®: Manchester, NH), Anne Schoeffler (Seton Catholic School: Hudson, OH), Melissa Sleeper (Storm Grove Middle School: Vero Beach, FL)

Help students create compelling stories about climate change and environmental justice. Classroom-ready resources will help students communicate scientific information with narrative structure across various media.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In an analytical discipline like science, there is still a case to be made for storytelling; 2. The And-But-Therefore narrative structure technique to summarize scientific information or craft original science communication; and 3. Science storytelling can enhance student projects by improving conceptual understanding and allowing choice and voice to engage students as activists for environmental justice.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Tate (Whitehall Middle School: Whitehall, MI), Cristina Veresan (The Nueva School: Hillsborough, CA)

This session engages participants in the exploration of middle school–oriented, classroom-ready, interactive, online, data-driven, three-dimensional activities and visualizations that present how sea level rise is caused by climate change, how NOAA monitors and measures these changes, how U.S. coastal regions are dangerously impacted by it, and how you can get up to $5,000 for your school to mitigate its impacts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will: 1. explore a middle school–oriented classroom-ready multimedia module, and use data-driven NOAA websites that explain and visualize how climate change is causing sea levels to rise globally and impacting all U.S. coastal areas; 2. explore NOAA’s classroom-ready, Data in the Classroom modules: Investigating Sea Level Using Real Data, and learn how their students can use data from NOAA’s satellites and coastal stations to do the analysis to see sea level changing, and learn how they can integrate its inquiry-based resources into their classrooms today; and 3. learn about NOAA Planet Stewards, a Federal program that offers educators up to $5,000 to engage in hands-on stewardship activities to mitigate climate change and its impacts.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn how to facilitate student exploration of phenomena through simulations and virtual worlds that support three-dimensional learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. As the students interact with the Sims and virtual worlds, they develop disciplinary knowledge, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices in authentic and engaging ways; 2. Sims and virtual worlds provide rich student-generated artifacts and process data that can be used for effective teaching, learning, and formative assessment (e.g., the number of trials performed, evidence collected in support of scientific argumentation); and 3. Sims and virtual worlds foster student collaboration and discussion when focused around well-crafted driving questions that are correctly answered in multiple ways, creating a robust learning experience that reaches beyond the screen.

SPEAKERS:
Brendon Trombley (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Discovery Education’s brand-new Science Techbook for middle school provides multiple opportunities to assess students’ proficiency with all three dimensions. This session highlights the opportunities for formative assessments throughout the unit as students engage in practices, as well as a summative unit project and a set of performance-based assessments (PBAs) targeting every performance expectation.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Students' engagement in science and engineering practices provides an opportunity for formative assessments; 2. Assessments should be tied to phenomena; and 3. Assessments should be three-dimensional.

SPEAKERS:
Nikki Brassell Snyder (Montgomery County Public Schools: Christiansburg, VA), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Join us for a variety of short, modified Pecha Kucha–style presentations, after which the presenters will be available for questions and further discussion.

The presentations included in this session are:

Telling Data Stories
Presenter: Loris Jean Chen

AMS Project Atmosphere: Jet Streams
Presenter: David Curry

3 Cs of Bridging the Gap to Science Literacy
Presenters: Jennifer Ledbetter and Lisa Reis

Stack the Deck
Presenter: Liz Martinez

Greetings from Mars!
Presenter: Melissa Sleeper

Science Simulations and Digital Notebooks
Presenter: Stacy Thibodeaux

NGSS-Focused STEM Projects
Presenter: Vanessa Ueltzen

Moderator: Mary Lou Lipscomb

Note: This session involves Breakout Rooms. In order to participate, you must have the latest version of Zoom downloaded to your computer. Before accessing our Zoom platform, please visit Zoom.us/download, click on Download, and then click on Execute file to initialize.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover a variety lessons, units, professional development opportunities, and resources for hybrid or virtual instruction; 2. Learn ways to engage middle level students in exciting inquiry learning; and 3. Become aware of ways to involve parents and/or community in science.

SPEAKERS:
Loris Chen (Science Education Consultant: Fair Lawn, NJ), David Curry (Newtown Middle School: Newtown, PA), Jennifer Ledbetter (University School: Johnson City, TN), Lisa Reis (University School: Johnson City, TN), Liz Martinez (Curriculum/Professional Development: Escondido, CA), Melissa Sleeper (Storm Grove Middle School: Vero Beach, FL), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA), Vanessa Ueltzen (Walther Christian Academy: Melrose Park, IL)

Up-to-date scientific climate research will be explored as the basis for supporting NGSS performance expectation MS-ESS3-5 concerning the current rise in global temperature.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. There are many factors that affect changes in global temperature, both natural and human-caused; 2. The current rapid rise in global temperature is primarily the result of the human combustion of fossil fuels; and 3. There are many engaging sources of data and activities for students to use in investigating this NGSS performance expectation.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession (Washington University in St. Louis: Saint Louis, MO)

Discover research-based approaches on how to build a strong makerspace community that taps into foundational scientific literacy skills. Participate in a makerspace project-based literacy challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Improve culturally responsive teaching in an informal makerspace environment through the development of makerspace pop-up activities and training approaches following a makerspace project-based literacy process; 2. Increase scientific literacy achievement through informal literacy hands-on makerspace pop-up activities focused on STEM real-world activities; and 3. Describe opportunities and hands-on mobile approaches to build capacity of existing informal makerspace learning of remote communities, diverse learners, and STEM professionals serving underrepresented minority populations.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Miller (Sul Ross State University: Alpine, TX), Thomas Tomas (Little Singer Community School: Winslow, AZ)

Learn how to navigate the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication's Educator Page. Engage with data-based, NGSS-focused activities that you can easily use with students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Communicating effectively about climate change is just as important as understanding climate science itself if we hope to realize viable, equitable climate solutions in our lifetime; 2. The Yale Program on Climate Change Communication conducts scientific research on public climate change knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Through YPCCC's Educator Page, students can engage with current data from this research to identify effective climate change communication strategies and think critically about what it takes to implement climate action; and 3. Students are a critical audience to engage in the work to find and enact climate solutions. The activities on the Educator Page can help students develop a sense of agency around climate change communication while honing important NGSS-related skills.

SPEAKERS:
Ruthie Gold (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication: New Haven, CT)

This session presents an eesmarts activity using the popular “escape room” format in which students solve clues using science knowledge to complete the challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Using an escape room to explore the concepts of energy transformation and its environmental impact; 2. Ideas to enhance distance learning through competitive activities/ gamification; and 3. Suggestions for using adapting escape room format with eesmarts or your existing curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Tonkinson (eesmarts: Hartford, CT), Kathleen Brooks (eesmarts), Sharyon Holness (eesmarts: No City, No State)

Learn effective techniques, including Claims-Evidence-Reasoning, to help students navigate media filled with fictional information promoted as fact and cherry-picked data offered as evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teachers are provided with a checklist to assist their students in determining if information found on the internet is reputable, factual, and accurate; 2. Learn effective techniques to consider and understand why someone would believe common misconceptions about climate change and global warming; and 3. Participate in group discussions that take a deep dive into data to determine its relevance to a question or issue.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Tucker (Consultant: Port Townsend, WA), Lois Sherwood (Professional Development Coordinator: Port Townsend, WA)

Dr. Czajkowski, lead scientist on urban heat islands, engages students to study their local environments by studying the surface temperatures of their neighborhoods. Learn how to integrate this into your classrooms by using My NASA Data’s story map and NASA satellite data.

Materials required:

• physical device (phone, iPhone, tablet) to download the GLOBE Observer App

In the session, each participant will download the Globe Observer App (presenters will help with any technical problems participants' may have).

The participants will be asked to go outside and looks at the clouds in their area. The clouds' data is tied to the Urban Heat Island Effect.

This session is targeted for novice attendees.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage students in studying the heat islands in their neighborhoods; 2. Access, download, and compare their data to NASA satellite data; and 3. Interact with My NASA Data Urban Heat Island Story Map, which can be imported to their Google classrooms.

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

Experience tools and data sources that help learners connect climate science content to local and global phenomena.

Note: Attendees will need the ability to stay in the virtual session while exploring new tools online simultaneously, so split-screens or multiple monitors would be helpful but are not required. Presenters will not have the ability to correct internet issues or the inability of attendees to access resources presented that might arise due to time limitation. So please keep in mind firewalls and administrative privileges before the session.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. walk away with peer- and science-reviewed resources they can immediately integrate into their teaching; 2. walk away with strategies for engaging students in collaborative explorations of climate data; and 3. experience materials as learners that help make thinking visible.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Andrews (National Center for Science Education: Oakland, CA), Jessica Bean (University of California, Berkeley: Berkeley, CA), Mark Chandler (Columbia University: New York, NY), Louise Huffman (U.S. Ice Drilling Program: Hanover, NH), Cory Forbes (University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Lincoln, NE)

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will focus on how to provide all students opportunities to use the science practices to understand things of interest to them and to construct knowledge. Ideas for simple hands-on activites, how to use digital media, and how to build straightforward simulations with free spreadsheet programs will be presented.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to: 1. do NGSS-aligned science; 2. promote scientific thinking skills in students; and 3. use hands-on activities, digital media, and spreadsheet programs to make science accessible to all students and to construct knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel (Flinn Scientific, Inc.: Batavia, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Shell Science Lab

Come start your winning application for one of three Shell-sponsored programs. We'll walk through the application step by step and you'll be able to begin your application or nomination form live.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn: 1. tips to complete a successful application; 2. who's eligible to apply; and 3. how to nominate a deserving teacher.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH), Amanda Upton (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Sponsoring Company: FDA/ Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Join us in exploring FDA's free curriculum designed for middle level and high school students. The Science and Our Food Supply series provides hands-on lessons in food safety, nutrition, and agricultural biotechnology…and provides a bridge for students to experience science in the real world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. explore the variety of lessons found in the FDA curriculum; 2. understand how this curriculum can be integrated into a variety of science classes; and 3. be exposed to how this curriculum can be adapted to both hands-on and distance learning.

SPEAKERS:
Elena Stowell (Kentwood High School: Kent, WA), Laurie A Hayes (Retired Biomedicine Teacher: , CA)

Discover lesson plans and teaching resources to better integrate science and engineering practices in our food system.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in the practice of phenomena-based learning through the phenomena of photoperiodism; 2. Improve critical thinking while investigating food production systems; and 3. Integrate STEM concepts through design thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Tessa Matuszak (National Agriculture in the Classroom Organization: Palm Coast, FL), Andrea Gardner (Utah State University: Logan, UT)

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:
Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA), Jessica Kohout (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD)

Learn effective techniques, including Claims-Evidence-Reasoning, to help students navigate media filled with fictional information promoted as fact and cherry-picked data offered as evidence.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teachers are provided with a checklist to assist their students in determining if information found on the internet is reputable, factual, and accurate; 2. Learn effective techniques to consider and understand why someone would believe common misconceptions about climate change and global warming; and 3. Participate in group discussions that take a deep dive into data to determine its relevance to a question or issue.

SPEAKERS:
Lois Sherwood (Professional Development Coordinator: Port Townsend, WA), Laura Tucker (Consultant: Port Townsend, WA)

Help students create compelling stories about climate change and environmental justice. Classroom-ready resources will help students communicate scientific information with narrative structure across various media.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In an analytical discipline like science, there is still a case to be made for storytelling; 2. The And-But-Therefore narrative structure technique to summarize scientific information or craft original science communication; and 3. Science storytelling can enhance student projects by improving conceptual understanding and allowing choice and voice to engage students as activists for environmental justice.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Tate (Whitehall Middle School: Whitehall, MI), Cristina Veresan (The Nueva School: Hillsborough, CA)

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Whether breaking bonds, dissolving NaCl, or exploring states of matter, your students will be captivated by 3D Molecular Designs’ magnetic Water Kit©. The versatile kit will engage students in chemistry, biology, biochemistry, Earth science, or physical science and its usefulness spans from middle and high school to college.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teach bonds and bond strength with models; 2. Teach solutions and states of matter with models; and 3. Teach polarity with models.

SPEAKERS:
Jim Lane (Mahtomedi High School: Saint Paul, MN)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

A decomposing corpse is found in a field. Four possible missing persons fit the description. But who is it? Using clues near the scene will help determine identity. Forensic anthropologist Diane France helped to develop this free middle school and high school forensic science lesson.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Forensic science is a great career field that combines science with criminal justice; 2. Natural processes of decomposition of flesh can be clues to determining cause of death; and 3. Storytelling is a great way to engage students in science.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Lukens (Retired Science Teacher: Sioux Falls, SD)

Participants explore strategies and resources for engaging students during face-to-face and virtual instruction. Equity, differentiation, and nonlinguistic representations of instruction and learning will be targeted.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn research-based strategies that increase student engagement so that all students are involved in the learning process; 2. learn new ways to increase the confidence of learners who may be reluctant to engage in classroom activities and discussions; and 3. obtain numerous activities, templates, games, resources, etc. they can use with their students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the attendees.

SPEAKERS:
Iris Mudd (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: Winston Salem, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

This workshop will focus on how to incorporate more hands-on experiments into science courses in a way that connects the experiences to the broader world. The workshop will also discuss how to make the experiences doable for all students regardless of prior knowledge, training, or learning environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to do more hands-on, authentic experiments; 2. How to make experiments relevant; and 3. How digital media and adaptable platforms can help cater experiences to all students.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Marvel (Flinn Scientific, Inc.: Batavia, IL)

Sponsoring Company: FDA/ Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition

Join us in exploring FDA's free curriculum designed for middle level and high school students. The Science and Our Food Supply series provides hands-on lessons in food safety, nutrition, and agricultural biotechnology…and provides a bridge for students to experience science in the real world.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will: 1. explore the variety of lessons found in the FDA curriculum; 2. understand how this curriculum can be integrated into a variety of science classes; and 3. be exposed to how this curriculum can be adapted to both hands-on and distance learning.

SPEAKERS:
Elena Stowell (Kentwood High School: Kent, WA), Laurie A Hayes (Retired Biomedicine Teacher: , CA)

Based on three-dimensional learning and field-tested in high school classes, Virtual Field Labs can be used synchronously, asynchronously, or in hybrid classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Hands-on virtual tool for teaching climate change concepts; 2. Student-generated data activities led by climate change scientists; and 3. Generate, graph, and analyze data on the way to making claims supported by evidence related to the investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Louise Huffman (U.S. Ice Drilling Program: Hanover, NH), William Grosser (Curriculum Designer: Auburn, CA)

My NASA Data will model interactive resources for students learning in-person and via virtual environments that feature short activities, lessons, and access to NASA data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. walk away with access to NASA resources for their Earth science classrooms that can be linked directly to their learning management systems; 2. learn of interactive strategies for using these resources with students in a variety of learning environments; and 3. learn of an Earth science data visualization tool that enables students/educators to access and visualize NASA data for a particular region or time period.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Rizzi (NASA Langley Research Center/ADNET: No City, No State), Elizabeth Joyner (NASA Langley Research Center: Hampton, VA)

Engage in a lesson from NOAA’s Data in the Classroom to explore some effective engagement and assessment tools and technologies for the post-COVID classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Keep experimenting with EdTech inside and outside of your classrooms; 2. Utilize EdTech for assessment and engagement of all learners in the classroom; and 3. Access scientific data from NOAA to help students evaluate claims, construct arguments, and better understand the world around them.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Dean (Jewish Community High School of the Bay: San Francisco, CA)

Explore how to engage students in the science of climate change using the question., “How will we produce food in a changing climate?”

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Resources for students to understand that food is grown in climate-specific areas of the world; 2. Critical thinking regarding the environmental footprint of food production; and 3. Context for the carbon cycle.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Gardner (Utah State University: Logan, UT)

Explore with Indigenous Knowledge Keepers how and why to include Indigenous Ways of Knowing and voices in your place-based STEM projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
With guidance from an Indigenous Knowledge Keeper: 1. gather examples of, and reasons for, looking at NGSS PEs, DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs through the complementary lens of Indigenous Ways of Knowing, which we call Indigenizing STEM; 2. create an ancestral land acknowledgement statement, with instructions, that can be used at your school, organization, or project site; and 3. create an honoring (blessing) protocol from the Indigenous perspective that acknowledges the respected human-environment relationship. This protocol could be done on the land of STEM project before changing or taking from the ecosystem.

SPEAKERS:
RunningHorse Livingston (Mathematize, Inc.: Madison, WI), Pte Ska Hinapa Wi Poor Bear (Indigenous Educator and Knowledge Keeper: Denver, CO), Laura Arndt (Global GreenSTEM: Franktown, CO)

Join presenters from the University of Maryland in exploring the natural history, ecology, and behavior of the seven species of periodical cicadas indigenous to North America.

TAKEAWAYS:
(1) Explore the natural history, ecology, and behavior of the seven species of periodical cicadas indigenous to North America. (2) Learn about how cicadas are unique in the insect world. (3) Learn when cicadas will appear and how they will impact humans, pets, wildlife, and plants in our region.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Michael Raupp (University of Maryland: College Park, MD)

Are you located in the U.S. near a Shell asset? Attend this session for the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge to learn how to apply for this amazing opportunity. Pick up tips for completing a winning application and begin your journey in applying to win an updated science classroom. This program will award 33 prize packages valued up to $15,000 for high school and $10,000 for elementary and middle school!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how you can apply to win the Shell Science Lab Challenge; 2. Learn the tips to completing a winning application; and 3. Have an opportunity to actually begin to complete the application and have your questions answered.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH), Amanda Upton (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Collaborate and share tools that can be used either in person or in a distance-learning environment. Discover how you can use these tools in the science classroom, especially with STEM projects and competitions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Collaborate and share tools that can be used either in person or in a distance-learning environment; 2. Discover how you can use these tools in the science classroom, especially with STEM projects and competitions; and 3. Engage with educators that are interested in improving science literacy with K-12 students via interactive engagement strategies for students.

SPEAKERS:
Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Join us to learn more about our journey to support teachers' social and emotional well-being by designing differentiated learning experiences as we implemented three-dimensional science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Methods to design effective differentiated learning for science educators; 2. Ways to support adult learners via differentiation; and 3. Ways to strengthen the implementation of 3-D science teaching, learning, and assessment across districts.

SPEAKERS:
Tonya Woolfolk (Houston County Schools: Perry, GA), Denise Richardson (Rockdale County Public Schools: Conyers, GA)