Learn to access hundreds of free hands-on engineering design activities that exemplify the interconnected three-dimensional elements of K–5 science learning.

For this beginner-level hands-on activity, each participant will need: 

• 4–6 Lifesaver® mints
• 4–6 plastic straws (with diameters smaller than the Lifesaver® mint’s hole diameter)
• 2–4 popsicle sticks
• 1–2 index cards (or thin cardboard or poster board scraps)
• tape (duct or masking)
• scissors
• paper
• pencil
• ramp (made from sturdy poster board or rigid cardboard)
• meter stick
• 10–30 pennies

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. engage in a hands-on NGSS engineering design–aligned activity for elementary students from the FREE TeachEngineering digital library; 2. experience the integration of design and design thinking through 3-D learning while exploring a fun way to ignite student creativity; and 3. experience the interconnectivity of 3-D learning while strengthening their own ability to implement 3-D teaching and learning practices in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Dua Chaker (Teach Engineering: No City, No State), Michael Soltys (TeachEngineering: Boulder, CO), Jennifer Kracha (Teach Engineering: No City, No State)

Experience the interdisciplinary approach of the FoodPrints Curriculum with a Science and ELA focus to teach nine major garden and food education themes.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage in three different lessons (Edible Plant Parts, Seed Dispersal, and the Garden Ecosystem) for grades 1–3 that can be used in the classroom, and adapted for virtual instruction using literacy-based approaches aligned to Common Core ELA and hands-on science investigations aligned to NGSS; 2. Learn methods for teaching vocabulary in the garden, using visual literacy as a tool for teaching science content, addressing speaking and listening standards, using creative approaches to early writing, and using read alouds to support instruction; 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:
Susan Bandler (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC), Jennifer Ramsey (FRESHFARM FoodPrints: Washington, DC)

Investigate using inquiry-based learning and the SEPs to deepen students’ understanding of both science concepts and literacy strategies remotely or in the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. l eave with a toolkit of hands-on, inquiry science investigations inspired and enhanced by literature; 2. l earn about distance-learning tools that support integrating the Science and Engineering Practices with literacy strategies to engage students in real-world science; and 3. identify strategies and resources for using books, productive talk, and science writing to integrate science, literacy, and discussion in ways that foster critical thinking, academic language, and meaning making.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra Ryack-Bell (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Kathy Renfrew (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA)

Learn how students in grades 3–5 can explore issues of racial equity while investigating the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by family engagement and social-emotional learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn that: 1. students’ own questions about COVID-19 and its disproportionate impact motivate them to authentically engage in NGSS Science and Engineering Practices and other connected multidisciplinary standards; 2. students can be supported in their exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic and inequities it has amplified by inviting families to be partners and incorporating social-emotional learning; and 3. students use the science they learn to explore ways their own decisions can help them care for themselves, their families, and their communities.

SPEAKERS:
Megan Bang (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Sara Ivory (The Ogden International School of Chicago, East Campus: Chicago, IL), Gail Housman (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Tyler Scaletta (Alcott Elementary School: Chicago, IL), Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Carrie Tzou (University of Washington Bothell: Bothell, WA), Katy Fattaleh (The Nora Project: Highland Park, IL), Ashley Stanley (Dewey Elementary School: Evanston, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Ward's Science

Explore the life cycle of a butterfly using our Ward’s Science live butterfly larvae! During this virtual workshop, educators will go through all the steps required to “build” a butterfly and observe its life cycle in a classroom. Motivate and meet the needs of all learners with daily observations and growth recordings as well as art projects building models and creative writing suggestions for language arts. We’ll see why butterflies are beneficial to our environment and an exciting living learning tool for the classroom. Door prizes to multiple winners!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to handle LIVE larvae for your life cycle of a butterfly unit; 2. Care and feeding of larvae and newly emerged butterflies; and 3. Create life cycle models incorporating Art and Language arts.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Ahern (Ward's Science: Austin, TX), Peter Tucker (Ward's Science: West Henrietta, NY)

Sponsoring Company: The Walking Classroom

The Walking Classroom is a research-proven program of audio podcasts that students listen to while they walk. Our STEM program includes 60 science podcasts, including a science career series and supplemental resources. Elementary students learn better, retain information longer, and want to learn more about topics after listening and walking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn about the research-proven benefits of listening to podcasts while walking as experienced by students; 2. find out more about the podcast content provided by The Walking Classroom, which includes Earth science, physical science, life science, and a careers in science series; and 3. get an overview of the additional resources provided that supplement each podcast and include video clips, downloadable worksheets, suggested hands-on activities, virtual field trips, and more!

SPEAKERS:
Debra Ives (The Walking Classroom: Chapel Hill, NC)

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)

Learn about Argument-Driven Inquiry and how to use this instructional model to provide rigorous and equitable learning experiences for children.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support students as they learn to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

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)

Sponsoring Company: NSTA Press

Learn how to use explore-before-explain learning to flip the traditional teaching script and promote long-lasting understanding in physical, life, and Earth and space science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Why sequence matters—a concise review of cognitive science and science education research explains why the order in which you structure your lessons is so critical; 2. How you do it—ready-to-teach lessons that use an explore-before-explain sequence; and 3. Connections to modern standards—Next Generation Science Standards and makes interdisciplinary connections to the Common Core State Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Brown (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

Students learn best when they are empowered to draw on and make connections to their own experiences, prior knowledge, and cultural and social backgrounds. In this interactive session, participants will explore how an asset-based approach can inform strategic adaptations to core science instructional materials to promote equity, relevance, and deep learning for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how to empower students to draw on and make connections to their own experiences, prior knowledge, and cultural and social backgrounds; learn how an asset-based approach can inform strategic adaptations to core science instructional materials; and 3. gain strategies on how to promote equity, relevance, and deep learning for all students.

SPEAKERS:
Leslie Stenger (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

Five STEM authors provide hand-on activities and ideas for using picture books to support both literacy and science in the classroom and via distance learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. An understanding of how to incorporate STEM activities into your literacy routines; 2. Full lesson plans for classroom and at-home activities that can be used with each of our books; and 3. A list of STEM book titles to support literacy and science learning in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kirsten Larson (Author: Lancaster, CA), Vicky Fang (Product Designer & Author-Illustrator: Los Altos, CA), Jen Malia (Norfolk State University: Norfolk, VA), Colleen Paeff (Author: Los Angeles, CA), Lindsay Metcalf (Author: Concordia, KS)

Engage in this interactive session to find out how the idea of anchoring to a phenomena to begin a STEM unit lays out a plan for helping students to see how science impacts their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand why the scenario helps students connect the phenomena to their own community/ global issues; 2. Show how to move from the unit phenomena introduction to the crafting the storyline for the student learning; and 3. Teachers will have a chance to practice developing their own scenario based on a given phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jo Anne Vasquez (NSTA President 96-97: , AZ), Michael Comer (Consultant: Paramus, NJ)

Experience a contact tracing activity and explore how a storyline unit supports SEL during the pandemic while emphasizing health equity. Print http://bit.ly/MSContactTracing ahead of time.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how discussions of a pandemic can be attentive to students’ social-emotional needs; 2. consider how COVID-19-focused learning can and should provoke students' thinking about how their actions affect others and can help end pandemics; and 3. experience a contact-tracing activity that supports students’ thinking about issues of trust in public health.

SPEAKERS:
Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Dawn Novak (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL)

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 (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, 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 Seymour (Science Teacher: Winchester, 0), Jessica VanValkenburgh (Columbus State University: Columbus, GA), Elizabeth Weissman (The Ramaz School: New York, NY)

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)

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 (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA)

Learn about Argument-Driven Inquiry and how it can help students learn how to use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs to explain natural phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use this instructional model, or way of teaching, to give students an opportunity to learn how to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena; 2. How to give students an opportunity to talk, read, and write in the service of sensemaking; and 3. Ways to support students as they learn to use the core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and practices of science to make sense of natural phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

Engage in this interactive session to find out how the idea of anchoring to a phenomena to begin a STEM unit lays out a plan for helping students to see how science impacts their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understand why the scenario helps students connect the phenomena to their own community/ global issues; 2. Show how to move from the unit phenomena introduction to the crafting the storyline for the student learning; and 3. Teachers will have a chance to practice developing their own scenario based on a given phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Comer (Consultant: Paramus, NJ), Jo Anne Vasquez (NSTA President 96-97: , AZ)

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)

Explore how to use argumentation and explanations supported with the CER framework and the KLEWS chart to engage in the science and engineering practices in the science classroom—both virtually and in person. These ideas will support students to actively participate in inquiry-based, phenomenon-centered activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Students need a scaffolding of supports to fully participate and grow in their ability to use the SEPs; 2. Teachers can use many different supports, in different ways for varied learners, to help all students be successful in science. ALL students can be successful!; and 3. These supports can be tailored to all topics in science.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Moore (Tennessee Tech: Cookeville, TN)

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 (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, 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)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Learn about three-dimensional formative assessment design and insights for student learning with the new BrainPOP Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. In this session, we will share how BrainPOP Science uses 3-D formative assessments strategically embedded in lessons to gather actionable data on student progress; and 2. Additionally, session participants will work through classroom scenarios to identify the best implementations of BrainPOP Science, focusing on the checks-for-understanding (formative assessments) and the resulting dashboards and reports.

SPEAKERS:
Laurel Ozersky (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

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 (Educational Consultant: Ellicott City, MD), Liz Martinez (Curriculum/Professional Development/Assessment: Escondido, CA), Libby Simpson (FIRST®: Manchester, NH), Anne Schoeffler (Seton Catholic School: Hudson, OH), Melissa Sleeper (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Upper School: Melbourne, 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)

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: Rockville, MD), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP

Join us as we walk you through the brand-new BrainPOP Science, the next step in teaching science with BrainPOP. Our new product is designed to drive student mastery and inspire the next generation of scientific thinkers with turnkey investigations and embedded interactive tools to prepare students for assessment success.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Leave with tangible strategies that you can use to connect kids to real-world science in remote, hybrid, and in-person learning environments; 2. Discuss and reflect on facilitating the connection between trusting science and doing real-world science; and 3. Leave with a menu of turnkey activities that you can use to propel how you approach phenomena-driven virtual lab instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Kari Stubbs (BrainPOP: New York, NY), Mike Jones (Illinois State University: Normal, IL)

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/Assessment: Escondido, CA), Melissa Sleeper (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Upper School: Melbourne, FL), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA), Vanessa Ueltzen (Walther Christian Academy: Melrose Park, IL)

Explore benchmark assessments and scoring guides you can use to assess students’ three-dimensional learning related to middle school performance expectations.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. True 3-D assessments incorporate the SEP, CCC, and DCI for a PE in such a way as to elicit student responses demonstrating knowledge of all dimensions; 2. Phenomena and scenarios provide context for assessments that help elicit 3-D responses from students; and 3. Attention to potential equity, access, and bias supports the design of assessments that better elicit demonstration of knowledge and understanding from all students.

SPEAKERS:
Maia Binding (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA)

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, Ph.D. (Flinn Scientific, Inc.: Batavia, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Animalearn

Discover how you can make your dissection lab dynamic and innovative after COVID-19! Learn about new life science resources, including mixed reality (AR/VR) education technology; and explorative, hands-on teaching tools that will amaze and engage your students. Participants will be entered to WIN FREE PRIZES like dissection resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Life science resources; 2. Education technology; and 3. Hybrid classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Green (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA)

Sponsoring Company: uHandy Mobile Microscope

Since History and English classes teach students how to read and analyze primary sources, why can't Science classes do the same? In this workshop, you will learn how to teach NGSS using research articles and how to seamlessly tie it all into a lesson, with the help of some pond protozoa.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to: 1. teach NGSS using research articles; and 2. seamlessly tie it all into a lesson, with the help of some pond protozoa.

SPEAKERS:
Evelyn Wong (Science with Evie: New York, NY)

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: 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)