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)

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: Dartmouth, MA), Kathy Renfrew (Wade Institute for Science Education: Milford, MA)

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)

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: Flagstaff, AZ)

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: Pipersville, PA), Nicole Green (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA), Bailee Henderson (Animalearn: Jenkintown, PA), Shannon Hudson (Crawfordsville Middle School: Crawfordsville, IN), Alison Seymour (Winchester College: Scottsdale, AZ), Jessica VanValkenburgh (Columbus State University: Hamilton, GA), Elizabeth Weissman (The Ramaz School: Fresh Meadows, NY)

Sponsoring Company: NSTA Press

Learn about Argument-Driven Inquiry and how it can help students engage in real-world science while using literacy-based materials in the service of sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will: 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 in science; and 3. ways to support students as they engage in real-world science while using literacy-based materials in the service of sensemaking.

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

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: Newton, 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: Fall River, MA), Angela Damery (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Sandra Ryack-Bell (Wade Institute for Science Education: Dartmouth, 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)

In this presentation, participants will be introduced to the Chemical Reactions unit and how three-dimensional assessment is embedded throughout the unit to support student sensemaking.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand: 1. the anchoring phenomena for the unit; 2. the storyline for the unit and how it supports coherence from the student perspective; and 3. the embedded assessments and features of the instructional model that supports all students in successful sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Evanston, IL), Dawn Novak (Northwestern University: Grayslake, IL)

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: Suffolk, VA), Angela Rizzi (NASA Langley Research Center/ADNET: Newport News, VA)

Come learn about Data Puzzles, a free resource co-designed by climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder that are aimed at bringing authentic data into classrooms in the context of current and relevant scientific research.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Introduction to inquiry-based instruction in the context of Ambitious Science Teaching practices; 2. Strategies for facilitating Data Puzzle resources and other inquiry-based activities in your MS/HS classroom; and 3. Skills to design your own data-driven learning activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith (University of Colorado Boulder: Montpelier, VT)

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: Plainfield, IL), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Derwood, 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)

Investigate states of matter, dissolving, and chemical reactions from inquiryinaction.org and middleschoolchemistry.com, the free resources of NGSS-focused lesson plans for teaching basic chemistry concepts to elementary and middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Awareness of free resources of NGSS-focused lesson plans in chemistry for elementary and middle school teachers and students; 2. Questioning strategies built into lessons to help students contribute to the design of an investigation to answer a question; and 3. An understanding of using grade-appropriate explanations of atoms and molecules to help students better understand the causes of the phenomena they observe.

SPEAKERS:
James Kessler (American Chemical Society: Washington, DC)

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: Germantown, MD), Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Derwood, 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 (none: Fair Lawn, NJ), David Curry (Newtown Middle School: Pipersville, PA), Jennifer Ledbetter (University School: Johnson City, TN), Lisa Reis (Johnson City Schools: Johnson City, TN), Liz Martinez (Indepedent: Escondido, CA), Melissa Sleeper (Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy, Upper School: Vero Beach, FL), Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Scott, LA), Vanessa Ueltzen (Walther Christian Academy: Chicago, IL)

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: Flagstaff, AZ)

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 (retired: Port Townsend, WA)

Visualization is difficult for many students. Join me for a discussion and demonstration of several modeling activities you can use in your chemistry class. This session is targeted for novice/intermediate attendees.

Materials needed:

• magnets
• paper templates (https://airtable.com/shrNVEvxmPZuJHWvA)

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What modeling looks like in a classroom; 2. Modeling resources to use with students; and 3. Shortcomings of models.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Abbott (American Chemical Society: Lake Worth, FL)

Sponsoring Company: Texas Instruments

You will see how easy and engaging it can be to use simulations in your chemistry (actually most sciences) class! Simulations are great to speed up the very slow, slow down the very fast, zoom in on the very small, and shrink the very large so students can better understand these scientific processes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simulations: 1. are great complements to hands on; 2. can help students better see the really small, really large, really fast, or really slow processes in nature; and 3. are NOT the only approach to teaching science but do serve a role in helping students better understand phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Scott, LA)

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: Savvas Learning Co.

Phenomena-based instruction is a proven way to create connections between the content we present in our classrooms and the knowledge and experiences our students bring to the table. In this interactive session, we'll explore ways teachers can use phenomena to present new material, as well as review previous topics of study. Teachers will leave with ideas they can immediately implement into their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What is phenomena-based instruction?; 2. How can I use phenomena to introduce a topic? and 3. How can I use phenomena to review many topics?

SPEAKERS:
Jessi Davis (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ)

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: Venice, FL), Amanda Upton (NSTA: Fresno, TX)

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: Clovis, CA)

Unsure how to address disability in biology? Learn models of disability, identify ableism, and learn how to accept disability as a natural form of variation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. be able to identify and remedy common examples of ableism, while learning about the beliefs and practices of the ability-inclusive mindset to promote an inclusive classroom and school environment; 2. be provided a set of slides that teach how disability is a natural form of human variation, the other above concepts in the context of a biology lesson on the natural sources of variation (meiosis, mutation, sexual reproduction); and 3. learn about the positives and negatives of the social, medical, inspirational, and social justice models of disability.

SPEAKERS:
John Gensic (Penn High School: Granger, IN), Katy Fattaleh (The Nora Project: La Grange Highlands, IL), Lainey Bristow (Penn High School: Minneapolis, MN)

Learn strategies to be more culturally responsive from an equity framework to not only retain but spread Black girl magic in STEM in school settings!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The school-based and classroom-based factors that are contributing to Black girls starting off with the highest interest in STEM but resulting in the lowest retention of STEM; 2. The seven elements of the ICUCARE equity framework in the classroom; and 3. Three to five strategies (to then develop and apply) for providing learning experiences in the school setting that empower our Black girls to remain in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Princess Francois (Math, Engineering, and Science Academy: Brooklyn, NY)

Come learn about Data Puzzles, a free resource co-designed by climate scientists and instructional specialists from the University of Colorado Boulder that are aimed at bringing authentic data into classrooms in the context of current and relevant scientific research.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Introduction to inquiry-based instruction in the context of Ambitious Science Teaching practices; 2. Strategies for facilitating Data Puzzle resources and other inquiry-based activities in your MS/HS classroom; and 3. Skills to design your own data-driven learning activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Griffith (University of Colorado Boulder: Montpelier, VT)

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 (retired: Port Townsend, WA), Laura Tucker (Consultant: Port Townsend, WA)

Participants will have the opportunity to engage in sample activities that integrate chemistry, Earth science, and science practices and to review example student work.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn: 1. about integrated chemistry and Earth science activities; and 2. how to support student engagement in creating models of scientific phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathon Grooms (The George Washington University Graduate School of Education: Washington, DC), Kevin Fleming (Cardozo Education Campus: Silver Spring, MD), Bess Caplan (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD), Alan Berkowitz (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies: Millbrook, NY), Vonceil Anderson (Baltimore City Public Schools: Baltimore, MD)

Learn how the language and structure of your inquiry activities can produce roadblocks for emergent bilinguals, and how subtle shifts dramatically increase engagement and success.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. A resource versus-deficit perspective and building lessons around abilities; 2. Breaking down language barriers in student-student collaborations through effective modeling; and 3. Using multiple representations in science, utilizing emergent bilingual's strength with translanguaging.

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

Using Project Hero’s online Soil Quest and Q-U-E-S-T framework, guide learners to design projects that sequester carbon, restore soil’s health, and slow climate change.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. work with the online PBL Soil Quest platform (https://herofortheplanet.org/healthysoils) as a model for empowering students to use the understanding of science concepts to design and carry out a solution to a local soil problem; 2. understand how to teach the connection between soil-carbon-climate change concepts through Quest activities and investigations (aligned to the NGSS), and lay the foundation for designing and carrying out this project; and 3. gather ideas for how the soil project, and lessons for supporting concepts, could fit into current NGSS-focused curricula (i.e., concepts around healthy soil ecosystems, carbon cycle and sequestration, climate change, and design of conventional and regenerative farming and gardening practices), and connect to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Arndt (Global GreenSTEM: Franktown, CO)

Sponsoring Company: Feeding Tomorrow, Institute of Food Technologists

Do your students know about the science of food? The world needs the brightest minds engaged in the science of food to meet the challenge of feeding a projected population of 9 billion in 2050. To help meet this challenge, we want to help you introduce your high school students to the science of food and career opportunities in food science and technology.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Food science lesson plans; 2. Food science pedagogy; and 3. Food science careers.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Sudler (FONA International Inc.: Geneva, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Flinn Scientific, Inc.

Please join Flinn for a quick refresher on common safety concerns and issues that arise in the classroom and remote settings. This is a must-attend session for new teachers and experienced teachers alike who want to deliver the most comprehensive and safe program possible! Come for an overview of best practices in the lab with Flinn!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Refresher on science safety best practices; 2. Safety awareness culture; and 3. Practical :what to do in case of emergency" trainings.

SPEAKERS:
James Palcik (Flinn Scientific Canada, Inc.: Hamilton, ON)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Co.

As educators, you know what student engagement looks like in the classroom. Students are focused on their work in front of them, they are collaborating with their peers, they are asking good questions, and creativity is flowing. But now that things have moved online, what does engagement look like? In this session we will explore the wealth of tools within the Mastering® technology from Pearson that you can use in your digital or hybrid classroom now to boost engagement.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Student engagement in a digital/hybrid classroom; 2. How to utilize resources within the Mastering® technology from Pearson to boost student engagement; and 3. Learn about resources within Mastering to support digital teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Vaccaro (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ), Debra Gipson (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ), Matthew Barber (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ), Monica Wadler (Savvas Learning Co.: Greencastle, IN)

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: Mahtomedi, MN)

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE

BIOZONE’s two NGSS series have been designed to fully embrace the spirit of the NGSS. We will compare their features, guiding you to select the series best suited to your program. We will show how BIOZONE’s flexible print and digital solutions support you to teach face-to-face, remotely, or through hybrid programs.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Comparing features of the standard and integrated NGSS series; 2. Guiding participants to select the series best suited to their program; and 3. Print and digital solutions to support teachers who are teaching remotely or face-to-face.

SPEAKERS:
Lissa Bainbridge-Smith (BIOZONE Corp.: Parker, CO), James Leggett (BIOZONE Corp.: Parker, CO)

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)

Ideas will be presented for how best to use climate science phenomena to anchor storylines of instruction in high school chemistry classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. High school chemistry class is a good place for students to learn about climate science, which appears prominently in NGSS high school performance expectations; 2. Climate-related phenomena can effectively engage students and anchor chemistry topic storylines; and 3. Many good examples from climate science exist, easily explored through student activities, for use as anchoring phenomena.

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

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

Sponsoring Company: PASCO Scientific

How do fossil fuels contribute to ocean acidification, and what are the consequences of an increasingly acidic ocean? Next time you introduce acids and bases, pique your students' interest with this ocean acidification model and pH activity. Then, put their computational thinking skills to the test with an engaging coding activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Combustion and acid-base reactions; 2. pH; and 3. Human activity and effect on environment.

SPEAKERS:
Barbara Pugliese (PASCO Scientific: Roseville, CA)

Sponsoring Company: XR Guru

Integrate VR/AR science modules to help your students understand complex topics in an immersive engaging environment.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn the research on using VR/AR in education; 2. View sample science module content; and 3. View the teacher portal and receive immediate free access to all content.

SPEAKERS:
Doug Smith (XR Guru: Dublin, OH)

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: Clovis, CA)

NSTA High School Committee members will discuss the strategies that they will bring forward from COVID teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teaching for student engagement; 2. Distance, hybrid, in-person techniques; and 3. Time for questions and discussion between the presenters and particpants.

SPEAKERS:
Demetrice Smith-Mutegi (Old Dominion University: Suffolk, VA), Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Westmoreland, KS), Johanna Brown (Washington State OSPI: Pullman, WA), Brenda Walsh (Eden Prairie High School: Chanhasssen, MN)

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: Newport News, VA), Elizabeth Joyner (NASA Langley Research Center: Suffolk, VA)

Why should all students in a class receive the same aseesment questions? Technology tools enable us to tailor assessments for each of our students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. One size does NOT fit all; 2. Google Forms can deliver test questions that match student achievement; and 3. Building a more inclusive classroom benefits everyone.

SPEAKERS:
James Gaffey (Saint Ignatius College Prep: Chicago, IL)

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)

There are many ways to virtually engage students in science labs. This presentation will share methods as well as offering advice on how to do it.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. All labs can still be done, but with adaptations; 2. Students can be actively engaged in lab even while not in school; and 3. Students can still learn the skills and knowledge from lab virtually.

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Smeltzer-Schwab (Muhlenberg High School: Shrewsbury, PA)

Through research conducted by the Growing Future STEM Teachers in Maine grant, this presentation explores the upsides, downsides, and enticements of secondary STEM teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. explore perceptions of careers in STEM secondary education; 2. understand factors that influence interest in STEM fields; and 3. identify evidence-based practices for preparation and retention of high-quality secondary STEM teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Waters (Saint Joseph's College of Maine: Standish, ME)

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)

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: Venice, FL), Amanda Upton (NSTA: Fresno, TX)

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)

Do you impact your school and community with STEM? If you teach K–12, come learn how to apply to win one of eight Shell-supported awards.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how to apply for a Shell-sponsored award; 2. begin your application or nomination of a Shell-sponsored program and receive a prize; and 3. collaborate with past winners and judges to learn how to strengthen your application.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Upton (NSTA: Fresno, TX), Richard Embrick (Wright Junior High: Rosenberg, TX)

Do you care about inspiring girls to pursue STEM careers? Then join us to learn about the IF/THEN Collection designed to help ensure equitable gender representation in STEM! The IF/THEN Collection is the world’s largest FREE library of images, videos, and other content portraying women in STEM.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn about the background and purpose of the IF/THEN Collection; 2. learn how to use the IF/THEN Collection to support STEM learning programs; and 3. get hands-on experience utilizing assets from the IF/THEN Collection.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Hay (National Girls Collaborative Project: Seattle, WA)

Educators share challenges and strategies to enhance STEM learning in the urban environment. A variety of real-world issues and their successful solutions will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Engage with educators who have led their school systems to meet various challenges; 2. Learn from successful programs; and 3. Discuss relevant issues related to urban science educators.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Ellis (Hunter Huss High School: Gastonia, NC), Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Pat Shane (UNC-Chapel Hill Emerita: Chapel Hill, NC), Brad Rhew (Guilford County Schools: High Point, NC), Rabiah Harris (Ida B Wells Middle School: Washington, D.C., DC), Mary Beth Berrien (Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School: Westfield, MA), Charles Hayes (Highland Oaks Elementary School: Memphis, TN)