Without out a doubt the recent pandemic has demonstrated that, the efforts in the science classroom towards scientific literacy are more relevant than ever. In this session participants will learn simple effective visual literacy tools and strategies that make learning science visible to all students, supporting diversity and reinforcing scientific literacy skills that help students make sense of the world. The strategies and tools used in this presentation will highlight the need to incorporate visual literacy as current brain research shows that around 60% of information we process every day comes in visual form. Sometimes chunking content to smaller learning bites can lower the understanding of concepts and ideas, especially if these concepts are abstract in nature; learning how to maximize the use of visuals both student and teacher made supports deeper understanding not just on a particular concept but of how they are connected making sense of the world. These strategies support cultural competency as they support learner diversity while working on scientific literacy skills such as use of evidence/data, pose questions, find answers. By having a common visual as point of reference along with strategy and tools not only closes the gap on background knowledge and makes accessible to all students but also helps student and teachers have meaningful discourse highlighting students strengths to solve real world problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session participants will learn simple effective visual literacy tools and strategies that make learning science visible to all students, supporting diversity and reinforcing scientific literacy skills that help students make sense of the world.

SPEAKERS:
Marjorie Miles Dozier (Polk County Public Schools: Kissimmee, FL)

Participants will use sensemaking and the engineering design process to solve a real world food production problem in a small scale format. This lesson introduces the Food Delivery Challenge, in which participants must design a gravity feeder to carry food (chicken feed) to twelve hungry chickens for over 24 hours. To accomplish the task students must design and build a model of an efficient gravity feeder using the materials available to them. The scenario presented to the class: One of the feeders in your uncle’s barn has broken down, and a new one will not arrive until next month. You must create a gravity feeder to satisfy 12 chickens for 24 hours consistently to ensure the health of your flock. Participants will research, design, build and test their design before presenting to the group for feedback, Participants will then use the feedback to redesign for an improved feeder.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Use the engineering design process to collaborate, design and build a gravitational feeder system that will feed 10 pounds of feed over a 24 hour period. 2. Present your design plan, and final product to the class for feedback. 3. Provide feedback to the design team for design improvement.

SPEAKERS:
Leah LaCrosse (McCormick Junior High School: Huron, OH), Heather Bryan (Nourish the Future - Education Projects, LLC: McComb, OH)

We can examine natural phenomena and address wicked problems using the scientific process. The smallpox virus emerged approximately 10,000 years ago, and the virus's global spread devastated civilizations. Thanks to the scientific thinking of a Buddhist nun, a milkmaid, and Edward Jenner, smallpox was declared eradicated in 1979 by the World Health Organization. To support the understanding of the nature of science in the NGSS (Appendix H), session participants will engage in activities that demonstrate how science is used to answer questions about the natural world through a process that is consistent, observational, natural, predictable, tentative, and testable. Additionally, participants will examine various media sources to learn how to identify scientific misinformation and the tactics used to make misinformation appear credible. The National Center for Science Education supports science teachers through free professional development and curriculum to recognize and address science misconceptions using the three dimensions of the NGSS. Resources: https://ncse.ngo/supporting-teachers/classroom-resources

TAKEAWAYS:
This session introduces participants to a basic understanding of the scientific process, how our knowledge of the natural world evolves with new evidence, and that science cannot answer questions that do not pertain to natural processes. Attendees will take a deep dive into an NGSS storyline sequence developed to help students understand that science is an ongoing process that must be supported by multiple lines of evidence to be accepted by the scientific community.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Andrews (Independent Contractor: Wichita, KS), DeeDee Wright (Colorado State University: Fort Collins, CO), Cari Herndon (National Center for Science Education: Marietta, GA), Ayesha Alirahi (Science Teacher: Elmsford, NY), Blake Touchet (National Center for Science Education: ABBEVILLE, LA)

Using data collection , participants will learn how to actively engage students in a conversation about data and the phenomena that it explains. Participants will learn how to create and/or modify old lessons, labs, and activities into opportunities for discussion , inquiry, and discovery using calculators, Nspire, and labquests.

TAKEAWAYS:
Create a dynamic lesson for use in the science classroom using data collection.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Coker (Camden Fairview High School: Camden, AR)

Building on workshops facilitated by Gholdy Muhammad during the 2020-2021 academic year, STEM teachers will explore how historically responsive literacy can be extended to science teaching and learning. The AJEDII Model considers how accessibility, justice, equity, diversity and identity shape pedagogy. Participants will review the framework, develop units aligned to current student learning standards, and explore resources developed by facilitators for a range of instructional modes and situations. When COVID-19 hit our schools, STEM educators took on the task of processing and fighting misinformation, teaching and training students, parents, colleagues and other adults in their community about a wide range of technical terms and implementing novel pedagogical technologies and techniques like never before. The imagined worlds of science fiction were being realized but the ending still has not been determined and has certainly not been predictable. Unfortunately, the pandemic that became most clear in 2020 was exacerbated by social problems that could no longer be ignored. Participants will leave the session with materials for designing instruction for virtual (asynchronous or synchronous) and face-to-face learning based on facilitators’ experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
STEM educators will apply Muhammad's (2020) historically responsive framework to secondary STEM education in learning design

SPEAKERS:
Joy Barnes-Johnson (Foundation Academies: Willingboro, NJ), Shefali Mehta (Princeton High School: Princeton, NJ), Mridula Bajaj (Mount Laurel Schools: Robbinsville, NJ)

This session provides an overview of inquiryHub Chemistry’s year-long, open-source materials. In the session, designers and pilot teachers will share their experiences adapting their practice to meaningful, equity-oriented chemistry learning using units like “How could we search for life beyond Earth?” “How can a small amount of nuclear material destroy a city but also power it?” and “Why are shellfish dying?”. inquiryHub Chemistry comprises 5 units addressing NGSS high school physical science standards in line with A Framework for K-12 Science Education. inquiryHub Chemistry promotes deep conceptual understanding of chemistry using hands-on manipulatives that show how atoms bond. This session will offer 1) An overview of the year-long sequence of open-source chemistry materials, including units on reactions, periodic trends, and in-depth models of matter and energy 2) a chance to experience one of the most complicated models in the curriculum: the Fuels magnet manipulative models, and 3) opportunities to connect with a national network of educators who have taught inquiryHub Chemistry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Open-source inquiryHub Chemistry materials can be used to promote deep understanding of models and NGSS chemistry ideas

SPEAKERS:
Kerri Wingert (Good Question Research: Boulder, CO)

The Innovate to Mitigate (I2M) project empowers teachers to employ a problem-based learning approach to incorporate climate change education in their classrooms. Teachers, regardless of whether they teach language arts, science, engineering, or math, work with students to identify potential causes of climate change and to develop a prototype as a potential solution. Collaborative student teams, utilizing the various strengths and interests that they bring from diverse backgrounds, design and develop their projects and finally create a competition pitch. I2M provides a structure for teaching climate change throughout the school year, supports students to discuss their developing mitigation ideas with peers across the nation, and provides an outside incentive for them to work towards an end goal. We propose a mini-simulation of the competition experience where teachers, acting as students, participate in the sensemaking promoted by the competition. Teachers read a short article about an aspect of climate change, brainstorm in small groups to propose a solution that mitigates the problem, and discuss mitigation ideas with other workshop attendees. Facilitators present ideas for collaboration among their students and across the hall with other teachers, identify key NGSS integration opportunities, provide examples of student projects, and help teachers think about integrating such a project into their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to identify entry points for climate change education that capitalize on student desires to make a difference about climate change, support collaboration, and incorporate three-dimensional sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Santiago Gasca (TERC: Annandale, VA), Natalie Stapert (Master Reading Coordinator: Potomac, MD)

Academic discourse is a vital part of promoting student sensemaking. Learn how discourse can be used to promote equity and access in the science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use discussion strategies in the classroom to move student thinking forward, use talk as a formative assessment, and build a classroom culture that promotes student discussion.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Freeport, IL), Cheryl Knight (Orland Junior High School: Midlothian, IL)

This session introduces a way to create learning experiences that are meaningful, rigorous, and equitable for students. Participate in the same sort of rich and meaningful learning experiences that are called for by the NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
The characteristics of learning experiences that are meaningful, relevant, and equitable for students and how to give students an opportunity to use their own ideas along with the DCIs, CCs, and SEPs in the service of sensemaking during these experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Hutner (Del Valle ISD: Del Valle, TX)

Attendees will experience the Anchoring Phenomenon Routine as students do in iHub’s Polar Ice unit. This routine engages students in asking questions about why people from around the Earth are being displaced from their homes as a starting point in a unit of study focused on how we can slow or stop polar ice from melting before the sea level rises too much. After experiencing the routine, attendees will analyze the routine through an equity lens.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the iHub curriculum supports teachers in eliciting and making use of students’ own questions and their experiences in instruction, which supports student motivation and agency (Harris, Phillips, & Penuel, 2011).

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Patton (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO), Kathryn Fleegal (Denver Public Schools: Commerce City, CO), Beth Vinson (Denver Public Schools: Wheat Ridge, CO)

A scientific model represents the cause and effect relationships between components of a system attempting to replicate the system in such a way as to be predictive. Models are necessary when the studied system is too complex to isolate each component and test variables and their impact on the whole system. Climate is a highly complex system, but modeling allows climate scientists to identify the variables within the system and study each of them independently and as a system. The evolution of video game graphics and consoles mirrors the evolution of models used to replicate Earth’s climate. To support the understanding of NGSS HS-ESS2: Earth’s Systems and HS-ESS3: Earth and Human Activity, session participants will analyze data from different factors affecting climate and average global temperatures. Ultimately, data shows the rapid increase of greenhouse gases due to human activity. Additionally, participants will examine various climate models focusing on the factors included in building the model and communicate their findings by creating their model. The National Center for Science Education supports science teachers through free professional development and curriculum to recognize and address science misconceptions using the three dimensions of the NGSS. Resources: https://ncse.ngo/supporting-teachers/classroom-resources

TAKEAWAYS:
Scientists use models to understand highly complex systems and make predictions about future outcomes. Climate scientists use multiple data sources to design and test comprehensive climate models to examine past climates and predict future trends. Attendees will learn about the history and evolution of climate modeling while examining evidence that supports their reliability for predicting future climate patterns.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Andrews (Independent Contractor: Wichita, KS), DeeDee Wright (Colorado State University: Fort Collins, CO), Cari Herndon (National Center for Science Education: Marietta, GA), Blake Touchet (National Center for Science Education: ABBEVILLE, LA)

This session focuses on practical application of three-dimensional assessment to evaluate student learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain a stronger understanding of how to use three-dimensional assessments to evaluate student learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Freeport, IL), Bridina Lemmer (Illinois Science Teaching Association: Jacksonville, IL)

Horses have an extraordinary fossil record in North America, with specimens from the early Eocene (about 55 Ma) to just the last 10,000 years. The primary dietary strategy in horses changed from browsing –- like that of a giraffe –-to grazing –- like that of modern horses, as seen in the evolution of the higher-crowned teeth. The evolution of tooth structure strongly correlates to variations in the ecosystem due to a changing climate. To support the understanding of NGSS HS-LS4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity, session participants will engage in the analysis of hypsodonty -- the height of the tooth relative to its overall size -- of fossil replicas to track the evolution of dietary strategy in this lineage to construct an explanation based on evidence to support the claim that changes in environmental conditions may result in the emergence of new species over time. Additionally, participants will communicate their newly gained knowledge in analyzing how horse evolution is depicted in museum displays and design an accurate phylogenetic representation. The National Center for Science Education supports science teachers through free professional development and curriculum to recognize and address science misconceptions using the three dimensions of the NGSS. Resources: https://ncse.ngo/supporting-teachers/classroom-resources

TAKEAWAYS:
Natural selection acts on genetic variation within populations as individuals who are adapted to survive in the environment reproduce and pass on their genes. Attendees will have the opportunity to work hands-on with a variety of 3D-printed horse teeth dating back to the Eocene to understand how a changing climate played a role in the dietary evolution of horses.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Andrews (Independent Contractor: Wichita, KS), DeeDee Wright (Colorado State University: Fort Collins, CO), Cari Herndon (National Center for Science Education: Marietta, GA), Blake Touchet (National Center for Science Education: ABBEVILLE, LA)

Socioscientific issues are scientific topics that require students to engage in meaningful discussions (Zeidler & Nichols, 2009). Additionally, engaging students in socioscientific issues can promote equity, diversity, and help students question biases (Goldsmith et al., 2021). Importantly, these issues are often most likely to promote inclusivity if students have a connection with them. Considering we live in the Midwest, we often use socioscientific issues surrounding agricultural practices. We start with a phenomenon that introduces the example socioscientific issue by showing a video about tilling. We then ask, “Should farmers till the land?” To explore this question, we engage participants by jigsawing four different hands-on activities related to the soil. Participants will explore compact vs. loose soil, reducing water erosion, reducing erosion caused by wind and snow, and the effect of a heat lamp on the temperature of soil. Participants will use science and engineering practices such as planning and carrying out investigations and analyzing and interpreting data. We will debrief the activities and model how we help students make sense of the science ideas. We will finish the presentation by discussing how to find suitable socioscientific issues, include culturally responsive teaching practices, and provide some strategies for integrating with the NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about how to use socioscientific issues and culturally responsive practices to engage students with social issues that require scientific knowledge.

SPEAKERS:
Jesse Wilcox (University of Northern Iowa: Cedar Falls, IA)

Budburst is a national community science project that brings together researchers, educators, gardeners, and community scientists to make careful observations of the timing of plant life cycle events, or phenophases. Changes over time can be used to illustrate how plants and ecosystems are being affected by human impacts on the environment, especially climate change. By joining Budburst, students can connect to nature wherever they live while participating in an authentic scientific investigation with real-world impacts. In this session educators will learn how they can use Budburst to engage their students in collecting and using real scientific data to examine local plant phenomena and address the NGSS. They will learn about the resources freely available to educators on the Budburst website, including tools allowing them to (1) create their own virtual classroom and set up student accounts, (2) collect and submit data with students, and (3) access existing data to help students ask and analyze their own questions about plants, ecosystems, and climate change. Finally, participants will learn how other educators have implemented Budburst in their classrooms and explore how they can use this flexible platform to scaffold their students’ participation in different stages of the scientific process.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to engage students in local plant phenomena and real-world climate change science using Budburst resources.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Jones (Chicago Botanic Garden: Evanston, IL), Rebecca Ammann (Chicago Botanic Garden: Glencoe, IL)