The 5E is effective for learning most concepts, but not for processes. Other models may need to be included within the 5E.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Clearly understand the various instructional models and the best practice for their uses; 2. The learning objective must be clearly identified as a concept of a process to correctly identify the best practice and instructional model; and 3. Use other best practices such as moving instruction from the known to the unknown or concrete to pictorial to abstract or limiting objectives within a 5E.

SPEAKERS:
Sandra West (Texas State University: San Marcos, TX)

Some soaps make more bubbles than others. Let's explore this phenomenon and discover why it is an effective motivating tool for middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to use the phenomenon of soap bubble formation to anchor an NGSS-focused chemistry unit to support student motivation; 2. What properties and molecular structures of different soaps contribute to soap bubble formation; and 3. How to utilize motivation design principles in a soap bubble unit to drive student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
David McKinney (University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Las Vegas, NV), Steven Gaskill (K.O. Knudson Middle School: Las Vegas, NV)

Astrobiology Learning Progressions support the creation of units that are relevant and motivating through the lens of the search for life in the universe.

TAKEAWAYS:
K–12 teachers, curriculum directors, and other science communicators will take away from this session: 1. what is the scientific search for life in the universe—Astrobiology, how it is interdisciplinary, and how it can be combined within STEM, ELA, art, engineering, and more; 2. how they can use the excitement and motivating topics in Astrobiology to leverage learning in a variety of science concepts throughout the NGSS; and 3. the know-how to navigate and use the Astrobiology Learning Progressions ( https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/education/alp/ )to find information, context, and resources to create their units and lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Dani Leach (Lakewood High School: Arlington, WA)

Lead the PBL charge from the science classroom with simple changes to your 5E lesson/unit plans that drive the question, provide instruction, and build interdisciplinary integration.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Changing a 3-D learning claim to a guiding question; 2. Structuring Explore in research and the first phases of the EDP; and 3. Creating an interdisciplinary project in Elaborate that acts as an Evaluation.

SPEAKERS:
Claire Williams McGee (Metro Nashville Public Schools: Nashville, TN)

Learn how to read the 62 maps of practices, core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and performance expectations in The NSTA Atlas of the Three Dimensions and use them and other features of this powerful navigational tool to develop and implement curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Construct an explanation for why it is important to consider learning progressions when planning curriculum, instruction, and assessment; 2. Analyze the elements of the three dimensions on a map to interpret the relationships it conveys; and 3. Obtain and evaluate information about the elements of the three dimensions in order to plan and carry out the development of curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

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

Explore the NSTA website with us! NSTA provides high-quality digital resources and opportunities—all within a professional community—that supports professional learning and classroom instruction. NSTA gift cards will be raffled!

TAKEAWAYS:
1) Become versed about the plethora of digital resources available on NSTA’s website. 2) Learn about NSTA’s virtual learning opportunities for educators of science. 3) Grow your network of like-minded individuals.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Michelle Phillips (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Compare the language of chemistry to the language of coding! I'll share ideas for integrating coding into the science classroom as a means of teaching chemical reactions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Pattern-seeking students will recognize correlations between computer language and the rules of chemical reactions; 2. Computer science skills can be integrated into chemistry lessons; and 3. Students will be exposed to real-word STEM career connections.

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

This session will allow participants to develop an understanding of three-dimensional assessments. Participants will engage in activities to support discussion around how and why three-dimensional assessment tasks (used formatively and/or summatively) and instructional tasks share many similarities. Participants will also gain experience evaluating student learning across the three dimensions.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Gain a stronger understanding of three-dimensional assessments; 2. Discuss similarities between three-dimensional assessment tasks and three-dimensional instructional tasks; and 3. Experience evaluating student learning across the three dimensions.

SPEAKERS:
Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Zoe Evans (Bremen City Schools: Bremen, GA), Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Come see the professional learning model being utilized across Iowa to scale the use of free high-quality instructional materials (OpenSciEd) across the state for middle school publicly released units as well as furthering unit design with supports for the high school field test. These materials support the science learning of emerging multilingual students and incorporate the Universal Design for Learning guidelines.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. review the instructional routines highlighted across all OpenSciEd units and other high-quality OER curricula; 2. examine the professional learning model used to support the implementation of high-quality instructional materials across the state of Iowa; and 3. consider how the tools, processes, and instructional model shared could be applied to their local context.

SPEAKERS:
Tammy Askeland-Nagle (Mississippi Bend Area Education Agency: Bettendorf, IA), Jason Martin-Hiner (Keystone Area Education Agency: Elkader, IA), Hope Garton Brown (Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency: Pocahontas, IA), Beverly Berns (Keystone Area Education Agency: Elkader, IA)

Curricula can support all students in reaching today’s standards, including NGSS. Attend to learn about critical curriculum features and how to improve/advocate for quality materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understanding the importance of high-quality materials for supporting students and teachers; 2. Understanding the features and the opportunity for feedback and input; and 3. Ability to utilize the features for improving development and selection of curriculum materials.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Childress Self (NextGenScience: San Francisco, CA), Sam Shaw (EdReports.org)

Start building or join Jeff Wheatcraft, 2019 Texas Teacher of the Year, in design challenges that push students to be engaged and included!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What is a design challenge and how are ones you develop different from those developed by major science organizations?; 2. How you can make STEM, specifically design challenges, engaging and inclusive while still covering standards; and 3. How to start and finish a design challenge that maximizes engagement!

SPEAKERS:
Jeff Wheatcraft (Alamo Heights Junior School: San Antonio, TX)

Learn how to join NASA’s first online community of practice for STEM educators (CONNECTS) and gain access to NASA content, resources, educator community, exclusive events, and NASA experts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. receive a foam rocket activity they can implement in their classrooms using simple materials; 2. learn about the vast resources offered by NASA’s new online community of practice for STEM educators, CONNECTS; and 3. learn how they can join CONNECTS.

SPEAKERS:
Cindy Hasselbring (NASA Headquarters: Washington, DC)

Reading proficiency is tied to academic success. Teaching various reading and testing strategies can help students overcome their challenges with comprehension and vocabulary acquisition.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use reading strategies to help all students develop ways to navigate grade level challenging text. How creating a classroom culture can cultivate an environment conducive for welcoming and increasing literacy in the classroom. How to use testing strategies in science to help students navigate and become accustomed to scenario style questions.

SPEAKERS:
Leslie White (Duval County Public Schools: Jacksonville, FL)

Explore NSTA’s new Professional Learning Units. Discover these bite-sized asynchronous professional learning experiences that support student sensemaking to earn credit to submit to your school or district.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover how NSTA can provide asynchronous and bite-sized continuing education credit options (2 hours per PLU); 2. Explore how each PLU contains reflections or tasks connected to the classroom that are submitted to NSTA for review or feedback; and 3. Explore how we can support professional learning for individuals or schools/districts, including the flexible options available for Professional Learning Unit topics, and how these fit into our Professional Learning pathways.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Discover accessible three-dimensional–aligned instruction and instructional strategies that are beneficial for diverse student groups, including English learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover the successes and challenges in a three-dimensional science classroom; 2. Instructional strategies to integrate the disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts that are beneficial for all students; and 3. Strategies that can immediately be implemented into a three-dimensional learning experience.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Salak (Bryan Middle School: Omaha, NE)

Let's stop the guessing game as to what we expect from our students. The Depth and Complexity Icons do just that. Come find out!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. By using the Depth and Complexity Icons, the teacher immediately knows what type of feedback to give students (formative assessment); 2. Once this becomes part of the teacher's instructional practice, the students will begin to know exactly what is expected of them from the teacher; and 3. Teachers must first become familiar and comfortable with this before we can expect the students to become comfortable and successful.

SPEAKERS:
Allen Wilson (Education Service Center, Region 20: San Antonio, TX)

Do you impact your school and community with STEM? If you teach K–12, come learn how to apply to win up to $15K through this teacher competition.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn how to apply for the Shell-sponsored teacher competition; 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: Arlington, VA), Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH)

Science current events journals bring real science into the classroom. Use the news to teach science content, media literacy, and analytical thinking, and to reinforce language arts.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to integrate media literacy in the science classroom; 2. Tools for differentiated instruction in science literacy; and 3. Integration of NGSS in a science literacy project.

SPEAKERS:
Elizabeth Weissman (The Ramaz School: New York, NY)

Undergraduate citizen science research from Peru’s Sucasari Region is brought to Iowa. Examples and connections for reference and future connections will be provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Cultures have more similarities than differences; 2. Understanding phenomena is trans-continental; and 3. Science involves questioning and researching.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Bechtel (Wartburg College: Waverly, IA), Chloe Zierke (Wartburg College: Waverly, IA), Michaela Dehli (Wartburg College: Waverly, IA)

Participate in engaging activities designed to clarify and teach scientific modeling while encouraging elementary/middle school students to think and learn. Receive free resources!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Define scientific models and describe ways scientists use models in their work; 2. Distinguish scientific models from other types of models used in science instruction; and 3. Connect scientific modeling to the NGSS and use modeling to promote three-dimensional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Tyler St. Clair (Longwood University: Farmville, VA), Randy Bell (Oregon State University: Corvallis, OR)

Toshiba America Foundation wants to work together with teachers who are looking for a better way of doing the right thing.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Toshiba America Foundation objectives; 2. How to request a Toshiba America Foundation grant; and 3. Learn from fellow Toshiba America Foundation grant teachers.

SPEAKERS:
Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA), John Anderson (Toshiba America Foundation: Irvine, CA)

This session features current science practitioners who share some common challenges faced by urban science educators as well as successful solutions from their school districts. The challenges and solutions discussed are applicable to all school settings.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Receive resources and strategies to promote successful science education; 2. Discuss fresh progressively thinking approaches of current science practitioners who are in the classroom and at the district level; and 3. Engage with presenters on culturally responsive tips that support and strengthen urban science education.

SPEAKERS:
Charles Hayes (Highland Oaks Elementary School: Memphis, TN), LeeAnne Jimenez (Wilson Teaching and Learning Academy: Tulsa, OK), Michelle Ellis (Hunter Huss High School: Gastonia, NC), Brad Rhew (Guilford County Schools: No City, No State), Florentia Spires (Prince George's County Public Schools: Upper Marlboro, MD)

Incorporate coral reefs into your existing curriculum—biology, chemistry, climate studies, art, and more—using lesson plans, demos, activities, and multimedia from NOAA.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. What corals are and why they are important; 2. What some major threats to coral reef ecosystems are; and 3. How to fit corals into the curriculum using NOAA resources.

SPEAKERS:
Bekkah Lampe (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD), Kayla Smith (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Silver Spring, MD), Kelly Drinnen (Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary: Galveston, TX)