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)

Learn how graphical reasoning helps students bridge the STEM gap. Gain tools to help students become proficient at graphing, making predictions, and deepening content understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Help students who lack algebraic fluency bridge the gap between science and mathematics; 2. Gain tools and tips to help students become proficient at creating graphs, identifying common graph shapes (e.g. linear, inverse square), linking graphs with their algebraic representations, making predictions, and deepening content understanding; and 3. With hands-on demonstrations, data from our research studies, and lesson plans, teachers can utilize the information shared in this session to better support their students.

SPEAKERS:
Janice Gobert (Rutgers Graduate School of Education: New Brunswick, NJ), Michael Sao Pedro (Inq-ITS by Apprendis: Berlin, MA)

Turning on a string of electric lights is the anchoring phenomenon in this storyline. Students ask questions about electricity sources, production, and uses.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The system of producers and consumers of electricity we call the power grid is changing, and users are becoming more active participants; 2. Generators use magnetism and mechanical turning to create electricity, and burning carbon-based resources provides much of the energy that powers these generators; and 3. Energy efficiency and renewable and clean energy sources are important to the energy system of the future.

SPEAKERS:
Jana Sebestik (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Christina Tran (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Urbana, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

How do crosscutting concepts link the ideas and practices of science across different domains and over time? We’ll show you practical examples to see how crosscutting concepts provide a foundation for student sensemaking of phenomena and problems. Leave with classroom resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Defining the seven crosscutting concepts; 2. Learning strategies to incorporate crosscutting concepts into science lessons; and 3. Understanding how crosscutting concepts support student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

Sponsoring Company: PhD Science

Explore a fourth-grade module to uncover how hands-on investigations allow students to develop an understanding of science concepts that apply far beyond the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. PhD Science introduces students to new concepts through engaging activities that allow them to first observe and wonder and then to investigate and deeply understand phenomena; 2. Hands-on experiences enable students to engage in science activities that align with common science and engineering practices; and 3. Planning and carrying out investigations allows students to gather personally meaningful evidence to support their scientific explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Victoria Soileau (Great Minds: Washington, DC)

Sponsoring Company: Estes Industries

Ready to take STEM learning to new heights? Join Estes and build a FREE rocket and learn model rocketry basics!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Model rocketry provides a relevant, hands-on, and engaging vehicle to hold students accountable for their knowledge in the classroom; 2. Participants will learn model rocketry basics and how to successfully set up a launch site; and 3. Estes Education provides interdisciplinary STEM resources and tools to educators that give them the skills and confidence necessary to elevate learning.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bayeur (Estes Industries: , United States)

Sponsoring Company: Beyond Labz

Built on a platform developed over 20 years, Beyond Labz creates an open-ended environment providing students the opportunity to experiment, practice, fail, discover, and learn.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Beyond Labz simplifies and reduces the cost and expertise needed to provide crucial laboratory experiences and practice for Secondary and Higher Ed students; 2. Attendees will learn how the labs are used for pre- and post-lab experiences, credit recovery and lab make-up, student engagement in class, and meeting NGSS standards; and 3. Basic onboarding and startup instructions will be provided for drop-in solutions, and instructions for using some of the more sophisticated features will also be described.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Woodfield (Brigham Young University: Provo, UT)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

As one of the science practices, asking questions and defining problems provides students with an authentic and meaningful entry point into science and engineering. From IQWST—the origin of the Driving Question Board—participants will experience a puzzling chemistry phenomenon and learn how to elicit, organize, and revisit students' questions to build a Driving Question Board.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Effective questioning strategies to engage students and increase the depth of student thinking, also helping to make student thinking visible; 2. Questioning strategies for teachers to help students clarify and articulate their understanding of essential science phenomena and concepts; and 3. How to give students an opportunity to use their own ideas and ways of communicating and sensemaking through the development of a Driving Question Board .

SPEAKERS:
Jen Gutierrez (IntegratedSTEMk12, LLC: Chandler, AZ)

Sponsoring Company: DoD STEM

Build STEM culture through community engagement! Develop interest and awareness, leading to increased demand for STEM programming and STEM career pathway courses.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Learn strategies for hosting community engagement events, including family STEM nights; 2. Explore the role of partnerships in supporting engagement events; and 3. Walk away with resources to support establishing and hosting community engagement events.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Blank (Watertown City School District: Watertown, NY), Tiara Davis (Teacher: Charlotte, NC), Heather Overkamp (Portsmouth Public Schools: Portsmouth, VA), Patty Brunet (Cypress High School: Cypress, CA)

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Start your day with the DE team and a hands-on immersion into the wonderful world of Phenomena! Please note that attendees must preregister for this workshop here.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn and experience how to incorporate everyday phenomena into meaningful science lessons; 2. experience how to utilize hands-on activities to introduce phenomena ; and 3. explore scientific concepts using phenomena from across all grade levels K–12.

SPEAKERS:
Brad Fountain (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD), Justin Karkow (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

In this hands-on workshop, participants learn how a culminating student performance task provided evidence of student learning while having a lasting impact locally.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn: 1. building knowledge across units ensures success on culminating performance tasks; 2. a diversity of assessments allows access to a variety of learners to effectively assess student learning; and 3. building engaging performance tasks provides evidence of student learning while impacting the larger community.

SPEAKERS:
Vanessa Robertson (Envirolution: Reno, NV), Kristina Hadley (Swope Middle School: Reno, NV), Sylvia Scoggin (Retired Science Program Coordinator: Reno, NV)

This session provides a decontextualized, concrete activity that can be implemented as an exploration into speed, velocity, and acceleration in physical science lessons.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore the unique value and purpose of decontextualized science activities as they relate to lesson sequencing congruent with a Learning Cycle approach; 2. Receive instruction on an activity and lesson sequence that guides students to an understanding of motion science, and graphing, interpreting, and applying data; and 3. Learn to navigate the gap between providing a concrete experience and promoting student conceptual understandings of speed, velocity, and acceleration.

SPEAKERS:
Benjamin Janney (Texas A&M University: College Station, TX), Aaron Kidd (Texas A&M University: College Station, 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)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Leaning

Explore the role literacy plays in the elementary classroom. Participate in an Activate Learning PRIME lesson that demonstrates how modeling scaffolds the student discussion to support literacy strategies in the context of science. This includes the incorporation of academic language in written responses and oral discourse in conjunction with investigations using an interactive word wall. Reading and differentiation strategies highlighted.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Receive strategies on how to get students to use modeling to strengthen since literacy in science; 2. Learn how literacy and science can be connected through modeling; and 3. Discover effective strategies on creating and maintaining interactive word walls.

SPEAKERS:
Ellen Mintz (Activate Learning: Greenwich, SC)

Sponsoring Company: DoD STEM

Engage the power of visible thinking to heighten learning through scientific inquiry and authentic questioning while fostering connections with and between students in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. understand and explain visible thinking; 2. describe multiple benefits of applying visible thinking in the classroom; and 3. learn strategies to apply visible thinking in inquiry-based science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Blank (Watertown City School District: Watertown, NY), Patty Brunet (Cypress High School: Cypress, CA), Tiara Davis (Teacher: Charlotte, NC), Heather Overkamp (Portsmouth Public Schools: Portsmouth, VA)

This session focuses on the core messages of the book Crosscutting Concepts: Strengthening Science and Engineering Learning, published by NSTA Press in 2021.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The power of crosscutting concepts is most fully realized when they are used in conjunction with science and engineering practices and disciplinary core ideas; 2. Crosscutting concepts serve as lenses on phenomena, supporting all students in question-asking and sensemaking; and 3. Teacher leadership is critical to realizing the power of crosscutting concepts in practice.

SPEAKERS:
Jeff Nordine (The University of Iowa: Iowa City, IA), Okhee Lee (New York University: New York, NY)

Discourse is an important part of science learning. In this session, we will engage in talk moves from the teacher and student perspective.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. distinguish between everyday conversation and academic discourse; 2. apply the goals of productive discourse through talk moves; and 3. consider classroom environment layout and routines that support a community of learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jason Martin-Hiner (Keystone Area Education Agency: Elkader, IA), Beverly Berns (Keystone Area Education Agency: Elkader, IA)

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)

Space Station Explorers offers many activities to reach and teach the next generation—from growing tomato seeds that flew in space to launching experiments to the ISS.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Every educator can incorporate the highly engaging topic of space into their curriculum; 2. Most of our programs are completely free and standards aligned; and 3. We provide myriad opportunities to get involved, attend professional development, and equip educators to inspire the next generation of STEM professionals.

SPEAKERS:
Kim Christman (ISS National Laboratory: Melbourne, FL), Courtney Black (ISS National Laboratory: Melbourne, FL), Samantha Thorstensen (ISS National Laboratory: Melbourne, FL)

Connect your school with local colleges and STEM employers using relevant, standards-based, hands-on activities that spark interest in science and STEM careers. Sample activity included.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to identify and reach out to potential community and industry partners; 2. How to build a program or event that meets the needs of all stakeholders; and 3. How to develop authentic learning experiences to impact student perspectives of locally available STEM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Bethany Kenyon (BioNetwork: Greenville, NC)

This session introduces a way to create in-person and remote learning experiences that give all students a chance to learn how to use the DCIs, CCS, and SEPs to make sense of the world around them.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. How to make in-person and remote learnings experience more meaningful, relevant, and equitable for students; 2. How to give students an opportunity to use their own ideas along with the DCIs, CCs, and SEPs in the service of sensemaking; and 3. How embedded formative assessment during an investigation can be used to examine student sensemaking.

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

We are awash in assessment data, but often it’s overwhelming to make sense of it. Join us to learn tips and strategies for wrangling data.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Explore new ways to organize data collection and raw data to aid in exploring the data for stories after it is collected; 2. Acquire skills in tying questions, data types, and data visualizations to enhance your ability to make sense of your assessment data; and 3. Identify next steps to better utilize and leverage your assessment data to help you measure students’ learning and know what steps to consider next.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC)

Learn how to apply for NMLSTA’s Classroom Teacher Awards and Hurd Award. This interactive workshop will provide information and an opportunity to begin an application.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. NMLSTA Classroom Teachers awards provide up to $200 to support science in your classroom and has a quick and easy application. 2. The Hurd Award is for exemplary science teaching performance including leadership in sharing these ideas and a great way to showcase what you are doing in science education. 3. This workshop will cover eligibility, requirements, and timelines along with how to write a successful application, an opportunity to brainstorm ideas and start an application.

SPEAKERS:
Alison Seymour (Science Teacher: Winchester, 0)

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)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a model lesson from OpenSciEd for Middle School and see how the new Carolina Certified Edition makes these high-quality instructional materials even better! Leave with classroom resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Experience the pedagogy of OpenSciEd through a model lesson; 2. Learn ways to encourage equitable classroom discourse; and 3. Create a Driving Question Board to explore real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

Sponsoring Company: Legends of Learning

With the amount of time for science instruction constantly under scrutiny, developing experiences that are engaging and develop understanding is critical. Learn how to leverage game-based learning to introduce, review, and deepen student content understanding. Through student-driven learning, Legends of Learning helps educators ensure not a moment of time is lost.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Understanding of how game-based learning (GBL) can enhance a 5Es lesson; 2. Understanding of unique ways to integrate GBL into instructional practices; and 3. Understanding how GBL allows for easier differentiation and builds an inclusive classroom learning environment.

SPEAKERS:
Jonathan Gerlach (Legends of Learning: Laurel, MD), Sean Reidy (Legends of Learning: Laurel, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge/ Shell Awards

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:
Participants will: 1. learn about the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge competition and the two Shell-sponsored teacher awards; 2. learn how to nominate and apply for the programs that are sponsored by Shell; and 3. be able to collaborate with previous winners and judges on key elements to include in a strong application.

SPEAKERS:
Martha McLeod (Aransas County ISD: Rockport, TX), Ritu Gandhi (Morales Elementary School: Houston, TX), Ruth Ruud (Cleveland State University: Cleveland, OH), Melissa Collins (John P. Freeman Optional School: Memphis, TN)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students investigate the use of reactions with three metals for reducing copper waste and reclaiming copper from a used copper etching solution. Students use data from their investigation and text sources to develop an evidence-based argument for which metal is the best choice for recovering copper from the waste solution.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Develop an evidence-based argument for which metal is best for removing copper from liquid wastes; 2. Chemicals such as copper and its compounds react in characteristic ways to form new substances with different properties; and 3. Decisions involving resource use should be made with an understanding of the trade-offs involved.

SPEAKERS:
Cindy Lilly (Ocean Bay Middle School: Myrtle Beach, SC)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Join the Savvas team for a hands-on workshop on a three-dimensional classroom experience based on the new Texas Standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Incorporate science and engineering practices into your lessons; 2. Build dynamic science lessons aligned to the TEKS; and 3. Transform the new TEKS into student-centered performance expectations.

SPEAKERS:
Chuck Kremer (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ), Manuel Romo (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ)

Sponsoring Company: Summit K12

Engaging evidence-based best practices that accelerate learning through an innovative fifth-grade STAAR Review Process that optimizes by class or through Individualized Learning Plans. Come learn how this process ensures growth at  the Masters, Meets, and Approaches levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teachers can meaningfully connect Benchmark Results to a customized STAAR Review Plan; 2. Students will be able to accelerate their learning through a customized learning path and plan; and 3. Students are guaranteed to excel in Science.

SPEAKERS:
Edna Carter (Summit K12 Holdings, Inc.: Austin, TX)

Build a working solar oven and your students’ empathy for global issues in this inquiry-based lesson on convection, conduction, and radiation with an authentic audience!

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Having an authentic, global audience for a STEM inquiry project can be engaging and inclusive for your students and can promote empathy in your classroom; 2. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals) can pair wonderfully with STEM lessons to enhance project-based lessons and make them meaningful to students; and 3. Organizations like iEARN (https://www.iearn.org/) partner with teachers to help provide platforms and opportunities for global learning.

SPEAKERS:
Kate York (The University of Texas at Dallas: Richardson, TX), Katherine Donaldson (The University of Texas at Dallas: Richardson, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Discovery Education

Join us for lunch and explore DE’s Texas Two-Year Science Package, which is fully aligned to the TEKS and includes ready-to-use activities and intuitive lessons from Mystery Science. Please note that attendees must preregister for this workshop here.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. dive into DE’s Two-Year Science Package that was designed to bridge the gap and prepare science teachers and students for 2024; 2. understand how DE brings science to life inside the classroom with hands-on activities connected to real-world phenomena; and 3. explore new easy-to-use lessons available through our partnership with Mystery Science.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Lewis (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD), Raquel Gruver (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD), Justin Karkow (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Apply creative problem-solving skills and engineering practices to chemistry and physical science challenges. Experience how Carolina makes it easy to incorporate STEM into your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. engage in two different STEM challenges; 2. apply chemistry and physics DCIs; and 3. model the engineering design process.

SPEAKERS:
Patti Kopkau (Retired Educator: National City, MI)

Sponsoring Company: Zahourek Systems, Inc.

Build replicas of human anatomy using clay and a specially designed skeletal model in a classroom setting. Learn how to implement a unique curriculum system that helps students create a kinesthetic map of the human anatomy. This workshop will emphasize directional terms, planes, cavities, and landmarks on the skeletal model and then build several skeletal muscles. Emphasis will be placed on building the rotator cuff showing origin and insertion, movement, as well as a discussion of exercises to strengthen these muscles.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. learn how to implement a unique curriculum system that helps students create a kinesthetic map of the human anatomy; 2. acquire the knowledge to engage science students with immediate hands-on learning using a proven method that is nationally recognized to increase student retention and test scores; and 3. have fun!

SPEAKERS:
Chuck Roney (ANATOMY IN CLAY Learning Systems: Loveland, CO)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

This hands-on workshop challenges participants to make a vehicle to move a toy or other small object using motors, wheels, wires, and other equipment. This activity is one of 10 engineering design challenges in the Electric Motors Catalyst, a STEM curriculum for grades K–5 that comes complete with equipment, lesson plans, assessments, embedded support for ELA, and is NGSS focused. The program is distributed exclusively by Lab-Aids. Lesson samples and literature will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Teach students to create their own inventions; and 2. Learn STEM through problem-based design challenges.

SPEAKERS:
Matthew Brocchini (Tinkering Labs: Ronkonkoma, NY)

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE

Learn how BIOZONE’S superb interactive texts and BIOZONE toolkit support teachers to deliver flexible and engaging NGSS and AP programs.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Discover how BIOZONE’s interactive worktexts and BIOZONE toolkit empower teachers to deliver engaging, effective programs within a differentiated classroom; 2. Discover how the BIOZONE toolkit augments the worktext and supports teachers in delivering a flexible and engaging program; and 3. Learn about BIOZONE’S two NGSS series (Standard NGSS Series and Integrated NGSS Series) and our new Advanced Placement titles for AP Biology and AP Environmental Science.

SPEAKERS:
Pam Temons (BIOZONE International Ltd.: Hamilton, New Zealand)