University/college instructors at several institutions in the US and Canada are using NSTA resources in lieu of a textbook when teaching preservice teachers. Participants will meet some of these instructors and learn how they integrate NSTA resources in their courses and the benefits of the program. Preservice teachers using NSTA create a library of resources, grow their network of professional colleagues, and enhance their content and pedagogical knowledge of science. Instructors receive a class landing page to manage their course and a private forum for asynchronous discussions. They also gain access to an administrator's dashboard to monitor and assess their students' engagement within the NSTA website. All instructors receive a free NSTA membership. Students can become members of the Association through graduation and add to the website's library all of NSTA’s Interactive E-Books+ Professional, professional learning units, and other fee-based resources to use in class and beyond.

TAKEAWAYS:
University/college instructors are using NSTA resources in lieu of a textbook when teaching preservice teacher courses. Participants will meet some of these instructors and learn how they integrate NSTA resources in their courses and the benefits of the program.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Join these middle school educators as they share strategies to support students in modeling their ideas in the classroom.

Model Your Anchor Phenomenon Early and Often: A Strategy for Sensemaking
1. Have students make an initial model based on prior knowledge and assumptions about the natural world. *Predict. Wonder. Be wrong!* 2. Dedicate time for students to continually revise their models as they acquire more evidence and content understanding. 3. Watch the lightbulb turn on!

Read Alouds: Developing Literacy and Thinking Skills in Science
Read-alouds are a valuable strategy for introducing nonfiction text, articles, and current events to students that can also promote deeper understanding, higher-level thinking, and increased engagement. Learn how to prepare and implement read-alouds in your science class.

Flippity: A go to versatile tool to increase engagement
Flippity can "easily turn Google™ spreadsheets into flashcards and other cool stuff." This session will highlight three go to interactives to increase student engagement with one another and with content. Consider bringing a device to practice creating one or two of these cool things. Hacking the Secret Garden with 3D eLearning Experiences Elementary preservice teachers and students hack the science of school gardens and digitally present details of garden-based phenomena that meets NGSS 3D learning.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Wise (American Community School of Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates), Jeff Thomas (University of Southern Indiana: Evansville, IN)

When children start team sports not much is expected, they are often not physically developed, and coaches start at the beginning. By high school and college bodies are better equipped, fundamentals have been learned, expectations rise, and the process is performance oriented. The same concepts should guide student research. First-year undergraduates begin with fundamentals, using guided inquiry. Expectations rise as research is conducted in courses (CUREs), and finally as independent projects. Just as with coaches, faculty expectations need to be developmentally defined, and success easily measured. As sports teams need specialty coaches, research teams also need specialists that can teach/encourage by using their expertise for unique projects – a primary advisor (coach) and additional specialists (assistant coaches). As a team sport, all members of the team receive the same rewards (although one member receives the honor of being first author, similar to one player being named MVP).

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will see examples of progression from inquiry labs to independent research. Attendees will how this model of undergraduate research increased the output of both presentations and papers. Attendees will discover how teams of faculty with different levels of expertise contribute to student s

SPEAKERS:
Kerry Cheesman (Capital University: Columbus, OH)

Join postsecondary educators as they share asset-based teaching strategies. Hear about educator experiences of teaching STEM through an equity lens, and incorporating analytic discourse into science methods courses. Developing Asset-Based STEM strategies for preservice teachers. Come and learn how to infuse STEM and STEAM into teaching using asset-based strategies. Asset/Strength-focused approaches to instruction utilize equity-based strategies that can be used with all students. Using Analytic Discourse in an Elementary Science Methods Course This presentation will focus on the use of analytic discourse in an undergraduate elementary science methods course to increase scientific understanding and promote the equitable sharing of student ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Katie Laux (Upper Iowa University: Fayette, IA), Denise Johnson (Associate Professor: Winston Salem, NC), Gina Childers (Texas Tech University: Lubbock, TX)

Are you a secondary educator looking for new resources to use in the classroom? Join this team of educators as they share resources from the US Geological Survey website, the paleontological society and National Park Service, and learn how to host a night sky observation event.

Data Literacy: Using US Geological Survey Datasets in the Classroom
Current Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, Candyce Curry, discussing FREE RESOURCES from the U.S. Geological Survey website. This conversation will give teachers insight on finding & using, with minimal preparation, datasets from multiple sources within the website.

How to host a a star party for night sky observations
I will share my experience of hosting evening star parties for 15 years. And, I will provide a simple blueprint and share resources to help you plan an event. Night sky observation events engage students and romanticize science.

Exploring the expansion of the Universe, the Cosmological Principle, and the Big Bang Theory with a Hoberman Sphere.
We will explore how a Hoberman Sphere can be used to model the expansion of the Universe and the Big Bang Theory. Students manipulate and measure the physical model to explore the cosmological red shift, the cosmological principle, Hubble's law, and the Big Bang Theory.

SPEAKERS:
Candyce Curry (US Geological Survey: No City, No State), Lars Nelson (Teacher)