Construct deeper student understanding of Earth science topics. We will engage in argument-driven scaffolds for Earth and environmental science topics to critically evaluate connections between evidence and alternative scientific explanations using model-evidence link (MEL) diagrams.

TAKEAWAYS:
An introduction to instructional scaffolds designed to assist learners as they evaluate the plausibility of evidence connected to models and the research base that supports using these scaffolds & access to instructional materials.

SPEAKERS:
Lorraine Ramirez Villarin (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Donna Governor (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

How to make the learning process as important as the product? Create a visible learning process and practice strategies to remove the fear of failure. Participants will be exposed to different levels of instructional feedback, standard-based grading, assessment, and feedback tools.

SPEAKERS:
Mike Jones (Illinois State University: Normal, IL)

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Experience Simulation Curriculum’s award-winning Starry Night Curriculum featuring classroom-ready, standards-based, interactive lesson plans. Covers grades K-4, 5-8 and 9-12 with engaging simulations, jaw-dropping interactions, activities and comprehensive teacher support resources!

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Company

Teachers will be introduced to the four elements of the anchoring phenomenon routine from OpenSciEd for Middle School. Teachers will experience how an anchoring phenomenon can motivate students to explore & explain real-world phenomena, & develop strategies for creating a driving question board.

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

Sponsoring Company: BIOZONE Corporation

Discover BIOZONE WORLD - a new platform bringing all our digital resources together for easy access and delivery. Incorporating BIOZONE’s eBooks with our rich collection of presentation slides, 3D models & curated videos, it provides powerful options for delivering your high school science programs.

Sponsoring Company: miniPCR bio

Engage students in authentic research through Genes in Space: the experimental design competition that launches experiments to the International Space Station. Learn about free educational resources, including lesson plans, classroom activities, explainer videos, and biotechnology equipment loans.

SPEAKERS:
Katy Martin (miniPCR: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: Simulation Curriculum

Join us as we use Simulation Curriculum’s Layered Earth to investigate Geology including Plate Tectonics and Meteorology including Weather & Climate using our amazing interactive Earth simulator to engage and excite students!

Sponsoring Company: Lyricos Learning LLC

We are a STEM+Arts streaming platform that gets used in the classroom to teach hands-on projects via our standards aligned videos. During this session we will plan on hosting a hands-on project for the teachers to make while following along with the video. Example - they can make a DNA bracelet.

SPEAKERS:
Devina Bhojwani (Lyricos Learning LLC: No City, No State)

Engaging environmental activities for students will develop awareness and action while providing teachers with a sense of purpose to combat burnout. These activities were developed and tested by teachers during multiple workshops that were conducted at the University of Georgia Marine Institute.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will come away with 20+ environmental activities that can be adapted for almost all life and environmental science for grades 3-12

SPEAKERS:
Shaina Otterpohl (5th Grade Science: , TN)

Sponsoring Company: EarthScope Consortium

Explore our new web-based interactive earthquake lab! Have your students learn and practice earthquake location and analysis techniques with real seismic data! Bring a laptop/ipad!

SPEAKERS:
Michael Hubenthal (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Washington, DC)

Get ready for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses. See how learning activities about the Earth, Moon and Sun provide three-dimensional learning experiences that connect to these events that will be more spectacular than the 2017 eclipse.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have a better understanding of what is meant by three-dimensional learning, see how 3D learning can lead to knowing what causes lunar phases and eclipses, and be prepared to enjoy the solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024.

SPEAKERS:
Dennis Schatz (Institute for Learning Innovation: Beaverton, OR)

This presentation highlights 10 unique and unusual science-based examples of solar system modeling that use simple materials and all activities stress the use of decimals, fractions, and proportions in a scalable, adaptable, and fun exploration of the planets, distance, time, density, and scale.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will view the solar system in new ways through hands-on activities addressing geologic age, light distance, object ratios, density, gravity, and travel time.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Horejsi (University of Montana: Missoula, MT)

Design a multi day STEM project that incorporates wind energy. Participants would learn how to do a unit that incorporates a virtual lab as well as physically building wind turbine blades to generate energy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a multi-day (3+week) ready to use engineering design process unit on wind energy.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Webster (Teacher: Michigantown, IN), Allison Clegg (7th Grade Science Teacher)

Participants will investigate relationships between variables such as barometric pressure and precipitation, using data from a wide range of geographical stations in the United States. Selected stations represent sites with contrasting latitudes, altitudes, proximity to water bodies, and other elements, in order to best study the effect of these variables on weather and climate. The session will analyze data to look for patterns of change over time and to investigate regional patterns and region-specific effects of climate change. Data from Los Angeles & San Diego weather stations will also be included. The graphing tool is a freely accessible webpage that works on laptops, desktops, smartphones, and tablets. An internet connection at the session would additionally allow for participants to see a live demonstration as well as explore their own investigation questions. http://uanyc.science/pwc

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session attendees will learn to analyze and interpret weather and climate data using a custom designed graphing tool that simplifies visualizing and analyzing data on time scales of hours, days and weeks (weather) to decades and centuries (climate).

SPEAKERS:
Rachelle Travis (P.S. 288 The Shirley Tanyhill: Brooklyn, NY)

Real-world problems often cannot be satisfactorily addressed by individual disciplines (or subjects). Enrich students’ learning by engaging them in a summative task requiring integration of concepts and skills from various subjects, through a close collaboration with one or more subject teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will use a modified Understanding by Design (UbD) template to develop an interdisciplinary learning experience that provides opportunities for students to integrate knowledge from various subjects (or disciplines) to create new understandings.

SPEAKERS:
May Jean Cheah (STEM Educator)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Discover new ways to use Claim-Evidence-Reasoning to enhance your students' science knowledge, communication, and writing skills in the middle school science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Rillieux (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

Come hear how you can easily and effectively incorporate nature of science in your lessons through numerous strategies and examples.

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

Sponsoring Company: Propello

In this workshop, Propello's team of NGSS curriculum experts will provide an overview of the cross-cutting concepts, how they help students make sense of science phenomenon, and share tips and techniques for embedding cross-cutting practice into all of your science lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Justice Ejike (Educator), Lisa Thayne (Lead Program Manager, Science: Murfreesboro, TN), Julie Waid (Propello: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Experience a novel approach to Earth science. This pedagogy uses a “systems” approach for plate tectonics, astronomy, natural resources, geology, and paleoclimatology. There will be several take-home activities and ideas to implement or augment your existing Earth science curricula.

SPEAKERS:
Gary Curts (Activate Learning: Greenwich, CT)

Join this session for information about content-language integration and discuss the design of a multimodal task that emphasizes 3D Science learning through the interpretive and expressive modes of communication. Then, take an in-depth look at examples that you can integrate into your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about lesson activities that provide students with the opportunity to make progress towards both the Science Ga Standards of Excellence and WIDA English Language Development Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Canepa-Redondo (Science/ESOL Program Specialist)

Harness the power of technology with student designed solutions for a changing climate.

TAKEAWAYS:
Use technology to expose students to coding and engineering design solutions for severe weather.

SPEAKERS:
Stacy Thibodeaux (Southside High School: Youngsville, LA), Jessica Kohout (Independent Contractor: Ellicott City, MD)

Through hands on activities using real-world data, take students on a time-travelling adventure to discover the history of Earth – from natural hazards, including earthquakes and volcanoes, to the discovery of plate tectonics and feedbacks in the Earth’s systems.

TAKEAWAYS:
By looking into the past and present, we can begin to predict our future. The International Ocean Discovery Program creates educational resources that enable students to use real data collected by scientists investigating global concerns and explore parts of our world usually hidden to them.

SPEAKERS:
Sharon Cooper (Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory: Palisades, NY), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Maya Pincus (Columbia University / U.S. Science Support Program: Palisades, NY), Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Carol Cotterill (U.S. Science Support Program: Palisades, NY)

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

How do we engage students to ask questions and develop evidence-based explanations? In this hands-on activity from the Lab-Aids EDC Earth Science program, discourse occurs authentically as you role-play a geologist testing various site extractions for molybdenum, a valuable mineral.

Join middle school educators sharing experiences of growing experimental gardens, and teaching weather.

Creating & Maintaining an Experimental Hydroponic Online Garden
Create a long-term experiment, where students must act daily with nature to help collect, analyze and publish data online. Students sustain and maintain and experimental garden where variables such as light, water and plant nutrients can be manipulated to optimize growing conditions.

Who needs to know about weather?
Weather Lessons Use it to make sense of the maps and numbers of weather from television, radio, newspapers and the Internet. Relate them to local weather. The WeatherCycler Lesson puts weather systems into motion so that you can see why the forecast is what it is. Make your own weather forecasts with it. My NASA Dat

How an Open World Game Supports Students Computational Thinking in Science
What is computational thinking (CT) and why should students practice CT? Learn about what CT is, why to integrate CT skills into science class, and how the Pack, an open-world digital game, can provide diverse entry points for students to explore problem-solving and algorithms.

SPEAKERS:
Peter Kelly (Brandywine Springs School), Diane Ripollone (Cardinal Gibbons High School: Raleigh, NC), Laycca Umer (NYSCI: Corona, NY)

Have you ever wondered where to find Federal STEM education resources that can provide authentic learning experiences for your students? Come join many federal agencies including NASA, NOAA, Dept. of Defense, EPA, Smithsonian, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, to learn more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn what K-12 STEM learning resources are offered by federal agencies. In addition, teachers will engage in two-way conversations with federal representatives about the STEM resources, programs, and opportunities that are available.

SPEAKERS:
Bekkah Lampe (NOAA Office of Education: Silver Spring, MD), Carrie Olsen (NASA Headquarters: No City, No State), Carol ODonnell (Smithsonian Institution: Washington, DC), Melissa Anley-Mills (U.S. EPA: Washington, DC), Jorge Valdes (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Cindy Hasselbring (NASA Headquarters: Washington, DC), Reginald Duncan (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA)

Participants will engage with activities about soils provided on the 2022 Geologic Map Day poster, including resources and hands-on investigations that highlight connections between soils and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to demonstrate the importance of soils for the health of our planet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explorations of the vital role that soils play in many phenomena across the sciences can engage learners with a variety of NGSS Performance Expectations in ways that are hands-on and are also relevant to global sustainability.

SPEAKERS:
Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Vernier Science Education

Engage your students in learning about the effects of climate change with this hands-on experiment. Using the latest Vernier data-collection technology, we'll define ocean acidification, determine how we can measure it, and discuss why it is bad for our marine ecosystems. Get ready to dive in!

SPEAKERS:
Colleen McDaniel (Vernier Science Education: Beaverton, OR)

Students at Ransom Everglades Middle School in Coconut Grove, Florida conducted research using iButton Thermochrons. Students used the iButtons to record heat and humidity data around campus. They then analyzed the data to determine why certain areas were warmer than others.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how this project allowed students to collect data, analyze that data, and ultimately present their research as citizen scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Robin Escobedo (Ransom Everglades School: Coconut Grove, FL)

Students in K-12 science classrooms don’t think about diagrams the same way adults do, and can be easily “overloaded.” Research in cognition gives us tools to make science diagrams that more effectively support learning. Surprise: often, students learn more without features like arrows and colors!

TAKEAWAYS:
Effective diagrams direct student attention to the most important information and relationships while minimizing cognitive load. Strategies for doing so include tree structures, explicit cues for implicit information, replacing realistic photos with illustrations, and use of the proximity principle.

SPEAKERS:
Audrey Rabi Whitaker (Academy for Young Writers: Brooklyn, NY)

ARISS allows your students to talk with an astronaut on the International Space Station! ARISS involves NASA and other space agencies to provide this amazing experience for schools worldwide! An ARISS contact tends to unite and excite a school community while focusing on STEM at your school.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will find out about all the experiences and resources provided at no cost to schools and teachers selected for an ARISS contact including a STEM enrichment kit and special workshop opportunity.

SPEAKERS:
Martha Muir (Retired teacher: Alpharetta, GA)

The study of trace fossils is an exciting way to explore the past. Join the Wade Institute for Science Education and Amherst College’s Beneski Museum in an inquiry-based session to guide your students through the application of the SEPs in creating and interpreting their own dinosaur stories.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session participants will gain experience with using the phenomenon of dinosaur tracks and trace fossils as a powerful tool for student engagement, and leave the session with guidelines for creating track stories, and using those track stories to expand their student’s use of the SEPs.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Pagliaro (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA), Alfred Venne (Museum Educator: Amherst, MA), Kathryn Atkins (Wade Institute for Science Education: Quincy, MA)

SPARK®, developed by energy and educational specialists, shares expertise with teachers to enhance energy concepts, applications, and career options. The curriculum (60+ 5E lessons) uses active student engagement in sciences and math. Explore how this workable plan can be applied in your area!

TAKEAWAYS:
SPARK® uses “actions” in NGSS-based standards to make concepts cognitively “visible.” In multidisciplinary science/math, flexible entry points engage diverse students in simple to complex energy investigations using creative problem solving, data collection/analysis, and evidence-based conclusions.

SPEAKERS:
Gail Marshall (self-employed consultant: No City, No State), Margaret Reenstra (Economic Development Coordinator: Palmetto, GA), Judy Cox (N/A: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

For over 15 years NOAA Ocean Today videos have engaged students in environmental phenomena. Watch never before seen clips of a new animated series that explores ocean, weather, and climate connections. Wherever you live, Ocean Today’s over 300 videos will be a powerful asset in your teaching toolkit

SPEAKERS:
Kurt Mann (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), June Teisan (InnovatED 313: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: Propello

Learn how to seamlessly embed scaffolds and supports to assist special populations (English learners, Special Education, Gifted/Talented) in NGSS phenomenon-based science lessons. Walk away with support ideas you can use in your classroom right away.

SPEAKERS:
Justice Ejike (Educator), Lisa Thayne (Lead Program Manager, Science: Murfreesboro, TN), Julie Waid (Propello: Austin, TX)

Join the author of the Once Upon A Science Book series to try out a hands-on lesson on ocean garbage patches and the Coriolis Effect. You'll also learn strategies that will help you build literacy while teaching any science topic.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to the literacy learning cycle format, in which hands-on work precedes meaningful reading and writing activities. You will see how this system works by participating in a lesson and come away with practical strategies for your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Wheeler-Toppen (Author/ Staff Development: Atlanta, GA)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

Learn how the new BrainPOP Science makes it easy to assess your middle school students’ multi-dimensional science skills.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Bakken (Director of Assessment Design)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Join us for a demo of our database of 1,300+ educational resources from NOAA. We host ocean, coast, Great Lakes, weather, and climate resources. Tour our lesson plans and activities and ask us your questions. Learn more at noaa.gov/education/resources. This session is appropriate for K-16 educators.

Sponsoring Company: Propello

Teachers will learn practical ways to take baby steps or giant leaps towards a student-centered, inquiry-style classroom while guiding effective, engaging learning.

SPEAKERS:
Justice Ejike (Educator), Lisa Thayne (Lead Program Manager, Science: Murfreesboro, TN), Julie Waid (Propello: Austin, TX)

Sponsoring Company: BrainPOP Science

BrainPOP’s new product is made by science teachers for science teachers and has evolved to meet the unique needs of today’s middle school science students. Discover what’s missing in your middle school science classroom and how BrainPOP Science turns students into scientific writers.

SPEAKERS:
Tim Powers (BrainPOP: New York, NY)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Our coasts are changing. Join the National Earth Science Teachers Association to explore creative ways to use NOAA Ocean Today video assets for sense-making of phenomena using cross-cutting concepts. Help your students discover personal connections to our coastal systems.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Natalie Macke (Pascack Hills High School: Montvale, NJ), Missy Holzer (Chatham High School: Chatham, LA), Kimberley Norris-Jones (Richland Northeast Hs: Columbia, SC), Matt Haverty (Amphi High School: Tucson, AZ)

Learn new science and explore more than a dozen, simple, easy to build, and fun physical models to develop students’ understanding of abstract earthquake and plate tectonics related concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be able to support explanations of important Earth science concepts by linking multiple types of models to earthquake phenomena!

SPEAKERS:
Tammy Bravo (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Vancouver, WA), Michael Hubenthal (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Washington, DC)

As Earth’s climate warms, the heat and humidity are rising, with major consequences for ecosystems. NASA scientists are tracking heat stress that can warn us of harmful conditions. Explore interactive inquiry-based lessons and participate in a heat island experiment.

TAKEAWAYS:
NASA provides free earth science resources and engaging interactive climate change lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Kohler (NASA Glenn Research Center: Cleveland, OH)

Learn how GPS, seismometers, Lidar, magnetotelluric, and other geophysical instruments help to measure the changes in our environment such as groundwater fluctuations and drought, climate change, volcanic deformation, river evolution, sea level changes, vegetation height, and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be able to: Describe some of the applications of seismology and geodesy to a wide range of Earth and environmental phenomena

SPEAKERS:
Tammy Bravo (IRIS | Earthscope Consortium: Vancouver, WA)

Two solar eclipses will cross the U.S.--a 2023 annular and the big 2024 total--with the entire country seeing at least a partial eclipse in both instances. It is important that we aspire to the goal of No Child Left Inside, as the U.S. will not experience another total solar eclipse until 2045!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to integrate "eclipse science" into your existing curricula to prepare you and your students to observe, record and analyze data from the 2023 Annular and 2024 Total U.S. Solar Eclipses (including a STEM demo on how to construct devices and methods to safely view the Sun).

SPEAKERS:
Charles Fulco (NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassadors: Brooklyn, NY)

Engage in a variety of activities, collect information and resources, and network with middle-level leaders. Discover new ideas and materials that you can use next week.

TAKEAWAYS:
The participants will network with other middle-level science educators and leaders to discover and engage in activities that will expand their knowledge and be usable in all aspects of their work.

Ownership of learning increases student engagement. Driving question boards allow students to choose the direction of their learning and encourage teacher flexibility when providing diverse paths for student exploration and sense making of an anchoring phenomenon.

TAKEAWAYS:
View examples of student generated questions used to explore and explain anchoring phenomena in an 8th grade curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Rossier Carlin (F.A. Day Middle School: Newtonville, MA)

Learn about the next generation of Moon Trees! In honor of the 50th anniversary of Apollo 14 and the original Moon Trees, NASA’s Artemis I rocket contains a new set of seeds. Explore free Moon Trees classroom content tied to STEM and citizen science and receive materials related to Moon Trees.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Artemis Moon Trees provide a unique opportunity to engage students in STEM education that ties together space, Earth, and conservation science. Attendees will learn how to use Moon Trees Education materials and get involved in Moon Trees citizen science opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Nissa McKinney (FIND Outdoors/Forest Service Cooperator: No City, No State), Rachel Bayer (Environmental Education Specialist), Jessica Nickelsen (Forest Service/ Natural Inquirer)

Students at Ransom Everglades Middle School in Coconut Grove, Florida conducted research using iButton Thermochrons. Students used the iButtons to record heat and humidity data around campus. They then analyzed the data to determine why certain areas were warmer than others.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how this project allowed students to collect data, analyze that data, and ultimately present their research as citizen scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Robin Escobedo (Ransom Everglades School: Coconut Grove, FL)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Your students will employ the NGSS Practice of developing and using models within VR versions of ocean habitats. Three new lessons from NOAA explore scientific modeling and ocean ecosystems. Lessons include Ocean Food Webs, Observations vs. Models, and Predators and Prey (in a marine setting).

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Randy Russell (Dragonfly Games: Boulder, CO)

Sponsoring Company: Esri

Join us as we demonstrate how to use data collectors from PASCO to collect and push data into ArcGIS Online mapping software. Among other measures, we will assess ground-level CO2 and correlate it to temperature in a map display. ArcGIS Online is free to K-12 instructional use, globally.

Earth science and statistics come alive in a STEM integrated activity focusing on the coastal flooding problems on Tybee Island, Georgia. Come experience how students apply their knowledge to tidal data sets from Fort Pulaski to help a community with its flood mitigation decisions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the STEM-integrated activity ‘Coastal Flooding of Highway 80’ can be implemented as a way of incorporating tides, climate change and statistics into their lessons. They will also learn how it was developed and how tidal data can be accessed for creating similar activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jayma Koval (CEISMC/ Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA)

Teachers will learn about the iWonder process and online tools that help connect students to the community (locally and globally) through place-based, scientific, research projects they create!

TAKEAWAYS:
Students' imagination will be sparked, and science connections with the world outside the classroom will be ignited with iWonder!

SPEAKERS:
Ian Collins (Maine Math and Science Alliance), Rebecca Clark Uchenna (Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance: Augusta, ME), Megan McCall (Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies: No City, No State)

With the Artemis rockets to the moon, we hope to be walking on the lunar surface by 2024. So let's teach more about the moon than just the phases. Here are 5 scalable hands-on activities that explore the lunar features and surface including craters, earth-moon dynamic, moon dust, gravity, and more

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience Hands-on Moon activities from the craters to the mountains, from ⅙ the gravity to the single side we see and to what to look for with binoculars alone.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Horejsi (University of Montana: Missoula, MT)

Are you a middle school teacher looking for resources for your classroom? Join these educators as they share creating units teaching metric measures, discover the Teach the Earth Portal, and hear about one educator's experience of incorporating the 5E model into their lessons.

Designing Units
Learn how to create designer units based on standard metric measures. These units will be built based on volume measurements so students will be able to make connections to liquid measurement containers that students see and use in everyday life.

5 E's Made EEEEEasy!
The 5 E Model in science education is a great tool to help promote hands-on learning. Learn what the 5 E's are and how to effectively use them in your classroom. Help students make sense of their learning and make connections to the real world with the 5 E's.

Teach the Earth: A Portal to Earth Education Resources
The National Association of Geoscience Teachers manages the Teach the Earth portal, where educators can search for online resources in the geosciences and related fields.  Instructional approaches, classroom activities, course descriptions, and sample assignments make up the many resources in TTE.

SPEAKERS:
Elaine Thurmond (Mercer University: Lithia Springs, GA), Mary Kay Bacallao (Mercer University: Atlanta, GA), Kristi Gnage (Science Teacher: St. Petersburg, FL), Christy Visaggi (Georgia State University: Atlanta, GA)

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)

This session introduces participants to NASA resources including a closer look at STEMonstrations which are STEM demonstrations filmed in the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station and taught by astronauts. Each of these videos includes a corresponding Classroom Connection lesson plan which is ready for educators to immediately implement in their classrooms. This session focuses on the Engineering Design Process STEMonstration where participants will watch the Engineering Design Process STEMonstration video and participate in the corresponding Classroom Connection activity. Other engineering design activities will be introduced and discussed as extensions to this introductory lesson.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will become familiar with STEMonstrations and be able to integrate these videos and corresponding Classroom Connections into their classrooms. Participants will leave this session with hands-on, ready-to-go STEM lesson plans including student activities and worksheets.

SPEAKERS:
Michele Hooks (Education Project Manager), Lynn Dotson (NASA Office of STEM Engagement-GoH: Kennedy Space Center, FL)

Two upcoming eclipses cross the US: annular October 14 2023 and total April 8 2024. This workshop teaches the why, how and where of eclipses, demonstrates safe solar viewing techniques & citizen science projects. Weather permitting, we will view the Sun. Each teacher receives 25 eclipse glasses free

TAKEAWAYS:
The solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 will cover much of the nation. Safe observing techniques are critical. Only during the relatively brief totality can you observe the amazing and ghostly corona, and only then can you look at the Sun without eye protection

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Reiff (Rice University: Houston, TX)

Need more support for STEM investigations and projects? Review a 3 year grant-funded STEM training to improve media specialists’ understanding of STEM as “thinking and doing.” Examine sample hands-on investigations, tools, and websites to help media specialists’ support of STEM at all grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Media specialists have access to many different resources but may lack accurate understanding of STEM and the guidance students need for resources to promote STEM. This session will illustrate an effective all grades/subjects in-service program which could be adapted for use in a school or system.

SPEAKERS:
Gail Marshall (self-employed consultant: No City, No State), Melissa Johnston (University of West Georgia: Carrollton, GA), Judy Cox (N/A: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Why are sea levels rising? Why is it so dangerous for everyone - no matter where they live? How can we address it? Explore these questions and NGSS-aligned online lessons, visualizations, and role-playing activities from NOAA to engage your students on this topic.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Esri

Join Esri as we demonstrate how to build powerful maps using ArcGIS Online. We will use scientific data from the Living Atlas and data created during the workshop using Survey123 – and map it all. Analysis tools will be demonstrated. ArcGIS Online is free from Esri for K12 instruction.

Learn about an interdisciplinary research project that studied how atmospheric dust affects climate change. A team of educators collaborated with researchers to develop hands-on activities targeted at upper elementary through high school students that highlight science concepts from this project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how a team of educators collaborated with paleoclimate researchers to develop activities targeted at upper elementary through high school students that explore how atmospheric dust affects climate change, highlighting how climate is influenced by complex interactions within the Earth system.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Rummel (UCAR Center for Science Education: Boulder, CO)

Water is the major force in shaping our planet. Students use simple models to measure water outwash and soil erosion.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simple models show students how plants and plant residue play major roles in preventing water runoff and soil erosion.

SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Cunningham (Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN)

How do we add physical science emphasis to Earth Science curriculum? Weather and Climate with ADI Gas intro lab Students will use the ideal gas law Pv=nrT in their Earth science lessons Students will explore basic Chemistry in their exploration of the atmosphere Molecular models activity Gas Properties lab Water and Oceans Density Ph labs Salinity labs Geology with ADI Students will study wave theory as it applies to earthquakes and tectonics plates Wave on a string Minerals with an emphasis on the atom and radioactivity Space and Astronomy with ADI Students will look at motion in three dimensions and learn how to calculate azimuth and simple orbital mechanics Students will study the periodic table in conjunction with the cosmic forces that created them Gravity Forces lab Gravity and orbits lab Blackbody Spectrum analysis Introduction to Quantum Chemistry

TAKEAWAYS:
We will review activities, lessons, and experiments that will help enhance your Earth Science class and prepare your student for middle school or high school physical science.

SPEAKERS:
Brian Gardiner (Kittredge Magnet School for High Achievers: Atlanta, GA)

Learn about a great hands-on tissue paper hot air balloon STEM activity that can be done indoors year-round! Join Dr. Yemothy to learn about this easy and affordable activity that ALL students can accomplish. Leave having seen an example an gained an understanding of the activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Knowledge of how to do the activity, ways to vary it, and understanding what is needed to do with students along with digital access to the hot air balloon STEM activity.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Yemothy (K-8 STEM Educator & Trainer)

This interactive session will explore scaffolded, NGSS aligned, three-dimensional Earth science resources for all students including multilingual learners. The My NASA Data Literacy Cubes support data literacy using authentic data from scientific research.

TAKEAWAYS:
Implementation strategies for a flexible resource which can be used with multiple Earth System Science DCIs, support numerous science and engineering practices related to questions, evidence, models and data, and CCCs for patterns, scale, proportion and quantity, and stability and change.

SPEAKERS:
Desiray Wilson (Science Systems and Applications, Inc.: Hampton, VA), Natalie Macke (Pascack Hills High School: Montvale, NJ), Angela Rizzi (NASA Langley Research Center/ADNET: No City, No State)

Engage multilingual learners with human ecology activities scaffolded for different levels of English proficiency. Participate in hands-on lessons (simulations and group problem solving) that promote 3D learning while building language skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn strategies to adapt science activities for the middle school classroom to be more inclusive for English language learners. Shared activities explore “Human Impacts on Earth’s Systems” and “Natural Resources” (ESS3).

SPEAKERS:
Abby Watkins (Population Connection: Washington, DC)

Students can have a positive impact on environmental challenges when they take action. Walk away with resources and a structure to help your students act.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students can take action to make a big difference in their school or local community to benefit the environment.

SPEAKERS:
Janel McPhillips (Calvert County Public Schools: Prince Frederick, MD)

Projections are that by 2050, there may be more plastic in our oceans than fish, leading to calls for a worldwide treaty restricting plastics. In this session, participants will explore new remote-sensing capabilities for monitoring microplastics from space and relevant STE[A]M+G educator resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
To offer participants resources and strategies for developing a STE[A]M+G Earth science unit that integrates problem-based learning (PBL), hands-on NASA student design challenges and cross-curricular material.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Weiss (Educator Professional Development Specialist)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

As a NOAA Planet Steward Educator you can become a STEM agent of change in your school and community. Learn how to access professional development opportunities, education resources, and funding, to increase students’ science literacy, and have them respond to real world environmental threats.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Esri

StoryMaps allow students to combine text, photos, videos, audio, and maps into a coherent story for communicating research or findings of a study. Join the Esri education team as we explore creating storymaps. StoryMaps are a part of the ArcGIS School Bundle, free for K12 instruction.

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

Cultivate a sense of belonging in your classroom with conservation, stewardship, and climate science using educational resources from NOAA and other socially conscious organizations. This workshop and resources to be shared is suitable for educators working with students at all grade bands.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)

With the catalog of known exoplanets growing, NASA scientists are searching these worlds for signatures of life as we do (and do not) know it. In this session, participants learn through hands-on activities about NASA astrobiology missions that attempt to answer the age-old question: are we alone?

TAKEAWAYS:
To offer participants resources and strategies for developing an astrobiology [life sciences] unit that integrates hands-on NASA education activities, cutting-edge scientific research, and differing worldviews [cosmologies] that combine science, culture, art and storytelling.

SPEAKERS:
Anne Weiss (Educator Professional Development Specialist)

At all levels, connecting Earth Science to the UN Sustainable Development Goals enhances its relevance. Participants will engage with hands-on activities from the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and its partners as part of the Earth Science Week theme, “Earth Science for a Sustainable World.”

TAKEAWAYS:
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important worldwide focus and are the basis for the movement known as education for sustainable development (ESD). Science educators at all levels can support ESD and add relevance to instruction by connecting their STEM instruction to the SDGs.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA)

Bring science lessons to life with the integration of augmented reality (AR) & virtual reality (VR). This session explores the use of AR & VR tools such as zSpace, Merge Edu & Oculus Quest to transform science assignments and classroom projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with ideas and strategies that they can immediately implement in science classroom lessons. Attendees will leave with practical examples of AR & VR tools and resources they can begin using with their students in integrated, earth & space, physical, and life science classes.

SPEAKERS:
Tommy Clay (Atlanta Public Schools: Atlanta, GA)

As educators, we strive to bring meaningful and relevant learning experiences to our students each day, to connect the dots between what we're teaching and how it applies to the real world. We need to inspire the next generation of scientists and explorers, and there are no better role models than those who are on the frontlines of researching, documenting, protecting, and exploring our planet. Every scientist and explorer remembers when it happened, when their passion for their chosen pursuit was ignited. It may have been meeting someone, seeing a documentary, reading a book, or an inspirational educator. You can spark these 'aha' moments for your students by bringing the world into your classrooms through virtual connections with leading scientists and explorers around the world, and it's easier than you think! Join educator and National Geographic Explorer Joe Grabowski and dive into exciting resources, along with tips and tricks for engaging students before and after.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover the benefits of bringing exciting scientists, explorers, and conservationists live into your classroom, while exploring how easy it is to do with exciting resources like Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants, Explorer Classroom, Google, and more!

SPEAKERS:
Joe Grabowski (Exploring by the Seat of Your Pants: Elora, ON)

Quantum education in middle school science education is a very novel initiative. Responding to the recent call of the National Quantum Initiative Act (2018) to accelerate quantum research and development, IQ-PARC aims to bridge the gap between developing quantum technologies and public interest and knowledge in quantum. Towards this end, IQ-PARC would like to introduce and apply a quantum-infused curriculum unit. Attendees will be encouraged to explore the concepts of quantum randomness and random number generator to create a particular artwork via quantum lab data collection. Also, they will be given a unit package including five distinct lesson plans and a pre-post assessment tool beginning with an archaeology challenge and ending with a quantum artwork activity. All materials were revised and updated by taking in-service middle school teachers' feedback and suggestions during and after the Teachers’ Quantum Workshop, organized by the IQ-PARC team in Summer 2022.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will explore that quantum is not an intimidating subject to learn and teach; it is possible to link existing and/or newly released middle school state standards with basic quantum concepts, and STEM-based activities make quantum integrable into middle school science education.

SPEAKERS:
Zeynep Akdemir (Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN)

Have you ever wonder why minerals come in so many different shapes and color? Using nanoscience concepts, come experience how a mineral's internal atomic arrangement contribute to its properties through a fun hands-on activity involving simple materials without an electron microscope!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teaching abstract concepts, such as matter at the atomic scale, can be difficult to get across to our students. Learn to use common household objects to help our students make sense of mineral properties using nanoscience ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Cathy Xiong (Robert F. Wagner, Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology: Long Island City, NY), Yishan Lee (PS/MS 219)

Come join the NASA Heliophysics Education Activation Team (HEAT) in exploring how heliophysics, or 'Sun science,' can effectively serve as a model for teaching systems science to K12 students. This session includes hands-on learning activities, NASA printed materials, and more!

TAKEAWAYS:
The Sun gives us light, heat, food and more. It creates patterns on Earth and causes climate change. It is the source of space weather. Studies of the Sun offers a glimpse into the universe. The solar eclipses in 2023 and 2024 are opportunities to learn more about Sun-Earth systems science.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Milotte (Education Specialist), Carolyn Ng (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ADNET Systems, Inc.)

The sky belongs to everyone - including middle-school age youth. Learn how to join the Youth Astronomy Network (YouthAstroNet) of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, where your students can tell their own star stories using images they capture from real robotic telescopes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn YouthAstroNet’s strategies for engaging students from culturally diverse backgrounds in accessible, relevant and meaningful exploration of their place in the cosmos and find out how they can join the YouthAstroNet online community, supported by the National Science Foundation

SPEAKERS:
Erika Wright (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Cambridge, MA), Mary Dussault (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Cambridge, MA)

Sponsoring Company: NOAA

As a NOAA Planet Steward Educator you can become a STEM agent of change in your school and community. Learn how to access professional development opportunities, education resources, and funding, to increase students’ science literacy, and have them respond to real world environmental threats.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Moravchik (NOAA National Ocean Service: Silver Spring, MD), Symone Barkley (Education Specialist: Silver Spring, MD)