This session is presented by members of the Georgia Science Teachers Association Board of Directors and shares ways to incorporate literacy in science lessons using inclusive teaching strategies. The session will be a panel presentation that addresses using a broad range of analogies, a mix of textual and visual representations, inclusion of examples that include both women and ethnic minority groups, students with disabilities, use of funds of knowledge, a variety of learning exercises and assessments and the use of rubrics. Justin Harvey (GSTA Director) is submitting this proposal on behalf of the GSTA Board, but he is not one of the presenters. The panel of presenters include: Teresa Massey, GA District 10 Director Robert Bice, GA District 1 Director Jane Reed, District 2 Director Michelle Thompson, District 8 Director Kathryn Mullen, District 12 Director Melissa Niemi, GSTA President-Elect

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will see how the need to consider diversity is important for all students learning science. Participants will gain research-based strategies for integrating diversity in science lessons that meet the needs of all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Teresa Massey (Graduate Student), Michelle Thompson (Effingham College and Career Academy: No City, No State)

What do science, mathematics, social studies and reading/language arts instruction have in common? See how content methods faculty modeled content integration to provide preservice teachers with the tools to teach an integrated, science-focused investigation during their methods field experience.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away ideas for collaborating with colleagues to model integration across disciplines, preparing preservice teachers to use integration to ensure time for high-quality science instruction in the K-3 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Kay Kelly (University of Dayton: Dayton, OH)

The advantages, assignments, course material, and student feedback for an interdisciplinary learning community between a physics course and science fiction literature course will be discussed. This work was published in The Physics Teacher May 2016.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to implement an interconnection between physics and science fiction in such a way that studying works of science fiction can enhance and deepen learning of physics. Learning physics can enrich our understanding and appreciation of science fiction literature.

SPEAKERS:
Maggie Monteverde (Belmont University: Nashville, TN), Krista McBride (Belmont University: Nashville, TN)

Misinformation has reached epidemic proportions. Thankfully, science has found a solution, inoculation theory, which applies the logic of vaccines to misinformation. This presentation focuses on active inoculation, in which students learn the techniques used to mislead by creating misinformation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use active inoculation to protect their students from misinformation, such as designing an advertisement for a health pseudoscience product and creating conspiracy theories. Creating misinformation is a fun and effective way to learn the techniques used to mislead.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Trecek-King (Massasoit Community College)

This presentation explores a general-education science class designed to teach critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy skills. Focusing on science’s process over its findings can empower students to evaluate claims and make wiser decisions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to teach the skills of critical thinking, information literacy, and science literacy by providing their students with a structured toolkit to evaluate claims (FLOATER), including pseudoscience in their classroom, and having their students create misinformation.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Trecek-King (Massasoit Community College)

This presentation explores how to use the FLOATER toolkit (Falsifiability, Logic, Objectivity, Alternative explanations, Tentative conclusions, Evidence, Replicability) to teach students how to evaluate claims. FLOATER is featured in the Checkology® lesson “Evaluating Science-Based Claims.”

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to use the FLOATER toolkit.FLOATER summarizes many of science’s essential characteristics, so it could form a useful foundation for science courses. Using it to evaluate pseudoscience helps students learn the characteristics of good science.

SPEAKERS:
Melanie Trecek-King (Massasoit Community College)