Stories from Chemical Insights Research Institute’s “research to impact” process will be shared from their work on a variety of emerging technologies and topics such as 3D printing emissions, an economical approach to improving indoor air quality during wildfire smoke events, and more.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discuss how “research to impact” is or might be used in their schools and collaborate to create their own research to impact story they can share to engage students in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Cristi Bell-Huff (Research Manager), Holley Henderson (Chemical Insights Research Institute: Marietta, GA)

All instructors of science methods courses are invited to bring a favorite activity or assignment to share with colleagues, network with other science teacher educators, and gather new ideas for your future science methods courses!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants who attend this session will have an opportunity to network with other science teacher educators who teach secondary science methods courses to share practices and resources.

SPEAKERS:
Gina Childers (Texas Tech University: Lubbock, TX)

You just graded a quiz or test and you need to analyze and share that information with stakeholders. Come learn how you can use mail merge to narrow the gap by providing personalized feedback with students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn the features available with mail merge and obtain a template excel file for data analysis to be used for a mail merge in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Tiffany Shoham Jones (Science Instructor: Conyers, GA)

In this session, participants will be introduced to the Touch-Talk-Text interdisciplinary instructional model for teaching science and literacy. Participants will develop interdisciplinary science lessons using NGSS-based lesson resources aligned with the 5E lesson format.

TAKEAWAYS:
Using strategies presented in the Touch-Talk-Text interdisciplinary instructional model, participants will analyze and plan NGSS-aligned elementary science lessons that integrate literacy and science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Briana Trager (Graduate Student: , NC), Danielle Scharen (North Carolina State University: Raleigh, NC)

We are sending them into their own classrooms, but do they know their science? Are emerging science teachers aware of their students’ ideas and misconceptions?

TAKEAWAYS:
Characteristics of pre-service science teachers and their content knowledge and knowledge of students' misconceptions.

SPEAKERS:
Cynthia Crockett (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian: Cambridge, MA)

In this session, the presenters will share specific strategies and an intentional design for preparing elementary STEM teachers to create inclusive and equitable STEM classroms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about specific strategies to create inclusive STEM classrooms. Elementary STEM educators will model ways in which they have revised curriculum and integrated specific STEM pedagogy that is inclusive, culturally sustaining, and rooted in social justice.

SPEAKERS:
Bonnie Maur (Sacred Heart University: Fairfield, CT)

Are you a preservice teachers’ instructor? Learn how NSTA's digital resources, virtual experiences, and online community can help your students become the BEST teachers they can be. We will discuss what’s available on the NSTA website and how to easily access it with your own Class Landing page.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice teachers using NSTA as a Textbook (or as instructional materials supplement) create a library of resources, grow their network of professional colleagues, and enhance their content and pedagogical knowledge of science.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Water is constantly in the news. Between hurricanes, flooding, drought issues and water wars, everyone knows how important water is to our well being. With that being said, do students really understand its importance, it's behavior, the difference between cohesion, adhesion and surface tension?

TAKEAWAYS:
Activities in this session come from the Project WET Curriculum. These will feature hands on activities with copies of lessons distributed.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Henman (Brenau University: Gainesville, GA)

Inviting all Preservice Teachers and Faculty Advisors to learn about NSTA’s Preservice Teacher Chapter Program with National and Local Preservice Teacher Chapters options.

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice Teachers and Faculty Advisors walk-away informed to participate in NSTA’s Preservice Teacher Chapter Program.

SPEAKERS:
Debi Hanuscin (Western Washington University: Bellingham, WA), Morgan Glann (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Nicole Merner (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Emma Harma (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Lavender Bertsch (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Hannah Smock (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Makayla Spencer (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI), Annabelle Fortine (Central Michigan University: Eagle, MI), Jim McDonald (Central Michigan University: Mount Pleasant, MI)

Real-world public health examples help teach middle and high school students concepts and skills across multiple STEM disciplines. Using a fictional novel emerging respiratory disease (i.e., NERD for short), CDC’s NERD Academy curriculum uses real-world COVID-19 data and scenarios to teach foundational science, math, and critical thinking skills. Designed by STEM teachers and CDC public health experts, each module includes engaging videos, STEM classroom activities, and career spotlights that can enrich classroom learning. In eight modules, using educational videos, interactive activities, and a set of diverse characters representing specific jobs in public health, the curriculum helps students answer critical public health questions like, “How does disease spread?”, “Who is at risk?”, or “Why do laboratory testing?”. This session will include an overview of the eight-module curriculum and a brief tour of CDC’s publicly available online STEM lesson plans and other resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how real-world public health examples can illustrate key concepts and skills across multiple STEM disciplines and how public health professionals like epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and health communication specialists use STEM skills in their careers.

SPEAKERS:
Juliana Azeredo (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Atlanta, GA)

Take a closer look at how to structure science learning units through student-driven inquiry. We will examine the components involved in designing a coherent, NGSS-aligned storyline. Teacher teams will collaborate to analyze, critique, and optimize existing storylines and corresponding phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Examine the Five Routines that work together to create a 3D learning experience through the inquiry cycle. Learn where to find existing storylines for Middle and High school sciences. Leave with templates to guide you in your storyline planning.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Fine (Instructional Coach: Managua, TX)

Admins, Supervisors & TLs: Do you need a new way to engage your teachers about equity issues? Focusing on diversity, technology, assessment, and more, we will model case-based pedagogy as a tool for your learning community to have tough discussions. K-5 Resources Provided (focus), 6-12 Available.

TAKEAWAYS:
School leaders will be able to use cases (short stories around a central dilemma) to create a layered dialogue bringing together multiple stakeholders in a learning community. Multiple cases will be provided as take-home resources and training material for attendees.

SPEAKERS:
Chelsea Sexton (University of Georgia: Athens, GA)

Join us and learn how to incorporate Kagan cooperative grouping structures into your science curriculum. Your students will benefit from these research-supported strategies that are easy to implement and flexible enough to meet your needs.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will model each structure as our participants join in. This experience will help participants develop a sense of efficacy and confidence to add these structures to their own programming. Each participant will leave confident in his/her ability to use three different cooperative groups structures.

SPEAKERS:
Traci Kell (Assistant Professor of Education: , AL), Grace Langston (Student: , AL), Tami Shelley (Auburn University at Montgomery: Montgomery, AL), Nicholas Bourke (Auburn University at Montgomery: Montgomery, AL)

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)

Spend invaluable time with current Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellow, Candyce Curry, exploring FREE RESOURCES from the U.S. Geological Survey website. This workshop will give teachers insight on finding & using, with minimal preparation, datasets from multiple sources within the website.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be presented with methods & strategies to use readily available data from the US Geological Survey to incorporate & improve their data literacy practices. This is an introduction to content specific data, resources, and suggested methods to modify/accommodate for differentiation.

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

This presentation will cover an effective coding strategy that our team has applied to evaluate initiatory and responding practices during student teaching. Pre-service and in-service teachers are encouraged to transcribe and analyze audio recordings of classroom interactions for self-evaluation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to (1) a recommended chart for coding teacher/student interactions, and (2) the value of self-evaluation in improving teaching practices with the goal of promoting student engagement and dialogue.

SPEAKERS:
Allie Randall (7th Grade Science Teacher), Sharon Davis (Student Teacher: No City, No State), Christie Chow (University of Georgia: Athens, GA)

Case study research on three pre-service teaching candidates will be shared about their work in recording narrative audio podcasts about their science and science education experiences. Candidates narrated stories and life experiences they draw upon in their current design and implementation of science instruction with elementary and middle grades students. We conducted a focus group interview to learn more about the candidates’ podcasting experiences. Findings will be shared through the lens of Carlone and Johnson’s (2007) Model of Science Identity regarding how the participants perceived their science identities through engaging in science practices, self-efficacy for engaging in and teaching science, and being recognized as ‘scientific’ by others. The candidates published their recordings on a podcast feed and portions of their work will be shared along with the assignment instructions and criteria that were provided to the candidates.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn approaches for integrating narrative podcasting assignments as a means of facilitating professional reflection and critical thinking around teaching candidates’ science identities and the ways they impact their design and implementation of science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica VanValkenburgh (Columbus State University: Columbus, GA), Aaron Gierhart (Columbus State University: Columbus, GA)

This session will highlight how to embed literacy strategies to increase engagement, fluency and comprehension in biology through the phenomenon of Sickle Cell Gene Therapy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn new strategies that can be used in the classroom to increase engagement, fluency and comprehension.

SPEAKERS:
Elissa Blount (Vidalia High School: Vidalia, GA)

The purpose of this session is to discuss research findings from a synthesis we conducted from projects funded by the NSF's DRK-12 program related to improving preK and elementary science teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
More research is needed in lower elementary grades and professional development lasting a year or longer showed promised in increasing teachers' self-efficacy and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK).

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Ferguson (Researcher: Arlington, VA)

Science methods instructors will share how they engaged pre-service teachers in critical analysis of children’s STEM picture books and the design of literacy-integrated science lessons addressing equity and social justice. The critical analysis tool will be featured along with teaching implications.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about the ways teachers could use the critical tool to analyze children’s science picture books, as a way to become more critical readers, facilitate equity-oriented science discussions for their students, and ultimately develop more inclusive classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Carmen Vanderhoof (Penn State: University Park, PA)

Join our roundtable of preservice and novice teachers to discuss experiences interning and as a first year teacher. Hear their stories and ask questions!

TAKEAWAYS:
Preservice teachers can be better prepared to student teach and begin their first jobs by hearing stories from and asking questions of preservice and new teachers who have just experienced interning or their first year.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Governor (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Rebekkah O'Beollain (The Ohio State University: Columbus, OH), Mutiara Syifa (The Ohio State University: Columbus, OH), SOPHIA JEONG (The Ohio State University: Columbus, OH), Tasha Thomas (University of Houston Clear Lake), Erika Reeves (Bodies STEM Early College Experience Teacher: Columbus, OH), Lizz Holtz (Glenn C. Jones Middle School: Buford, GA), Konrad Peterson (Kansas State University: No City, No State), Kenneth Herrenbruck (Kansas State University: No City, No State), Kimberly Staples (Kansas State University: Manhattan, KS)

Have you wondered how to implement that appendix H of the NGSS into classroom practice? Wait..What..there's an appendix H? Come see how to implement the Nature of Science principles into your classroom practice with a few simple activities that you can use tomorrow in your classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn what the Nature of Science principles are and how they can be implemented in the classroom. Also, this will help further attendees knowledge of pedagogy practices of using all domains of the NGSS to further help students gain science literacy skills.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Mulligan (Bridgeport Public School: Bridgeport, NE)

What does the research say about effective science teaching? Learn how to build a strong pedagogical foundation while integrating science across the curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
An overview of research-based practices in teaching science for the beginner and resources for research-based instructional practices.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Robertson (East Tennessee State University: Johnson City, TN), Donna Governor (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Dominick Fantacone (SUNY Cortland: Cortland, NY), Kimberly Staples (Kansas State University: Manhattan, KS), Lorraine Ramirez Villarin (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

Discover how an interdisciplinary team helped pre-service STEM teachers develop their confidence and competence in working with data and teaching data literacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain an understanding of our four-session approach to integrating data literacy, real world data, and subject matter experts into a semester-long pre-service course to build confidence and competence in working and teaching with data.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC: No City, No State), Melissa Zrada (The College of New Jersey: Ewing, NJ), Michael Jabot (SUNY Fredonia: Fredonia, NY)

Participants will learn how school districts were able to increase elementary science access by establishing a District Science team grounded in distributed leadership and using the principles and tools of Improvement Science. Panelists' insights and a toolkit of resources will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how several districts developed a distributed leadership team focused on increasing access to elementary science education. They will hear from panelists and explore the tools and processes these teams used as part of their science leadership teams.

SPEAKERS:
Channon Jackson (Alameda County Office of Education: Hayward, CA), Dawn O'Connor (CSU East Bay: Danville, CA)

In 2018, TNTP published its landmark report “The Opportunity Myth" which showed that to be on track to reach their post-secondary goals, students needed consistent access to four key resources: (1) rigorous instruction, (2) grade-appropriate assignments, (3) deep engagement, and (4) high expectations. In this session, participants will learn about the findings of “The Opportunity Myth” and explore TNTP’s tools for strong instruction and grade-appropriate assignments in Science. During this session, teachers will review the tools and have an opportunity to practice using them with assignments and classroom videos. Participants will also hear the story of how teachers in east Tennessee rapidly improved their practice through the implementation of a single unit from OpenSciEd. Teachers will reflect on the roadblocks they faced, including partial state standards alignment, and will share the benefits they are realizing in their classrooms because of this change in pedagogy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Implementation of even a single unit from a high-quality science curriculum leads to stronger instruction and increased access to grade-appropriate assignments in science classrooms. Despite facing the barrier of partial alignment, teachers still improved learning for students using this method.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Proffitt (Director, Academics: Richmond, VA), Breshay Helton (Implementation Coordinator: Greeneville, TN), Elizabeth Naegele (TNTP: No City, No State)

Engagement in scientific sense-making necessitates rich classroom discourse. We will explore strategies for students to present their ideas, engage in reasoned argumentation, refine their ideas, and reach shared conclusions. Walk away with many ready-to-use resources!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will examine common teacher-talk patterns, plan goals for conversations, and explore creating a classroom environment in which students openly share ideas, clarify understandings, and draw conclusions to deepen their learning experience.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Fine (Instructional Coach: Managua, TX)

Preservice and novice teachers will learn tips and participate in systems for running an efficient and safe science classroom from experienced educators. Safety, management, and organization tips are the highlights of this session. Time-saving strategies for lesson planning will also be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Pre-planning safety, lesson content, and lesson organization/implementation saves instructional time, freeing up brain space to tackle the inevitable classroom challenge.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Governor (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Tasha Thomas (University of Houston Clear Lake), Takisha Gastile (University of Houston-Clear Lake: Houston, TX), Omah Williams-Duncan (University of Houston-Clear Lake: Houston, TX)

School campuses and gardens provide inspiring opportunities for supporting science learning. Scientific sensemaking in the students' local school environment includes (1) access to explicit and authentic scientific phenomena, (2) meaningful integration of 3D learning (disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and crosscutting concepts) and the 5E learning cycle, and (3) multimodal classroom discourse focusing on engaging all students. Students revise and refine their scientific understanding over time in outdoor classrooms, while also enhancing reading, writing, and communication skills. Outdoor classrooms are shared spaces where individuals and communities interact and interact. We will share how preservice elementary teachers were trained to create and implement in-person and virtual elementary science lessons and reflect on how these lessons impacted preservice teachers, as well as school teachers, students, and communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to train preservice teacher candidates to use outdoor learning environments to teach 3D/5E elementary science lessons that integrate standards, as well as in person and virtual learning platforms.

SPEAKERS:
Camryn Lochner (Teacher: No City, No State), Tess Mitchner Asinjo (Principal: Dayton, OH), Hannah Salaiz (Teacher), Michelle Fleming (Wright State University: Dayton, OH)

Pre-service teachers! Participate in this session to learn how NSTA Resources can provide the skills and knowledge needed to apply for and be successful in any teaching opportunity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Pre-service teachers will get a thorough overview of all the resources and materials available in our NSTA Library and professional development opportunities to strengthen their resume and build confidence when seeking teaching positions.

SPEAKERS:
Flavio Mendez (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Angela Webb (James Madison University: Harrisonburg, VA), Jacob Hayward (Siloam Springs Middle School: Siloam Springs, AR)