Engaging in scientific investigations can motivate students to read, write and participate in productive discourse. This session provides educators with lessons and resources to support teaching three-dimensional hands-on scientific investigation that motivates student learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants leave the session with insights into how to use engaging hands-on investigations to motivate students to read, write, and engage in discourse. They will receive a complete set of lesson plans for their NGSS state grade-level standards.

SPEAKERS:
Candace Penrod (Salt Lake City School District: Salt Lake City, UT), Brett Moulding (Partnership for Effective Science Teaching and Learning: Ogden, UT)

Research in climate change education indicates that knowledge alone is a poor predictor of student action toward addressing climate issues. Learn about how one high school is supporting students to connect local issues, climate and food justice through community partnerships and civic action.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session you’ll learn about: A framework for education that integrates knowledge of place, interdependence, and student agency Current research in climate change education How food justice can be a powerful motivator that leads to student engagement and action

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Margon (Teacher: NY, NY), Jennifer Cirillo (Shelburne Farms: Shelburne, VT)

The lived experiences and narratives of Black heritage and African American Gullah-Geechee are used as engaging phenomena in inquiry lessons using the 5E model. The scientific practices are used to explore biology data cards created in a National Science Foundation funded project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Engaging in inquiry and scientific practices using the cultural resources of Black heritage facilitate engagement in the NGSS three dimensions of STEM. Attendees receive free resources created from this project. Connections to Common Core and equitable classroom practices will be made.

SPEAKERS:
Catherine Quinlan (Howard University)

Learn about Educating for Environmental Change, a free Indiana University program that helps educators teach the science and policy of climate change and participate in an exemplar ice core activity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science teachers have stated that standards like the NGSS are a principal reason for teaching climate change in their classroom. This workshop will engage participating teachers in hands-on, exemplar climate change activities that align with the NGSS and emphasize science practices.

SPEAKERS:
Adam Scribner (Indiana University Bloomington: Bloomington, IN)

How do scientists study dark matter in a world where we only see matter? How do they study neutrinos, a subatomic particle with almost no mass, no charge, that travels near the speed of light and is constantly shifting? At the Sanford Underground Research Facility, scientists are doing just that!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with ideas for classroom strategies that support introducing difficult and abstract topics. Leveraging the SEPs, teachers can help students use what they can see to figure out things they cannot.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Armstrong (Sanford Underground Research Facility: Lead, SD)

Want your students to code but new yourself? This session introduces ‘swirl’ (OER lessons using the R programming language) to encourage quantitative skill adoption in Biology classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
We will discuss how to find, use, and create customizable lessons for your classroom that are biology-standards-aligned and encourage coding skills (without you needing to be an expert!)

SPEAKERS:
Emily Weigel (Senior Academic Professional: Atlanta, GA)

Explore the fundamental nature of particles with hands-on activities and real experiences based on the research of the Sanford Underground Research Facility.

TAKEAWAYS:
Investigating concepts from the micro and macro environments is better when students can investigate the content through hands-on activities and real-world experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Chad Ronish (Science Education Specialist: Lead, SD)

You are using models in your science classroom, but are your students MODELING to make sense of systems and phenomena? Come to this hands-on session to learn more about modeling as a sensemaking practice and how to integrate meaningful modeling experiences into your science classroom!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away from this session with a deeper understanding of modeling as a sensemaking practice, having engaged with multiple models and with ideas about how to integrate more modeling in their own classrooms, support discourse, and formatively assess students’ modeling practice.

SPEAKERS:
Lauren Saenz (Researcher: , ME), Alison Miller (Bowdoin College: Brunswick, ME)

Teams use a programmable robotic ball to design solutions and simulate an unmanned aerial vehicle entering a disaster zone. Set in a post-natural-disaster scenario, students will find solutions to problems that first responders may face. This standards-aligned activity will help students explore challenges engineers face throughout different phases of NASA missions as they conduct research, propose solutions, create designs, build their designs and test their solutions to a set of given problems. Students will investigate how their designs in each stage of the challenge lead to their final design solution. With these activities, students will: Apply the steps of the engineering design process to successfully complete a team challenge. Conduct research, write a proposal and create a basic budget. Program a spherical robot using JavaScript (JS) or block programming to complete various leveled challenges. Design, build and test solutions to each problem. Create a presentation and share.

TAKEAWAYS:
Bring the world of advance air mobility to life in your own classroom. Transform your students into ground pilots and open up the door to their future STEM career.

SPEAKERS:
Lynn Dotson (NASA Office of STEM Engagement-GoH: Kennedy Space Center, FL)

Modeling integrates scientific practices, cross cutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas. In this workshop you will construct a model of a favorite anchoring phenomenon, and use the model to develop a 3D, modeling-based unit.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session attendees will learn how to engage their students in modeling, and use a systems-thinking framework to construct a modeling-based unit

SPEAKERS:
Steve Bennett (Michigan State University: East Lansing, MI)

Ever wondered what microorganisms might be hiding in a plant? Probably not! But we'll show you how to translate real high-level research into a highly engaging lab your students will remember and enjoy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a lab protocol to isolate plant endophytes with their students

SPEAKERS:
Sloan Almehmi (Student), Katie Busch (The University of Alabama at Birmingham: Birimingham, AL)