2023 Atlanta National Conference

March 22-25, 2023

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FILTERS APPLIED:PreK - 5, Presentation, STEAM or STEM, Life Science

 

Rooms and times subject to change.
9 results
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Welcome to Our Garden

Thursday, March 23 • 3:40 PM - 4:40 PM

Georgia World Congress Center - C202



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Welcome to Our Garden Presentation
Slide Presentation

STRAND: Student Learning and Inclusion

Show Details

Gardening in a school setting provides an authentic learning environment filled with wonder for students and teachers alike. From small outdoor flower pots to raised beds, these spaces transform not only the environment, but gives all involved a new perspective on where our food comes from.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students gain hands-on experiences with their environment while making connections between what they have planted and the food that goes into the cafeteria. Learn how we transformed an unusable space to create a school garden/outdoor classroom that has had unexpected benefits.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly Butcher (Tozer Primary School, Weld RE-4 School District)

Why are there ocean fossils in the Smoky Mountains: Strategies to customize open-source science lessons for local contexts

Friday, March 24 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - B304



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Fossil Unit Lesson Materials

STRAND: Curriculum and Assessment

Show Details

An 11 year old recently found a trilobite in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. Let's explore this phenomenon and how customizing existing high-quality, open-source lessons for local stories create a cohesive storyline for elementary students.

TAKEAWAYS:
1) How to customize existing high-quality, open-source lessons that pair with local phenomena; 2) What fossil evidence scientists use to support claims about past environments; and 3) Where to find open-source storylines for the elementary classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Cox (Knox County Schools: Knoxville, TN)

Bringing Science & Literacy to Life in Kindergarten

Friday, March 24 • 10:40 AM - 11:40 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - A408



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
K Science Literacy - MacNeil With QR Code for Resources

STRAND: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Practice

Show Details

Interested in authentically weaving culturally relevant hands-on Science and rigorous literacy into your kindergarten classroom? Come learn how to use close reading to support NGSS-aligned science explorations and create rich, deep learning experiences for your students. Free resources provided.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to integrate deep authentic science explorations with standards-based literacy instruction for kindergarten students. They will explore how the use of close reading (to collaboratively inquire about and make meaning of texts) can mirror how students make meaning in science.

SPEAKERS:
Janet MacNeil (Cambridge Public Schools: No City, No State)

The Elementary School Garden: Engaging K-6 Learners through Arts Integration

Friday, March 24 • 10:40 AM - 11:40 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - A403


STRAND: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Practice

Show Details

STEAM focused lesson plans integrating garden-based learning and the arts. In this hands-on workshop, learn how printmaking, nature journaling, bookmaking techniques, and Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) can reinforce sensemaking of science cross-cutting concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in teacher-tested STEAM lessons connected to garden-based learning that can be implemented into the K-6 classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Aurora Hughes Villa (Utah State University: No City, No State), Lisa Saunderson (Edith Bowen Lab School / Utah State University)

Teaching Science with Big Ideas

Friday, March 24 • 1:20 PM - 2:20 PM

Georgia World Congress Center - C208


STRAND: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Practice

Show Details

We will share our experiences of teaching science with big ideas to guide students’ learning. We will introduce some tips and strategies for teachers on writing big ideas from the standards, making them visible in the classroom, and centering student activities around the big idea.

TAKEAWAYS:
Big ideas enable a cognitive framework for teachers to direct classroom activities and assist learners in seeing the connections between various scientific concepts. Teachers can create big ideas for their science curriculum and use them to guide students’ science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Rachel Hill (Teacher: Tuscaloosa, AL), Taylor Lamon (Saban Center Education Specialist), Jale Ercan Dursun (The University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa, AL)

Plant Investigations Using Sensemaking

Friday, March 24 • 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Georgia World Congress Center - A303


STRAND: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Practice

Show Details

Current trends highlighting plants using 3D Learning that support sensemaking in the K-6 classroom will be presented. Participants will be provided hands-on, real-world lessons that engage students with a deeper and more meaningful experience that center around the Next Generation Science Standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will develop a more meaningful understanding of sensemaking by using plant investigations to increase student engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Mary Lynn Hess (Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School: Sanford, FL)

Facilitating Emancipatory and Justice-Centered Environmental and Climate Learning with Elementary Students

Saturday, March 25 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - A402


STRAND: Equity and Justice

Show Details

We’ll explore key stances, strategies, and resources for supporting elementary students to learn about and take collective action in response to authentic socio-ecological challenges.

TAKEAWAYS:
Young learners are capable of consequential and justice-centered learning about social, political, environmental, and climate issues. Concerns about “developmental appropriateness” can perpetuate dominant forms of science and invisibilize marginalized students’ lived experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Rae Han (EarthGen: No City, No State), Pranjali Upadhyay (Educational Service District 112: Vancouver, WA)

Cultivating knowledge through community gardening

Saturday, March 25 • 8:45 AM - 9:15 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - B409


STRAND: Teaching Strategies and Classroom Practice

Show Details

A master gardener and science educator will share their strategies for fostering young learners’ understanding of plant and animal interdependence through community gardening.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about strategies for engaging students in gardening, such as “Pest or Guest?” for promoting insect/plant interdependence, and steps to take for establishing a successful gardening program.

SPEAKERS:
Lisa Cummings (Penn State: University Park, PA), Kristin Rearden (The University of Tennessee, Knoxville: Knoxville, TN)

Starting a School Herbarium

Saturday, March 25 • 8:45 AM - 9:15 AM

Georgia World Congress Center - B316


Show Details

Starting and maintaining a school herbarium exposes students to the flora of their school campus while practicing data recording, observation skills, identification skills, and technology skills. Oak Grove Elementary's herbarium continues to grow with the support of the Emory University Herbarium.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn all steps involved in starting an herbarium, supplies needed, and STEM connections. While most examples were used with upper elementary students, it can easily be adapted for all grade levels.

SPEAKERS:
Kendall Xides (Oak Grove Elementary School: Atlanta, GA)

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