This session will describe an NSF grant in progress to increase high school awareness of geoscience through field trips and activities. This grant was written by geoscience and education faculty. We will share some activities along with what we learned from the pre- and post- assessments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will participate in hands-on activities that have been prepared by geoscience faculty at Missouri S&T. The teacher ed. faculty at Missouri S&T will share ideas on how to implement and assess these. Student learning is enhanced when students are engaged in hands-on, field based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Amanda Meek (Professor: Rolla, MO), Michelle Schwartze (Missouri S&T: Rolla, MO)

In this session we will look at how engaging students in the practice of Developing and Using Models over the course of a unit can be used for different purposes. Participants will experience building a consensus model and reflect on how building a class consensus model is an important step in ensuring that all members of the learning community can contribute to the knowledge building and that ALL students have access to the ideas the class agrees moves the understanding forward. We will also highlight how models are a powerful way to uncover new questions students may have, requiring students to dig for a deeper understanding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Developing and using scientific models allows all students to be integral members of the knowledge-building community.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Hereau (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

This capacity building session will explore how to make meaningful phenomena for students; review a set of phenomena descriptions generated by others and say which ones might be compelling to students and why; and explore a framework with examples for different classes of phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn, through an existing OER professional learning module, how to identify meaningful and relevant phenomena that attend to students interest and community priorities.

SPEAKERS:
William Penuel (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

In this session we will engage participants in thinking about how they can create stronger connections to current climate change research through placed-based learning experiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendee's will be able to share the benefits of place-based teaching and learning with peers and colleagues, and serve as an advocate for field experiences within the school community.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Shoer (Senior Program Manager, Education & Engagement), Elisabeth Colby (Director of Visitor Experience and Engagement Programs: Boston, MA), Holly Rosa (Boston Public Schools: Boston, MA)

Executive function deficits are common in students and impact achievement. Come learn what executive functioning is and strategies to make your classroom executive function friendly.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of what executive functioning is and how problems with executive functioning can impact student engagement in the classroom. Through hands-on activities, participants will walk away with ready to implement strategies and ideas to reach all learners.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Thomas (F. A. Day Middle School: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

High quality instructional materials are essential for equitable access to science, but materials are only the start of the instructional journey! Examine the importance of YOUR role as a teacher in leveraging NGSS-designed curriculum to inspire your students to figure out phenomena.

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: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Engage in strategies to help your English Learners (EL) population make sense of science concepts and apply their science knowledge to real-world applications. We will explore a variety of strategies for differentiating instruction so that ELs can build their ability to communicate science concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Stacey O'Connor (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX), Suzan Morris (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

How can a phenomena-based NGSS curriculum promote sensemaking in science and also support language development? See how embedded supports in well-designed instructional materials, along with teachers’ best practices, can create a successful science learning environment for Multilingual Learners.

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Explore the teacher’s side and experience the student side of our IDE. While engaged in an OSE lesson we'll explore the Teacher Edition’s and its structure while also experiencing the different features that students have available to use in their interactive student edition.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Gutierrez (IntegratedSTEMk12, LLC: Chandler, AZ)

This session is intended for secondary science teachers with multilingual learners (MLLs). MLLs bring important science ideas that contribute to learning. This session will emphasize meaningful language instruction for all students and provide ideas for how to support emergent multilingual students.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will engage with meaningful examples of teaching techniques to support higher-level thinking for all students, especially multilingual learners. These examples can be implemented in any secondary science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Monica Davies Davies (AVID curriculum Developer: , WA), Angela DiLoreto (Bellevue School District: Bellevue, WA)

Generating STEM interest through a place-conscious framework is a pathway for students to solve issues relevant to their community. Framing instructional methods within the place-conscious design allow important issues to be at the center of the curriculum.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will explore how to design hands-on inquiry lesson developed from a place-conscious framework.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bookheimer (Pre-service Teacher: , MT)

Washington County Public Schools, MD had adopted the definition of Acceleration as intentionally providing access to grade/course-level learning so students who have unfinished learning succeed in today’s learning experience. Underpinning this definition we have leaned on the work of John Hattie to identify 4 high-impact areas(relationships, scaffolds, clarity, feedback) of teaching and learning to frame our focus away from traditional remediation. This session will look at the practice of scaffolding instruction in the science classroom. Attendees will participate in collaborative discussions and experience the use of authentic classroom examples. These experiences will promote their own thinking of how our practical strategies can be transferred into their classrooms. Due to the organizational leadership role of the presenters, audience members will be able to have questions ranging from classroom implementation to curriculum integration discussed.

TAKEAWAYS:
The practical use of instructional scaffolds and the supporting strategies to increase access to student learning in science.

SPEAKERS:
Tara Ellis (Washington County Public Schools: Hagerstown, MD)

How can we provide access to learning to ensure students can succeed in today’s learning experience? We will look at the practice of scaffolding instruction in science and use classroom examples that can be transferred into your classroom. Q&A to follow.

TAKEAWAYS:
The practical use of instructional scaffolds and the supporting strategies to increase access to student learning in science.

SPEAKERS:
Jeffrey Longenberger (Washington County Public Schools: Hagerstown, MD)

The various metals and alloys used in the minting of the US penny over the years provide for rich explorations. We will share activities that combine some very basic lab activities conducted by some of our Chemistry classes with detailed mathematical modeling done by the students in AP Statistics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will use real data to develop mathematical models and learn how to test your hypothesis by performing an experiment and analyzing the results, combining chemical analysis with statistical sampling for a cross-curricular approach;

SPEAKERS:
Karlheinz Haas (Science/Math Instructor, Retired: Tequesta, FL)

During this session, attendees will learn the results of a literature review that focused on the culturally inclusive/responsive pedagogies that are being used in science classrooms. Everyone will then be able to share their experiences with these pedagogies or suggest alternative methods.

TAKEAWAYS:
After this session, attendees should better understand how to incorporate culturally responsive/inclusive pedagogies in a science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Anna-Margaret Bruton (Project Director: Broader Impacts: Charlottesville, VA)

Students are going to talk anyway. Learn to make talk productive with student-led talk circles. Use this powerful strategy tomorrow to build students’ scientific literacy!

TAKEAWAYS:
Talk Circles enable educators to uncover student ideas and misconceptions as well as reveal students’ understanding to pave the way for further investigation.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia McMahon (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT), Sheri Geitner (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT), Nicole Bay (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT)

Sponsoring Company: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Students' lived experience of brain disorders can strengthen lessons for Middle and High School science standards on structure/function. Validation of students as personal or cultural lived experience experts sets a foundation for their future learning, that is critical to achieve classroom equity.

SPEAKERS:
Rebekah Corlew (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD), Carlo Quintanilla (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD), Diana Andriola (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD)

Sponsoring Company: Activate Learning

Using the storyline approach, a logical sequence of lessons motivated by students’ questions arising from their interactions with phenomena, we’ll navigate through the OSE model using the five routines to help students achieve the objectives and actively work through the sense-making process.

SPEAKERS:
Jen Gutierrez (IntegratedSTEMk12, LLC: Chandler, AZ)

In this session we will showcase how to unpack the NGSS Science Standards to develop transparent rubrics. We will showcase how to use the rubric for backwards planning and what formative process to follow so students can set their own success criteria.

TAKEAWAYS:
Setting students to be successful in your Science Classes by Backward planning and setting success criteria.

SPEAKERS:
Rodrigo Diaz (Science Teacher: Managua, 0)

Learn how to engage your students with the rich phenomena around the mismatch between our human body physiology and our modern environment, using a free, EQuIP-reviewed unit designed for HS NGSS.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will develop a vision for how to use engineering practices to teach genetics and epigenetics while creating a more engaging and inclusive classroom environment for all learners

SPEAKERS:
Joy Otibu (Mott Hall Bronx High School: Bronx, NY), Andrea Sau (Mott Hall Bronx High School: Bronx, NY)

How do we center students in NGSS units designed for a national audience? Join us to explore how a team of K-8 educators are developing resources and strategies that incorporate local phenomena, community needs, and the lived experiences of their students into their teaching of Amplify Science units

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will become familiar with an approach used to localize national curricula and take away research-based and equity centered tools, resources and approaches they can use in their own efforts to localize their curricula and create an inclusive classroom environment.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Brad Street (IslandWood: Bainbridge Island, WA)

Engage your Forensics students with a few of my favorite labs, investigations, and activities! You will leave this session with ready-to-implement resources that you can use right when you get back to your classroom. (DOOR PRIZES)

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to engage their Forensics students with some of my favorite labs, activities, and classroom investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Dana Niblett (Teacher)

This session will describe the Science Curriculum Adaptation Project for Special Educators, in which science specialists and special educators adapted an NGSS badge unit for students with moderate to severe disabilities. We outline the program structure and share examples of adaptations.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about the structure of a program designed to support special education teachers in using the high quality “Garbage” unit with their students, discuss the UDL framework as a part of this work, and see examples of adaptations that can be used with students with moderate to severe disabilities.

SPEAKERS:
Casandra Gonzalez (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Malden, MA)

The NSTA Sensemaking Tool (adapted from the research-based NGSS Lesson Screener) is designed to help educators be critical consumers of curricular materials as well as create and/or revise science lessons to reflect the instructional shifts required by new standards (sensemaking). Join us to gain experience using the tool and facilitating criteria-based consensus conversations with colleagues.

TAKEAWAYS:
Recognize the critical aspects of sensemaking in a science lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Mathews (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Learn how to blend career-connected learning with STEM learning using a suite of career awareness and exploration resources featuring diverse STEM professionals and workplaces. These freely available resources work well in both formal & informal settings for students in 3rd grade through college!

TAKEAWAYS:
ISB has free online videos & resources for career-connected learning. These can be used in formal classrooms & extracurricular programs to highlight nontraditional STEM careers & fields. They also help build systems thinking skills that are applicable and important for student success in any field.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Calder (Preservice Teacher: Seattle, WA), Miranda Johnson (Systems Thinkers in STEM Coordinator)

COESEE - Join us to explore the selection and implementation of phenomenon for elementary students as you review materials or build phenomenon into your own materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
Phenomenon can be used in multiple ways to support interesting and just learning experiences.

SPEAKERS:
Shelly LeDoux (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX), Molly Ewing (The Charles A. Dana Center: No City, No State), Carla Zembal-Saul (Penn State: University Park, PA), Mary Starr (Michigan Mathematics and Science Leadership Network)

In this session you will take a closer look at STEM instruction in order to reflect on whether it is inclusive of all students and how to use innovative ideas to continue moving forward as a STEM educator.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have an opportunity to discuss and reflect on their own STEM instruction and focus on ways to include all students in STEM education regardless of abilities, language, or economic status.

SPEAKERS:
Pavel Escobedo Garcia (Principal: Ventura, CA), Adriana Guerra (E. P. Foster STEM Academy: Ventura, CA)

Many states are adopting policy that promotes the use of high-quality standards-aligned curriculum for all grade levels. However, educators may question the accessibility of these units for all students. In the Science Curriculum Adaptation Project for Special Educators (SCAPE) program, science specialists from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education worked with special educators to adapt the NYU SAIL “Garbage” unit for students with moderate to severe disabilities. Science specialists provided learning activities around the structures and routines in the unit and guided teachers through key lessons. Teachers then identified barriers and used Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to adapt the unit for their students to access ideas and SEPs in the unit. Each teacher participant left with an adapted unit to pilot with students. In this presentation we will outline the program and share examples of adaptations made for students with disabilities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Session attendees will learn about a MA program designed to support special education teachers in using the high quality “Garbage” unit with their students. Attendees will also see examples of UDL-based adaptations that can be used with science students with moderate to severe disabilities.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Palo (Horace Mann School for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing: Boston, MA), Casandra Gonzalez (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education: Malden, MA)

Join this session to explore effective and practical student discourse strategies that promote inclusive and productive classroom discourse. In this session, you will have the opportunity to engage in a few strategies as a learner to better equip you with implementing these with your students!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of shifts in classroom talk patterns, like moving away from the I-R-E talk pattern and towards Productive Talk. Attendees will engage with practical and effective discourse strategies that promote inclusive and productive classroom discourse.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association)

Students in the general education science classes have multiple abilities by which they learn. With more districts turning to the use of technology in the classroom for all students, targeted technology can aid in deeper comprehension and retention of biological content.

TAKEAWAYS:
Biology is a difficult science to master with its broad content and specific terminology that can be tricky to understand, however for students with moderate/severe disabilities and ASD it can be more frustrating and more extensive supports need to be put into place to allow for student success.

SPEAKERS:
Jessica Minton (Houston High School: Germantown, TN)

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)

Botany principals presented in unusual, indigenous myths of photosynthesis, mycorrhizal fungi, pollination, decomposers, seed diversity, forest ecology, etc. Discover elements of what makes story an effective educational tool and generate successful interdisciplinary experiences supporting science.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover the essential elements of story and understand what makes story such an effective educational tool. Learn from indigenous myths to build the meaning of botanical/scientific concepts in the context of narrative, imagery, characterization and sensory elements.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Strauss (Author/ Storyteller: , OR)

Making core instruction accessible to a variety of English Learners isn’t rocket science! With intentional planning and implementation of best practices, you can support multilingual learners with deepening their understanding of science concepts AND developing their English language proficiency.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn more about collaborating and intentionally developing resources for a range of English language learners.

SPEAKERS:
David Flores (Title III Resource Teacher: Charlotte, NC), Christina Mahar (English Language Resource Teacher: Charlotte, NC), Darlene Keyser (Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: Charlotte, NC)

Attendees will learn how to utilize interactive lab journals to model scientific reasoning with students. Lab journals allow students to become owners of their own learning and track growth throughout the year.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to create a lab journal in their classroom to fit their standards and curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Cristina Farley (Ahlf Junior High School: Searcy, AR), Kyla Glasser (Ahlf Junior High School: Searcy, AR)

Participants will participate in several discussions focused on the general perception of STEM careers that students may have, as well as their own perceptions and biases surrounding the content and materials they incorporate in their instruction. Strategies will be provided for use in the classroom to engage student interest in seeing themselves in STEM, and foster space for their resilience and perseverance. Activities: Discussion: What does a scientist look like? Activity (Philosophical Circle): Participants will be given a scenario and tasked with determining their response to that scenario. Activity: Choose an item that symbolizes skills or qualities that are needed to persevere in STEM. Discussion: What do you do in your classroom to cultivate student perseverance and resilience?

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will takeaway strategies to engage student interest and perseverance in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
LaTonya Bolden (School Improvement Coach), Marshai Waiters (Marietta Middle School: Marietta, GA)

Culturally responsive pedagogy can help bridge the diversity gap in STEM. This session shares how our Dream City program supports all students in thinking like urban planners to design beautiful neighborhoods that are not only structurally sound but also inclusive and responsive to all who come.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will have a chance to see how IMSA Outreach provides inquiry-based, hands-on STEM learning. Attendees will see how inquiry-based teaching and learning is, by its very nature, inherently culturally responsive and can leave with practical ideas to use in their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Elaine Wu (Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy: Aurora, IL)

Learn how to integrate the engineering design process and environmental education to engage students in this unit designed for upper elementary students! Participants will complete the Ocean Cleanup Challenge from the perspective of a student and learn about the Trashion Fashion Challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will learn how to increase student awareness of ocean and land pollution through hands-on STEM challenges. They will also learn how to connect relevant, real world topics that matter to promote student voice.

SPEAKERS:
Meghan Marrero (Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry Campus: Dobbs Ferry, NY), Johanna Vasquez (Trinity Elementary School: New Rochelle, NY), Terri Agravat (Trinity Elementary School: New Rochelle, NY)

Inspired by recent space launches? Wondering how to capture the excitement with your students? Join us to learn how we use rocketry and avionics to teach data analysis and system engineering. This course allows exploration of Newton’s 2nd Law through guided modules that develop knowledge and skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will explore the phenomena of rocketry through a hands-on activity focused on hardware and flight. They will then formulate how predictive and actual data tell the whole story of the rocket's flight. The session culminates with the supports to make rocketry accessible in their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Arnett (STEM Coordinator: Champaign, IL)

Empower our students to be solutionary thinkers with “think local, act global” as an important theme in student centered instruction. Create engaging 3D, phenomenon-based opportunities through a social justice lens and harness local and global community partnerships to deepen student learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Create a solutionary approach to lesson planning connecting local and global environmental issues in California and Africa, while enhancing SEL. Using the 3D5E DO-KNOW-THINK Learning Sequence, teachers create STEAM-centered lessons for engagement, interdisciplinary active learning, and empathy.

SPEAKERS:
Marie Gorman (STEM 4 Real: San Francisco, CA), Jacqueline Lafitte (Teacher: Hayward, CA), Leena Bakshi (STEM4Real: No City, No State)

Sponsoring Company: Plasma Games

Let's expose students to the diversity in STEM careers x3! Explore how to inspire the next generation of STEM experts by showing them STEM experts who are diverse in how they look, diverse in what they do, but most importantly diverse in how they got there.

How do we adapt curriculum to support our emergent multilingual learners? How can we localize phenomena for science instruction? Participants will examine student work from multimodal language surveys and learn strategies to guide curriculum adaptations for more linguistically equitable learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be provided with a language survey tool, example student work and a strategies list to help them make more linguistically inclusive curriculum adaptations and help localize phenomena for science instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Katherine McNeill (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA), Samuel Lee (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

Why do many students struggle with data? We will explore strategies for finding high quality datasets and discuss different approaches of building data skills by integrating real-time data into our teaching. Data as our instructional hook can result in changes for all of our students' data skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Review ways to leverage real-world data -- including personalized or daily data -- to enhance all students’ ability to access and make sense of data as parts of our instructional practices and/or adjust the curriculum you have.

SPEAKERS:
Kristin Hunter-Thomson (Dataspire Education & Evaluation, LLC: No City, No State)

Looking for an innovative way to bring to life the science vocabulary your students need to know? This session will cover a strategy to enhance the ol' word wall of the past into an engaging learning experience that is low prep for the teacher with maximum benefit for the student.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave with the ability to create an engaging visual representation wall, knowledge of current brain science behind building vocabulary memory, and factors to consider when prioritizing key vocabulary words.

SPEAKERS:
CHRISTINA SPEARS (Director of Teaching Academy: Comfort, TX)

We will explore the what, why, and how of integrated science and language teaching. We will describe, illustrate, and model research-based strategies, tools, and resources teachers can use to support inquiry, sense-making, and language development with their young multilingual learners (MLs)

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with some research-based strategies, tools, and resources to support planning and facilitation of language-enriched and inclusive science experiences that leverage science as a context for language and for building skills across the developmental domains with a focus on MLs

SPEAKERS:
Mandell Academy (Connecticut Science Center: Hartford, CT), Rachel Shurick (Connecticut Science Center: Hartford, CT), Becky Fahey (Connecticut Science Center: Hartford, CT), Cindy Hoisington (Education Development Center, Inc.: Holbrook, MA)

Sponsoring Company: National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Students' lived experience of brain disorders can strengthen lessons for Middle and High School science standards on structure/function. Validation of students as personal or cultural lived experience experts sets a foundation for their future learning, that is critical to achieve classroom equity.

SPEAKERS:
Rebekah Corlew (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD), Carlo Quintanilla (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD), Diana Andriola (NINDS - National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: Bethesda, MD)

Students from Anna-Jonesboro High School and Marion High School worked together to complete a field study on tardigrades and biodiversity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students felt more driven to succeed in their scientific research when working with peers from another school.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Richbourg (Anna Jonesboro Community High School)

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 SIOP Model is an effective research-based instructional model for meeting the academic needs of English language learners. Learn how to use it to support ELLs in your science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. The eight components to the SIOP model will be explained; 2. Examples of actual and effective classroom implementation of the SIOP model; and 3. Consideration for not only teaching science content but doing so in a culturally conscious manner will also be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Nadene Klein (Daniel C. Oakes High School: Castle Rock, CO)

Creating emotionally safe classrooms for all students willing to take risks, gain confidence, and find their voice, this is the ultimate reward. Student scientists practice positive communication, build strong connections, and support each other as they learn new concepts and develop new skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn several strategies to create emotionally safe classrooms and practice applications in grade level support teams. Teachers will feel confident returning to their student scientists ready to set up learning environments where everyone has a voice and is their own self-advocate.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Couch (Captain Nathan Hale Middle School: Coventry, CT)

Explore how engineering benefits English learners as you engage in lessons designed to foster engineering, science, and language learning for elementary students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Engineering activities can offer multimodal experiences for English learners that encourage their participation and contributions to the engineering classroom community and engage them in purposeful uses of language.

SPEAKERS:
Christine Cunningham (Museum of Science, Boston: Boston, MA)

BRIDGES is a new initiative through the U.S. Department of Energy Bioenergy Technologies Office, Idaho National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory to bridge the awareness and learning gaps for rural and urban communities as well as students from underrepresented groups. In this session, we will introduce our four new educational case studies in bioenergy that place students in collaborative and decision-making roles. Through the cases, students learn how bioenergy is important in our lives and is also being used to solve real environmental and economic challenges. Students will also discover career options for both non-technical and technical skills that can be used in the government, national laboratories, as well as private industry. Scientific practice skills such as developing and using models and obtaining, analyzing and interpreting data are featured in the cases.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to four newly developed case study curricular resources that feature cutting edge science in sustainable aviation fuel, waste to energy, plastics upcycling, and biofuel feedstocks. After working one of the case studies, they will leave prepared to use it in the classroom

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Jackson (Precollege and Early Workforce Development Manager: , ID), Kelly Sturner (Argonne National Labaratory: Lemont, IL)

Inclusive Community Science Workshops in schools, libraries, and communities fosters STEM learning, creativity, innovation, and identity through play, making, and positive social interactions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about instructional innovations, resources, and ideas for enhancing STEM learning and teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Jerry Valadez (Fresno State and SAM Academy CSW)

Sponsoring Company: American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture

To effectively collaborate, problem-solve and be active in their own thinking/learning, students need to develop an understanding of themselves, their environment, and their impact on the future. Join us for a hands-on learning experience connecting food, agriculture, and science.

Learn how to select phenomena that matter to students and leverage students' questions to create a student-driven storyline. Participants will learn the design principles for adapting existing curriculum that honor students’ identities, voices, and ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn two key aspects of designing equitable learning experiences for NGSS instruction: 1) making phenomena matter by considering community issues and student identities; 2) leveraging students’ diverse ideas and questions to drive instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Nelly Tsai (University of California, Irvine: No City, No State)

Discover the recent research on females in STEM and learn how to take intentionally small, but powerful steps in your classroom to ensure that our future female problem-solvers have the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to change the world, one STEM field at a time!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will discover the current reseach regarding girls in STEM and leave with six powerful ways to increase their interest,, motivation, and confidence in these fields.

SPEAKERS:
Dawn McCotter (Van Andel Education Institute: Grand Rapids, MI)

A special education teacher and science consultant worked together to plan, create, deliver and assess the middle school Essential Elements Science standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities. All assessed students increased three full grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with an understanding of how to teach science using the Dynamic Learning Maps for middle school students with significant cognitive disabilities using best practices in special education and science teaching. Unit samples will be available.

SPEAKERS:
Mandie Sanderman (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA), Nancy Scheel (Teacher), Chelsie Byram (Central Rivers Area Education Agency: Cedar Falls, IA)

You made the learning three dimensional in your classroom; now it's time to do the same for your grading.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. Ways to help students focus on learning more than gradesl 2. Systems of efficient grading that make meaningful feedback possible; and 3. Tips to have students participate in telling their learning story.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Kiser (Pullman High School: Pullman, WA), Johanna Brown (Washington State OSPI)

Our FlyGirls program was developed to introduce young women in grades 4–8 to aerospace using drones. The Cobb County School District has partnered with Lockheed Martin, FTW Robotics, female drone pilots from across the U.S., and other informal educators to offer our FlyGirls program.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. learn how to cultivate a dynamic partnerships between multiple agencies; 2. receive step-by-step guidance to start your own local chapter of FlyGirls; and 3. receive access to the resources we developed and used with our FlyGirls group.

SPEAKERS:
Alana Davis (Cobb County School District: Marietta, GA)

Teaching Biology to ESL students sitting in our science classrooms can be challenging. In this session we will dive into Macromolecules with hands-on activities using toys as manipulatives and concluding with a mini investigation comparing macromolecule nutrients in cow's milk with nondairy milk.

TAKEAWAYS:
Macromolecules can be overwhelming to ESL students who have limited English and Biology vocabulary skills. In this session we will break down a difficult topic into hands-on activities and a mini investigation that will bring Macromolecules to life.

SPEAKERS:
Sarida Hoy (Dalton High School: No City, No State)

This project was funded by a National Science Foundation grant to expose high school students to geoscience within their required science curriculum. A collateral benefit is integrating key concepts in other sciences. In Biology, natural selection requires eons (“deep time”) to create Earth’s biodiversity. In project-based learning using fossil-bearing rocks of multiple ages, students experience deep time concretely. A barrier to hands-on fossil study is the expense of specimens good enough for university students to systematically learn fossil taxa. However, imperfect samples can connect anyone to deep time. Ironically, some such samples are simply dumped when teachers return from professional development field trips. This presentation reveals a path to making use of such ordinary material by 1) circling fossils in ink, 2) creating a picture guide from circled fossils, 3) building a PBL unit uniting those fossils with a biodiversity-though-time graphic known as a Tree of Life diagram.

TAKEAWAYS:
Might students better master evolution standards, especially extinction and adaptation, by encountering fossils through "deep time"? Teacher-collected samples, with fossils circled in ink, a picture guide made from the set, and a detailed Tree of Life diagram form foundations for PBL exploration.

SPEAKERS:
Katty Mobasher (Professor of Geology and GIS: , GA), Adrianna Rajkumar (Lecturer), Bill Witherspoon (geologist/educator: Decatur, GA)

Come join the fun! During this session you will create tools you can use to differentiate your science instruction and provide for the diversity of your students’ needs. Strategies necessary to teach diverse learners science are provided. Participants will actively engage in hands-on activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will actively engage in hands-on activities modeled to deliver instruction using a multi-sensory approach. Materials and handouts are provided.

SPEAKERS:
Marianne Phillips (Texas A&M University-San Antonio: San Antonio, TX)

Sponsoring Company: PEER Physics

Join us for an interactive workshop to explore how science practices can be used to build a more inclusive and engaging learning environment. Participants will explore the PEER Physics Learning Cycle and gain access to a phenomenon-driven Waves unit for high school physics and physical science.

SPEAKERS:
Valerie Otero (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

In this session, participants will work on hands-on activities and test a prototype to learn about forces using the engineering design model and translanguaging for elementary grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to teach about forces for elementary grade level using an engineering activity and translanguaging (English/Spanish).

SPEAKERS:
Brianna Ricker (Student: No City, No State), Max Vazquez Dominguez (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

Sponsoring Company: Savvas Learning Company

This session will focus on the developmental (not academic) gaps that the past few years of learning are likely to have caused and provide multiple strategies to address those inequities. Like Maslow's model shows, we must address the deficiencies before we can expect growth.

SPEAKERS:
Ramy Mahmoud (Savvas Learning Co.: Paramus, NJ)

Gradebooks can be a powerful tool for communicating student learning with students & families. Using open-source lessons, I will share a gradebook build design I have used to offer a fairer, comprehensive record of student learning with three-dimensional standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Gradebooks are not a "necessary evil" for 3D learning. You will see a model gradebook and complete an example analysis of student work and practice with a gradesheet.

SPEAKERS:
Kerri Wingert (Good Question Research: Boulder, CO)

In this session, participants will work on hands-on activities and test a prototype to learn about genetics using the engineering design model and translanguaging for middle grades.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to teach about genetics for middle grade level using an engineering activity and translanguaging (English/Spanish).

SPEAKERS:
Maggie Lewis (Student: Dawsonville, GA), Lorraine Ramirez Villarin (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Victoria Hunter (Student), Max Vazquez Dominguez (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

This session will share research collected through a study on Georgia FIRST Robotics. We will examine the benefits of FIRST Robotics for SWD, factors that create barriers to SWD involvement, strategies to mitigate these barriers, and will facilitate a hands-on activity illustrating FIRST involvement

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn the benefits of STEM extracurricular programs, using FIRST Robotics as an example, and accommodation strategies for students with disabilities through a presentation and hands-on robotics activity and how educators can improve inclusion in these programs.

SPEAKERS:
Kania Greer (Georgia Southern University: Statesboro, GA), Karin Fisher (Associate Professor: STATESBORO, GA), Andre Grossberg (GeorgiaFIRST Robotics CTSO President: , GA)

Explore free hands-on, inquiry-based learning activities using real national and local data and models to explore how to clean, conserve, and manage local fresh water resources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will: 1. explore geographic, social, political, and environmental concepts and problems related to their watersheds; 2. use maps, models, and simulations of their environment to learn the factors involved in interacting with and protecting water in their surroundings; and 3. investigate a

SPEAKERS:
Carolyn Staudt (The Concord Consortium: Concord, MA)

Participants will learn practical strategies to build a more equitable and inclusive class culture in this LSSS aligned session. Participants will engage in an original environmental science-based anchoring phenomenon to explore proven routines that support student articulation of ideas for investigation and development of models. In particular, the session will examine the importance of leveraging student experiences and resources to drive modeling discussions which help students understand key aspects of the phenomenon. Participants will also learn strategies for moderating focused student-led discussions. These strategies include development of student norms for dialog, methods for planning student discussions and sharing of teacher and student "Talk Moves". Session materials will include references, background readings and "ready to go" classroom materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
Three dimensional and phenomena-based teaching routines build classroom equity and inclusion, developing clear norms together are key to helping students find their voice and productive student talk requires planning, but student and teacher tools are available.

SPEAKERS:
Steven Babcock (Louisiana State University Laboratory School: Baton Rouge, LA)

Participants will learn how to utilize two different strategies for group collaboration within the elementary science classroom. The first strategy will show participants how they can use common pairs (ex. burger/fries, bacon/eggs) of items to quickly partner students up prior to the collaborative learning activity. This will allow students to get a variety of partners to work with while ensuring maximum time for engagement with the lesson. Secondly, after students are grouped for the investigation using the aforementioned strategy, they can then employ the simple and efficient investigation job cards in their groups so that each person will have a defined job to conduct throughout the entirety of the investigation. One example of a job would be the “Reporter” who would be responsible for sharing the group's data and conclusions with the entire class. These strategies aim to prepare educators with simple tools to ensure greater participation and engagement from all learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, you will learn two different strategies for engaging students within the science classroom during collaborative learning. You will walk away with a simple partner pairing strategy, as well as, specific scientific jobs for students to utilize during classroom investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Melissa Oberdorf (Big Spring School District: Newville, PA)

Scaffolded unit of study— lake samples from local reservoir collected to find diatoms & classify them by shape. Students compare findings to research studies of lake sediment cores to infer how diatom biodiversity has changed in similar lakes over time to infer human influence on diatom habitat.

TAKEAWAYS:
Poster describes science & engineering processes applied by students as they attempted to answer the question—“How can diatom fossils tell us how humans have changed the land over time?”.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Telford (Salem Community High School: Salem, IL)

Houston we have a problem... We need more inclusive science classrooms and curricula! Explore the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and learn how to use the UDL Guidelines to identify and overcome barriers to student learning and make science accessible for ALL students.

TAKEAWAYS:
By the end of this session, participants will understand how the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework can be used to plan more inclusive learning experiences and classroom environments so that every student can be a successful learner in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Dodie Resendez (Region 4 Education Service Center: Houston, TX)

This presentation provides guidance on what it can look like for NGSS-designed instructional materials to support all students to design solutions to real-world problems and use them to drive instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
In the NGSS, problems are defined as “situations somebody wants to change,” which is different from construction or design projects, where the ultimate goal is achieving a design or tinkering. Real-world problems can create intrinsic motivation for students to learn science and engineering ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Childress Self (NextGenScience: San Francisco, CA), Neelo Soltanzadeh (WestEd: San Francisco, CA)

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)

Who better than a teacher to forge partnerships that infuse the arts and social studies into STEM by linking caring adults beyond the classroom to young people in the classroom and in doing so situate learning in vibrant, real-life contexts? As the expert in teaching and learning and with a deep con

TAKEAWAYS:
- understand the benefits of infusing arts and social studies into STEM (STEAM & STEMSS) - explore myriad examples of community partnerships and place-based learning - learn how to build supportive community networks for STEM learning

SPEAKERS:
June Teisan (InnovatED 313: No City, No State)

Empowering students to make science-based decisions requires acknowledgment and dialogue around the injustices marginalized communities have endured within scientific fields. We will engage in meaningful talk around race, vaccinations, and applications within a sample lesson for science classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Create opportunities to acknowledge and validate students’ personal experiences even when it might be divergent from our own personal experiences or larger data sets.

SPEAKERS:
Justin Betzelberger (UCLA Science Project: Los Angeles, CA), Richard Huynh (Science Coach: No City, No State), Zachary Cue (UCLA STEM+C3 and Science Project)

This session will pair seemingly odd ideas (roleplaying and buffers) together for a dynamic activity that increases student engagement. Roleplaying is an effective instructional strategy that supports ELL learners and those who need harder concepts broken down.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn a differentiated approach to introducing buffers, one of the most challenging topics in AP Chemistry, in a creative and fun activity where ELL and students of all levels will learn about buffers.

SPEAKERS:
Permeil Dass (: Tyrone, GA)

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)

Teaching reproduction and puberty can be challenging for early middle schoolers. We have created a fun, engaging, and inquiry-based curriculum that gets even the most hesitant student excited about sexual health!

TAKEAWAYS:
Teaching reproduction and puberty for middle schoolers can be engaging and fun!

SPEAKERS:
Laura Doyle (MYP Science Teacher: Atlanta, GA), Kyla Corelli (Atlanta International School: Atlanta, GA)

Learn to make cardboard mechanisms and structures, create a mechanism that looks like a letter, and mount it to make a structure. Students in pre-K classrooms in Brooklyn, NY have learned to identify mechanisms and structures by engaging in these activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Mechanisms and structures are all around us! Mechanisms have independent moving parts, while structures do not. Increasing the number of fasteners can turn a mechanism into a structure while removing fasteners can turn it back into a mechanism.

SPEAKERS:
Jazlyn Mena (Castle Bridge School: New York, NY), Jody Hilton (P.S. 44 Marcus Garvey Magnet School of Engineering and Design and The City College of New York), Lacey Samsoe (Teacher: Brooklyn, NY)

New science curricula use effective pedagogy to provide young people opportunities to explore the prevalence and impacts of plastics, learn about emerging work on sustainable bioplastics, and plan authentic projects to help mitigate environmental impacts in their communities.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use this new peer-reviewed curriculum to engage youth in environmental science and civic engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Martin Smith (University of California, Davis: Davis, CA)

Attendees will engage in hands-on activities focused on force and motion concepts. Activities are easy set-ups using low-cost household materials that promote inclusivity of all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be engaged in multiple activities that promote learning and inclusivity of all students. Necessary materials and best teaching practices will be shared so that attendees can immediately incorporate knowledge and activities into their own classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Andrea Starks (Houston Middle School: Germantown, TN)

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)

Adopting curriculums is a top priority for many schools across the nation. While curriculums are useful, they often have shortcomings. One shortcoming we often see in schools is a lack of engagement between the students and the content. In this session, we will explore strategies that align with the 5E Instructional Cycle and UDL that can be easily implemented with the curriculums adopted by schools and provide opportunities for students to engage with science and engineering practices. The strategies can be implemented immediately in the classroom setting. Each strategy presented can be leveled up or leveled down for varied grade levels, including differentiated supports in class to support the varied learners in a classroom. Engage strategies include Observations and Questions and Four Corners. Both are low stakes and engage learning with phenomena immediately. The Explain strategy leverages reading in science and makes it accessible through targeted questions and scaffolding.

TAKEAWAYS:
Small shifts in the curriculum can make large shifts to develop an inclusive classroom environment. Science should be accessible for all and by taking prescribed curriculum and making a few adjustments, all students can engage in science learning.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney McCormick (Alliance College Ready Public Schools: Los Angeles, CA), Sheena Velasquez (Alliance College-Ready Public Schools: Los Angeles, CA)

This workshop will be integrating Game Based Learning strategies into hands on experience for participants. The focus will be looking at crosscutting concepts and the science and engineering practices to make science come alive thru game play.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with a model and their own lesson as well as ideas on game based learning integrated through the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Tammie Schrader (NorthEast Washington ESD 101: Spokane, WA)

With increasing diversity in student populations and continued focus on STEM education, new approaches are needed to increase student interest and literacy in science. Student success in the science classroom requires that they be authentically engaged as they investigate and communicate their understanding of scientific phenomena. In this session, participants will receive 30+ classroom-ready strategies, activities, games, templates, and resources that will help engage all learners and increase student achievement in various domains of science. The resources and strategies provided will help participants teaching grade 6 and higher motivate even the most unengaged students. Resources and strategies target areas of the 5- E Model of instruction. Many activities can be used as formative assessments to assess student learning. Participants may modify the activities based on the content they teach and the academic level of student groups and individual students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore resources including activities, templates, games, etc. they can use to increase the scientific literacy and engagement of all students. These can be used “as is” or modified to include other content based on the needs of the learners.

SPEAKERS:
Iris Mudd (Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools: Winston Salem, NC)

Physical computing allows students to design and create interactive objects that emphasize computational thinking skills. Participants will engage in activities designed for middle school students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Microcontrollers are small computers that come with several integrated sensors. Their functionality makes them useful for both investigations and engineering projects. We will focus in how engineering tasks using microcontrollers provide opportunities for student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
G. Michael Bowen (Mount Saint Vincent University: Halifax, NS), Susan German (Hallsville Middle School: Hallsville, MO)

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)