This is the first session in the PL Committee CCCs Pathway and is designed to support K-12. This session is an opportunity for members of the Professional Learning Committee to recruit and connect with fellow NSTA members. Attendees will be introduced to topics included in the pathway, highlighting how CCCs are used as tools in service of DCIs and SEPs, student sensemaking, and assessment of CCCs to guide further instruction. Using the Framework progression documents and STEM Teaching Tool #41, attendees will have the opportunity to collaborate with fellow participants to uncover vertical progressions of CCCs and leave with tools to use in the classroom to elicit student sensemaking. The PL Committee will utilize research from Jeffery Nordine and Okhee Lee’s book, Crosscutting Concepts: Strengthening Science and Engineering Learning, to ignite the call to action for realizing the power of CCCs.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session is a call to action for realizing the power of CCCs. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with members of NSTA’s PL Committee, gain an overview of the connected sessions included in the pathway, and leave with an invitation to further understandings of sensemaking and CCCs.

SPEAKERS:
Zoe Evans (Bremen City Schools: Bremen, GA), Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Holly Baldwin (Instructional Support Specialist: No City, No State), Christopher Soldat (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: Cedar Rapids, IA), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

The Framework and NGSS called for phenomena-based 3D learning experiences for all students. Unpack WHY this is important and HOW to make it a reality in your classroom. Take away phenomena and storylines to try in your classroom and strategies for making every student look forward to your class

TAKEAWAYS:
The shift to phenomena-based 3D learning brings the student to the center of the learning and uses their life experiences and approaches to sensemaking to drive the learning.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney (OpenSciEd: San Carlos, CA)

Construct deeper student understanding of Earth science topics. We will engage in argument-driven scaffolds for Earth and environmental science topics to critically evaluate connections between evidence and alternative scientific explanations using model-evidence link (MEL) diagrams.

TAKEAWAYS:
An introduction to instructional scaffolds designed to assist learners as they evaluate the plausibility of evidence connected to models and the research base that supports using these scaffolds & access to instructional materials.

SPEAKERS:
Lorraine Ramirez Villarin (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA), Donna Governor (University of North Georgia: Dahlonega, GA)

Starting with eliciting students' initial ideas, experience a responsive teaching sense-making structure to take students through a process of developing conceptual understanding of core disciplinary ideas in science using NSTA's highly Uncovering Student Ideas in Science Formative Assessment Probes

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to transition from diagnostic probes to formative assessment and responsive teaching by taking students through a sense-making structure to change or further develop their initial ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Page Keeley (NSTA Past President: No City, No State)

Climate change is a crucial subject for all ages. Come explore classroom strategies for supporting learners’ climate science knowledge and action-oriented responses to the climate crisis.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to leverage resources to design science learning opportunities that are place-based, experiential, multidisciplinary, action-oriented, community-centered, and personally relevant, so that all learners are capable of learning about climate science and climate justice.

SPEAKERS:
Jamie Rumage (Oregon Dept. of Education: Salem, OR), Peter McLaren (Next Gen Education, LLC: North Kingstown, RI), Deb Morrison (Educator and Learning Scientist: Seattle, WA)

Three-dimensional science instruction puts students at the center of the learning. In this session, we will share how educators statewide engaged in a three-part book study featuring Helping Students Make Sense of the World Using Next Generation Science and Engineering Practices. The three courses are organized around the Investigating, Sensemaking, and Critiquing Practices. Educators explore and demonstrate through a Plan-Do-Study-Act how the Science and Engineering Practices are interwoven in their instruction, focusing on small shifts at a time. Opportunities for collaboration and reflection with other science educators help further individual implementation. We will share strategies, examples, and teacher experiences for engaging and supporting students in sensemaking discussions, developing, using and revising models, and making claims and explanations. In shifting to 3D learning, quick strategies will be shared that build toward more complex classroom shifts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will access teacher professional learning resources including implementing a Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle, embedding instructional coaching, and providing a collaborative space to share classroom practice.

SPEAKERS:
Hope Garton Brown (Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency: Pocahontas, IA), Christopher Soldat (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: Cedar Rapids, IA), Beverly Berns (Keystone Area Education Agency: Elkader, IA)

Real-world problems often cannot be satisfactorily addressed by individual disciplines (or subjects). Enrich students’ learning by engaging them in a summative task requiring integration of concepts and skills from various subjects, through a close collaboration with one or more subject teachers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will use a modified Understanding by Design (UbD) template to develop an interdisciplinary learning experience that provides opportunities for students to integrate knowledge from various subjects (or disciplines) to create new understandings.

SPEAKERS:
May Jean Cheah (STEM Educator)

Educators are tasked with preparing students to engage in a world with an increasingly changing climate. Join us to see how climate science is connected to multiple K-12 content areas and view OER planning guides that support content teachers to anchor learning around climate literacy.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will take away planning tools and resources for connecting climate science to non-science K-12 content areas and receive guidance for working with non-science peers to anchor instruction around the idea that humans can take actions to reduce climate change and its impacts.

SPEAKERS:
Lori Henrickson (Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA)

Learn how we collaborated with local organizations and tribes to incorporate climate change focused phenomena rooted in the local community and the student’s interests and identities. We’ll share our framework for the learning, lessons learned and how it connects to a statewide ClimeTime project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will be provided an example of how to incorporate climate change and their local communities into a secondary science unit through collaboration with community partners and local tribes.

SPEAKERS:
Brad Street (IslandWood: Bainbridge Island, WA)

Join this session for information about content-language integration and discuss the design of a multimodal task that emphasizes 3D Science learning through the interpretive and expressive modes of communication. Then, take an in-depth look at examples that you can integrate into your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about lesson activities that provide students with the opportunity to make progress towards both the Science Ga Standards of Excellence and WIDA English Language Development Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Canepa-Redondo (Science/ESOL Program Specialist)

Learn how to create NGSS-focused middle school integrated STEM projects that won’t break the bank. Take home rubrics, guides, lesson plans, timelines, and other ideas.

TAKEAWAYS:
Integrated STEM no longer needs to be a separate elective or after school activity. Integrated STEM activities can be aligned with NGSS standards and provide a unique way to assess learning while also teaching integrated STEM skills.

SPEAKERS:
Vanessa Ueltzen (Walther Christian Academy: Melrose Park, IL)

Looking to help your students reflect both as an individual and as a learning community as they make sense of the world around them? In this session, participants will explore tools and techniques that provide opportunities for students to develop their social and emotional skills.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore all of the tools and techniques that are provided in OpenSciEd units that allow students to improve their social-emotional learning skills as they reflect on community agreements, class discussions, and working as a team.

SPEAKERS:
Thomas Clayton (K-5 STEAM Specialist: Berkeley Heights, NJ)

STEM and SELI explores how to bring social emotional learning practices to your science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
One main takeaway is that science teachers can use social emotional learning practices to both foster better working relationships with their students, and show students that science (like interpersonal relationship building) is applicable everywhere, and not just in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Ariella McCown (Educator: Baltimore, MD)

Connect with a network of professionals and explore key practices of climate change education to get the support you need.

TAKEAWAYS:
Localizing climate change education to students’ lived-experiences and local contexts is vital to increase understanding of the climate change crisis and to create a hopeful, action-based outlook by Climate Generation’s Teach Climate Network and the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network.

SPEAKERS:
Frank Niepold (NOAA Climate Program Office: Silver Spring, MD)

Come and learn how to transform your classroom instruction, increase engagement, and more importantly empower your students to put their knowldege into practice. In this session you will learn how to incorporate project and problem based learning into your science class, as well as see real examples

TAKEAWAYS:
How to plan for and implement project and problem based learning into the Science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Allison Bogart (Stonecreek Junior High: No City, No State)

Join us to learn strategies for student success in sharing their ideas and understanding of scientific content and sensemaking using the Claim, Evidence, and Reasoning format. Experience lessons from middle school math and science classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Walk away from the session with tips, strategies, and sentence starters to help your students be successful at communicating scientific information.

SPEAKERS:
Nancy Gifford (Monomoy Regional Middle School: Chatham, MA)

Are you looking for creative ideas to stimulate the minds of your students in grades K-12? Listen to Middle-School STUDENTS present and demonstrate some of the coolest projects around! These students, along with their teacher Mike French, will amaze you with some spectacular PBL ideas for any grade!

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be amazed at the presentation/demonstration by middle school students, and their teacher Mike French. Each attendee will walk away with ideas on how to create an exciting learning environment in ALL of your school's classrooms through projects designed to enhance any lesson.

SPEAKERS:
Mike French (Northview Middle School: Newbern, TN)

Participants will engage with activities about soils provided on the 2022 Geologic Map Day poster, including resources and hands-on investigations that highlight connections between soils and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to demonstrate the importance of soils for the health of our planet.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explorations of the vital role that soils play in many phenomena across the sciences can engage learners with a variety of NGSS Performance Expectations in ways that are hands-on and are also relevant to global sustainability.

SPEAKERS:
Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD)

This presentation provides an overview of the open schooling approach and the Make It Open project. By introducing resources co-created with educators and tested with students, we aim to present practice concepts such as maker, and inquiry-based learning, to help teachers implement this in classes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be introduced to the Make It Open project based on the open schooling approach. They will get an overview of the tools and learning scenarios curricula developed by this project and reflect on how they can implement them in their classrooms based on their community.

SPEAKERS:
Tamar Fuhrmann (TC Columbia University: No City, No State)

Discussion is how a classroom community makes sense of what it is investigating. But for that to happen, students need to actually be talking. Learn strategies for planning discussions, ensuring equitable access, and teacher moves to guide the conversation. It's time to get your students talking!

TAKEAWAYS:
Discussion is the way that a classroom community makes sense of what it is investigating, and there are tools and approaches that teachers can use to ensure that all students have access to this sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Delaney (OpenSciEd: San Carlos, CA)

This session will be about the importance of Observation as the first scientific skill that we can impart to our students; without it you cannot complete the rest of the practices. Observation can help our multilingual learners and diverse learners feel like they have a place in certain sciences that seemed inaccessible before due to language barriers. Certain teacher moves will be discussed that will strengthen observations as well as activities that the teachers will be able to recreate in their classroom to do the prep work for such a strong foundational skill. Activities will include: drawing, gallery walks, whole group/small group observation discussions. While this proposal requires me to have target grade range; I believe that this session would be great for all grade levels.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn strategies to get their students to more easily make observations in their learning which will support the rest of the Science and Engineering Practices. Teaching moves that can be employed right away to reach all skill levels; in fact, show your diverse learners excelling!

SPEAKERS:
Margaret Morton (Lozano Elementary: Chicago, IL)

You’ve probably heard a lot about using storylines, but actually implementing them usually leads to unexpected challenges. Based upon our classroom experience with storyline units, we share insights and practical principles whether you plan to create, adopt, or adapt storylines for your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Implementing storylines involves either creating your own units or adopting/adapting existing units. Regardless of the approach to implementation, keeping the principles of coherent instruction in mind will help to realize the potential of storyline units in practice.

SPEAKERS:
Christopher Like (Iowa Department of Education: No City, No State)

SPARK®, developed by energy and educational specialists, shares expertise with teachers to enhance energy concepts, applications, and career options. The curriculum (60+ 5E lessons) uses active student engagement in sciences and math. Explore how this workable plan can be applied in your area!

TAKEAWAYS:
SPARK® uses “actions” in NGSS-based standards to make concepts cognitively “visible.” In multidisciplinary science/math, flexible entry points engage diverse students in simple to complex energy investigations using creative problem solving, data collection/analysis, and evidence-based conclusions.

SPEAKERS:
Gail Marshall (self-employed consultant: No City, No State), Margaret Reenstra (Economic Development Coordinator: Palmetto, GA), Judy Cox (N/A: No City, No State)

Facilitating classroom discussions that are student-centered and advance students’ thinking is challenging. Initial ideas, building understanding, and consensus discussions are three types of discussions that can be used to help draw out student ideas and support their sensemaking. These three types of discussions serve different purposes and phases of a lesson or unit. While they share many features, because the purposes are different the roles of the student and facilitation strategies of the teacher vary across the three types. During this session, we will provide examples and tools from OpenSciEd storyline curricula, which is a high quality, free, online, open educational resource for teachers. We will look at classroom videos from three different types of discussions, consider their purposes and examine teacher moves. We will also share a discussion planning tool that considers both the purposes and moves to help plan discussions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Classroom discussions that support equitable participation require careful planning and implementation. Discussions can be organized into three discussion types with distinct goals, which can help teachers to plan supports and facilitation moves that equitably engage students in meaningful talk.

SPEAKERS:
Bruce Kamerer (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA), Katherine McNeill (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA), Benjamin Lowell (New York University: New York, NY), Renee Affolter (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

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)

This is session #4 in the PL Committee CCCs Pathway and is designed to support K-12. The crosscutting concepts provide a consistent language for student communication. When teachers’ assessment prompts are designed with the crosscutting concepts, the focus of student thinking can be directed to different aspects of the phenomenon or, the system being investigated. Patterns may be used as evidence to support explanations or arguments for the causes of a phenomenon. Participants will explore the progression of Crosscutting Concepts throughout a student’s K-12 career. They will consider phenomenon and discuss several appropriate prompts that bring different CCCs to the forefront (patterns, scale, systems). Participants will engage with the process of developing assessment prompts which use the Crosscutting Concepts to initiate student sensemaking responses.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participant will leave with resources that guide their development and use of Crosscutting Concepts to focus student sensemaking on assessments. These can be integrated with assessments prompts which are aligned to Science and Engineering Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State), Christopher Soldat (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: Cedar Rapids, IA)

OER can be overwhelming to teachers or districts who must adapt materials to fit local pacing guidelines. Upon the adoption of 3-dimensional standards, our district began the journey of developing instructional materials that support student sensemaking. This tool was a result of our efforts to be strategic in preserving coherence in storylines while focusing on best practices in standards-aligned instruction. In our district, more than 80% of teachers that received professional development on a lesson series using a roadmap chose to repeat the unit the following year. Teachers and instructional leaders attending this session will experience how this tool attends to the four critical attributes of sensemaking described by NSTA while promoting research-based practices. Participants will learn how to begin with OER, existing lesson plans, or phenomenon ideas to develop a series of purposefully sequenced, coherent, and standards-aligned lessons around a phenomenon.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover the intentionality behind the components of a planning roadmap that builds coherence in a series of lessons. This roadmap simplifies the process of creating or adapting storylines found in OER to local pacing guidelines. A middle and high example will be shared.

SPEAKERS:
Trudy Rogers (Knox Co Schools: Knoxville, TN)

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)

When you get it right, students are engaged and making sense for themselves. Your lessons are aligned to standards and include scaffolded supports. Here's how to plan those lessons!

TAKEAWAYS:
SEPs, DCIs, and CCCs are the three legs of the stool that support a cohesive lesson. By being immersed in a sensemaking experience, participants define the most important elements and how to plan. Electronic resources are provided.

SPEAKERS:
David Jacob (Putnam/Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Hghts, NY), Harry Rosvally (Putnam Northern Westchester BOCES: Yorktown Heights, NY)

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)

In this session teachers will come away with strategies to intentionally incorporate reading, dialogue and graphing into the classroom to assist students in becoming scientifically literate.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session will include engaging examples of activities that integrate speaking, listening, and reading into the science classroom; helpful tips to reach different learning styles (visual, auditory) in the classroom; tips to promote retention of vocabulary through scaffolding

SPEAKERS:
Courtney Lewis (Katy ISD: Katy, TX), Molly Niedens (Tays Junior High School: Katy, TX)

How do we build confident “do-ers” of science? Inspire curiosity, engagement, and science identity through the use of relevant and meaningful phenomena. Phenomena can come from real events and from student imaginations. Let student questions guide learning and exploration.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with ideas for incorporating meaningful phenomena in their instruction and learn how phenomena can be a bridge to relevance and engagement for students. 3-Dimensional instruction provides a framework for students to figure-out science.

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

Designing the solution that solves a real-world problem requires the application of knowledge and skills from multiple disciplines, as in STEM practices. Through the exploration of STEL and EDP, students learn how to evaluate their design solutions on identified criteria and constraints.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to use performance tasks to apply STEL and engineering design process to STEM integration, measure students' application of the knowledge, and to assess individual student performance.

SPEAKERS:
Denise Clarke-Mayers (East Orange STEM Academy: East Orange, NJ)

The Citizen Science model provides students with opportunities to engage in authentic, purposeful, and relevant educational activities in support of local, state, and national scientific research and monitoring projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be introduced to a variety of Life Science and Ecology-based Citizen Science ideas ranging from simple to highly complex activities: activities that teachers can do on their own with students or in collaboration with local, state, or federal wildlife or conservation organizations.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Hodgdon (Richmond Hill Middle School: Richmond Hill, GA)

Do your students need help generating questions about phenomena? Come learn how to use the Question Formulation Technique (QFT) to help develop students ability to generate meaningful, relevant and thought provoking questions that will drive inquiry and coherence in your NGSS storyline unit.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will experience using the QFT to help lead their students through the process of generating, categorizing, improving, and prioritizing questions to help drive inquiry with a focus on integrating Cross Cutting Concepts and developing student ownership of learning.

SPEAKERS:
Nicole Bolduc (Ellington Middle School: Ellington, CT)

How can we effectively prepare the next generation of scientists when science instruction is so vastly different from actual science practice? In this session, you’ll learn how research scientists work in a lab environment and how you can transfer those practices directly to your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will understand 6 practices of lab researchers that differ from science instruction in most classrooms. They’ll learn how to incorporate these practices into their classroom to better prepare the next generation of scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Terra Tarango (Van Andel Education Institute: Grand Rapids, MI)

Who do children picture when they picture scientists? Do they picture themselves? Representation matters in engaging all learners in science. Attendees will explore and receive various free Natural Inquirer products that introduce students to the diversity of people and fields in the Forest Service.

TAKEAWAYS:
Natural Inquirer publications, created in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, help educators demonstrate that science is a human endeavor. Educators will be able to show their students that scientists are people from all cultures and backgrounds. Attendees will receive copies of all materials.

SPEAKERS:
Nissa McKinney (FIND Outdoors/Forest Service Cooperator: No City, No State), Rachel Bayer (Environmental Education Specialist), Jessica Nickelsen (Forest Service/ Natural Inquirer)

Looking to increase achievement in an immersive way? The Air Camp Team will demonstrate how to harness the universal appeal of flight by captivating students with lessons and engaging activities rooted in biology standards while exploring exciting and fast growing aviation career fields!

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn strategies to construct activities resulting in greater interest and mastery of biology for students in grades K-12. Explore distinct professional practices that expand biology standards into unforgettable learning experiences associated with human life, animals, plantlife, and so much more!

SPEAKERS:
Shannon Coblentz (Director of Operations: Dayton, OH), Christina Davis (Air Camp USA, Inc.: Dayton, OH)

Primary sources are a powerful tool for addressing the historical and social aspects of science. In this session we discuss using primary sources in the science classroom, including where to find relevant sources and examples from K-12 science classrooms of lessons using primary sources.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave this session with an understanding of how primary source materials can help students develop their knowledge and science literacy, as well as knowing where to find science-relevant primary sources and examples of how they can be incorporated in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Julie James (Asst. Director for Professional Learning), Shelby Watson (The University of Mississippi: University, MS)

The All-Atlantic Blue Schools Network is a network of schools in 15 countries lining the Atlantic Ocean Basin. The goal is to connect schools internationally around ocean literacy and conservation. Learn more about current and future activities, and how your school can be involved.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will be introduced to the All-Atlantic Blue Schools Network, examine examples of successful work, and learn how to become involved.

SPEAKERS:
Meghan Marrero (Mercy University, Dobbs Ferry Campus: No City, No State)

This session will focus on how middle school teachers can strengthen the use of teacher-led and student-led questioning through the use of phenomena. Teachers can utilize scientific phenomena as a springboard to strengthen student's thinking and problem skills through the formulation of questions re

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to utilize scientific phenomena as a tool for developing students’ questioning skills throughout the teaching of any standard.

SPEAKERS:
Cheryl Robertson (University of Tennessee, Knoxvile)

Learn how we engage students in STEAM learning through a garden club, school garden, and pollinator conservation project. We will share helpful tips on university-school partnerships like the one we established to create an outdoor learning space and school garden.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to get students outside in an engaging effective learning environment and what to do with them when you are out there. Student experiences like “I like garden club because everybody is kind and open to help and teach you things like which plant is what and how to pick certain foods.”

SPEAKERS:
Rita Hagevik (The University of North Carolina at Pembroke: LAURINBURG, NC), Michelle Parslow (Student)

Ownership of learning increases student engagement. Driving question boards allow students to choose the direction of their learning and encourage teacher flexibility when providing diverse paths for student exploration and sense making of an anchoring phenomenon.

TAKEAWAYS:
View examples of student generated questions used to explore and explain anchoring phenomena in an 8th grade curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Rossier Carlin (F.A. Day Middle School: Newtonville, MA)

Presenters will share the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office science of innovation video lessons, trading card lessons, journeys of innovation stories, and professional development opportunities. Resources are available for K-12 classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided with resources that can be implemented in K-12 classrooms and opportunities for professional development. Invention education integrates into the STEM curriculum seamlessly and can catalyze student engagement and creative thinking.

SPEAKERS:
Reginald Duncan (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Jorge Valdes (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA), Kathy Hoppe (STEMisED, Inc: No City, No State)

This session will introduce NSTA's phenomenon-driven, three-dimensional instructional materials designed for middle school classrooms. These lessons and units provide opportunities for all students to engage in science learning meaningful to them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Phenomenon-driven, three-dimensional lessons and units provide students opportunities to actively try to figure out how the world works or design solutions to problems (sensemaking).

SPEAKERS:
Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Nothing is better than learning new strategies that you can take back to your classroom/school that enhance literacy and engage English language learners in science. This session will introduce you to four or more new strategies that promote speaking, reading, listening, and writing. Educators will

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will acquire four or more essential teaching strategies for ELL's that they can use in their classroom to enhance literacy and engage learners.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Rowland (ESOL Department Chair/ ESOL Teacher)

The session will review how to assist students in reading and comprehending articles about scientific topics, explaining or forecasting various types of natural phenomena and determining the accuracy of scientific information by evaluating both the sources and the methodology used to acquire it.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn techniques to maximize class time to allow students to use data to discuss and debate relevant content. We know when students are able to identify and understand problems in the world around them, it leads to not only scientific literacy, but to transformation and innovation.

SPEAKERS:
Diane Ripollone (Cardinal Gibbons High School: Raleigh, NC), Kathy Biernat (Zanilu Educational Services, LLC: No City, No State)

Cross-curricular thematic instruction leads to higher engagement, deeper learning, and broadened knowledge to help students transfer their learning to real-world applications, preparing them for future endeavors. Learn about ways to incorporate this practice in the secondary science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn about ways to incorporate collaboration in the secondary setting, helping to create impactful experiences for their students while also strengthening their practice.

SPEAKERS:
Lily Walker (Teacher: No City, No State)

Learn how to leverage food and cooking to encourage tinkering and sensemaking to make your secondary science curriculum engaging, meaningful, visual, and “sticky” (literally and metaphorically). Free resources (& lesson plans) included.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will walk away with a practical toolkit of ways to use food and cooking in the classroom to facilitate a supportive and purposeful environment for tinkering. Participants will discuss and reflect on how to add and remove layers of scaffolding and support to differentiate activities.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Strangfeld (Harvard University: Cambridge, MA)

Starting with a 3D learning target will ensure you build a lesson that includes a strong connection between Disciplinary Core Ideas, Science and Engineering Practices, and Cross-Cutting Concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will create 3D learning targets and outline lessons that guide students through sense making instruction as they explore scientific content.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Suarez (Northwest ISD: Fort Worth, TX), Courtney Toht (Northwest ISD: Fort Worth, TX)

Earth science and statistics come alive in a STEM integrated activity focusing on the coastal flooding problems on Tybee Island, Georgia. Come experience how students apply their knowledge to tidal data sets from Fort Pulaski to help a community with its flood mitigation decisions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how the STEM-integrated activity ‘Coastal Flooding of Highway 80’ can be implemented as a way of incorporating tides, climate change and statistics into their lessons. They will also learn how it was developed and how tidal data can be accessed for creating similar activities.

SPEAKERS:
Jayma Koval (CEISMC/ Georgia Institute of Technology: Atlanta, GA)

Finding the time in your class schedule to reteach content can be daunting, especially with frequent absenteeism and different degrees of understanding. Learn how self-paced structures can be leveraged to create time for your students to achieve mastery of each learning target in a sustainable way.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will receive multiple frameworks for immediately implementing self-paced structures in their classroom. Materials include sample class schedules, pacing trackers, and lesson templates to fit students’ needs in any classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Hannah Reed (The University of Alabama: Tuscaloosa, AL)

Explore the potential of NSTA’s Professional Learning Units to support your professional learning journey.

TAKEAWAYS:
Discover more about NSTA’s asynchronous professional learning opportunity

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Phillips (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Teachers will learn the techniques and management practices for using collaborative conversations to increase science literacy, help reluctant learners engaged in the content, provide opportunity for formative assessment, and support the social and emotional needs of middle school learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will return to their classroom able to implement a collaborative conversation script workshopped during the session for use the week after NSTA.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Kelly (Teacher: No City, No State)

Did you know that using gamification and game-based learning can create a more engaging and interactive learning environment? Learn the difference be gamification and game-based learning. Explore ways that each method can be used in your classroom (with any content). Try both technology-rich examples as well as non-tech or low-tech options. Learn about the research supporting gaming models in the classroom and how it can be used in a way to support learning content, building collaboration, and supporting socio-emotional skills. Come and join us for some learning and of course some fun games! Walk away with ideas you can use immediately with your learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore in an interactive manner how gamification and game-based learning supports collaborative learning, builds intrinsic student motivation, and even supports socio-emotional learning.

SPEAKERS:
Angela Williams-Clermont (Science Teacher), Nikki Gutierrez (Science Teacher: No City, No State)

Often authenticity and authentic audience is a barrier to planning project based learning. Authenticity can extend beyond an authentic audience. By providing students with authentic tools and lessons, project based learning can be inspirational and engaging.

TAKEAWAYS:
You don't need an authentic audience for authentic project based learning.

SPEAKERS:
Brandt Boidy (MS Math and Science Teacher: Charlotte, NC)

Looking for ideas to make science more accessible for your students? Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a powerful framework to increase access. Come experience a phenomenon-based lesson focused on student sensemaking, analyze it for UDL principles, and apply this to our own practice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Designing with UDL can minimize barriers around accessibility so all learners can engage in meaningful, challenging learning opportunities. Participants will identify strategies embedded in phenomenon based instruction, gain concrete strategies to support access, and apply to their own instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Dawn Novak (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Renee Affolter (Boston College: Chestnut Hill, MA)

Come and learn more about key instructional teaching strategies 6-12 for implementation of the SEP and CCC. You will receive grade-band cards for 6-8 and 9-12.

TAKEAWAYS:
The SEP and CCC cards were developed for K-12 teachers to have a deeper understanding of the Science and Engineering Practices and the Crosscutting Concepts as well as suggestions for implementing them in classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Minna Turrell (St. Clair County Regional Educational Service Agency: St Clair, MI)

This is session #5 in the PL Committee CCCs Pathway and is designed to support K-12. This is the culminating session in the PL Committee CCC Pathway and is designed to support K-12. This session is an opportunity for members of the PL committee, and science educators from around the country, to connect and collaborate. Attendees will share ideas, lessons, successful strategies, and lessons learned as they have sought to support student sensemaking through the integration and use of the CCCs. Participants will leave with an extended network of colleagues along with strategies and resources they can use to expand their personal “teacher tool kit”.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will have the opportunity to collaborate with an extended group of colleagues united by the shared goal of supporting student sensemaking through three-dimensional science teaching and learning. Attendees will leave with resources and ideas that can be implemented immediately.

SPEAKERS:
Holly Baldwin (Instructional Support Specialist: No City, No State), Christopher Soldat (Grant Wood Area Education Agency: Cedar Rapids, IA), Zoe Evans (Bremen City Schools: Bremen, GA)

Learn how an Atlanta area school district partnered with two non-profits to develop professional learning and teaching resources for a whole-district approach to climate change education and student-directed action, through an environmental justice lens.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will leave this session with access to a curated collection of climate justice teaching resources that can be used to engage students in place-based problem solving

SPEAKERS:
Janetta Greenwood (Clayton County Public Schools: Jonesboro, GA), Karan Wood (Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia (EEA): Acworth, GA)

Reading proficiency is tied to academic success. Teaching various reading and testing strategies and using high quality instructional materials (HQIM) can help students overcome their challenges with comprehension and vocabulary acquisition.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to use reading strategies to help all students develop ways to navigate grade level challenging text. How creating a classroom culture can cultivate an environment conducive for welcoming and increasing literacy in the classroom. How to use testing strategies in science to help students navigate

SPEAKERS:
Leslie White (Duval County Public Schools: Jacksonville, FL)

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)

Based on the vision of the Framework for K-12 Education and NGSS, phenomena based science instruction is an authentic way to engage students in engineering design. In this workshop, attendees will explore a unit of instruction based on student sensemaking to learn about: 1. what makes an anchor phenomenon/problem instructionally productive to support students as the knower and builder of science ideas in the classroom; 2. strategies to authentically integrate the engineering design process 3. how STEM and NGSS complement one another and open up possibilities both for teachers on how science is taught and for students to better explore the topics and the world around them.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about strategies to integrate engineering into three dimensional science units.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (NSTA: Kenner, LA)

Discover a way to support students with prior knowledge gaps, those ready for grade level instruction, and students in need of extension at the same time. We will use your existing resources in a new way rather trying to make one resource fit all of the needs in your classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will shift how they use existing resources to plan for the diverse needs of students in their science classes.

SPEAKERS:
Janel McPhillips (Calvert County Public Schools: Prince Frederick, MD)

Productive student discourse is an important tool that leads to deep sense-making in the science classroom. This practice allows students to extend thinking through reasoning or clarification. Constructive Conversation tools and Talk Science resources from STEM Teaching Tools will be introduced.

TAKEAWAYS:
Explore tools to help you equitably incorporate more science talk in your classroom-as students engage in discourse to make sense of scientific phenomena and engage with science and engineering practices.

SPEAKERS:
Shundra Morris (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Charles Holloway (The University of Alabama in Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Cayce Perry (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL), Mary Headrick (AMSTI-University of Alabama, Huntsville: Huntsville, AL)

Learn how teachers empower students in leading year-long science investigations to address community environmental challenges using computational thinking (CT). We’ll give an iWonder overview, dive deep into the iWonder questioning process, and highlight CT integration and student action projects.

TAKEAWAYS:
In this session, participants will learn how our teachers have used computational thinking to empower students in developing and refining observation based questions into a year-long science investigation that addresses environmental challenges in their community.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Clark Uchenna (Maine Mathematics and Science Alliance: Augusta, ME), Megan McCall (Barton Academy for Advanced World Studies: No City, No State), Ian Collins (Maine Math and Science Alliance)

Bring your creativity and learn how to implement game-based learning in your science classroom. We will explore using hands-on techniques to make science fun.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. create a science-based game to use in their classroom; 2. develop an understanding of game-based learning; and 3. embed game-based learning in their current content/curriculum.

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

Discover multiple strategies to help make students become owners of their learning. We'll share inquiry-based labs, literacy strategies, cooperative learning, and so much more!

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with specific activities and strategies to use in the classroom, plus additional ideas on how to modify and edit for other standards.

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

Give students a hands-on exploration of heat transfer and insulation with this engineering & design project. Kids build an insulator around a soda can to keep hot water hot, while immersed in an ice water bath. While competing, they develop constructing skills, and analyze their process and data.

TAKEAWAYS:
Get all the files and resources to launch an engaging project applying the concepts of heat transfer (conduction, radiation and convection - things on every middle school science curriculum). You will be inspired!

SPEAKERS:
Jon Coole (Louisville Collegiate School: Louisville, KY)

Students can have a positive impact on environmental challenges when they take action. Walk away with resources and a structure to help your students act.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students can take action to make a big difference in their school or local community to benefit the environment.

SPEAKERS:
Janel McPhillips (Calvert County Public Schools: Prince Frederick, MD)

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)

First Green is a free, innovative, environmental and STEM education outreach program using golf courses as environmental learning labs. Golf Course staff host grades 4-12 students who engage in site-based, hands-on learning activities related to golf course agronomy, technology, and ecology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how First Green activities increase student engagement and learning and receive information regarding contacts and scheduling a First Green field trip from Leann Cooper, Senior Manager, Chapter Services, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.

SPEAKERS:
Robert Hodgdon (Richmond Hill Middle School: Richmond Hill, GA), Leann Cooper (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America: Lawrence, KS)

Discover how you can use a free, global science classroom created at Harvard University to promote student sensemaking. Experience how to tailor learning using LabXchange, a powerful, interactive, online learning platform as students explore their ideas about phenomena and design problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how LabXchange can be used in a classroom as a mechanism for sensemaking and three-dimensional learning aligned with the NGSS. With LabXchange, attendees will learn how to implement world-class content from a variety of Harvard vetted resources and digital assets.

SPEAKERS:
Jenny Frank (LabXchange, Harvard: No City, No State), Kenneth Huff (Williamsville Central School District: East Amherst, NY)

In this session, we will explore the intersection between Information Processing as outlined in Culturally Responsive Teaching, Cognitive Routines, and Three-Dimensional Science to enhance science learning experiences for all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will walk away with an experience that enables them to utilize cognitive routines and develop as independent learners while also building their capacity as culturally responsive educators.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Bowks (Director of Science: No City, No State), Heather Gansky (Smedley Elementary School: Philadelphia, PA), Allison Porzillo (Mastery Charter Schools: Philadelphia, PA)

Notebooking for All Ages is about helping instructors organize and create a meaningful interactive notebook that will help students record, reflect, retain, and recall information.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to create and set up Interactive notebooks using NGSS Science standards and practices to help the student maintain the highest learning experience.

SPEAKERS:
Sheryl Tabutol (WIS: Dinuba, CA)

In the past 20 years, we've learned so much about the brain. Come learn about, or get data to back up, some neuroscience-backed best practices to help students stay engaged and motivated while also combatting the devastating impacts of stress, anger, and trauma.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn brain-based best practices to transform school culture and instructional time.

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

In today's world students have to be equipped with STEM skills in order to be successful, but how do you jump into STEM and keep students engaged. One path is to use project-based learning to implement cross-curricular lessons that are STEM based and go beyond learning content to apply to a project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Today's students need more than "sit and get lessons" and teachers can create experiences with project-based learning and STEM lessons in their classrooms that keep students engaged and ready to learn.

SPEAKERS:
Heidi Goodin (Chattahoochee-Flint RESA: Ellaville, GA), Kylie Garrard (Middle School Science and STEM)

At all levels, connecting Earth Science to the UN Sustainable Development Goals enhances its relevance. Participants will engage with hands-on activities from the American Geosciences Institute (AGI) and its partners as part of the Earth Science Week theme, “Earth Science for a Sustainable World.”

TAKEAWAYS:
The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an important worldwide focus and are the basis for the movement known as education for sustainable development (ESD). Science educators at all levels can support ESD and add relevance to instruction by connecting their STEM instruction to the SDGs.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsay Mossa (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, MD), Lauren Brase (American Geosciences Institute: , IL), Ed Robeck (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA), Sequoyah McGee (American Geosciences Institute: Alexandria, VA)

So you are already doing great STEM work, now what? How can we make it even better? Join us for a guided self-reflection time where we work shifting existing lessons toward gold-standard PBL.

TAKEAWAYS:
Creating engaging problem-solving opportunities for students does not mean starting over with curriculum planning. Teachers can transform existing classroom lessons and activities into PBLs rich in relevant, authentic learning that builds the skills and knowledge students can use for a lifetime.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Benigno (The Science House at North Carolina State University: Mills River, NC), Jason Carter (The Science House at NC State University: No City, No State)

Practical solutions to socio-scientific issues often require the synthesis of scientific, social, economic, and political dimensions. Learn how to support student sensemaking about these issues by linking the science practice of argumentation to the social studies practice of democratic deliberation

TAKEAWAYS:
Since communities use scientific evidence as well as socio-political considerations to make decisions about socioscientific issues, lessons need to support students in analyzing scientific data about an issue and then integrating this analysis with sociopolitical perspectives to deliberate solutions

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Forsythe (Texas State University: San Marcos, TX)

Do you want to teach the most sought after skills needed to be a successful scientist? Join us as we share practical strategies to create a learning environment where students are asking the questions, participating in productive collaboration, and constructing knowledge through discovery.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will discover practical ways to create a classroom environment rich in curiosity, collaboration, and critical thinking.

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

Learn how to identify, document, and address student RTI and COVID learning loss issues in the science classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn concrete ways to identify students who need RTI and COVID learning loss intervention and how to address those needs.

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

Ideas and concrete strategies for building collaborative, generative partnerships with community groups, nonprofits, preK–12 schools, museums, and community colleges in order to transform the STEM ecosystem and preservice teachers' futures will be shared.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will: 1. hear from different partners about the generative ways we have collaborated to increase diversity in our STEM teacher preparation program; 2. engage in discussion and planning next steps for reaching out to a potential collaborative partner; and 3. learn about the ways in which

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

Join NSTA Professional Learning Facilitators for informal conversations about science teaching and learning. Bring questions and ideas to explore and discuss — no topic is too big or too small! Let’s work together to make science learning engaging, important, and accessible to all students.

TAKEAWAYS:
We’ll draw on the expertise of NSTA professional learning facilitators and educators in the room to answer questions, provide research-based feedback, and share resources to help you continue to shift your practice toward three-dimensional teaching and learning.