2023 Kansas City National Conference

October 25-28, 2023

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156 results
Save up to 50 sessions in your agenda.

PLI-1: OpenSciEd Middle School: Revealing Students' Brilliance

Wednesday, October 25 • 8:15 AM - 3:30 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 H

Add to Cart 53 tickets available


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Come join us to see how OpenSciEd’s materials can help you reveal your students’ brilliance. The first full day of the professional learning institute (PLI) will simultaneously prepare you to teach the first unit in the OpenSciEd middle school program and provide the support you need to advance your practice so that learning is both driven by student questions and leads to the foundational science learning they need to be successful. To do this, this session will put teachers in the student’s seat so they can feel what it's like to be a student whose thoughts and questions are valued in the drive to figure out puzzling phenomena. We actually do science together with the facilitator acting as the "teacher" and then dig in to help you see the coherence across the program and the details in the first units you will be teaching.

TAKEAWAYS:
How OpenSciEd's free and publicly available instructional materials and professional learning can make my vision for science education a reality.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Mills (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Thomas Clayton (K-5 STEAM Specialist: Berkeley Heights, NJ)

Using Stories to Connect With All Learners: Science Storytelling In And Beyond The Classroom

Wednesday, October 25 • 5:15 PM - 6:15 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - Grand Ballroom 2501


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Our brains are wired for stories. Stories make learning stick and can make science relatable and relevant to students’ lives. Stories in science are also shaped by both who is doing the telling and how they’re telling us about it. We want our students to have the opportunity to envision themselves as scientists. If a scientist looks like our students, speaks their language, struggles, and celebrates like them, then students begin to see science as a possibility for themselves—something to explore and enthusiastically engage with. To make science learning more story-driven and inclusive, Complexly and BioInteractive have teamed up to refresh Crash Course’s hugely popular YouTube biology series. The new series, produced fully in both English and Spanish, opens a window into the process of science, highlighting its collaborative, community-driven nature, through engaging stories of discovery by a diversity of scientists both past and present.

TAKEAWAYS:
We want our students to have the opportunity to envision themselves as scientists. If a scientist looks like our students, speaks their language, struggles, and celebrates like them, then students begin to see science as a possibility for themselves.

SPEAKERS:
Samuel Ramsey (Professor), Minerva Contreras (Graduate Student Researcher)

I can't wait for science class! - The How and Why of 3D Phenomenon-Based Learning

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 H


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

In pre-NGSS approaches to science teaching, units were often sequenced based on how experts understand the relationship among concepts. This means that it typically requires an understanding of the concepts being taught to understand why a unit is sequenced the way it is. The result is that the sequence of activities may make sense to a teacher, but doesn’t necessarily make sense to the students. 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. This session will highlight how powerful this shift is for student ownership of learning and general engagement. Additionally, we will describe HOW to make this a reality in classrooms and provide participants with resources and supports to bring this learning to life in their classroom.

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 forward.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Krehbiel (OpenSciEd: New York, NY)

Students and Challenging Texts—Graphic Narratives, Lay Summaries, and Cooperative Groups

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2105



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Note to participants
Slide presentation (info, resources, agenda)
Students and Challenging Texts
Workshop on helping students with challenging texts. Folder with a number of resources and examples.

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Science writing is an essential part of authentic science. However, both perception and reality suggest that science texts of various genres are difficult and challenging for many students. What can a teacher do to help students meet challenges so that they can realize the beauty and significance of pivotal works in the history of science, groundbreaking contemporary research, and the deep reflections found in scientific creative non-fiction? In this workshop we will try out techniques based on cooperative groups who create graphic narratives and lay summaries. An assortment of texts will be available to explore, like the concluding paragraph to Darwin’s Origin of Species and the story of Carbon by Primo Levi. Experience in the classroom will be shared where understanding of the texts is achieved by students, including reluctant readers and English language learners.

TAKEAWAYS:
Great, significant, and sometimes difficult written works in science can become accessible to students through cooperative groups, graphic narratives, and lay summaries.

SPEAKERS:
Richard Frazier (retired)

Developing Visual Literacy in Science: Strategies and Resources

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2102 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Participants will experience using dialogue structures and literacy skills in the science classroom. Research shows that when students are engaged with the content and are allowed the chance to make sense of it for themselves, they will learn more. Participants will experience mini lessons that incorporate phenomena and showcase research-proven structures. Participants will be actively learning strategies that can be implemented in classrooms to increase visual literacy amongst students. Strategies include reading, writing, speaking, and graphing skills. Science examples will be modeled. There will be collaborative discussions on how these strategies can be incorporated into a variety of grade levels. Throughout these strategies, we will focus on the dialogue structures set in place to encourage all students to participate and use the academic language. Each of these structures focuses on the teacher being the facilitator of the learning, rather than leading the discussions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Takeaways include: 1. Identify how literacy and dialogue are an integral part in sensemaking; 2. Engage in examples of activities that integrate speaking, listening, and reading into the science classroom; and 3. Pick up tips to promote retention of vocabulary through scaffolding.

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

How to Promote and Support Learning After Introducing a Phenomenon

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

The session will give teachers an opportunity to participate in the same sort of rich and meaningful learning experiences that are called for by the NGSS. This session, as a result, will include approximately forty minutes of audience participation in student hat. Teachers will leave with high-quality instructional materials that they can use in their own classrooms. The agenda for this session is: • A discussion of characteristics of phenomenon-based instruction and sensemaking (5 mins). • A discussion of obstacles to sensemaking during a learning experience (10 minutes). • An opportunity for participants to experience an example of how support learners use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs during a learning experience in a way that makes the process of sensemaking useful and inclusive (40 mins). • Questions and suggestions for learning more (5 mins).

TAKEAWAYS:
Introducing meaningful phenomena is necessary, but not sufficient for fostering sensemaking. Students must also have opportunities to use DCIs, CCs, and SEPs during the learning experience, and the experience must be structured in ways that make the process of sensemaking useful and inclusive.

SPEAKERS:
Victor Sampson (The University of Texas at Austin: Austin, TX)

Extreme Living: Making Sense of Changing Weather Patterns and Designing Solutions

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

This presentation will provide teachers with a ready-to-teach Unit designed to help their students experience several Physical Science, Earth-Space Science, and Engineering NGSS standards. The unit addresses global weather patterns and the impacts of potential pattern changes. It also addresses thermal energy and its applications in building design. All middle school science teachers; whether new to the profession, new to phenomena-based learning, or seasoned veterans will find something new and exciting to bring back to their classrooms. This Unit combines my understanding of the middle school science classroom with expertise of curriculum writers at Pacific Education Institute. Teachers will receive help planning lessons, activities, and discussions. They will also take the role of a student to have first-hand experience with labs and activities. Teachers will receive a digital copy of all of the instructional materials including grading rubrics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will learn how to teach and assess a dynamic 3-D unit addressing Physical Science and Earth Space Science NGSS Standards. Teachers will leave with editable access to all Unit materials. Teachers will get time and guidance on how to adapt the Unit to their classroom and student needs.

SPEAKERS:
Kat Chamberlain (Ridgetop Middle School: No City, No State)

People and Wildlife: Lessons on Interconnections and Biodiversity

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2104 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

The growth of human settlements and natural resource use have impacted our wild spaces and led to fragmented habitats, pollution, and overharvesting. In this hands-on session, the presenter will lead participants in hands-on classroom activities that explore ecological footprints and possible paths toward sustainability. The presenter will introduce concepts around human ecology, including human population trends, biodiversity trends, and how human activities (agricultural expansion, deforestation, etc.) have impacted wildlife habitats. Most of the session will be the demonstration of hands-on activities that address NGSS content, but also integrate mathematics, social studies, and language arts. Activity formats include a large-group simulation on carrying capacity in nature, a visual demonstration of the breakdown of land use around the globe, and a modeling activity on biodiversity threats in different ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn hands-on, collaborative approaches to guide students’ inquiry around key ecological concepts on population, wildlife, and biodiversity, using 3-D strategies and sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Vanessa Wyss (Ferris State University: White Pigeon, MI)

Making Sense of the Nature of Science: Easy, Fun, and Powerful Activities To Implement In Your Classroom

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 C



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
mystery cubes.png
NOS Puzzle Print.png
NOS Story Cards.pdf

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

The Nature of Science and Scientific Inquiry are important topics that should be explicitly taught to students, because research tells us that students do not implicitly pick up on the ideas of NOS through just engaging in science. They must engage in direct conversations and activities that address what Science is and how it operates. These conversations should be grounded in accessible phenomena and activities so every student has the opportunity to develop their understanding. The NOS is foundational to being able to engage effectively in science and understanding science at is most basic and conceptual level, as emphasized by the K-12 Framework and NGSS. This session will share some simple activities through rotation stations that can quickly be used throughout the course of a science class to help students discuss and engage in ideas about the Nature of Science.

TAKEAWAYS:
1. It is important to explicitly teach the nature of science to students; 2. The nature of science should be presented in an accessible way to all students; and 3. Attendees will walk away with activities they can use in their class immediately to teach the NOS.

SPEAKERS:
Kelly Moore (Tennessee Tech: Cookeville, TN)

Un-Cooking the Egg – Modeling Protein Structure and Denaturation

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 C


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

What happens when you cook an egg? Is it possible to un-cook it? Investigate the characteristics of amino acids, the levels (and rules!) of protein folding, and how denaturing a protein alters its function, in an engaging hands-on modeling investigation using the Amino Acid Starter Kit ©.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Arnholt (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

One Size Doesn’t Fit All: Creating a Successful Science Learning Environment for Multilingual Learners

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2502 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

Learn how multimodal instruction and embedded language scaffolds, such as language frames, vocabulary routines, and writing supports create a learning environment that help Multilingual Learners – and all learners – successfully access science instruction.

Waves: Comparing Colors in Sunglasses

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2501 D


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students collect evidence which indicates that different colors of light carry different amounts of energy. Students analyze and interpret light transmission graphs for three different lenses. They determine which sunglass lens (structure) provides the best protection (function) for the eyes.

Effective Intervention Strategies: Let’s Hook Students into Learning

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2504 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Let’s explore several intervention strategies to help struggling students in STEM. Let's move beyond differentiation & scaffolding. Come learn proven intervention techniques to help students. Let’s modify our traditional outreach to connect with students so that they gain greater understanding.

SPEAKERS:
Margo Dye (Accelerate Learning Inc.: Houston, TX)

Next Generation Dissection: Form, Function, and Frogs!

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2505 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

With the transition to 3-dimensional learning and NGSS, is there still a place for dissections in the classroom? The answer is yes! As you dissect a frog, we will demonstrate how to integrate the 3 dimensions of learning while highlighting adaptations and the relationship between structure and function.

SPEAKERS:
Patricia Kopkau

Energize Claims and Evidence through Smithsonian Science for the Classroom

Thursday, October 26 • 8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2505 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Experience how science lessons can be structured using teacher instructional slides, where students work in groups, with specific roles, to develop claims [about how motion energy moves and changes] based on evidence observed through hands-on experiences. Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Hoover Herrera (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

The Power of Literacy Integration: Enhancing Opportunities for Science Learning and ELA Gains in Elementary Grades

Thursday, October 26 • 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2502 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Amplify

Elementary students deserve science! Experience a research-based approach to teaching science that leverages the mutually supportive aspects of phenomena-based science instruction and literacy. Explore how this approach can help you increase instructional time for science while making ELA gains.

Equitable Unit Designs With Lab-Aids and SEPUP: Recovering Copper

Thursday, October 26 • 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2501 D


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Learn about the intentional design of our units to embed equitable opportunities in phenomenon-based learning. This hands-on workshop uses a model activity showing how students use data to develop an evidence-based argument supporting the best way to recover copper from a waste solution.

Strategies to Support English Learners (ELs) in the Science Classroom

Thursday, October 26 • 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2504 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

N/A

SPEAKERS:
Leslie Spaeny (STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning: Houston, TX)

It All Begins with Water

Thursday, October 26 • 10:50 AM - 11:50 AM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 C


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: 3D Molecular Designs

Everything is dependent on water. Explore several properties of this remarkable compound with tried-and-true phenomena. Learn multiple ways to model those phenomena using the Water Kit©.

SPEAKERS:
Ruth Hutson (3D Molecular Designs: Milwaukee, WI)

Physically Active Modeling For Comparing States of Matter

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2104 A



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Ideal Gas Law Students as Particles Activity Handout.docx
Physically Active Modeling Ideal Gas Laws Lesson Plan.docx
Physically Active Modeling States of Matter (1).pptx
Physically Active Modeling States of Matter Blank Handout NSTA 2023 .docx
Physically Active Modeling States of Matter Slides Handout NSTA 2023 KC.docx
QR Code Physically Active Modeling For States Of Matter NSTA 2023.png

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

This activity has students/participants act as particles. To start, participants are given baseline information about how attractive forces between particles can vary from very strong to negligible, & that particles are always in motion. Participants then split into three groups, strong, moderate, & weak forces. To model very strong forces participants link arms at the elbow, for moderately strong forces they hold hands, & for weak/negligible forces they can only hold each other’s pinky fingers. Participants start far apart & move very slowly to model a very cold temperature. At this speed, all of the participants are able to catch onto each other & form an organized structure (solid). With each iteration the participants move faster; this results in the weak-force group not being able to form a structure (gas), the moderate-force group being clumped together but not organized (liquid), & the strong-force group still being able to form an organized structure (solid).

TAKEAWAYS:
Students will not only know the properties of solids, liquids, and gasses, but will be able to give in-depth explanations as to WHY the properties are different by behaving as the particles at different temperatures and with different attractive forces.

SPEAKERS:
Clark Ellis (The Kinkaid School)

Exploring Practices, Nature of Science, and Science in Society: Analyzing Historical Primary Sources from the Library of Congress

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2102 B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
CCC One Pager
How to use primary sources in the science classroom, phenomena and cross cutting concepts focus
Historical continental drift newspaper headlines
Historical continental drift newspaper headlines
Human Ferris Wheel primary source
Human Ferris Wheel primary source
Library of Congress Connecting List
List of primary sources we used for our opening activity, with urls to access.
NOS One Pager
How to use historical primary sources in the classroom...nature of science focus.
Primary Source Analysis Tool and Guide
Primary Source Analysis Tool and Guide
Ptolemaic Universe Primary Source
Ptolemaic Universe Primary Source
Using Historical Primary Sources in the Classroom Presentation
Using Historical Primary Sources in the Classroom Presentation

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Digitized versions of Thomas Jefferson’s weather journal, Robert Hooke’s first drawings of cells, photographs from the Dust Bowl, and historic newspaper accounts of electric cars all provide opportunities to understand how scientists and engineers think, practice, and apply scientific principles in the real world; how scientific ideas evolve over time; and how science and engineering are related to society. The Library of Congress has millions of free primary sources online. This workshop will focus on how analyzing such sources can help K-12 teachers meet standards and teaching goals, particularly around the nature of science, practices of scientists, and how science, technology, and society interact. Library education experts will facilitate hands-on activities using primary sources and share ways teachers nationwide have used them. Participants will also leave with strategies for using primary sources to develop critical thinking skills and highlight interdisciplinary connections.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to access millions of free digitized primary sources and practice hands-on strategies for using them to promote critical thinking skills and a deeper understanding of real-world scientific practices, the nature of science, and connections between science and society.

SPEAKERS:
Kelsey Beeghly (Einstein Fellow: Altamonte Springs, FL), Michael Apfeldorf (Library of Congress: Washington, DC)

Cracking the CER Code: How a Mi-STAR Lesson Can Help Your Students Construct Explanations and Argue from Evidence with Confidence

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2102 A



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Cracking the CER Code Handout
Cracking the CER Code Slides

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Mi-STAR is a program at Michigan Technological University dedicated to quality NGSS-aligned curriculum since 2015. We listen carefully to teachers and respond with support. One of the struggles teachers mention most often is in scaffolding students to write CERs and arguments. In our presentation, we propose an addition to the traditional template: the scientific principles, which are then combined with evidence in the reasoning statement. Later, we add another part: a space for using persuasive writing to construct an argument. We model activities from our 5E lesson throughout. Teachers collaborate to create CERs, and to evaluate arguments written by others. Then, they construct their own arguments using a productive talk routine and persuasive language prompts. Participants gain confidence in supporting students to construct explanations and arguments, as well as get first-hand experience with a lesson, tools, and activities they can take back to their classroom for immediate use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with clear and concise definitions of reasoning, explanations, and argumentation, along with a lesson plan, activities, and templates to help students define and construct all three in the science classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Jenne VandePanne (Michigan Technological University/Newaygo Public Schools: Newaygo, MI), Chris Geerer (Mi-STAR: , MI)

I’ll Have Another Drink…And Another…And Another... A 3-D Lesson to Investigate and Make Sense of the Drinking Bird Phenomenon

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

The drinking bird is a classic heat engine toy that has been featured in popular culture. Although the cause-and-effect relationship for this phenomenon is clear, the mechanism for its repetitive movement is puzzling for most students. In this workshop, participants will use investigative and sensemaking practices to explore the drinking bird phenomenon. This interactive 3-D lesson is in alignment with the goals, standards, and practices of the NGSS. In addition, tips to enhance the development and use of student explanatory models will be featured.

TAKEAWAYS:
Workshop participants will experience an interactive and engaging three-dimensional lesson that is in alignment with the goals and practices of the Next Generation Science Standards. In addition, tips to enhance the development and use of student-created explanatory models will be featured.

SPEAKERS:
Bryan Horan (Northport - East Northport UFSD: Northport, NY)

Classroom Discourse for Sensemaking Through the Crosscutting Concepts

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

This is session #2 in the NSTA Professional Learning Committee's CCCs Conference Course and is designed to support K-12. Attendees will explore the Framework progression documents to understand what is appropriate for their grade level. They will learn about and engage in hands-on activities paired with talk strategies and protocols that focus classroom talk on making sense of observations and data using the Crosscutting Concepts. Attendees will have the chance to talk with fellow participants about how they might use these strategies and tools in their classroom or role and how they can be differentiated to be used at different grade levels. Participants will leave with a virtual toolbox of resources they can take home and apply right away in their sphere.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with discussion strategies and tools they can implement right away in classrooms to support student discourse and sensemaking anchored in the Crosscutting Concepts.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA)

Teaching Climate Fact through Climate Fiction

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2105


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Participants will experience the potential of teaching climate science through the lens of writing climate fiction. We will learn about the history of the science fiction genre as well as the newer subgenre of climate fiction ("CliFi") and note key contributions to science through innovative and speculative thinking made possible through literature. Participants will experience a crash course version of a unit in which students write a climate fiction novella integrating NGSS and CCSS for Science and Technical Subjects which will spur their curiosity in what “could be” with regard to climate science solutions. Participants will dive into aspects of unit facilitation of the writing and reading processes and leave with a framework for K-12 implementation as well as publication pathways. This experience can be personalized to meet student need through Universal Design for Learning strategies.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through implementation of a climate fiction writing unit, teachers can introduce skills and habits of mind that support youth innovation in addressing climate issues.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Lark (Kognity: Stockholm, 0)

Using the NSTA Sensemaking Tool to Evaluate Lessons for Sensemaking - Secondary

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 C



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Demystifying the Practice of Using Mathematics and Computational
Kansas City 2023 Elementary and Secondary Sessions

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

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: McLean, VA), Holly Hereau (NSTA: Arlington, VA), Kate Soriano (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

You Have the Power! Bringing Phenomena to Life With NGSS-Designed Instructional Materials

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2502 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

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.

Exploring a Learning Sequence About Patterns in Species Diversity

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2501 D


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Learning Sequences to drive phenomena through a unit is one way to help students understand the content. In this model activity from a new Lab-Aids program; Science and Global Issues: Biology, developed by SEPUP, you will use data to investigate how abiotic factors and species diversity are related.

Let's DIVE-In to Engineering and the Engineering Design Process

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2504 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

Students get engaged with practical and inquiry-based engineering experiences by using the DIVE-in method. This program was developed with the New York Hall of Science. Transform your classroom into an authentic makerspace with the DIVE process. Learn how to use the design process through consensus.

SPEAKERS:
Margo Dye (Accelerate Learning Inc.: Houston, TX)

Got Milk?: DNA, Enzymes, and Lactose Intolerance

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2505 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Participants use the lactase enzyme to produce lactose-free milk in an easy-to-perform lab and then modify experimental conditions to design and test their own procedures to maximize production of lactose-free milk.

SPEAKERS:
Laurie Nixon (Watauga High School: Boone, NC)

How Can Models Assist Students in Building Knowledge Around Phenomena?

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

In this workshop, participants interact with a 4th grade module to figure out how Balinese Rice farming has endured for 1,000 years. While exploring farming practices in Bali, participants uncover a new process for developing models in science.

SPEAKERS:
Sally Robichaux (Great Minds: Washington, DC)

Exploring OpenSciEd from Carolina

Thursday, October 26 • 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2505 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Sponsoring Company: Carolina Biological Supply Co.

Come experience a model lesson from OpenSciEd for Middle School and see how the new Carolina Certified Edition makes these high-quality instructional materials even better! Leave with classroom resources.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Ort (Carolina Biological Supply Co.: Burlington, NC)

Making Sense of Data Through the Crosscutting Concepts

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 B


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

This is session #3 in the PL Committee CCCs Pathway and is designed to support K-12. Participants will explore the Framework progression documents to understand what is appropriate for their grade level in relation to the Crosscutting Concept of Patterns. They will learn about and engage with a few effective instructional strategies, including the I2 Strategy from BSCS (Identify and Interpret), and how to use a “slow reveal” approach to help students make sense of data and graphs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to explore a variety of online sources for obtaining data for students to analyze and interpret. Participants will leave with a virtual toolbox of resources they can take home and immediately apply in their classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with sensemaking strategies for engaging students in the Science and Engineering Practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data, through the lens of the Crosscutting Concept of Patterns, that can immediately be implemented with students!

SPEAKERS:
Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association)

Infographics: Increasing Visual Literacy

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
Infographics: Improving Visual Literacy Participant Handout
This link provides access to this session's participant handout.
Infographics: Improving Visual Literacy Presentation Slides
This link is for access to the presentation slide deck.

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

Show Details

Students today are exposed to an information-rich environment that is inundated with visual images. Likewise, science relies heavily on the use of visuals to present technical information. Instructional strategies will be shared that use infographics to engage students with the science and engineering practices to make sense of complex information quickly and clearly. Participants will experience a “think-aloud” to extrapolate information from an infographic and work through an evaluation tool to determine its scientific credibility. In addition, they will learn ways to incorporate infographics to spark debate, construct a scientific argument using the claim-evidence-reasoning framework, and complete a problem analysis to find a solution to an everyday problem. Finally, resources will be shared in how to develop student-created infographics.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn instructional strategies to support student sensemaking through the use of visually-rich infographics. This includes using science and engineering practices to analyze and interpret data, construct explanations, and engage in argument from evidence in secondary classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Tina Hovance (Katy ISD: Katy, TX)

From Student to Inventor: How to Get Started

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2103 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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Are you ready to start inventing with your students but don’t know how to start? Do you have students with innovative ideas who need help protecting those ideas? Intellectual property can be a complex and often confusing topic, but it's essential for students to understand how to protect their own ideas and creations. Many teachers recognize the need to help their students protect their ideas and inventions when they work on science and engineering projects, but may not have a background in IP or the resources to teach it effectively. This presentation will provide an overview of how to teach IP and invention education in science classrooms, with a focus on practical and hands-on activities that engage students. Participants will leave with resources and ideas for incorporating invention education and IP into their own classrooms.This presentation is suitable for science teachers of all levels, from elementary to high school. No prior knowledge of IP is necessary.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with resources and ideas for incorporating invention and intellectual property education into their classrooms. This presentation is suitable for science teachers of all levels, from elementary to high school. No prior knowledge of IP is necessary.

SPEAKERS:
Kathy Hoppe (STEMisED, Inc), Kathleen Lanman (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office: Alexandria, VA)

Exploring Sound Waves Using The Human Body & Simple Instruments

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2102 B



(Only registered attendees may view session materials. Please login with your NSTA account to view.)
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12EMQcx20vFs6XNBkoL-vsq2PosR1Dt2V

STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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Slides with diagrams of the anatomy of the larynx are shown with the parts & functions being described to participants. As the anatomy is being taught there will be breaks for participants to talk to each other while feeling their throats, chest, nose, mouth, jaw, etc to feel the vibrations & notice how damping the vibrations changes how participants sound to themselves & others. Next, videos of an opera singer in an MRI machine are shown to see the anatomy in action. After this whistles, & recorders will be passed out for participants to play the same note but hear the difference in sound. A visualizer showing the relative amplitude of each frequency is used as participants play so they can see that each instrument creates its own unique set of waves in addition to the fundamental tone that is being played. The process is repeated for multiple singers that are singing the same note.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be able to use direct instruction, demonstrations, and short activities to explain the basics of how human voices are able to produce sound, why each person/instrument has a unique sound, and why your voice sounds different to you than it does on recordings.

SPEAKERS:
Brendan Emig (Middle/Upper School Choral Director: Houston, TX), Clark Ellis (The Kinkaid School)

Phenomenal Lesson: Hudson Bay River Ecology

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2104 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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How do populations fluctuate in the Hudson River ecosystem, and how do these changes affect the larger ecological community? Using data and hands-on investigations, we will explore how food webs and the abiotic resources have changed in response to the zebra mussel invasion. Teachers will get a lesson explaining how the zebra mussel invasion affected the food web of the Hudson River and be able to explain at least two connections within the food web that were affected using evidence from provided data. Data will include charts and graphs that depict organisms commonly found in the Hudson. When utilizing this lesson in the classroom, students will know what lives in the Hudson River, and will be able to create & study a food web drawing to represent the organisms living in the river. They will also know that the Hudson River food web is changing in response to the zebra mussel invasion, and will be able to make predictions about how native organisms will be affected by this invasion.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will get a lesson explaining how the zebra mussel invasion affected the food web of the Hudson River and be able to explain at least two connections within the food web that were affected using evidence from provided data.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Pennywell (Cardiff Junior High School: Katy, TX), Sandra Rodriguez (Katy ISD: Katy, TX)

Turn Up the Discussion - Increasing the Quality and Quantity of Discussion in the Science Classroom

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 3501 H


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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The negotiation and construction of scientific ideas through talk is a central part of the science learning described in the Framework for K-12 Science. Discussion is the glue that connects science and engineering practices to one another, and it connects those practices to disciplinary core ideas and cross-cutting concepts. But just because it is a key part of the vision, making it a reality in the classroom isn't always easy. In this session, we will dig into the types of discussions and approaches for ensuring they are equitable and meaningful. We will share planning tools, and teaching moves that will support science discussion. Participants will engage in discussion, analyze classroom videos and plan for how they may implement aspects in their own classrooms.

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:
Matt Krehbiel (OpenSciEd: New York, NY)

How Do You Support Students Through Productive Struggle?

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 1501 A


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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Sponsoring Company: Great Minds

In this workshop, participants undergo a challenging student experience as they work through a complex investigation. Throughout the course of the session, participants discover the importance of fostering an environment that encourages challenges where students can struggle in a safe space.

SPEAKERS:
Sally Robichaux (Great Minds: Washington, DC)

Increasing Student Discourse through Hands-on Learning: The Human Body and Structure and Function

Thursday, October 26 • 2:20 PM - 3:20 PM

Kansas City Convention Center - 2501 D


STRAND: Students and Sensemaking

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Sponsoring Company: Lab-Aids

Students use diagrams to create a three-dimensional clay model of some of the organs and structures in the human torso. The concepts of structure and function are introduced as students begin to think about how the organs can be grouped into body systems based on their function within the human body. Come experience this hands-on interactive session and take home your own Lab-Aids human torso model!