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)

Explore how the Project Approach is effective for increasing authentic sensemaking experiences in PreK-2 settings. Grounded in classical procedures of science, the Project Approach builds a foundation for science learning. A project, or long-term investigation, begins with children’s questions about the phenomena of interest, proceeds to cycles of predictions and data collection, and concludes with representation of learning. Projects provide rich opportunities for discipline integration, optimizing learning for young children through integrated curricula. Project work assists teachers in building on children’s innate abilities and curiosity about phenomena that they find intensely interesting, such as worms seen on sidewalks after it rains. Participants will identify key project phases, how to use planning tools for topic selection, and intentionally teach through standard integration. Participants will examine documentation of project work including photos and children’s questions.

TAKEAWAYS:
Examine classroom documentation to evaluate alignment between NGSS sensemaking pillars and the Project Approach components, such as how to select topics for investigation; gather children’s questions; and support young scientists to plan, investigate, collect data, and communicate their learning.

SPEAKERS:
Karrie Snider (Associate Professor: Lee's Summit, MO), Rebecca Wilson (Van Meter Community School District: Van Meter, IA)

The claim, evidence, reasoning method is a well-researched and effective tool in helping students engage in argumentation. However, in our work with teachers, we find that the method is often not well understood or implemented. In practice, especially in elementary classrooms, teachers are using claim to replace the word hypothesis, leading to the incorrect use of the method. Teachers are also starting by having students make a claim and then evaluating the evidence shown as to provide reasoning. A better way of using the method is to evaluate the evidence, then make a claim, and finally use reasoning to support the claim. We want to help teachers understand the research and how to use the method in their classrooms. Once the background is understood, the teachers will practice the method themselves by gathering evidence from the provided visualizations, writing a claim based on the evidence, and using the evidence along with their own background knowledge as their reasoning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn where and how to use the claim, evidence, reasoning method and practice using it to make their own reasoned claims based on evidence.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Licher (Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ithaca, NY)

It's difficult for educators at the primary level to imagine creating “additional time” for science, but when we understand strong language skills provide greater success in reading and writing, we see that science isn't just "one more thing." Science and critical thinking creates opportunities for students to have authentic conversations–which allows us to guide student language in a way that's unmatched! We will include a brief review of SEPs, standards for spoken/written language, and examples for using NGSS DCIs to facilitate student conversations. Ideas for explicitly teaching conversational language skills and behaviors will be shared. Participants will learn ways to combine the use of guided student language and current best practices in literacy instruction along with other ideas that can be used immediately. The session will end with participants developing plans for scientific conversations in their own classrooms, and ideas for how they might guide & build student language.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be provided with ideas for engaging students in scientific conversations, ideas for guiding student language within those conversations, and ideas for using language to facilitate literacy instruction.

SPEAKERS:
Paige Garrett (Teacher: Nixa, MO), Courtney Mills (John Thomas School of Discovery Partner School: Nixa, MO), Shannon Winkler (John Thomas School of Discovery Partner School: Nixa, MO)

Activating Students' Ideas! is a one-stop professional learning experience that will inspire you to reimagine how you teach. This session discusses how two popular teaching resources can be used in tandem: (1) Uncovering Student Ideas formative assessment probes and (2) Explore-before-explain teaching. We show how simple shifts in arranging and combining activities help students construct knowledge while allowing you to put the three dimensions of the K-12 Science Education Frameworks into practice. The session includes: (1) A concise review of research on why the order in which you structure your lessons is so critical; (2) The critical planning considerations for becoming an “explore-before-explain” teacher; (3) Ready-to-teach lessons that use science phenomena as a hook to provide an interdisciplinary learning experience; and (4) Reflection questions will spark thinking throughout the sequencing process and help you develop the knowledge to adapt these concepts to you

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about a resource for formative assessment and explore-before-explain teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Brown (Fort Zumwalt School District R-II: O'Fallon, MO)

This unit helps students develop an understanding of the elements of evolution by natural selection and learn to apply that understanding to protect populations endangered by urbanization. Students learn through modeling, reading and discussing adaptations of published scientific studies of nonhuman populations impacted by urbanization. They develop criteria for designing urban systems that protect populations from the harmful effects of fragmentation in urban systems and evaluate proposals for development in a real US city.

TAKEAWAYS:
Leave motivated to use OpenSciEd’s storyline to teach the elements of evolution by natural selection using real-world examples. Students will learn how their understanding of biological concepts can be used to design more sustainable systems that benefit the human and more-than human world.

SPEAKERS:
Sara Krauskopf (University of Wisconsin-Madison: No City, No State), Wayne Wright (NSTA: McLean, VA), Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

Participants will discover how argumentation can support the vision of inclusive instructional strategies across the curriculum. This session will anchor in learning theory and focus on student work examples, including graphic organizers and transcripts, that tell the story of an instructional sequence about pollinators. How the routines of science support learning for literacy and math will be investigated and made explicit. We’ll pull apart the underlying instructional practices evident in the student work for how to plan for engagement, elicit student ideas, support changes in student ideas, and press for complete explanations through argumentation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will come away with an example of how to structure argumentation in the 4th grade classroom through observing student data organization and student discourse.

SPEAKERS:
Lindsey Roy (Science and Digital Learning Coordinator: Lincoln, NE), Miranda Orellana (Lincoln Public Schools: Lincoln, MA), Betsy Barent (Lincoln Public Schools: , United States)

Introductions[5min] Meet the presenters and share with neighbors to establish networking for discussion and exploration Do Now (5min) Review session objectives and set personal goals The Role of Phenomena in Science Education (5min) Investigate examples of phenomena that lend themselves to strong Science lesson The Importance of Interdisciplinary Units in Science Education (5min) Explore purposeful pairing of learning objectives from a range of content areas Exploration of The Water Princess Unit Plan (30min) Learn about the elements of the unit and the accompanying resources that support strong instruction Identify opportunities for customization and differentiation based on their unique teaching and learning environments and students Science Notebooks - features and strategies (10min) See examples of science notebooks and discuss their impact on student learning Call to Action and Closing Comments (5min) Anchor their session take-aways with the personal goals they set during the Do

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will receive a richly-developed, phenomenon-based unit plan paired with the ‘how to’ of unit planning, strategies for science notebooks, interdisciplinary learning objectives, KLEWS, notice-and-wonder, graphic organizers, and assessment models.

SPEAKERS:
Wendy Amato (UVA | Teaching Channel: No City, No State)

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)

Centering learning around local phenomena can foster sustainable futures when learning is framed in larger global systems thinking and principles. The SDGs provide a framework of 17 central goals that help to foster thriving and sustainable communities. The SDGs are used across many different nations to raise awareness, engage people in action around critical needs for fostering thriving communities, and innovate solutions for our shared futures. This session will explore the SDG framework and its connections to potential local phenomena that connect to learning standards. Participants will be supported to consider examples of how this framework can be used for teaching students about sustainability, climate solutions, and green economy transitions that are critical to our shared future. We will draw on resources and experiences from partner organizations across the nation and the world.

TAKEAWAYS:
After learning about the SDGs, participants will explore the interrelationships between the SDG Framework and local phenomena for use in their own teaching.

SPEAKERS:
Deb Morrison (University of Washington), Brian Mandell (Smithsonian Science Education Center: Washington, DC), John Olson (Metropolitan State University: Saint Paul, MN)

After the pandemic, we wanted to bring in as many hands-on, real-life chemistry experiences to our students as possible. After watching labs through a screen and sending materials home, our team had a new passion to get as many labs and investigations in as possible! What that passion evolved into was working on non-traditional assessments that required students to plan and carry out an experiment for an assessment in addition to the labs during class time instead of the traditional “in your seat” with paper and pencil assessment. We wanted to give our assessment meaning and bring purpose back to the labs. Presenters will share several different formats that we have tried as we went through year one of implementing SEP3 Planning and Carrying Out an Investigation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Presenters will share how they developed non-traditional assessments related to SEP3 Planning and Carrying Out Investigations in their standards-based grading chemistry curriculum. Presenters will share recommendations/challenges for teachers to think about as they implement SEP3 in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Nathan Gustin (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Karen O'Connor (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Ashley Rose (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), John Deppong (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Kristen One (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL)

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)

Students and educators must remain connected to, and motivated by, the elements of their world that not only spark curiosity and generate wonder but are real. Students care deeply about the environment, climate change, food insecurity, and sustainability. A sustainable and resilient future will only be achieved if we begin to make sense of these challenges in smaller, coherent investigations; starting in our science classrooms. An enormous piece of the sustainability puzzle lies within sustainable food systems. Food production and agriculture provide limitless opportunities for students to explore phenomena among the interactions of living things and the earth’s systems. Further, the practice of agriculture, since its origins, has been a continuous series of design challenges to cultivate nature for the needs of humans. This presentation provides a lens through which students and educators can find opportunities to spark inquiry and solve real-world problems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will see successful examples of authentic phenomena and problems found within food and agricultural systems that are relevant to all students. We will demonstrate how all three dimensions of NGSS are used to make sense of these real-world phenomena.

SPEAKERS:
John McNamara (Wash. State Academy of Sciences), Brian Beierle (Relevant Classroom, a Division of Vivayic, Inc.: No City, No State)

This session will introduce participants to a lesson designed to introduce high school students to cutting-edge research on planetary science. The lesson is designed around the critical aspects of sensemaking: students experience a phenomenon, engage in science and engineering practices, and share ideas to build and/or apply disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts needed to explain how or why the phenomenon occurs. Sensemaking is in the vision of A Framework for K-12 Science Education -- “the doing of science and engineering is highlighted as a strategy that can capture students’ interest in science and motivate their continued study.” (A Framework for K-12 Science Education, pp 42-43). JHU Wavelengths lessons co-designed by NSTA and Johns Hopkins University provide opportunities for all students to engage in science learning that is meaningful to them.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Johns Hopkins Wavelengths lesson introduced in the session provides opportunities for secondary students to learn about cutting-edge planetary science research and figure out science ideas related to earth and space science, and physical science.

SPEAKERS:
Patrice Scinta (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Models engage students, promote critical thinking, and help students connect abstract concepts to real-world phenomena. This session will promote using the science and engineering practice of developing and using models as a technique to explore concepts, promote sense making, and demonstrate student understanding. Presenters will include modeling techniques that have been successfully used in both rural and urban chemistry classrooms to help students better understand complex concepts within storyline units. The use of simulations, hands-on activities, physical manipulatives, drawings, and technology will be demonstrated. The benefits of models used as an equitable tool will be examined using student data and examples. Sample chemistry storylines will be used to show how student coherence builds throughout the unit with the use of models. Strategies for teachers will be provided to help students develop better models, and a discussion of formative assessment value will be stressed.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will leave with various modeling strategies to implement into their chemistry courses. This will promote student sensemaking and more equitable evaluations of student ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Jennifer Jones (Ogallala High School: Ogallala, NE), Christine Gustafson (Millard South High School: Omaha, NE)

Live-streaming wildlife cams give students an intimate view into the amazing and diverse world of animals and allow teachers to engage all students in inquiry- and phenomena-based learning as nature unfolds in real-time and with unknown outcomes. Wildlife cams encourage questioning and curiosity, build connections to wildlife and nature, and are interesting to teachers and students alike. Cams engage students who have fewer opportunities to be immersed in nature, including those in urban settings, with mobility challenges, and in remote learning environments. I will guide teachers through a series of questions to help them determine good live-streaming cams to use in their classrooms. I’ll discuss different ways to use cameras within the classroom, including active and passive usage. I’ll share how we use cams to make observations and they will draw their own comics as we watch a live-streaming cam.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will discover a variety of wildlife cams from around the world, explore how they can be used to effectively develop student science practices, and discover free resources to support science learning through wildlife cams.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Licher (Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ithaca, NY)

Participants will explore the Authentic Literacy and Language (ALL) for Science curriculum framework and discover how the combination of guided science investigations, mini-lessons on science-based disciplinary literacy, and science inquiry circles can increase learner performance. They will receive and be guided through a sample lesson and a template they can use to develop their own lessons using this framework. Teachers who used lessons using this curriculum framework reported that children demonstrated increased engagement with lessons and improved their language skills as they began to read, write, and think like scientists. They also found that children performed better overall on assessments of science concepts, attributing the use of collaborative learning teams that build a community of science practice as a factor. Participants will receive access to the ALL for Science website where they can download FREE curriculum resources aligned with NGSS standards.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will explore how they can create their own lessons unifying science investigations with science-specific disciplinary literacy using the ALLS framework to engage learners in the practices of science. Participants will receive the framework template and access to free resources.

SPEAKERS:
Jimmie Thomas (Baylor College of Medicine)

My first years of teaching Physics at Title 1 schools in Memphis were challenging. Many of my students were very behind, especially in math. However, I developed 5 strategies to make learning physics accessible and they completely transformed my classroom. 1. “Building Block” Method The biggest breakthrough in my classroom was breaking long problems down into building blocks. I will show how to do this with a sample forces unit. 2. Pre-manipulated equations I will share an equation sheet that shows all forms of each equation. It is a game-changer for students who struggle with algebra. 3. Setting-Up for Success I will model a consistent way to help students stay organized on different types of problems. 4. Simplifying Motion I will illustrate how to solve motion problems using simpler notation and simpler equations. 5. Simplifying Circuits I will show how to use the “routes method” so students can solve most circuits in a more conceptual way.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will come away from this session with strategies that they can immediately implement in their classrooms to make physics more accessible and engaging, especially for their lower-level learners.

SPEAKERS:
Jack Replinger (FormerTeacher / Founder: , WA)

Creative ideas will be explored for developing and using climate science storylines based on Midwestern climate phenomena, past and present. For example, the timing of the settling of Midwestern states was a direct result of global and regional climate changes that included the Little Ice Age (creating a demand for animal furs for coats and hats) and the giant 1815 eruption of the Indonesian volcano Tambora (which caused the famines of the “year without a summer” and drove large numbers of easterners westward into the Midwest. Examining regional Midwest geology (such as glacial deposits and bedrock limestone layers) can also foster student sensemaking of the cycles of climate change that can occur on longer time scales. Analyzing the evidence of past climate changes and its impacts on humans and other life will help students carry out the processes of sensemaking to better understand the current trends in climate change (obtained from NASA satellites) and their implications for humans.

TAKEAWAYS:
Climate-related storylines anchored by Midwest regional phenomena provide powerful frameworks for students to develop sensemaking of performance expectations concerning weather and climate. Instructors will leave with multiple ideas for incorporating the latest climate science into their classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Michael Wysession (Washington University in St. Louis: Saint Louis, MO)

Research shows that when students are typically engaged in science class discussions, the teacher asks a question, one student responds, the teacher gives feedback, and the cycle continues. The teacher then only knows about the understanding of science of one student. But what are the other students able to make sense of? This presentation will share with attendees research that was conducted through a dissertation, explicitly looking at talk moves developed by Sarah Michaels and Cathy O'Connor, and how they increased engagement with female students. This presentation will also provide teachers with these talk moves, and tips and tricks on how they can be used in a middle school science classroom, and how they better help students make sense of science phenomena.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will takeaway with tips and tricks that will get middle school students engaging in sensemaking discussions. Teachers will be provided with a set of talk moves that can be implemented Monday with students!

SPEAKERS:
Betsy Lawrence (Summit Trail Middle School: Olathe, KS)

Explore the comprehensive assessment system that accompanies the OpenSciEd high school program. This comprehensive system includes opportunities for formative, summative, self, and peer assessment. The session will guide participants through the multiple assessment types and will explore in depth electronic exit tickets and transfer tasks. Electronic exit tickets give teachers an opportunity to formatively assess students' three dimensional thinking at key points in each unit. Transfer tasks are summative assessment opportunities that give students an opportunity to transfer what they have learned in the unit to a novel scenario. Both of these assessment opportunities include teacher and student routines to support student thinking and instructional action.

TAKEAWAYS:
In OpenSciEd HS, the assessment system is structured to support teachers in assessing all three dimensions of the NGSS through formative, summative, peer, and self assessment opportunities.

SPEAKERS:
Zoe Buck Bracey (Senior Science Educator and Director of Design for Justice: Colorado Springs, CO), Michael Novak (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

Too often teachers spend valuable time creating performance tasks in science to encourage sensemaking in their students and to make student thinking more visible. This session will highlight available OER resources that have been compiled across multiple sites. Using these tasks as a starting point, participants will explore ways to adapt these tasks to meet the needs of their classroom. Participants will learn strategies for increasing rigor, providing different levels of support, and providing opportunities to increase student engagement through student voice and choice.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants in this session will leave with an understanding of the OER tasks available for classroom use and strategies to adapt these tasks for their classroom. Strategies will include examples of support for scaffolding, giving meaningful feedback, and increasing student voice and choice.

SPEAKERS:
Kelley Turner (Winchester Public Schools: Winchester, VA)

I Was A Kid: How people in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math/Medical Fields Got from There to Here This presentation introduces teachers to the purpose and concept underlying this new program devoted to demonstrating pathways into STEAM advanced education and professional fields.

TAKEAWAYS:
Science identity is the first step to a future in STEAM; observing the process of entering the fields and seeing problems/solutions modeled through multimodal presentations is also key.

SPEAKERS:
Karen Romano Young (Science communicator: Bethel, CT)

In this session, participants will consider three alternatives to traditional multiple-choice pre-assessments: modeling, self-documentation, and class discussions. We will discuss the purpose of pre-assessments as a critical data point for instructional planning, especially with many schools moving towards PLC structures around data cycles. We will see examples of these three alternative strategies for pre-assessment (which can also be used as formative assessment structures). For each assessment structure, we will discuss how to collect and use data. Authentic examples will be provided from the presenter’s middle school and high school classrooms.The session will synthesize and apply ideas from the following ACESSE Stem Teaching Tools: Modeling #8 / self-documentation #31 / class discussions #6, #35 / using pre-assessments #15, #18, #25, #34, #37. These STEM teaching tools will be shared with participants to continue their learning beyond the 60-minute session.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to use different assessment formats to collect data without relying on multiple-choice questions. The assessment formats allow students to use knowledge & experiences of a phenomenon or science idea while providing meaningful information to guide instructional choices.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Alderman-Oler (Washington High School: Kansas City, KS)

Building classroom culture is essential for students to collectively make sense of phenomena. Students need to buy into the idea that each of their ideas is crucial for pushing the class forward. In this session, we highlight strategies for co-creating community agreements. We also report on challenges we have encountered in our classrooms, which strategies we have found to be successful, and which tend to turn students off. We highlight how, as culture challenges arise throughout the year, we can return to these community agreements to reground our classroom. The facilitator will begin the session with a brief overview of OpenSciEd’s view of the teacher's role in instruction and community-building, which will then be followed with a guided panel featuring experienced teachers in using storylines, and finally open Q&A.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will understand how community agreements and other strategies are used in OpenSciEd and other high school classrooms to support collective and equitable sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Kerri Wingert (Good Question Research: Boulder, CO), Rachel Patton (Denver Public Schools), Nina Blanton (Educator: , MO), Calvin Atkins (Bellingham High School: Bellingham, WA), Sarah Evans (Olathe South High School: Olathe, KS)

As a nonfiction author, I always start where my readers are—hooking them in by grounding them in what they already know, then expanding on that knowledge. Teaching is no different, and incorporating nonfiction books into the curriculum can allow teachers to address standards across different disciplines while building their students’ understanding of a topic. This session will look at two books that can do this, one on that addresses interdependent relationships in ecosystems and one that examines natural hazards and the history of the planet. How do scientists use evidence to support their arguments, and how can we model those steps when teaching students how to develop their arguments in writing? Scientific research isn’t all that different from text-dependent analysis, and this presentation will discuss how to address both using true, jaw-dropping examples straight from our own backyards.

TAKEAWAYS:
We can use nonfiction books to ground learning, making information more accessible as students encounter information in a variety of ways across the curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Alison Pearce Stevens (nonfiction author)

Join us for a chance to learn about the value and how to implement K-12 STEM innovative programs with hands-on learning strategies utilized to motivate engagement. NSTA administered programs are included from: the Army Educational Outreach Program, NSTA Teacher Awards, Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn how to enhance student STEM engagement through the use of NSTA-administered programs.

SPEAKERS:
Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

As educators shift their teaching practice to align with the Framework for K-12 Science and the NGSS, they face various challenges and barriers. One pressing challenge is how to align their new approach to teaching and learning with existing assessment and grading systems. In this session, we will provide examples of 3D assessments and associated scoring guidance. Participants will review student work for these sample assessments and identify evidence of understanding. They will collaborate with others in the session and determine how they would give grades based on set criteria. The second part of the session will highlight different approaches to grading based on local grading expectations (e.g., standards-based grading, daily grade requirements, or 100 point-based systems). Participants will leave the session with approaches to assessment and grading that support student sensemaking and honor the diverse resources students bring to the classroom.

TAKEAWAYS:
The process of giving feedback and assigning grades is easier when there are strong materials and assessments to build from, and technology can help make it faster without decreasing effectiveness for students.

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

The NSTA Atlas of the Three Dimensions maps out learning progressions based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The 62 maps in the Atlas organize all of the elements from standards on a particular topic (e.g., modeling, patterns, or definitions of energy) on a single page. The elements from grades K–2 are at the bottom of the page, and those from grades 9–12 are at the top. Arrows connect elements to indicate how ideas in a particular topic build on each other and how elements in different topics connect to one another. Studying the maps in the Atlas and the additional resources in the appendixes can provide educators with new insights about the standards. This session will provide an overview of how to read a map, the other features of the Atlas, and how educators can use this powerful navigational tool to develop and implement curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to read the maps and use other tools in the Atlas to understand and interpret standards, and plan instructional sequences as part of their work in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

SPEAKERS:
Ted Willard (Discovery Education: Silver Spring, MD)

Roger Bybee's Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (BSCS) 5E Instructional Model is based on constructivist theories and enhances student inquiry through a series of planning strategies. This model is designed to incorporate all aspects of inquiry learning environments by engaging students and allowing students to explore the concepts being introduced, discover explanations for the concepts they are learning, and elaborate on what they have learned by applying their knowledge to new situations. Through the engage, explore, and explain stages of the model, knowledge about science is gained. In the elaborate stage, a problem is introduced and engineering and mathematics are used to help solve the problem. In this session participants will be introduced to the model through a states of matter lesson that can be adapted to the intermediate, middle, and high school levels. Three-Dimensional Learning will be highlighted and participants will have access to a 5E Model planning template.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain an understanding of the 5E instructional model and how the stages incorporate Three-Dimensional Learning -- the framework of the Next Generation Science Standards.

SPEAKERS:
Christina Hilton (Central Indiana Educational Service Center: Indianapolis, IN)

In this interactive presentation, the presenter will share a schoolyard science template and guide attendees through how to customize the template for their local community. The presenter will share examples and resources to support each component of the schoolyard science template including (a) the use of satellite imagery and schoolyard assessments to identify existing schoolyard resources, (b) connecting 3-D learning standards to place-based schoolyard science opportunities, and (c) opportunities for stewardship and civic engagement. The presenter will share several strategies to engage students with the SEPs in the schoolyard as they observe, measure, monitor, and experiment with their local environment. The schoolyard science template was developed as part of Advancing Science’s NOAA-funded grant to develop an environmental literacy plan in collaboration with Adams County, PA, school districts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain access to a schoolyard science planning template and the knowledge to customize the template for their local community. Attendees will learn to connect schoolyard resources with DCIs and SEPs to help students make sense of their local environment while learning science content.

SPEAKERS:
Valerie Stone (Gettysburg College: Gettysburg, PA)

In this workshop we will work through the "anchoring phenomenon" from the OpenSciEd Middle School space unit, which helps students see the relevance of astronomy by drawing on traditional indigenous astronomy knowledge, and students' own cultural knowledge to engage students in identifying and explaining patterns in the sky that set the rhythm for our lives. Participants will get a chance to experience the anchoring phenomenon, and share their own experience, expertise and ideas, to begin visioning how astronomy education can draw on student and community resources, connect students to traditional knowledge from around the world, and build on natural curiosity about questions that are older than Western history.

TAKEAWAYS:
Anchoring astronomy instruction in phenomena that invite connections between science and students' identities can support culturally sustaining pedagogy in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Zoe Buck Bracey (Senior Science Educator and Director of Design for Justice: Colorado Springs, CO), Thomas Clayton (K-5 STEAM Specialist: Berkeley Heights, NJ), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

The Next Generation Science Standards promote students doing science. Being able to assess them while they are engaged in the "doing" is essential. Attendees will take a deep dive into the SEPs and learn how to create rubrics that they can use to assess the SEPs while walking around and observing students as they work. The result? Higher student engagement and less papers to grade. This session is led by Dr. Carol Baker, NGSS Writer.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will create a rubric that can be used in their classroom to authentically assess the SEPs.

SPEAKERS:
Carol Baker (NGSS: Orland Park, IL)

I will take participants through my process of crafting sets of formative multiple choice questions that each use 2 of the 3 dimensions of NGSS, so that all dimensions are addressed. I will also show my process for refining free response questions to get the exact responses I am looking for and that allow for an ease of grading and seeing students’ understanding. I will provide examples from my own classroom & direct them to where they can find more examples from various storylines. As an iHub Chemistry writer, I learned to write 3-D multiple choice formative questions. An assessment graduate course taught me how to write quality distractors to see limits of student understanding and get useful feedback data. I merge these 2 in my own classroom to create assessments to get to what my students know. I will share my learning from these trainings and more to set teachers on the path to quality 3-D classroom assessments.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to craft three-dimensional assessments, multiple choice, and free response. Using quality distractors in multiple choice formatives allows you to pinpoint student misconceptions. Free response questions direct students to the specific response you want so that grading goes quicker.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah Evans (Olathe South High School: Olathe, KS)

The primary goal of Native Earth | Native Sky is to build culturally-relevant earth-sky STEM curricula that will increase the understanding of and interest in STEM fields for middle school students in three Oklahoma Native American nations. Providing a culturally-relevant STEM curriculum in a classroom can increase student motivation (Landson-Billings, 1995) for groups historically underrepresented in STEM careers. The theory of Two-Eyed Seeing, which places equal status on western science and Indigenous ways of knowing (Hatcher et al., 2009), and the pedagogical model of place-based learning (Semken, 2005) can be valuable tools for designing learning experiences for Native American students. This session will provide an overview of the program and lessons related to MS-LS2 Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics, MS-ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems, and MS-ESS1-1 Earth's Place in the Universe using three-dimensional teaching and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to increase student engagement by weaving cultural components and place-based learning with science and STEM curriculum.

SPEAKERS:
Sarah McDowell (Maryville College: Maryville, TN), Angela Just (GRA)

In this session, participants will experience and unpack the Phenomenon Questioning Technique and will be able to apply it in their classroom. Students observe a phenomenon and are given time to observe and wonder. In groups, students: - Ask as many questions as they can. - Don’t stop to discuss, judge, or answer questions. - Change any statements into questions. - Circle their best question. Remind students to think about what makes a good question as they make their choice (related to science, helps explain phenomena, able to be investigated or researched, etc.). - Share their questions on a “Student-Driven Question Board.” - ​​Using the commonalities, create one guiding question for the class. - Students reflect on how they did with questioning by way of the formative assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will experience and unpack the Phenomenon Questioning Technique and will be able to apply it in their classrooms.

SPEAKERS:
Eric Hadley (Little Creek Nature Area: Florissant, MO), Rebecca Prokopf (Regional Curriculum Coordinator)

Food is a basic necessity of life, yet in the United States there are over 6,500 food deserts affecting 19 million people. Food deserts are geographic areas that lack access to affordable, healthy food options. During this session, participants will engage in conversations for how to address this inequity with students as they engineer food producing hydroponic systems. The Hydroponics storyline is the third in a series being developed by a group of 25+ educators from the midwest for science and agriculture teachers that engage students in developing explanations for agricultural phenomena and solving real-world problems. Students utilize the three dimensions of NGSS in each of the storylines as they learn about food systems, or the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food products and interactions with the natural environment. Specific emphasis is placed on developing skills related to the Scientific & Engineering Practices and building Crosscutting Concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn about a new storyline on hydroponics that explores food deserts which are geographic areas that lack access to affordable, healthy food options. Attendees will discuss one option for addressing this inequity with students as they engineer food-producing hydroponic systems.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Embry Mohr (Olympia High School: Stanford, IL)

Participants will gain experience evaluating student learning across the three dimensions using authentic student work samples. Discussion will focus on lesson-level three-dimensional performance expectations and what counts as evidence of student understanding for the three dimensions targeted by the assessment task. We will also use data collected from these student work examples to identify patterns/trends teachers can use to inform instruction to ensure all students have access to science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants gain experience using the NSTA Student Work Analysis Protocol (open educational resource) and can share the protocol and application with colleagues in their school/district.

SPEAKERS:
Zoe Evans (Bremen City Schools: Bremen, GA), Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

In understanding how cultural bias affects underrepresented populations, teachers as change agents can design learning communities to increase peer collaboration for gender and minority populations. As students interact with each other, teachers provide the cultural tools needed for students to take on the role as a scientist or engineer. We will explore the essential components for framing innovative learning communities for underrepresented STEM populations. First, we will analyze intentionality in selecting cooperative learning structures for making learning targets through different scenarios. Second, we will conduct a reading jigaw on the importance of peer collaboration for increased diversity. Third, we will analyze lesson planning for learning communities using student work samples, videos, and instructional strategies and techniques. Lastly, educators will reflect on sensemaking through collaboration in a group summary.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers as change agents provide the cultural tools to affect learning communities. This session will provide tools and techniques to improve sensemaking through peer collaboration for gender and minority populations.

SPEAKERS:
Leslie Birdon (Richwood High School: Monroe, LA)

Our goal is to demonstrate how one large urban district combined the standards from science, social science and ELA to make sure these standards are taught, even in a curriculum that is ELA-centric. The vast majority of the time in the day doesn't attempt to cover science or social science standards. We've woven our standards alongside the ELA standards and topics so that we are certain there is time for science and social science. This is important because as one sales rep has said, "I know it looks like science, but don't worry, its really reading." We don't want a student's science or social science experience to be relegated to just a 'Science Friday' situation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Students need to figure out science and social science, not just learn about them. To think like scientists and social scientists, students have to DO the work of scientists and social scientists.

SPEAKERS:
Cory Nilsen (Rockford Public Schools: Rockford, IL), Joshua Rappuhn (Rockford Public Schools: Rockford, IL)

School leaders frequently require teachers to share learning targets and success criteria to provide tangible goals for students. However, science sensemaking requires that students figure out, not learn about, science ideas by making sense of phenomena. Learning targets can undermine this sensemaking if they're written, as is often expected, in ways that give away the content. Our collaborative group of teachers developed a way to write learning targets to meet leadership expectations, support the intentions of learning targets, AND preserve the three-dimensional sensemaking at the core of A Framework for K-12 Science Education. This participatory presentation will share our tools and approach to integrating SEPs and CCCs into learning targets, as well as reflections on how this work supports deeper phenomenon sensemaking and standard alignment. Attendees will consider and discuss these tools and reflections, including application to their own classroom contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will explore how dimension-aligned sentence stems help to make science learning targets and success criteria more 3-D and supportive of sensemaking. They will consider how the resulting targets and criteria support administration goals while improving teacher planning and practice.

SPEAKERS:
Richard Carroll (Teacher: Green River, WY), Matt Freze (Science Teacher: Green River, WY), Shawna Mattson (Green River High School: Green River, WY), Megan Allen (Teacher: Green River, WY), Katie Camis (SPED Teacher / support science: Green River, WY), Clare Gunshenan (University of Wyoming: Laramie, WY)

Students collaboratively figuring out phenomena or solutions is key to the NGSS. Teachers need tools to facilitate these discussions into academically rich experiences that support ALL students. Science investigations offer opportunities for engagement for all, but need to be guided expertly. Student engagement is critical for academic success, especially for our English Learners, Special Education, and Foster Youth. Science investigations offer a way to engage students at any level and keep them excited about learning. While working through phenomena, students need to crystalize their own thinking, then share these thoughts with others in order to fully develop them. To do so, certain academic language and terms must be used. Through the shared activity of investigating phenomena, students work through science concepts and use the needed science vocabulary. Teachers guide the discussions through scaffolded questions that facilitate student communication by clarifying their t

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn to lead students to conceptual understandings by using discussion tools, academic language, and discussion routines that promote equity and engagement.

SPEAKERS:
Heather McDonald (Riverside Unified School District: Riverside, CA), Julia Smith (Riverside Unified School District: Riverside, CA), Shannon Dadlez (Riverside Unified School District: Riverside, CA)

Differentiation in the science classroom is essential for student learning, allowing students to enter the lesson from different points and gain the tools to access material and ensure enduring understanding. In this session, participants will learn about a variety of strategies they can use in their classroom to engage students, identify misconceptions, provide varied practice activities, and offer choices in the learning progression. Differentiation seems to be a wide umbrella, but this session aims to narrow the focus and provide teachers with tools and tips they can implement as soon as they’re home from NSTA!

TAKEAWAYS:
Takeaway a deeper understanding of approaches to differentiation, including both small- and large-scale strategies that are applicable to all science classrooms. Strategies range from simple techniques that can be implemented during a portion of one class, to unit-long approaches.

SPEAKERS:
Kellie Dean (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Jin Kyung Hwang (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Molly Sponseller (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL)

Making the move from a traditional grading system to a standards based grading system can be an overwhelming task. It was especially challenging for two of Stevenson High School’s largest teams: AP biology (10 teachers) and accelerated chemistry (18 teachers). We will share how we came up with our standards and our success criteria for teaching skills and scoring student work. We will also share how those standards and success criteria have changed over the last four years. Attendees will be able to view our assessments, look at student work, and then score sample assessments. Presenters will also share several different calibration strategies that have worked for our larger team, ranging from Google jamboards, Google slides, and Google forms.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will walk away with a scaffolded way to determine the skills they want to assess in their course and how they can begin to develop success criteria. Attendees will also take away some strategies for how to calibrate their scoring.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen One (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Nathan Gustin (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Karen O'Connor (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL)

OpenSciEd Chemistry units use a storyline approach to help students figure out answers to their questions in a three-dimensional, coherent, and equitable way. In this session, participants will experience that approach firsthand as they engage with the unit’s anchor in "student hat", experiencing the content as students do in the classroom. Participants will also see how students develop understanding of atomic structure and electrostatic forces through a coherent series of investigations. These investigations include using a Kelvin water dropper and everyday items to reason about static electricity; using simulations and physical models to build understanding of atomic structure and charge transfer; measuring forces of attraction and repulsion to derive Coulomb's Law; and measuring electric current in solutions of different salinity to determine how salts are able to conduct electricity in aqueous solution.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit supports students as they figure out understandings of atomic structure, charge, and the role of matter, forces, and energy in lightning. Participants will see how students build these ideas through a series of investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Kerri Wingert (Good Question Research: Boulder, CO), Rachel Patton (Denver Public Schools)

Climate kNOWledge engages all 6th grade students from the Howard County Public School system (MD) in learning about and understanding climate science and climate justice through a 45-day science unit. The goal of Climate kNOWledge is to bring current climate science into the classroom while helping students understand the disproportionate impacts climate change has on communities worldwide. Students participate in two field experiences; a schoolyard data collection where hands on protocols help them understand specific climate phenomena like the urban heat island effect, and an offsite field trip to learn about climate change solutions. The unit culminates in student-led action projects that are grounded in evidence-based reasoning and address a local climate change impact. This session will provide an overview of the new Climate kNOWledge unit and will discuss strategies for leading meaningful and educational conversations around climate justice topics with young audiences.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn strategies for leading conversations about climate justice with students. We will showcase activities, case studies, and other tools that lead to successful learning environments where students feel empowered by knowledge to seek positive changes in their own communities.

SPEAKERS:
Bess Caplan (Howard County Conservancy: Woodstock, MD)

This presentation will involve a Google Slide show detailing why some of our beloved labs do not meet the NGSS standards and how we can adjust these labs through phenomena, critical thinking questions, CER, and rubrics to meet those standards. Furthermore, this presentation's primary purpose is to highlight why we struggle with "students today." It is a fact that students have changed; we expect students to change. It's the fact that we as educators have not adapted to the students that are in front of us today. They have changed but have we, as educators? Have our lessons and lab experiences changed with them? This presentation will show how to adapt and adjust old lab experiences (biology, chemistry, environmental science, and physics) to meet the NGSS standards and why newer phenomena-based lessons differ from old recipe labs. If time permits, teachers will work on a lab they want to update.

TAKEAWAYS:
The main takeaway from this presentation will be how we incorporate rubrics, critical thinking questions, and phenomena into our lab experiences to meet the students & standards of today—cultivating an engaging and collaborative experience for the students.

SPEAKERS:
Dennis Dagounis (Berkeley Heights Public Schools: Berkeley Heights, NJ)

As science educators, we often ask our students to make sense of phenomena that have a direct impact on human life such as hurricanes, floods, or wildfires. During this session, participants will explore free online modules which contain uncertainty-infused argumentation sets and interactive models that allow students to explore these events. Students’ work samples will be examined to see how their capacity for developing scientific arguments grows as they learn more about natural hazards. These samples include making claims from evidence, writing explanations that support their claims, and discussing the uncertainty of their explanations. The uncertainty discussions also include students’ evaluations of the models and data presented. This session is designed to introduce you to the modules and demonstrate how using them can strengthen your teaching and deepen student understanding of natural hazards through modeling and argumentation.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore a series of simulations designed to deepen students’ understanding of natural hazards. They will create a free account to access these simulations and associated curricula. An emphasis on the practices of modeling and argumentation will be used as part of the sensemaking process.

SPEAKERS:
Stephanie Harmon (PIMSER (KY): No City, No State)

Presenters will discuss the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium's Zoo Afterschool Program and the way in which they utilize their access to the zoo to broaden and deepen their student's understanding of the natural world by teaching lessons and then connecting those lessons to the student's observations of animals in the zoo. They will then discuss how participants in the workshop can translate the lessons that we have taught to the unique resources in their community.

TAKEAWAYS:
By focusing on how to best engage with your unique resources, you can enrich the lives and the learning of your students, and help them connect with their community.

SPEAKERS:
Mark Richter (After-School Site Coordinator: Omaha, NE), Kenzie Meegan (Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo: No City, No State)

This presentation helps K-8 educators, often with limited time for science, to encourage scientific thinking and an engineering mindset everyday by integrating activities into their current schedules. 1) Discussion of STEM research and the classroom challenges of time, resources, and training 2) Brief review of the crosscutting concepts, science and engineering practices, and 21st Century skills 3) Introduction of six specific 15 minute activities and their use as bell ringers (work students do when they enter the classroom), centers, or stand-alone activities. Educators participate as a student and learn to develop these types of activities. 4) Introduction of a method for using picture books to emphasize the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and engineering thinking all while saving time by integrating ELA and science using graphic organizers and writing prompts. 5) Educators use a tool to create an action plan for their own classrooms.

TAKEAWAYS:
K-8 educators will learn how to encourage scientific thinking and an engineering mindset everyday with specific 15 minute activities and ELA integration ideas.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Starr (STEM Specialist: Clinton, IA)

Participants will gain experience evaluating student learning across the three dimensions using authentic student work samples. Discussion will focus on lesson-level three-dimensional performance expectations and what counts as evidence of student understanding for the three dimensions targeted by the assessment task. We will also use data collected from these student work examples to identify patterns/trends teachers can use to inform instruction to ensure all students have access to science learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants gain experience using the NSTA Student Work Analysis Protocol (open educational resource) and can share the protocol and application with colleagues in their school/district.

SPEAKERS:
Zoe Evans (Bremen City Schools: Bremen, GA), Kristin Rademaker (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Four methods to integrate (Charles W. [Andy] Anderson): Identify productive questions and goals; Provide rules for sensemaking; Guide the search for evidence; Support analogical reasoning. Using the lesson example - Marshmallows in a Vacuum: Set up a vacuum chamber and place a marshmallow inside. Start removing the air from the chamber. Ask students to make observations of what they see. Once most of the air is removed, stop and reverse the air movement to return to the chamber. Take the mass before each step. Another lesson example, Cookie Alarm: Design a cookie jar that sounds an alarm every time someone opens the jar. Participants are provided a container and micro:bit that they use to construct a solution. We will look through what information we need to gather in order to find the optimum solution to the problem. This will be accomplished without participants needing to code or have access to materials.

TAKEAWAYS:
How to harness the power of CCC's as tools to assist students in making sense of phenomena or solving engineering problems.

SPEAKERS:
Susan German (Hallsville Middle School: Hallsville, MO)

I will walk the audience through a landing page of my scale development for grading based off of Marzano’s book of scales for NGSS. I will explain how to convert the 0-4 grade into percentages for conventional grading systems. I will walk them through how to allow students to self-assess their knowledge gain based on objectives and putting those objectives into ladders of curriculum sequence. I will also explain how to use benchmark sheets for the Science and Engineering Practices that match their SEP part of the scale. I will also share the books and websites I gained my knowledge from, so attendees can develop their own mental model of the system for Standards-Based Grading and Learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
You will walk away with a landing page that lays out a system that can be your starting point into SBG & L in the three dimensions, with many resources contained within.

SPEAKERS:
Michelle Gall (North Bend Central Junior/Senior High School: North Bend, NE)

As a district, we have worked to ensure that all courses have three dimensional standards. We currently teach all of the NGSS standards by the completion of sophomore year. Our freshmen physical science course teaches the physical science standards and one-half of the earth science standards, while our sophomore biology course teaches the biology standards and the other one-half of the earth science standards. To meet the rigor of NGSS, our elective courses such as Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Earth Science, Forensics Science and Plants and Propagation have all built upon the NGSS standards in content, along with identifying Science and Engineering Practices and Crosscutting Concepts. Our goal would be that participants would leave with a process in which they could do the same. Our process has been influenced by the 5 tools training as well as many of the NSTA publications designed to lead teachers and teacher leaders in standard development.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will leave with a process for creating elective standards that are three-dimensional.

SPEAKERS:
Teresa Bender (Omaha Northwest High School: No City, No State), Jennifer Rhine (Omaha Public Schools: Omaha, NE)

The Framework requires that students engage in three-dimensional sensemaking around phenomena. In OpenSciEd units, this begins with the anchor lesson, in which students engage with a phenomenon in supported ways before generating the questions that drive the unit. Many teachers wonder how we get students to ask questions that align with the learning goals of the unit. In this session, participants will see for themselves how crosscutting concepts can appear in student questions and how those questions are motivated in the lesson. The presenters will discuss the important role crosscutting concepts play in supporting students' question generation, and participants will have an opportunity to see how students' initial questions and key crosscutting concepts continue to play a prominent role in sensemaking later in the storyline.

TAKEAWAYS:
Instruction can be designed so that crosscutting concepts are both a tool for student sensemaking as well as a desirable outcome. In particular, crosscutting concepts can help students ask questions that will be productive throughout a storylines unit.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Mills (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL)

It can be daunting to incorporate scientific modeling in a practical and applicable way. This inquiry-centered session will address modeling in the science classroom through hands-on experiences and discussion using NGSS-linked phenomena. The goal of this session is to provide teachers with an overview of modeling routines while providing ready-to-use resources to demystify this Science and Engineering Practice. This practice is an essential springboard for student discourse and increasing their science literacy. Models give students the opportunity to reflect on their learning and see their thoughts evolve over time about a given natural phenomenon. Participants will have a hands-on experience explaining the phenomenon, “What is happening when the boiling water hits the cold air?”. Participants will construct models illustrating their scientific explanation of this phenomenon and engage in collegial discussions about how they can incorporate scientific modeling practices into their

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to model a given natural phenomenon using scaffolds and ready-to-use resources for immediate classroom implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Brittany Blair (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT), Nicole Vitello Lowell (Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy: North Windham, CT)

This presentation helps K-8 educators to use picture books, informational texts, and writing opportunities to inspire students to pursue STEM careers. 1) Discussion of STEM research and the benefits of integrating science and literacy. 2) Introduction of over 120 STEM career picture books and specific tools for using them to address ELA concepts and highlight STEM careers. 3) Introduction of informational career texts and related strategies for developing ELA skills and scientific thinking. 4) Introduction of sources for STEM career videos and tools for integrating them into ELA instruction. 5) Introduction of student interest inventories to measure the impact of STEM career exposure.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will learn how to integrate ELA and STEM using picture books, informational texts, and writing opportunities to inspire students to pursue STEM careers.

SPEAKERS:
Emily Starr (STEM Specialist: Clinton, IA)

Our science department began transitioning to a standards-based grading system during the 2018-2019 school year with all courses using standards-based grading in 2020-2021. We teach the Physics and AP Physics 1 courses and will share our experiences preparing for and implementing standards based grading in both of those courses. Our department uses the science and engineering practices as the standards on which we score student proficiency. Our session will outline our philosophies on grading and reporting, our journey into and through standards based grading, and provide practical resources and tips on how to implement standards based grading in a 3D classroom. We plan on sharing our scaled learning skills on which we assess proficiency as well as our success criteria. We will share examples of assessments along with associated student work. Our session will allow time for small group discussions as well as a Q&A portion.

TAKEAWAYS:
How do you implement SBG in a physics course? In an AP course? How do you weave in the SEPs, DCIs, and CCCs? We’ll answer these questions and more while we share our philosophy, formative and summative assessments, sample student work, tips and tricks to make it work, and what to avoid.

SPEAKERS:
Andy Fitz (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Josh Bozeday (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL), Kristy Wrona (Adlai E. Stevenson High School: Lincolnshire, IL)

Many scientists argue that we live in a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene – named because human activity has become the most powerful driver of global change. That sounds intriguing… but what does it actually mean? Which human activities are driving global change? What changes are these drivers causing? How do those changes affect the biosphere? Interestingly, answering these questions – even in a brief presentation that restricts the number of drivers of change to a handful – often seems to “take the edge off” ideological bias that stubbornly impedes communication about the significance of climate change and other global change phenomena. This approach is also more scientifically accurate than ascribing all threats to ecosystem functions and biodiversity exclusively to climate change. As global human population rises toward 9 billion, understanding the multiple ways that our activities affect the biosphere is essential for efforts to find a safe operating space for humanity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Human-biosphere interactions offer relevant narratives and conceptual frameworks that integrate cause and effect; systems and system models; structure and function; and stability and change.

SPEAKERS:
Joseph Levine (Science Writer and Producer: Concord, MA)

Discover our newest curriculum, “Students as Scientists: Nature-based Inquiry”. This free curriculum is designed to engage all students in hands-on, authentic, inquiry projects inspired by nature. The curriculum is NGSS aligned, grade-banded K-5 and 6-12, and teacher co-written and reviewed. We intentionally diversified the people representing scientists and incorporated culturally responsive and sustaining techniques. Learn how to harness questions that arise from observing nature and help students discover their inner scientist with materials that aid teachers in scaffolding authentic inquiry. Questions might range from “How do the kinds of birds we see change during the year?” to “Why aren’t we seeing more butterflies at our school and what can we do to get more to visit?” to “How good is the water quality in the stream that runs through town?” By engaging in nature-based investigations, students develop their science skills and engage in science practices.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore our latest K-5 and 6-12 inquiry curriculum, discover tips and techniques for engaging all learners in nature-based inquiry investigations, and discuss ways to make inquiry learning relevant to your students.

SPEAKERS:
Susan Licher (Cornell Lab of Ornithology: Ithaca, NY)

This is a full tour of an astronomy research project done through NITARP (NASA Infrared Teachers Archive Research Program), which pairs Caltech astronomers with STEM teachers for authentic research using data from various observatories. The project presented here is a search for Young Stellar Objects (YSOs) in IC417 (the “Spider and Fly”) nebula. We’ll share how candidate objects were found, how object lists were generated and downloaded, how objects were identified and confidence values assigned. We’ll share how to make and interpret color-color plots, color-magnitude plots, spectral energy distribution plots and more. Most importantly, we’ll share how the astrophysics of star formation reveals itself in spectral data. And how confounding factors, such as dust in the interstellar medium, also show up in the data and can be compensated for. By attending this presentation, educators will be able to share a truer picture of the work of astronomers with their students.

TAKEAWAYS:
The participants will step through an entire astronomical research project from inception through data gathering, data vetting and processing, results, and publication. This will deepen the participant’s understanding of research and equip them to bring astronomical research to their school.

SPEAKERS:
Donna Kaiser (Stamford High School: Stamford, CT), Vincent Urbanowski (Academy of Information Technology & Engineering: Stamford, CT)

For Teachers, By Teachers -- A group of 25+ educators from the Midwest are currently developing a series of storyline units for science and agriculture teachers that engage students in developing explanations for agricultural phenomena and solving real-world problems. Students utilize the three dimensions of NGSS in each of the storylines as they learn about food systems, or the production, processing, distribution, and consumption of food products and interactions with the natural environment. During this session, participants will learn about storyline #2 which challenges students to figure out how different soils affect the kinds and quantities of food commodities that can be produced. Topics include: what is soil, effects of soil on plant growth, movement of matter and energy in soil, and how to decrease human impact on soils and biodiversity. Specific emphasis is placed on developing skills related to the Scientific & Engineering Practices and building Crosscutting Concepts.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in activities that are part of a new storyline unit on how soil affects the types and quantities of food commodities grown. Topics include what is soil, the effect of soil on plant growth, movement of matter and energy through soils, and how to decrease human impact on soils.

SPEAKERS:
Chris Embry Mohr (Olympia High School: Stanford, IL)

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center (DDPSC) in St. Louis, MO, is the world's largest non-academic plant science research institute. DDPSC collaborates with K-12 schools and higher education institutions to offer authentic research experiences (AREs) and course-based research experiences (CUREs), allowing students to participate in real science as practicing scientists. DDPSC’s 6-12 geospatial education program engages students to use GIS and remote sensing tools to address local plant science and agriculture challenges. DDPSC also partners with AVR companies like Zspace to offer students X-reality learning experiences that foster engagement in science practice and communication. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, we measure the impact of these programs on students’ STEM identity, interests, and career interests.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Danforth Center collaborates with K-12 and higher education to provide research, geospatial, and X-reality experiences for students in and out of the classroom to shape their STEM identities and expand their thinking about careers in STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Ashley Kass (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: No City, No State), Kristine Callis-Duehl (Donald Danforth Plant Science Center: Saint Louis, MO)

This presentation will consider the benefits of science fiction use in the science classroom and how SF is deeply tied to ethics. It will also give evidence of the many groundbreaking scientists and inventors who were inspired by science fiction. Classroom SF activities that encourage deep discussions about science and its place in society will be highlighted, as will suggestions for stories, movies, and novels that teach concepts in earth, space, physical, and life sciences. Detailed information about the SF genre and the impact of SF stories on science education and scientific literacy will be discussed. Participants will receive lesson plans and resources along with detailed lists of titles to integrate SF into their specific discipline, as well as history and literature links. Educators will participate in a lesson on biomes using SF as a medium for reviewing concepts and growing student interest in science. Classic authors and ways to integrate their stories will also be shown.

TAKEAWAYS:
Detailed ideas and resources for teaching concepts using science fiction in physical, earth, space, and life sciences, as well as history and literature.

SPEAKERS:
Kimberly Collingwood (Westwind Intermediate School: Phoenix, AZ)

Many students experience high school science without considering the interconnectedness of different domains. By leveraging the Energy and Matter crosscutting concept and uniting this lens with a forces perspective, we consider how a Matter-Energy-Forces (MEF) triangle can help students apply core principles of physical science across multiple domains. We explore the MEF triangle’s use in three different units that highlight Earth and Space Science alongside Biology, Physics or Chemistry to make explicit connections to the crosscutting concept of energy and matter and core life and physical science Disciplinary Core Ideas. Examples include fires, polar ice melt, tectonic plate motion, and meteors. We also consider how this tool could be useful for students over the course of many units and how it can increase access to more difficult life and physical science concepts through the use of this routine. Participants will practice applying the MEF triangle to phenomena in their contexts.

TAKEAWAYS:
The Framework calls for “a common use of language about energy and matter across the disciplines in science instruction.” The MEF triangle uses cues and prompts to draw attention to interactions between matter, energy, and forces to help students make sense of complex phenomena across domains.

SPEAKERS:
Whitney Mills (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Dan Voss (Northwestern University: Evanston, IL), Diego Rojas-Perilla (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)