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)

The EYE curriculum unit was co-created by middle school science teachers and architectural studies and science education faculty with the goal of improving students’ energy literacy and energy conservation practices. It consists of four modules that span six weeks of classroom instruction. The modules include investigations on energy and energy systems, natural and artificial lighting, building heating and cooling, and a capstone engineering project that guides students in designing a new classroom. The unit is place-based, using the local school building as a source of shared student experiences to connect to abstract energy concepts. Our workshop will overview the EYE unit structure and rationale and cover some of the key energy and architecture concepts embedded in the unit. We will provide hands-on experiences and a venue tour to model how building features can be leveraged to teach fundamental energy concepts in a real-world context for improved student engagement and learning.

TAKEAWAYS:
Our workshop venue will allow us to model how the EYE unit leverages tangible building features to enhance students’ understanding of abstract energy concepts. Attendees will receive a link to EYE’s classroom-ready materials, including engineering game cards, a budget spreadsheet, and slide decks.

SPEAKERS:
Meera Sood (Smithton Middle School: Columbia, MO), Suzy Otto (University of Missouri)

University of Illinois STEM educators have created classroom activities that allow students to conceptually explore topics in electricity. The workshop activities include assembling a breakout board that models a simplified power system for a small neighborhood. The circuit prototype responds to an outage and redirects the flow of power. Participants explore the components and characteristics of simple circuits, logic gates, and relays. They also engage in an energy delivery themed, escape room style activity developed by educators at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with support from the US Department of Energy. This virtual environment presents a fictional, but based on real events, cascading blackout scenario and challenges players to find the cause. Participants analyze data from the blackout, determine what went wrong, and propose strategies to prevent another such event in the future. Time will be allotted for debriefing and sharing ideas for classroom implementation.

TAKEAWAYS:
The US power grid is the system of producers and consumers of electricity. It includes power generators, switches, substations, miles of power lines, and millions of transformers. The power grid is continually evolving as we integrate alternative power resources and invent technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Lara Hebert (Assistant Director, Engineering Public Engagement: Urbana, IL), Jana Sebestik (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL)

Opportunities abound for young people to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in a range of settings outside of the classroom. They can engage with STEM in summer camps, after-school programs, Boys & Girls Clubs, and even trendy birthday parties. Numerous studies document the benefits of effective out-of-school STEM learning—e.g., increased interest in STEM, enriched knowledge of STEM ideas, enhanced confidence, and a sense of accomplishment. Given the benefits of out-of-school STEM learning and to increase access to high-quality STEM experiences for our middle schoolers, we developed an after-school program for them to enjoy STEM in engaging, authentic, and relevant ways. We will (1) share the framework/commitments that guided the design of our “Out-of-School and Into STEM” club, (2) model an abbreviated club session, and (3) provide resources for participants that may be helpful in designing their own out-of-school STEM experiences for students.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will be provided with a framework and resources to guide the design of an out-of-school STEM Club and participate in a design-based club activity.

SPEAKERS:
Raven Brzeszkiewicz (Student: , IN), Jared Simoneaux (Science Teacher: , IN), Megan Johnson (Science Teacher), Lynn Bryan (Purdue University: West Lafayette, IN)

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)

Find out how engaging students with compelling and complex socio-scientific problems necessitates student learning in many disciplines to design solutions. Gain strategies to support students in transdisciplinary learning and apply that learning to problem-solving with shared resources and examples.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to engage students in learning that centers on addressing pressing social challenges and be able to describe transdisciplinary approaches to education.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (: Kenner, LA)

In the presentation, I will be sharing STEM activities for grades 6-8. The activities shared will include STEM icebreakers, STEM projects for content units, and other fun and engaging STEM activities. Get ready to have a STEM-sational time as you will be creating projects to take back to your school. I will also provide links to activities/projects that participants can use that will not be demonstrated/experienced that will align the concept of cells to TEKS for grades 6-8.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will experience hands-on learning for grades 6-8. This experience will give attendees fun and engaging activities for students to learn about STEM.

SPEAKERS:
Amy Rush (Lufkin Middle School: Lufkin, TX), Rebecca Walker (Tays Junior High School: Katy, TX)

Looking for ways to integrate engineering in your science curriculum? Join us to become familiar with freely-available, high-quality instructional materials that create opportunities for students to apply science ideas to solve real-world problems, gain confidence and see themselves in STEM careers.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how to engage students in learning that centers on addressing pressing social challenges and be able to describe transdisciplinary approaches to education.

SPEAKERS:
Rob Wallace (: Kenner, LA)

Today's mission - should you choose to accept - will require teams of engineers to design and build a bridge that will hold at least 20 coins. During this lesson, engineers will be asking questions and defining problems to fully understand the mission, criteria, and constraints. Next, we will design our bridges and sell our design ideas to the team, selecting the optimal ideas to incorporate into the group design. Then, we will construct and test our bridges, identify failure points, and recommend improvements. Teachers will receive a copy of ready-made engineering design worksheet that can be utilized in their classrooms to facilitate incorporation of engineering design challenges (and can be modified to fit any K-12 classroom]. Following the design challenge, presenters will offer a range of applications for design challenges making this content relevant to all disciplines. Examples include protein folding, electromagnets, balancing forces, and Rube Goldberg Machines.

TAKEAWAYS:
Educators will take away materials for teaching the engineering design process that can be modified to fit ANY K-12 classroom, as well as a list of possible projects with connections to various DCI strands.

SPEAKERS:
Bailey Johnson (Hastings Public Schools: Hastings, NE), Kristen Benton (Kenesaw Public Schools: Kenesaw, NE)