Members of NSTA's Professional Learning Committee want to meet you! Join us as we kick-off the Sensemaking and Crosscutting Concepts Conference Course. This session gives an overview of how CCCs are used to enrich SEPs and DCIs, enhance student sensemaking, and guide future instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
This session is a call to action for realizing the power of CCCs. Attendees will have an opportunity to connect with NSTA's PL Committee, collaborate with fellow science leaders, and leave with an invitation to continue the conference course to further understandings of sensemaking and CCCs.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Garelli (Arizona Science Teachers Association), Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Sharon Cates (Phenomenon Science Education: Amherst, MA), Kimberley Astle (Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: Olympia, WA), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

Three different options will be shared that will help teachers bring their students outside where they can connect with nature. This includes 2 PBLs. Logistics and content will be clearly explained so that teachers can use these ideas immediately with their classes that focus on ecology.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will learn 3 different successful low-cost activities (including 2 PBLs) that they can use directly in their classrooms to connect their students with nature regardless of their geographic location. The presenter will share materials to help teachers plan logistics and content.

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

Participants will learn about the characteristics of hiqh-quality instructional materials (HQIM) and how to identify them. They will use EdReports resources to compare and contrast materials based on markers of quality and discuss how to use this process when selecting HQIM for their local context.

TAKEAWAYS:
Through engaging in a sample materials selection process, participants will gain an understanding of the characteristics of high-quality instructional materials (including sensemaking and the presence of phenomena and problems) and how to use EdReports' free resources.

SPEAKERS:
John-Carlos Marino (Science Lead), Shannon Wachowski (EdReports.org: Fort Collins, CO)

Educators and researchers from the inquiryHub partnership between DPS and CU Boulder share their experiences as they co-designed (and co-redesigned) the iHub Biology curriculum, professional learning to accompany it, and other classroom tools to support its use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers partnering with researchers can yield engaging curriculum materials that support more equitable teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Watkins (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO)

Share ideas and discuss ways to navigate the political and socio economic climates of diversity, equity and inclusion in science education. Highlight examples of schools and districts that have implemented DEI initiatives with current successes, pitfalls, and next steps for science instruction.

TAKEAWAYS:
The importance of addressing DEI in science education. This emphasizes the need for open discussions and idea sharing on how to navigate the political and socioeconomic landscapes related to DEI in science education.

SPEAKERS:
Sephali Thakkar (National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA): No City, No State), Sharon Delesbore (Stephen F. Austin High School: No City, No State), Leena McLean (STEM4Real), Acacia McKenna (NSTA: Arlington, VA)

Chemistry storylines supporting phenomena-based curriculum and alignment to Next Generation Science Standards. High school chemistry teachers partnered with Northwestern University Materials Research Center to design and implement two new modules— STEM+C Solar Cell Project and SCI+Art Project.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn how NGSS inquiry and design pedagogy can be used with Materials World Modules. Each module connects everyday phenomena to NGSS performance expectations, emphasizing how to build toward design and engineering skills. Presenters will share modifications to meet varying academic levels.

SPEAKERS:
Ami LeFevre (Niles West High School: Skokie, IL)

We will introduce our recently published NSTA book containing a collection of units and resources to help teachers engage students in three-dimensional learning through model-based inquiry.

TAKEAWAYS:
Learn about four biology model-based inquiry units for rigorous and equitable instruction. Developed with secondary science teachers, the session guides three-dimensional learning, anchoring phenomena, modeling, and scientific explanations.

SPEAKERS:
Todd Campbell (University of Connecticut: Storrs Mansfield, CT), Ron Gray (Northern Arizona University: Flagstaff, AZ)

Presenters will discuss assessment shifts of the CCCs from an implicit to an explicit approach, highlighting the benefits that has on teaching and learning. Students who use CCCs regularly build confidence in their science practices and develop a stronger sense of science identity.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will explore how CCCs are a lens for student sensemaking, uncover the HOW and WHY we use assessment to drive learning forward, and reflect on their own next steps for assessment and instruction related to CCCs for student sensemaking.

SPEAKERS:
Rebecca Abbott (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Sharon Cates (Phenomenon Science Education: Amherst, MA), Leah Litz (Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium: No City, No State)

OpenSciEd Biology's 3rd unit explores who gets cancer and why and where we should focus efforts on treatment and prevention. Learn how students build understanding of inheritance and variation of traits through modeling, investigations and cause and effect thinking.

TAKEAWAYS:
This unit supports students as they figure out understandings of inheritance and related ideas. Participants will see how students build these ideas through a series of investigations.

SPEAKERS:
Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)

Little is known about how the framing of phenomena impacts students’ interest and sense of relevance. We share findings from a study where we asked students to rate how relevant and interesting they found four phenomena either described using an engineering, a local, a neutral, or a justice framing.

TAKEAWAYS:
Framing a phenomenon as an engineering design problem, a social or environmental justice issue, a local event, or a neutral problem influences students' perception of interest and relevance, which can influence how they engage as learners.

SPEAKERS:
Diego Rojas-Perilla (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Zoe Buck Bracey (Senior Science Educator and Director of Design for Justice: Colorado Springs, CO), Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO)

What might seem like student apathy and lack of engagement may be a student simply needing connection, community, and care. Join high school teachers as they share instructional practices and strategies used to create a positive and equitable classroom that can improve student outcomes.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will be led through a variety of engaging activities and instructional practices put together over the past 3 school years. The activities are aimed at building engagement within the classroom with special attention to student trauma and equitable practices.

SPEAKERS:
Sydney Recknagel (Reeths Puffer: No City, No State), Kari Parnin (Science Consultant)

The water-flea, Daphnia, is a charismatic model organism in the life sciences. They are easy to find in lakes/ponds and to care for, making them great for classroom investigations. Here we present two interconnected curriculum units exploring the effects of pollution on Daphnia and their ecosystems.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to facilitate NGSS-aligned, inquiry-driven classroom investigations with Daphnia. We will share two examples of interconnected investigations based on our current work as science graduate students at the University of Illinois. Curriculum materials will be provided.

SPEAKERS:
Patrick Wilson (PhD Student: Urbana, IL), Barbara Hug (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Champaign, IL), Jeannette Cullum (Graduate Student: Urbana, IL)

Our brains and our students' brains are programmed to engage with stories. This is true not only for the stories of STEM discoveries and history but also for broader applications. Engagement, understanding, and even classroom culture all benefit when the instructor becomes the storyteller.

TAKEAWAYS:
Come learn how to find, cultivate, create, and deliver the stories embedded within your content area with a published author and 16-year science educator. Also, learn techniques for adding story where it might not seem apparent and building the story of your classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Matt Brady (Atkins High School: Winston-Salem, NC)

Explore the importance of reflective thinking, skepticism, and the tools for critical inquiry as emphasized by Sagan's Baloney Detection Kit. This session guides educators in fostering students' intellectual curiosity and equipping them with survival skills for the information age.

TAKEAWAYS:
Equip yourself with strategies to foster reflective and skeptical thinking in students, empowering them with Sagan's nine components of critical inquiry, ensuring they navigate the information glut with discernment.

SPEAKERS:
Nathan Lang-Raad (Author, Speaker, Educator: , ME)

This session will connect the teaching methods of our elders to the current best practices in STEM education. This will include the removal of barriers to learning as well as taking the lessons into the world of students. Lesson templates will be shared as well as examples of all methods.

TAKEAWAYS:
For many attendees, existing materials and methods can be adapted to the worlds of the students and drastically increase engagement, critical thinking, and practical application. This will result in a strengthening of the student's identity as a STEM learner, as well as STEM being a possible career.

SPEAKERS:
Joel Truesdell (Kamehameha Schools Hawaii Campus: Keaau, HI)

Engage in conversations for how to use the three dimensions of the NGSS and the NRC Framework, storylines, driving questions, formative and summative assessments, and hands-on activities to learn science and engineering skills while making sense of one of our most basic needs – FOOD.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will engage in a morsel of a storyline on producing the perfect apple. In this storyline, students notice and wonder about different varieties of apples and are challenged to explain why it took 30 years for the Honeycrisp apple to be available to consumers.

SPEAKERS:
Shane Cullian (Whitewater High School: Whitewater, WI)

CO voter's approved Prop 114, a plan to restore and manage gray wolves in CO. Join CPW to learn how you can engage students in lessons that utilize this current and relevant work to understand the relationship between science and society in conservation and wildlife management.

TAKEAWAYS:
Conservation and wildlife management does not happen in a silo, but needs to take into account many stakeholders' wants, needs, and concerns. It's important to understand the perceptions of people as much as the ecological and biological requirements of a species for a reintroduction to be successful.

SPEAKERS:
Heather Hubbard (Statewide Formal Education Coordinator: Denver, CO)

Educators and researchers from the inquiryHub partnership between DPS and CU Boulder share their experiences as they co-designed (and co-redesigned) the iHub Chemistry curriculum, professional learning to accompany it, and other classroom tools to support its use.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers partnering with researchers can yield engaging curriculum materials that support more equitable teaching and learning.

SPEAKERS:
Douglas Watkins (Denver Public Schools: Denver, CO)

Learning targets and success criteria are meant to support our students, but they often give away meaningful opportunities for sensemaking. Come consider our process for embedding the 3Ds into our learning targets and success criteria to ensure administrative compliance AND student sensemaking.

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

SPEAKERS:
Martha Inouye (University of Wyoming: Laramie, WY), Erin Arnold (Green River High School: , WY), Megan Allen (Teacher: Green River, WY), Shawna Mattson (Green River High School: Green River, WY), Richard Carroll (Teacher: Green River, WY), Ana Houseal (University of Wyoming: Laramie, WY)

A high school senior, her teacher, and her mother will discuss the execution and benefits of a third-year chemistry class that was driven by a local disaster.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will gain perspective on using real-life occurrences to help drive student engagement, scientific inquiry, and course content.

SPEAKERS:
Kristen Miller (Educator: Columbiana, OH), Karagin Miller (Student), Veronica Kotel (Crestview High School: Columbiana, OH)

Members of NSTA’s Urban Advisory Panel share ideas about leveraging community partnerships to obtain resources, curriculum, and learning activities.

TAKEAWAYS:
Simple, easy, and inexpensive methods for urban teachers to create an NGSS-aligned science curriculum or lesson, even in a district without extra resources or outdoor space. We can help you partner with local museums, universities, historical societies, and other community sources.

SPEAKERS:
Wendy Jackson (The Lawrence Hall of Science: Berkeley, CA), Latanya Brandon (SUNY New Paltz: New Paltz, NY), Adrine Williams (Jackson State University: Jackson, MS), Rebecca Kurson (Collegiate School: New York, NY), Selene Verhofstad (Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship: No City, No State), Brad Rhew (Guilford County Schools: No City, No State)

In science classrooms, we often focus on the "subject of study" without addressing the other two "subjects" in the room: the teacher and student. Awakening the spirits of the educator and students in the classroom leads to a stronger sense of belonging and respect, & greater lesson effectiveness.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn two foundational models of human awareness and behavior, then create interpersonal intentions that will provide a higher level of effectiveness and enjoyment for themselves and students in the classroom.

SPEAKERS:
Mick Scott (CS and Engineering Teacher / Former K-12 STEM Director / Mind Mastery Coach)

Students often find it perplexing that elevated atmospheric CO2 reduces carbonate ion concentrations in the ocean as they learn that increasing the concentration of reactants enhances product formation. Join this session to explore the underlying processes using an interactive computer model.

TAKEAWAYS:
Attendees will utilize an interactive computer model to investigate how three interconnected reactions influence oceanic pH and dissolved inorganic carbon dynamic as atmospheric CO2 level changes. They will also receive ready-to-use classroom activity materials and tips for implementation.

SPEAKERS:
Lin Xiang (University of Kentucky: Lexington, KY)

By 2025, it’s estimated that 463 exabytes of data will be created daily; that’s like 212,765,957 DVDs/day! How can our students know if the information they receive is credible? Generation Skeptics teaches the necessary skills with lessons and guest speakers. (www.generationskeptics.org)

TAKEAWAYS:
Generation Skeptics arms educators with free resources to instill skepticism in students. Recognizing the proliferation of misinformation, GenSkeps seeks to equip the next generation with the enduring principles of the scientific method and the importance of substantiating claims with evidence.

SPEAKERS:
Bertha Vazquez (G. W. Carver Middle School: Miami, FL)

Physics educators utilize culturally-based teaching methods. We spotlight professional communities of physics instructors emphasizing (1) strong teacher identity, (2) effective curriculum design, and (3) student comprehension assessment.

TAKEAWAYS:
Physics educators emphasize culturally-based teaching, focusing on teacher identity, curriculum design, and student understanding. They lean towards culturally relevant pedagogy, facing challenges in fostering critical thinking and student autonomy.

SPEAKERS:
Clausell Mathis (Assistant Professor: , MI)

In this session, participants will utilize activities that use model representation to help students understand processes like protein synthesis and genetic mutations. These complex biological processes engage students in the scientific practice of using and developing models.

TAKEAWAYS:
Teachers will gain access to free resources to teach types of genetic mutations and simulate protein synthesis, with multiple versions of the student activity available. Attendees will practice using one of the student versions and consider how to embed this activity in their lessons.

SPEAKERS:
Aja Mattise-Lorenzen (High School Science Teacher: Fort Collins, CO), Dr. Yajaira Fuentes-Tauber (Rocky Mountain High School: Fort Collins, CO)

Participants will learn about and experience how we created student-focused digital video science labs. We will share how we modified existing labs by identifying phenomena, developing mini-storylines with student materials, and creating/editing videos.

TAKEAWAYS:
Participants will learn how to develop storyboards along with how to video/edit their associated three-dimensional sensemaking interactive labs.

SPEAKERS:
Laura Sanches (Saratoga Middle/High School: Saratoga, WY), Lesley Urasky (Saratoga Middle/High School: Saratoga, WY)

OpenSciEd High School units consider all student sensemaking to be three-dimensional - including the questions that drive the unit. Explore examples from biology, chemistry, and physics show how targeted anchor lessons help students ask productive questions.

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:
Jamie Noll (BSCS Science Learning: Colorado Springs, CO), Kate Henson (University of Colorado Boulder: Boulder, CO)