Attendees will see samples of effective instructional science materials, appropriate teaching strategies, and models of professional development training aimed to address the developing Next Generation Science Standards.
See a model lesson used by teachers and Monterey Bay Aquarium which increases student curiosity, modeling how scientists actually “do” science - asking questions, accumulating evidence, extracting knowledge, and applying to new contexts.
Science or Writing? Accomplish both at the same time. Come learn various ways of helping students make student-authored science projects to demonstrate learning and take home to discuss with parents.
Utilize technology to further students’ understanding and engagement. Use phones, computers, and tablets to conduct real-time, in-class assessments, both formative and summative. Integrate vodcasting for remediation and differentiated instruction.
This session will provide teachers with the tools they need to explicitly teach students literacy strategies that will both increase their involvement in and expression of the scientific process.
Digital microscopy: utilize advanced technology, hardware, and software, to enhance your stem based science inquiry. The workshop includes demonstrations and hands-on activities with the latest digital scopes and flex cameras.
How is carbon connected to plants, fossil fuels and carbon dioxide? Check out our students assessment tool, and the hands-on lessons we use to help students explore this concept.
Handouts:
Join us to learn how you easily you can integrate media-making projects into your science program to engage learners, foster communication of science, and assess understanding!
Click here to access handouts from presenter's website.
Research shows that time spent planning "smarter" translates into improved student achievement. Explore elements of a standards-based instructional unit, using the backwards mapping model. Receive printed materials and interactive CD.
Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of our nation’s ten sources of energy using innovative, grade appropriate activities that engage all learning types.
Teaching and learning science just got easier with the new FOSS California website! In this interactive session, we’ll unveil new resources, including electronic teacher guides and student books.
This hands on workshop will include participants involved in "joint productive activities" using science observations and misconceptions integrated with literacy strategies to build academic language and vocabulary for English Learners.
We consider how educators provide opportunities for students to look at the nature of science explicitly, engage in practices of science and think about what we mean by scientific understanding.
Teachers will experience different strategies to develop listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills outlined in the new CCSS for English Language Arts while learning meaningful science and using critical thinking.
LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) is an environmental monitoring and education program for 6th grade- College level students. Learn how to get your students involved in hands-on, authentic scientific monitoring at your local beach. Participants receive the 5-unit Sandy Beach curriculum. Grade level 5-12.
Ticket: $20
Experience the future of science instruction with Discovery Education's High School Science Techbook. Discovery's High School Techbook engages students through a multimedia approach to science instruction.
Want science fun in your primary classroom? Mary Miche will sing nature songs and share her new book, "Nature's Patchwork Quilt." Join her for nature-science learning and sing-along fun.
Integration of any two subjects-including science and art-is truly a dance. Who leads? Who follows? Learn how science and arts integration can help students understand difficult science concepts.
Activity Before Content: Instructional strategies and activities that provide students with the essential experiences that serve as context for building knowledge in biology, earth science, chemistry, and physics.
Family STEM events are a great way to encourage families to do hands-on STEM together. Benefit from the experience of a team that has worked on dozens of these events.
Participants will assemble an intriguing hands-on kit which demonstrates key concepts of motion. RAFT facilitators will model effective classroom management strategies. Participants will receive free sets of materials!
Handouts:
Keeping iPads inside classrooms neglects the most powerful feature of these devices. See how the Monterey Bay Aquarium guides K-12 students to access and create information anywhere, using iPads.
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Learn to integrate technology and hands-on inquiry. STEM-focused forensic activities that link the scientific method with analysis and investigative skills to solve “cases” involving fingerprint, trace, DNA, and document evidence.
Atoms and cells are the same thing, right? Help students make sense of the very large and very small in this hands-on workshop.
Handouts:
This meeting is for leaders of small science organizations to meet and discuss their issues. Representatives of organizations, CSTA Chapters, or anyone interested in starting an organization is welcomed.
Come join us for an overview presentation regarding the Next Generation Science Standards and its connection to Common Core. Develop a deeper understanding of the key elements of these standards, the connection to 21st Century Skills, and the strong emphasis on engineering and technology integration. Time will be devoted to answering your questions and presenting the draft timeline for final development and implementation.
Handouts:
Donated and student cell phones are a powerful no-cost solution to technology integration. Used in conjunction with various free web-based applications, teachers can offer students a more interactive learning experience.
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Discovery Education is changing K-8 science instruction with the Science Techbook, a multimedia approach to teaching science. Learn how it is being implemented in classrooms across the country.
Online collaborative tools such as Google Docs are free and easy. Learn to harness their power in your classroom using a new approach we call Computer Supported Collaborative Science (CSCS).
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Social networking can engage students, increase academic discussion and extend the school day. We’ll explore how to effectively utilize the free social networking tool Edmodo in any classroom.
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Cell phones in science? Students use them to illustrate science concepts in their lives outside of school. Improve your photo skills and integrate engaging photo assignments into your curriculum.
Click here to access presenter's website with links to materials and resources.
This transformative technique engages students in a collaborative dialogue, uses critical thinking, and allows students to share their ideas without ridiculing others. Resources will be shared for immediate implementation.
Click here to access handouts from presenter's website.
Wondering how to increase student thinking/writing in notebooks? Science experiences offer opportunities to apply CACCSS ELA through student notebooks. Receive K-12 Alliance Criteria for Writing Conventions Packet and strategies for increasing evidence of student thinking/independence in notebooks. Grade level 3-8.
Ticket: $20
Classes often transform bacteria to express a protein then discard the plates after the “aha” moment. The protein responsible for the glow is the cash of the biotechnology industry! Participants will purify red fluorescent protein and visualize on vertical gels.
Ticket: $10
This talk will explore the idea of practices which are a major feature of the NRC Framework for Science Education published in 2011. It will explain why there has been a shift to the notion of practices from teaching science through inquiry, what it means for teaching science in the classroom and discuss what the change signifies. In particular, it will argue that this should not be seen as a revolution but rather an evolution and an improvement for the teaching of science.
Learn how to incorporate the most popular and exciting scientific field into your classroom. Participants will receive hands-on experience solving realistic crime scene scenarios using actual forensic techniques.
Handouts:
Science instruction can support ELs with strategies such as Discourse Circles, Graphic Organizers, Conversation Stems, and Vocabulary Cards. Leverage instruction in science and literacy through text structures and visual literacy. Grade Level K-5
Click here for conference handouts (10MB file)
Even elementary students understand the concept of bias. Watch us demonstrate a lesson in which students use that understanding to assess the reliability of internet sources. (Most appropriate for 3rd-8th.)
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What’s in your candy? Extract and identify food dyes from candy by separating them on a DIY electrophoresis box. Integrate STEM, biotech and chemistry!
Click here to download handouts from the presenter's Dropbox folder.
This session will highlight notebooking strategies that reinforce the 8 practices outlined in the Next Generation Science Framework and prepare students for college and career.
Discover how to create media-rich, interactive, science-based maps using free tools from Google. Enhance student learning by incorporating this fun, place-based technology into your curriculum.
Click here to access handouts from presenter's website.
Are we alone? Learn about the interdisciplinary field of Astrobiology. Your students can combine biology, chemistry, physics, Earth science, and astronomy to ponder the existence of life beyond Earth.
The NRC Committee report on Successful K-12 STEM Education, recommends ways that policymakers should elevate science education in grades K-12 to the same level of importance as reading and mathematics.
The Organized Binder increases student success by providing structure; including a starting routine, goal setting, review of the previous day’s standards, metacognitive reflection at the end of class, and more.
This presentation will introduce a research-based approach (developed, in part, with NSF funding) in which teachers use scaffolding and modeling to help elementary students learn how to think, speak, and write as scientists do. The focus of instruction in this approach is not literacy but science, which determines the forms of communication that students learn. Through student notebook entries and a video of a classroom in which a teacher is implementing the approach, the session will present strategies that conference participants can use immediately in their own classrooms.
This workshop intends to build awareness of the NGSS and effectively prepare educators to evaluate and provide critical feedback on the final version of the NGSS to appear late 2012.
Handouts (Links to Handouts Posted on Goolge Docs):
Start with a brief introduction of the Common Core Literacy standards and 21st Century Skills. Discover the commonalities and make plans to include in your lessons on Monday.
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Fun, interesting and easy standards based labs, activities, and a project demonstrating the scientific method. Participants will leave with engaging activities that you can use on Monday.
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MAGIC SCIENCE: magic + science = fun + wow! Learn several fun and very teacher-friendly, student-involved demos that "magically" introduce scientific concepts as they capture--and hold--your students ' attention!
This short course designed for K-5 educators will provide hands-on practice for orally capturing students’ science stories using Audacity, a free and easy-to-use digital audio recording tool for both Windows and Mac. Participants can immediately use this new digital media tool in the classroom! Grade level K-5.
Ticket: $10
When math and science teachers collaborate, students learn to model and defend science concepts using mathematical reasoning. Participants will develop an understanding of strategies for teaching concepts using common language. Grade level 7-12.
Ticket: $15
This session will show how to work with ELL and the Next Generation Science Standards in planning a learning cycle, developing background knowledge appropriately for Inquiry instruction, and vocabulary instruction through the tiered/ blended approach to scaffolding inquiry science. Grade level PreK-10.
Ticket: $20
This session provides an opportunity for participants to develop their understanding of the importance of using science as a vehicle to increase oral language development in all students.
Learn the nuts and bolts of planning an amazing Dinner with a Scientist event where students and teachers meet local scientists, engage in science activities, and participate in great conversations.
See how using visuals, realia, graphic organizers and plenty of accountable talk supports all students, especially ELs. Learn to organize instruction by focusing on big ideas, tools and strategies.
Click here for session handouts.
This session will look at engaging science activities and the mathematics that is embedded. We will explore the use of graphing, number sense and the common core standards for math.
Come join us for an overview presentation regarding the Next Generation Science Standards and its connection to Common Core. Develop a deeper understanding of the key elements of these standards, the connection to 21st Century Skills, and the strong emphasis on engineering and technology integration. Time will be devoted to answering your questions and presenting the draft timeline for final development and implementation. (This session is a repeat session.)
Handouts:
Learn how to supervise and grade Science PowerPoint projects. The student chooses a topic, determines a thesis, conducts research, creates slides, and presents to the class. Scoring guides provided.
Learn new tools and tips for teaching the EEI Curriculum, including common core connections, the new EEI PD website, tips for increasing digital implementation, and featured hands-on lessons.
Ever wonder how a lotus emerges from mud clean and beautiful? Scientists wondered too, and it inspired amazing innovations. Lessons in observation skills, sustainable solutions, and appreciation of life’s diversity.
Click to view Handouts for Presentation.
Excite your students by parachuting into the inquiry process. Learn how to develop an investigable question, design a parachute, test it, and modify the design to make a better parachute!
Unit on the Nature of Science (NOS), integrating a set of NOS lessons from the ENSI website using a student reader and teacher guide. Exposes misconceptions. Use for any science.
Handouts:
Hands-on activities explore the forms of energy – motion, heat, light, sound, electricity, and energy transformations. Gain confidence teaching energy concepts and receive free resource materials to energize your classroom!
Get a “fresh” perspective on common misconceptions and misuses in biology and chemistry. Come learn the process of lesson design, critical thinking and incorporating inquiry based activities into your classes.
Workshop Handouts:
This science safety workshop will provide participants with a general overview of science safety for public schools. A comprehensive set of materials will be provided to each participant.
Scientists do everything from climb trees to SCUBA dive in order to carry out their work. Perk students’ interest in a career in science through an exploration of multimedia resources.
Click here to access handouts from presenter's website.
Bring your questions and expertise to this round table discussion of best practices in science fairs. Let’s discuss scheduling, management, safety, pros and cons of competition, and more.
Explore the value of using media to help young learners deepen connections in science, build critical thinking skills, and reach diverse learners with free online media resources from PBS.
Come up with a compelling question that will drive your next class project to success. Get coaching, resources and support as you add PBL to your curriculum.
Click here to access presenter's website with links to materials and resources.
We will frame the challenges for our English Language Learners (ELLs) in secondary school. After identifying challenges in building language capacity in content classes, we will focus on specific strategies that will help make science classes a place to leverage many of the activities that can increase students' use and comprehension of English.
Handouts:
Change “I don’t have time for science” to “I have time for science!” FOSS CA Leadership Academy participants share practices that make time for science including notebooking, integration, and assessment.
Come join us for an overview presentation regarding the Next Generation Science Standards and its connection to Common Core. Develop a deeper understanding of the key elements of these standards, the connection to 21st Century Skills, and the strong emphasis on engineering and technology integration. Time will be devoted to answering your questions and presenting the draft timeline for final development and implementation. (This session is a repeat session.)
Handouts:
In this session we will examine the benefits of experiential learning, plan an experiential lesson based on California State Science Standards, and practice questioning skills necessary for experiential learning.
Teach students how scientists communicate, the role of primary and secondary sources, and how to find, read, and use peer-reviewed journal articles. Plus participate in a hands-on model lesson. Handouts.
Want to get your English, history, and math colleagues teaching science? Learn to create standards-based interdisciplinary performance assessments which train students to think like scientists in historical and “real-world” scenarios.
First year teachers share the lessons they developed using Lesson Study methodology. Sales of lessons will be shared.
The presenter will model how to embed academic language development strategies into a biology lesson and then facilitate groups of participants to implement these strategies in their own science teaching.