Conference Program/Sessions

Examples of hands-on investigations, digital investigations, and digital teacher demonstrations from the Carolina 3D Flex kit lines will be shared with teachers as they participate in four biology activities that illustrate how in-class, hands-on laboratory investigations have been modified by Carolina for use in socially-distanced classrooms and remote learning settings.

Examples of hands-on investigations, digital investigations, and digital teacher demonstrations from the Carolina 3D Flex kit lines will be shared with teachers as they participate in four chemistry activities that illustrate how in-class, hands-on laboratory investigations have been modified by Carolina for use in socially-distanced classrooms and remote learning settings.

Family STEM events can help stimulate curiosity and support NGSS implementation. Learn tried and true strategies for establishing your own Family Science Night Program from a veteran who has been leading STEM enrichment events for years. Whether you want a plug-and-play solution or you want to build your own program from the ground up, we’ll show you how and provide strategies for virtual events as well! Free resources and a raffle for fun prizes!

The easy-to-implement DIVE Method (deconstruct, imitate, vary, explore) engages students in analyzing existing technologies and then innovating upon them, like professional engineers. Try it out in this fun, hands-on virtual session. Great for NGSS engineering, coding, makerspaces, and afterschool programs!

The CA Science Framework encourages teachers to swap out generic phenomena for local phenomena. Come learn what makes good phenomena so you can customize your lessons to your students regardless of what curriculum you are using. We’ll also discuss the three types of phenomena (everyday, investigative, and anchoring) and practice framing guiding questions using crosscutting concepts in this fun, hands-on workshop that will use distance-learning friendly examples of real-life phenomena! We’ll be raffling off a few fun phenomena too!

This session will be an exploration and framing of "diversity, equity, and inclusion" relating to science instruction, with consideration of outdoor settings. We will discuss the role and impact of "cultural relevancy" and systemic inequities on learner agency while also stressing how constructs such as race matter. This is not purely in the context of the indoor classroom and instruction, but also in the outdoors as a platform of instruction and given the larger sociocultural contexts of student's lives.

Observe a fun, hands-on 5E lesson sequence scaffolded around SEP-2: Developing and Using Models. Then learn the strategies we used to design storylines around target SEPs in order to create model NGSS lesson sequences for our K-5 teachers. Also learn strategies for adapting instruction for distance learning while maintaining opportunities for students to practice the SEPs.