Sunday Sessions

Language develops most powerfully when it is in the context of building knowledge and interacting with the world. The intersection of science and ELD instruction lands squarely in the NGSS science and engineering practices—in the doing of science. Students are also “doing language” by asking questions, planning investigations, developing models, constructing explanations, and engaging in argumentation. The equitable engagement in these practices supports the fundamental goal and principles of the CA ELD standards—using language in meaningful and relevant ways.

Each day in the classrooms and schools across the state and the country, there are students who do not feel they are part of the system. They are "invisible." In this presentation, Dr. Pruitt will discuss how we can ensure these students are "seen" in our scinece classrooms and subsequently set up to be successful members of the economy and allow them to pursue their version of the Amerivan Dream.

Nature journaling is a powerful learning tool that leads students to make deep observations, remember what they notice, think critically, and build a sense of place. Come learn how to make nature journaling a seminal practice in your classroom integrating science, mathematics, and visual and language arts, and building environmental literacy. Workshop leaders will offer strategies for managing students in the outdoors and online, connecting to NGSS, and giving feedback on student journals.

The class will give participants a foundation in nature journaling as a practice, how it supports learning, and how they can implement it in their classrooms. The workshop will be based on material from How to Teach Nature Journaling, co-authored by presenters John Muir Laws and Emilie Lygren (available as a free download here: https://johnmuirlaws.com/product/how-to-teach-nature-journaling/).

Participants will need a pencil, a journal or piece of paper, or two different leaves from two different kinds of plants. (this could be from any kind of plant, including vegetables from your fridge, or a photograph of a leaf).

Presentation and Discussion of a uniquely created curriculum between the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, the Palm Springs unified School District, and The Foundation (the Philanthropic Organization for PSUSD)

Review the development of the curriculum, topics in curriculum (rock art, importance of water, artifacts, wildlife and environmental protection, natural resources of the desert).

Tribal committment to educational programs.

Discover how hands-on modeling can engage students when teaching PCR, Sanger Sequencing, and Restriction Enzymes. Explore how these activities enrich in-class and distance learning. Through these lessons, your students can experience the process, not just memorize results.

In this hands-on interactive workshop, participants will learn how to utilize physical chromosome and DNA models to explore and compare the processes of mitosis and meiosis with students.

Participants will be immersed in an investigation designed to reach all learners and make learning science concepts fun and engaging. They will make different kinds of waves with different materials and come up with a scientific definition of waves.

Water is everywhere! Learn about the journey a water molecule takes through NGSS experiences and Computer Science enhancements. Participants will engage in a 5E lesson investigation, learn how to develop an animated model, and construct an explanation of model limitations.

Are your students empowered to take ownership of their STEAM learning? Adapt PEAK curriculum, NGSS aligned, and EP&C inclusive lessons into a hands-on student-centered experience by engaging your “inner child” through empathy to frame equity.

This workshop combines science and health standards with the Environmental Principles and Concepts. Participants will engage in self-selected localized phenomena (earthquake fire, etc.) and learn how students can prepare their homes, school, and community in an emergency.

We can all recite Newton’s laws of motion, but what do they really mean? We’ll provide high-and-low-tech activities that help students gain a conceptual understanding of Newton’s Laws that model NGSS’s three dimensions using an exciting engineering challenge!

Modeling is part of NGSS Crosscutting Concepts, Scientific and Engineering Practices and Disciplinary Core Ideas. Learn how students can use programs in Microsoft Office and Google Drive to build and manipulate Earth science and astronomical models.

Can your students save Giant Pandas? Explore topics such as homeostatic regulation and the effect of reproductive hormones, immunological responses and ecosystem balance all at once as they engineer a hormone detection system that can be utilized for Panda conservation.

Items useful for distance learning on our Classroom Resources site

Slide Deck
Paper Model - Please print and cut out prior to session 
Technique Video of ELISA 
Teacher Manual
Student Manual

Giant Panda Problem Kit product site

Come find out how the CCCs can bolster both equity and rigor in the science classroom. We’ll look at some resources, templates, and activities to get all students thinking at deeper DOK levels and using academic language with the CCCs.

We’ll learn and use simple transformative research-based and widely-tested critical thinking tools that inspire students to directly engage with nature and with each other anywhere using science practices. We’ll also dive deep into the pedagogy behind them.

Come see how Santa Ana Unified School District and ASPIRE collaborated with NASA/JPL to integrate Environmental Science, EP&C, and Engineering into their high school Physics courses. Leave with all of the developed resources for this full Project-Based Learning unit!

What does assessment look like in the 3-D classroom? Experience Pre-Assessments, Formative Assessments, and Summative Assessments in multiple formats for a K-5 science classroom. Learn how 3 dimensional learning goes hand and hand with 3 dimensional assessments.

Are the egg drop and pea pod activities still a part of your middle school classroom? If so, it’s time for a science activity makeover. Join us and experience new and improved versions of both of these favorite activities.

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!

 

Join neuroscientist and cognitive researcher Victor Minces, and High Tech High teacher Chris Olivas, as they walk through free online tools designed for exploring and creating sound and music. Participants will experience an introduction to sound and an overview of an NGSS-aligned learning sequence suitable for distance learning.
To play with the online tools, and make sure they work on your computer, visit: www.listeningtowaves.com/sound-exploration
 

Early Implementer teachers have reported that students greatly benefit from NGSS instruction. We will discuss how 3 types of benefits for students are being achieved through NGSS instruction: (1) higher student engagement, (2) more inclusive engagement, and (3) higher-level learning.

Administrator support is essential for successful NGSS implementation. Our session outlines two years of systemic NGSS administrator professional learning. The session includes tools for data driven decision making and processes for continuous improvement of NGSS implementation.

Using talking, reading, and writing skills can be an important foundation for teaching literacy Through these activities, teachers can increase rigor in their classroom and promote a more student-centered environment, whether meeting students face to face or in a virtual platform. Participants will use a variety of tech tools that can easily be used with students in a distance learning environment.

Discover ways to integrate environmental literacy into TK-5 5E project-based investigations aligned to EP&Cs and NGSS starting with real-world phenomena or local environmental problems which lead to project-based solutions or community-based advocacy work.

Do your students struggle to create explanations? In this session you will engage in a series of activities designed to provide equitable access to all students through various strategies as they construct explanations that develop their evidence and reasoning.

Come join a conversation around equity and grading! Learn how to create and use 4-point and single-point rubrics to assess three dimensional learning. Let’s share ideas as we all figure out how to create equitable NGSS assessment systems together!

Analyze current systems of inequity in schools, reflect on implicit bias and microaggressions that affect student outcomes and learn key instructional strategies for every student, including our most vulnerable student populations. Leave with an example of a culturally responsive lesson!

The miniPCR Sleep Lab links the genetic control of circadian rhythms to students’ own DNA. Use PCR and DNA gel electrophoresis to determine your own circadian genotype. Students explore a genetic association in this authentic research investigation.

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) provides a framework to support students in constructing and evaluating scientific phenomena, explanations, and arguments. Learn how to implement this effective strategy and scaffold support to nurture science literacy and foster critical thinking throughout grades K-12.

Explore ways that learners can engage with local phenomena with the support of nonformal partners and community members. The focus will be looking at how resources are shared in the Inland Area of Southern California. Learn about the development of a regional Environmental Learning Resource Guide.

Gather evidence to make a model of how the cooling of the earth’s interior is driving its exterior plate motion. Join us and be part of the upper crust as we investigate the driving force of plate tectonics.

Join us in sharing YOUR concerns and resources for enhancing equity and access to STEM programs. Learn what other organizations are doing for STEM equity nationwide. Receive a list of equity/STEM resources and references.

Learn about the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Project-Based Science framework. Our work to inspire conservation of the ocean starts when we empower student agency and develop a sense of place through local environmental action projects.

It''s widely recognized that the convergence of science and ELA results in increased student understanding. Come experience an NGSS-aligned learning sequence through the lens of literacy. Be ready to consider planning science instruction with a focus on literacy.

Join the Exploratorium’s Institute for Inquiry to see how to support young students engage in the practice of Analyzing and Interpreting Data to make sense of phenomenon. We will observe snails and share our experiences from the classroom!

Schoolyards can be ideal settings for engaging, phenomenon-driven lessons that build students’ environmental literacy and scientific sensemaking skills. We’ll model an activity, make connections to the NGSS and inclusive teaching practices, and share strategies for supporting effective outdoor learning.

The Understanding Global Change Project at UC Berkeley and classroom educators co-developed online and interactive learning materials that allow students to construct models that explain the Earth as an interconnected, dynamic system. Come explore the Earth system with us!

Students who feel connected to their classmates and teachers do better socially, emotionally, and academically. Learn how to use science instruction to build a community of learners, where all students know they and their ideas are valuable.

Participants will investigate the phenomenon of a tomatillo plant that has flowers but no fruit using a variety of information sources, such as articles, images, video, and hands-on interactions. SEP8 is explicitly used to consider multiple text types.

Learn how note-booking provides students opportunities to think and act as scientists. Strategies and examples such as guided student observations, focus questions, scaffolds and diagrams will be highlighted by focusing on the NGSS SEP “ obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information”.

A life in science inspired at an early age complemented by comedy and acting doesn't sound like a normal path, but is exactly the experience of Dr. Mayim Bialik. Join us as Mayim shares what inspired her to pursue a career in science (as well as acting), balanced with a dose of laughter and entertainment, experiences as a woman in the field of research and what we can all do to make an impact on the future of our students.