8:00-9:00AM General Session

Welcome

OSTA Conference Chair, Carolyn Whitney

OSTA President, Stephen Scannell

Keynote Speaker

Brad Fulton

SESSION 1A (60 MINUTES): 9:10-10:10AM

Laboratory safety

Audience: 6-12

Location: 218

The pursuit of STEM activities have pressured science labs to evolve. Makerspaces and nontraditional lab settings are becoming more common throughout schools and communities. What can we do to make sure these nontraditional lab settings are still putting safety first? Come learn what OSHA requirements you’re still required to uphold.

Jacquelyn Rondhuis, Parkrose High School

 

Support, Motivate and Showcase STEM Engagement through Student Participation in Science Fair

Audience: 6-12

Location: 206

Presenters will give an overview of how you can leverage student interest in doing STEM projects with opportunities for them to showcase their work, interact with professionals and other students, and be eligible to receive awards and scholarships through preparing and presenting projects for the Northwest Science Expo System (NWSES). Presenters will share their experiences of the benefits of participation and best practices in supporting student participation in one of 8 science fairs in NWSES and how students can advance to  present at Oregon's state level fair Northwest Science Expo (NWSE) and the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).  This program is accessible to all students (public, private, home-school) at the middle and high school levels.  

Stephen Scannell, Gresham-Barlow SD/OSTA; Julie Trisel; Tom Stueve

 

Exploring OpenSciEd from Carolina

Audience: 6-8

Location: 209

Come experience a model lesson from OpenSciEd for Middle School and see how the new Carolina Certified Edition makes these high-quality instructional materials even better! Leave with classroom resources.

Jeff Frates , Carolina Biological Supply Company

 

Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER): Are you CERtain Your Students Understand the Data?

Audience: K-12

Location: 210

CER is a way for students to explain phenomena in a scientific way. Participate in an inquiry-based investigation demonstrating how to use data collection to drive data-based conclusions using CER. Learn how to manage groups of students and guide them in how to think deeper, write scientifically, and incorporate vocabulary that strengthens their understanding of a phenomenon.

Rebecca Walters, STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

 

Learning from the Columbia Slough and its Watershed

Audience: 3-12

Location: 211

Columbia Slough Watershed Council's Education program partners with teachers to help students learn about the land, water, plants, animals, and social history of this heavily urbanized place. We visit classrooms to connect students with models, maps, samples, and concepts before taking field trips to see habitats and waterways closest to students' communities.

Jennifer Starkey, Columbia Slough Watershed Council

 

Investigating Crayfish + Freshwater Ecosystems

Audience: General

Location: 204

Engage students in fascinating crayfish and water quality investigations while meeting standards and integrating the arts. Learn ways to participate with The River Mile network's Crayfish Study and how different tools can be used to collect, analyze, and share data and student observations. Get free equipment, transportation, subs, and more!

Rick Reynolds, The River Mile network / Engaging Every Student

Transforming Science Classrooms by Redefining Learning Spaces with Stile

Audience: 6-12

Location: 205

Today, educators have access to a variety of classroom technologies, but few of them transform classrooms into active learning spaces. At stile, we have reimagined technology integration in the classroom. This session explores how Stile empowers science teachers to use technology effectively to deliver high-quality instruction alighed to the NGSS.

Hailey Vogel and Julianna Jimenez, Stile Education

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SESSION 1B (90 MINUTES): 9:10-10:40AM

Language, Culture and Knowledge Building through Science

Audience: K-12

Location: 225

Solutions to society's global and local challenges require multidisciplinary and justice-centered approaches, with K-12 science education having a key role to play. We share tools, practices, and a model lesson for empowering students to reconsider the role of science in their lives. The session provides participants with plans and materials for two full lessons.

Cory Buxton, Oregon State University; Karla Hale, Oregon State Univ; Barbara Ettenauer, Oregon State Univ; Diana Crespo, Oregon State Univ; Jay Well, Oregon State Univ

 

Exploring Patterns Chemistry through Battery Engineering

Audience: 9-12

Location:  224

Teachers will engage in an inquiry activity to create a battery made from materials available at home. Participants will analyze the data for patterns, make recommendations for the final design, practice discourse strategies, and use modeling to construct explanations.

Andrea Leech, Portland Public Schools; Jomae Sica from Beaverton Public Schools

 

Poop, Glue, and Chickens: Time for science and writing to collide in K-3

Audience: K-5

Location: 223

Science is a wonderful way into writing with young children. Children are keen observers not obscured by rules or absolutes. Their ideas are pure and powerful. When time and space are made for these contents to collide in K-3, you can expect amazing writing… like poop, glue, and chickens!

Jennifer Schulze, Lake County School District

 

Developing Hands-On Field Studies Projects

Audience: General

Location: 222

Black Butte School is a small, rural, K-8 school that specializes in outdoor learning. This workshop will share some tips for developing hands-on field studies projects at your school. We will share some of our past projects as well as have time to discuss successes and challenges to getting students engaged in science projects outdoors.

Delaney Sharp, Black Butte School; Kassie DeMarsh

 

Using Video to Supplement Time in Class

Audience: General

Location: 217

Whether it is getting students excited about weekly concepts with a relevant demo, helping students with homework or helping prepare for an exam, video is an effective and cross-cutting way of connecting with students. This session will cover how I’ve used videos to sustainably enhance teaching and learning.

Silas Towne, Oregon State University - Cascades

 

BREAK: 10:10-10:40AM

Please Visit Our Exhibitors

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SESSION 2 (60 MINUTES): 10:45-11:45AM

A Multi-District and STEM Hub Collaboration: Lessons Learned From the Implementation of the Patterns Approach High School Science Sequence

Audience: 9-12

Location: 205

The Patterns Approach to Physics, Chemistry and Biology is a novel approach to teaching high school science that is aligned to the three dimensions of NGSS and NGSS Performance Expectations. It is a teacher created curriculum.  Over 44 districts and 33% of Oregon students are learning science through this curriculum.  This has been made possible through a multi district collaboration with the support of the Portland Metro STEM Partnership. In this session we will share an overview of the design principles for this open source curriculum, the key features of the courses, as well as the impact it has had on students and teachers. Resources will be shared that can be immediately used in your classroom.

Susan Holveck, Portland Metro STEM Partnership; Kristen Harrison

 

Language, Culture and Knowledge Building Through Forestry Science

Audience: 6-12

Location:  206

Solutions to society's global and local challenges require multidisciplinary and justice-centered approaches, with K-12 science education having a key role to play. We describe our work with science teachers across Oregon while engaging in a model lesson. The session provides participants with plans and materials for two full lessons.

Karla Hale, Western Oregon University; Francisca Belart, Oregon State University; Diana Crespo, Oregon State University

 

Free Water + Climate Action Game + Hands-On Resources

Audience: 3-8

Location:  204

"The Astounding Adventures of Marco the Water Molecule" video game and supporting resources are being developed with partners to engage all ages in learning about water, extreme weather, and ways to take action to reduce risks from climate change. Join us to help shape the program and change the world!

Rick Reynolds, Engaging Every Student

 

Better Evolution Content, Better Evolution Teaching!

Audience: 3-12

Location:  209

The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science has several FREE units on evolution that cover all your evolution standards. The units take students to interactive web pages, online games, videos, and more. This session will give you access to all our free resources, including student response sheets, answer key/rubric, and exam.

Sarah Ruggiero, The Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science

 

Native Skies: Make a Classroom Medicine Wheel

Audience: K-12

Location:  210

Medicine wheels were built by Indigenous cultures of the Americas to mark the geographical directions and astronomical events of the sun, moon, some stars, and some planets in relation to the Earth’s horizon at that location.  Learn how to use Stellarium (free sky simulation app) with your students to make a classroom medicine wheel by observing the sky.

Kevin Carr, Pacific University Woodburn Campus

 

Utilizing Everfi's free digital curriculum in your classroom

Audience: General

Location:  211

Join this interactive session where you'll dig into a suite of standards-aligned lessons to use in the classroom. We will explore Everfi's free digital curriculum, including our courses geared specifically to science and STEM career exploration. You'll leave with a new, ready to use, free resource for your classroom.

Jesse Poquette, Everfi

 

Investigating Embryology

Audience: 6-8

Location:  212

Students analyze and interpret skeletal and embryological images to identify patterns across species that look very different as mature animals. Students identify patterns of similarities throughout developmental time to infer evolutionary relationships not obvious in the mature animals.

Rachel Porter, Lab-Aids; Virginia Rehberg

BREAK: 11:45AM – 12:45PM: Lunch

Presentation of Awards

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 SESSION 3A (60 MINUTES): 1:00 - 2:00PM

Phenomena in Earth, Life, and Physical Science

Audience: 6-12

Location:  216

We will explore examples of phenomena based demonstrations that span the three NGSS topics.  Some will be tried and true demonstrations, others will hopefully be new.  The emphasis will be looking for phenomena that can be applied across topics.

Ron Crawford, Bend Senior High School; Kathleen Glogau

 

ScienceSaves, Promoting Science Appreciation

Audience: 6-8

Location:  209

ScienceSaves (www.sciencesaves.org) promotes the fact that thanks to science, individual lives are longer, healthier, easier, and fuller. Our lessons teach students appreciation for science. They include teacher notes with interdisciplinary curriculum standards at the end of each presentation, student response sheets, rubrics, and lesson plan documents. It’s all free! 

Sarah Ruggiero Kirby, Eugene School District 4J; Bertha Vasquez - Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science

 

Developing the Sense of Wonder for Science in Early Learners

Audience: K-2

Location:  210

Rediscover the importance of teaching science today. Early childhood science teachers can provide a learning environment and opportunities for children to explore, model, and share their discoveries. Learn ways to build on the "sense of wonder" in every child.

Jennifer Callahan, Terrebonne Community School

 

Science, Art, and the Classics

Audience: 3-8

Location:  211

Add the A into your STEM lessons. Use art to connect abstract concepts to concrete hands-on projects. From observing nature to examining turbulence, use examples from art history to introduce your students to science concepts. Have fun creating your own art as well!

Karen Blaettler, Blaettler Consulting

 

Take the Mess and Stress Out of Bacterial Transformation

Audience: 9-12

Location:  204

Spend time teaching and analyzing data, not prepping. Simplified prep and innovative technology makes your bacterial transformation lab work for you, not the other way around. Perform transformation in a few simple steps without the water bath and ice bucket, and use a new innovative pre-poured media plate to visualize your results side by side.

Erika Fong, MiniOne Systems

 

Launching Your Partnership with Girls Who Code

Audience: General/Administrators

Location:  205

With Girls Who Code, you'll gain the tools to bring fun and digestible computer science curricula to your community! You'll learn to incorporate coding activities that foster social-emotional growth, build networks of peers, and engage with historically underrepresented student groups in tech.

Valerie Tomici, Girls Who Code

 

Evaluating STEM Curricula with Equity and Inclusivity in Mind

Audience: K-5

Location:  206

Join EiE, the curricula division of the Museum of Science, Boston, to explore curriculum design principles for inclusivity. You will take in equitable curricula, how they work in classrooms, and research behind them. We will use EiE’s Design Principles for Inclusivity to reflect upon curricula brought into learning environments.

Diana Christopherson, Museum of Science

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SESSION 3B (90 MINUTES): 1:00 – 2:30PM

Teaching Cause and Effects with the Landscape Change Monitoring System

Audience: 6-12

Location:  225

In this session, you will learn new ways to understand, visualize, and localize landscape changes that have occurred across Oregon from 1984-2022 based on satellite images. Examples include constructing an explanation based on evidence for patterns and processes ranging from urbanization, fires, flooding, and developing a model to describe ways that the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere interact. What are the stories of change in your community?

Peder Nelson, Oregon State University / OregonView

 

The Whys & Hows of Earthquake Early Warning: ShakeAlert® Science, Messages, and Apps You Can Use

Audience: 6-12

Location:  224

Earthquake early warning rapidly detects significant earthquakes and delivers alerts to people and automated systems. Why is ShakeAlert® important? Join us for hands-on activities to use in the classroom to explore plate deformation, earthquakes, and the ShakeAlert system.

Shelley Olds, USGS Geodetic Educational Resources Development Coordinator / UNAVCO; Roger Groom, Middle Grade Science TOSA-Instructional Coach, Mt. Tabor Middle School, Portland, OR; Kaitlyn Nelson USGS ShakeAlert Coordinator for Communication, Education, Outreach, and Technical Engagement, Kelly Missett, ShakeAlert Technical Engagement Regional Coordinator.

 

Scientific Methods Using S.T.E.A.M.

Audience: PreK-12

Location:  223

Teach the scientific method using it as an outline for notes daily. Include hands on math, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics. Through interactive journal assignments using scientific language, science manipulatives,  classroom discussions, and labs to promote scientific learning for Pre-K through 12th grade.

Maggie Mae Skyler, Park Academy

 

Teaching Claim, Evidence and Reasoning using The Biology of Skin Color

Audience: 9-12

Location:  222

Use free resources from HHMI BioInteractive to practice argumentation skills: claims with supporting evidence and reasoning with The Biology of Skin Color. This content can easily connect to learning in units of meiosis, genetics, evolution or cellular structure from middle school through AP/IB courses.

Kathryn Fisher, Oregon City High School; Chris Hedeen, Oregon City High School

 

Teachers as Curriculum Writers: Design for NGSS With Our Articulated Writing Process

Audience: K-12

Location:  217

Writing your own NGSS units? Learn about our articulated writing process that achieves NGSS and English Language Proficiency standards. Applicable to all levels!

Jennifer Mayo, Portland Public Schools; Jen Scherzinger, PPS; Geoff Stonecipher, PPS

 

Developing a Growth Mindset

Audience: General

Location:  216

This engaging session will include an activity that helps students overcome fear of failure and turn it into a learning opportunity as they try to engineer a solution to a problem. 

Brad Fulton

 

What Evidence Do You Have To Support Your Claim?

Audience: 6-8

Location:  215

This session will focus on how teachers can enhance students' science knowledge and communication skills via the CER process.

Kristen Rillieux, BrainPOP Science

BREAK: 2:45 - 3:00PM

Please Visit our Exhibitors

 

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SESSION 4 (60 MINUTES): 2:15 – 3:15PM

Looking for Patterns in Species Diversity

Audience: 9-12

Location:  204

In this hands-on workshop, participants look for patterns in data on species diversity to try to determine cause and effect relationships that might explain the patterns. A look at distribution patterns for four groups of organisms in the US provides a better understanding of how ecosystem interactions affect patterns of biological diversity.

Rachel Porter, Lab-Aids; Virginia Rehberg

 

Science: where students with dyslexia can be superheroes.

Audience: 6-12

Location:  205

Students with dyslexia, ADHD, and/or other executive functioning needs have a strong memory for stories, excellent puzzle solving abilities, brilliant spatial reasoning,  and think outside of the box which help them excel in inquiry-based activities of science. Our lessons can allow them to excel (sometimes beyond their neurotypical peers) like a superhero in science. 

Sofia Hussain, Park Academy

 

Always Time for Science in the Early Grades

Audience: K-5

Location:  206

With the increased focus on accountability for science, we can offer an inquiry and literacy-based program for young learners. Let's offer hands-on science experiences that supports child development and socio-development in a meaningful way. There is always time for science!

Rebecca Walters, STEMscopes by Accelerate Learning

 

2023 Science Trade Book Favs

Audience: General

Location:  209

NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Books (OSTB) panel member, Sarah Carlson, will present her favorites from the 2023 OSTB nominees.  Attendees will have an opportunity to get their hands on the books, hear excerpts from the books, receive resources on using trade books in the K-12 science classroom, and learn about the OSTB selection process.  Door prize drawings for those in attendance.  Come hear, see, read, and connect.

Sarah Carlson, Retired Science Educator

 

Diack - Equipment Grants for Field-based Research

Audience: General

Location:  210

The Diack Ecology Education Program promotes student field-based research in Oregon schools through grants for teachers and students. This session will outline the process for applying for a grant and give examples of funded projects from elementary, middle and high school. Grants are for equipment and are available all year.

Mike Weddle, Diack Ecology Education Program

 

Engaging Students Through Invention Education/STEM Learning Strategies Across All Content Areas

Audience: K-8

Location:  211

The workshop will provide hands on learning activities and strategies grounded in Invention Education and STEM learning concepts to reconnect students with joyful learning across all contents. This interactive workshop which will renew enthusiasm for teaching and give teachers and/or parents immediate strategies to use to engage and empower students.

Annette Phillips , National Inventors Hall of Fame

Science Instruction: Taking it from Today to Tomorrow

Audience: 3-12

Location:  212

Do you wonder about HOW we are going to take science education into the next century? What could that look like? What can we do now to prepare our students for future success? Join this exploratory discussion and lab as we examine how we can integrate future thinking and resources into your classrooms starting today. Participants will develop guides for taking science instruction from today to tomorrow.

Heidi Anderson and Teresa Miller, McGraw Hill Education

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SESSION 5A (60 MINUTES): 3:30 – 4:30PM

Oregon Science Updates

Audience: K-12

Location:  204

Please join us for a conversation with Noelle Gorbett, Science Assessment Specialist, and Jamie Rumage, Science Education Specialist, from the Oregon Department of Education on updates pertaining to K-12 Science Education. This session will provide educators and school leaders with an overview of the review of the Oregon K12 Science Standards and updates on the Oregon Statewide Assessment System (OSAS) science assessments, interim assessment bank, and other resources.

Jamie Rumage, Oregon Department of Education

 

Improve math literacy using Data Points from HHMI BioInteractive

Audience: 6-12

Location:  206

Looking to incorporate new math literacy skills in your classroom?  This workshop will provide opportunities to practice annotation techniques and Identify and Interpret (I2) using Data Points.  Teacher designed educator materials and handouts will take you from start to finish with resources you can use in your classroom next week!

Chris Hedeen, Oregon City High School; Kate Fisher - Oregon City High School

 

Using Citizen Science Projects CoCoRaHS and the National Weather Service to Engage Oregon's Incarcerated Students in Atmospheric Sciences and STEM

Audience: 6-12

Location:  209

Engaging Oregon’s incarcerated youth in STEM through use of citizen science projects to collect and share weather data, with CoCoRaHS, NOAA, and the National Weather Service, allows my students to participate in “real-life” hand-on, projects as collaborative members of the Wx community which leads to a rigorous learning and re-engagement.

Jennifer Hastings, Multnomah Education Service District; Jennifer Hastings Donald E. Long School Multnomah Education Service District; Noah Newman CoCoRaHS (Community, Collaborative, Rain, Hail & Snow Network Colorado State University

 

Food Science in the Classroom!

Audience: 6-12

Location:  210

A great way to engage students is to relate science to something they already know - and in this case, it's food! This session has fun, hands-on lab activities that can be used to illustrate concepts in engaging and memorable ways.  Science for feeding the future world.

Sue Queisser, Department of Food Science & Technology OSU

 

Adventures in SB 13: Building Relationships with Oregon’s Public Schools

Audience: General

Location:  211

How to engage with SB 13 structure and process to bring our tribal lessons into your classroom.

Diane Teeman, Burns Paiute Tribe, Culture & Heritage Dept.; Vanessa Bahe, Burns Paiute Tribe Culture & Heritage Dept.

 

Partners in Science: Experience a Career Changing Opportunity — and Get Paid to do it!

Audience: 6-12

Location:  212

When was the last time you had a professional development experience that was specifically designed with the science teacher in mind?  A professional development opportunity where you can see yourself as a scientist and an integral part of a scientific community?  Where you get to experience the processes of science that we try to provide for our students?  The MJ Murdock Charitable Trust makes $19,000 grants for high school science teachers to do research in university labs for two summers. The grant includes teacher stipends of $6500 as well as travel and academic year enrichment funds for each of the two years. This session will be an opportunity to learn more about the program from teachers who have been through the program and how it has transformed their classroom practice. Applications for the  next cycle are due December 1st.

Lori Lancaster, Murdock Charitable Trust Partners in Science Program

Transforming Science Classrooms by Redefining Learning Spaces with Stile

Audience: 6-12

Location:  205

Today, educators have access to a variety of classroom technologies, but few of them transform classrooms into active learning spaces. At stile, we have reimagined technology integration in the classroom. This session explores how Stile empowers science teachers to use technology effectively to deliver high-quality instruction alighed to the NGSS.

Hailey Vogel and Julianna Jimenez, Stile Education

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SESSION 5B (90 MINUTES): 2:45 – 4:15PM

Designing STEM Activities for Engagement – Engineering an Emergency Water Purifier

Audience: 6-12

Location:  215

STEM experiences relevant to daily life are a powerful tool for engaging students. This session will share an example of such an integrated STEM activity from the student’s perspective. Participants will measure common household materials and then use the CER process to engineer emergency water purifiers that can turn “dirty water” into clean drinking water.

Julie Trisel, Corbett Middle-High School; Mihir Ravel, Portland State University

 

Equitable Grading strategies for student motivation

Audience: 6-8

Location:  216

Teachers will walk through a lesson, experience a number of techniques to improve student motivation, and debrief about those techniques at the end.

Andrea Leech, Portland Public Schools; Dustin Dawson Lane ESD

Immersing ourselves in 3 Yearlong Learning Progressions in Patterns Physics: Writing, Coding, & Evaluating Published Materials

Audience: 9-12

Location:  222

In this session participants will examine and discuss numerous student tasks that together create a yearlong learning progression that cultivates three literacy skills that overlap with the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices: writing CERs, coding (computational thinking), and evaluating published materials.

Bradford Hill, Beaverton School District; Matt McCollum

 

Getting Started with Anchor Phenomena in FOSS Elementary

Audience: K-5

Location:  223

Students need to experience and make sense of relevant science phenomena - a challenging task for teachers. Participate in a lesson that engages you with local and relevant phenomena. Then, make a plan to incorporate phenomena into your own instruction.

Dr. Craig Gabler, FOSS - School Specialty

Join Us for Give-A-Ways

and Raffle Drawing in the Exhibitor Area

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