Discover how rich, inquiry-based learning enhances science knowledge and the skills needed to increase language comprehension. This session integrates Scarborough’s Reading Rope principles with three-dimensional science teaching, using a FOSS program lesson for context. Perfect for today's busy elementary educators who teach it all.

In this session, you will learn ways to increase student engagement and academic achievement in your health science and anatomy programs without relying upon the availability (or cost) of preserved specimens! This active, kinesthetic approach to anatomy reinforces learning, rewires memory pathways that only tactile experiences can employ, and empowers students with a strong sense of accomplishment. The activity of building the human in a hands-on environment, not simply viewing it, is a powerful and engaging method of learning anatomy.

Join this interactive workshop to learn how to foster student-centered, inquiry-driven learning through meaningful conversations. Engage in hands-on activities to explore strategies for designing lessons that encourage collaborative, inclusive discussions. Walk away with practical tools to enhance student sensemaking and ensure every voice is heard in your classroom.

The FREE Explore the Salish Sea curriculum, developed by the SeaDoc Society and available through PEI, weaves together Western and Indigenous science and engineering. In this session, teachers from the Culturally Responsive Elementary Teaching (CREST) project at WWU will share how they engaged students in an NGSS-aligned unit called Ocean Tech. Teacher attendees will have an opportunity to learn about how engineering has been practiced since time immemorial, as well as how modern remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) can be designed and used by students to investigate their local marine ecosystems. Emphasis will be on how different teachers adapt the materials for use with their students, focusing on instruction that is culturally responsive and equitable. This project is funded by the National Science Foundation.

Explore a new 2-week set of lessons that guides high school students on an adventure, tracing microplastics from local systems into the Arctic. Students experiment and use global models to investigate the potential impacts of microplastics in the Arctic while building optimism as they take action for change.

Biology teachers: Come explore a free curriculum unit from Fred Hutchinson CancerCenter. We will investigate the low incidence of cancer in elephants using evolutionary clues from five animals, gel electrophoresis results, genomic database exploration, p53 protein model building, and applications to human cancer. Bring your laptop if possible.

Explore teacher-developed adaptations that incorporate student experiences, families and local communities to support making science meaningful and relevant for students who don’t usually see themselves in the science classroom. Review student work examples at your grade band and then adapt a localized activity for use with YOUR students.

Join the Environmental Science Center to hear about our curriculum focusing on the local phenomenon of salmon and Southern Resident orcas. Participate in a selection of hands-on activities designed to highlight the ecosystem connections of salmon, orcas and local watersheds, while utilizing the schoolyard and community as an outdoor classroom.

Learn how community partnerships can provide authentic science learning experiences for all students that empower them to see science as a way to make their city a better place.

The workshop begins by introducing participants to the technical and conceptual underpinnings of generative AI, particularly how large language models such as GPT-4 are trained and how they generate human-like responses from structured prompts. Teachers will examine a live demonstration of GPT-based task generation and explore what these tools can—and cannot—do in the context of assessment design. This technical introduction is followed by a structured discussion of the ethical implications of using AI in classJoy 215ssessment. Through real-world, classroom-based case studies, teachers will analyze potential risks such as algorithmic bias, misrepresentation of student cultures, and over-reliance on automated outputs. In small groups, participants will reflect on these cases and co-develop a set of responsible use principles for integrating AI in a way that promotes equity, protects teacher autonomy, and supports meaningful learning. This segment equips teachers not only with the functional knowledge to begin using AI tools but also with the critical discernment needed to use them wisely. Participants will leave with a shared framework for evaluating the quality, usefulness, and risks of AI-generated materials, grounded in their values as educators.

This memorable, NGSS-aligned unit has students design a toy bungee jump app, iterate models, and code predictions. Scaffolded talk routines support equitable discourse, sensemaking, and troubleshooting engineering solutions. A classCP 108avorite, it meets three PEs and builds toward a fourth. Free and open source: Patterns Physics—https://hsscience4all.org/physics.

Kickoff the conference with a special session for pre-service teachers. Join a roundtable discussion with experienced science teachers and leaders that can welcome you to the world of professional learning and how to grow your supportive science teaching network from now through your entire career!

Explore optical events (phenomenon) featuring reflections in parallel mirrors, then use a scale model system to work through an initial sensemaking activity featuring the Scientists Circle. Engage in true inquiry, initial understanding discussions, and sensemaking as students, while taking time to question and share take-aways and best practices as teachers.

Come experience a hands-on lesson from OpenSciEd from each grade span, kindergarten through high school. Discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. These enhancements include easier to use materials for less prep, additional assessment to support student sensemaking, support for over 200 languages, and more. Leave with resources so you can try OpenSciEd in your classBHS 103mmediately.

Immerse yourself in cooperative team learning structures as we work together to complete a POGIL activity that introduces the steps of Claims-Evidence-Reasoning.

This interactive workshop helps teachers integrate literacy into science instruction, fostering inquiry, critical thinking, and problem-solving. Participants will engage in hands-on activities, explore a real-world science case, and learn strategies for creating meaningful, student-centered lessons that promote reading, writing, and speaking to deepen students' understanding of scientific concepts.

Who owns the land in your community and what are their goals? This session will introduce a new land management mapping tool designed to support K-12 teachers and students. Teachers will explore applications for this tool, which include identifying community partners, selecting locations for outdoor learning, and investigating fire history and watersheds.

Biology and EnvSci teachers: Come explore a free curriculum unit from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. We will investigate the encroachment of invasive Mediterranean mussels into the Salish Sea habitats of our native Pacific Blue mussel. This unit includes invasive species background, stakeholder scenarios, indigenous perspectives, and molecular biology lab techniques.

Learn about the intersection of Native Knowledge, science, and the teachings of plants. Using the book, Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer to guide a HS Environmental Science class that includes reflective journaling, research, and labs. Some participants will receive a copy of the book.

Empower students to address ecological issues with experiential activities focused on three-dimensional learning. Engage in simulations, modeling and interpreting data on natural resource use, population ecology, food and agriculture, and more. Receive lessons aligned to NGSS.

"Green Schoolyards - Getting outside for hands-on learning" will be a hands-on workshop that leads participants through an exercise of planning and design a campus update to accommodate a variety of hands-on, year-long learning opportunities for science (and beyond).

The workshop begins by introducing participants to the technical and conceptual underpinnings of generative AI, particularly how large language models such as GPT-4 are trained and how they generate human-like responses from structured prompts. Teachers will examine a live demonstration of GPT-based task generation and explore what these tools can—and cannot—do in the context of assessment design. This technical introduction is followed by a structured discussion of the ethical implications of using AI in classJoy 215ssessment. Through real-world, classroom-based case studies, teachers will analyze potential risks such as algorithmic bias, misrepresentation of student cultures, and over-reliance on automated outputs. In small groups, participants will reflect on these cases and co-develop a set of responsible use principles for integrating AI in a way that promotes equity, protects teacher autonomy, and supports meaningful learning. This segment equips teachers not only with the functional knowledge to begin using AI tools but also with the critical discernment needed to use them wisely. Participants will leave with a shared framework for evaluating the quality, usefulness, and risks of AI-generated materials, grounded in their values as educators.

"PhET for All" empowers teachers to foster deeper, more accessible STEM learning. Discover how PhET simulations leverage evidence-based strategies, including culturally sustaining practices, to make complex concepts engaging and equitable for every student, ensuring scientific understanding is within reach for all.

At this moment in history, science matters more than ever—not only for discovery, but for justice, belonging, and the thriving of generations. Yet science education too often lags behind both emerging research and the lived realities of youth. Research shows that when science learning connects to identity, belonging, and real-world contexts, students—particularly those historically underrepresented in STEM—develop stronger science identity and efficacy. Today’s youth are navigating converging crises—climate change, health inequities, systemic injustice—while simultaneously engaging with technology, activism, and community to imagine new futures. They are calling on us to make science education consequential and generationally relevant. This session invites educators to reimagine science as a force for equity, transformation, and possibility. Together, we will explore pedagogies that connect science learning to urgent issues of health, climate, identity, and resilience, while positioning students as vital change agents. A highlight will be the sharing of a STEM Education Manifesto presented by the PSESD Youth Wisdom Council, powerfully naming why science must center their realities and aspirations.

All standards for all students requires that we engage students. Participants will use free resources available from The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, NSF, USDA, NIH, FDA that provide a wide variety of engagements/ phenomena they can use to teach any NGSS LS, PS, ESS topic

Science is inherently creative, yet many students who view themselves as “creative” may not view themselves as belonging in science. Join us to explore strategies that show students the creative side of science! In this session, you’ll use your own creativity to revise an activity or lesson with peers.

Introducing the new WDFW Wild Washington curriculum: Biodiversity and Pollinators for 2nd grade. This session will introduce the new curriculum and highlight some of the hands-on activities that students will use to evaluate their schoolyard for biodiversity and pollinator habitat, learn about how pollination occurs, and determine small steps they can make to increase the habitat connectivity where they live, learn, and play!

Inquiry-based, hands-on STEM and critical thinking activities that help secondary students develop a comprehensive understanding of energy, electricity, hydropower, and emerging ocean technologies. Applicable to a CTE classJoy 215s well and can be easily modified according to student’s skill levels.

By addressing medicine’s past and present biases and inequities we can begin to eliminate them for future medical professionals. Using inclusive language during discussions about biased devices, having students brainstorm changes they can make within their sphere of influence, and examples of underrepresented health scientists will be our focus.

Discover how to center student and family voices in NGSS-aligned science instruction. This hands-on session offers adaptable tools and routines to create inclusive classrooms where all students feel seen, valued, and empowered to engage deeply with science because they matter, and their ideas matter more than ever.

Discover how Pierce County’s Youth Engaged in Sustainable Solutions (YESS) supports youth in navigating climate emotions, expressing identity, and building joy through community action. This hands-on session will explore YESS events and guide educators in integrating climate resilience, creativity, and emotional engagement into climate instruction.

Students in Coupeville connect their hands-on experiences in garden class to the carrots and tomatoes from the school farm they devour at lunchtime in the cafeteria. Learn about the 10-year partnership between the school district and local non-profit Coupeville Farm to School that has laid the groundwork for future scientists and land stewards. Through the partnership of Coupeville Farm to School and the Coupeville School District we’ll explore how we’ve laid the groundwork to get students growing food while making classBB 104onnections, and are getting to cook and eat seasonal produce they helped grow. This place based approach is laying the groundwork for the next generation of land stewards.

This workshop introduces science educators to cutting-edge AI tools that enhance teaching and learning. Participants will explore applications for data analysis, personalized instruction, and interactive simulations. Hands-on sessions will empower educators to integrate AI effectively, fostering student engagement, critical thinking, and innovation in the science classroom.

Learn the 'why' and 'how' behind our pioneering high school clean energy career pathway. From the project-based learning and career exploration in course 1 to apprenticeship planning in course 4, this multi-credit pathway is intentionally designed to engage all students in sustainability and STEM futures. All resources are or will be freely available on Sprocket.

Discover how mini-lessons can teach the NGSS DCIs, SEPs, and CCCs effectively. Paul Andersen shares strategies for using focused mini-lessons, supported by resources from The Wonder of Science, to help students think critically and engage in meaningful scientific practices.

Using printed copies of our best-selling BIOLOGY for NGSS as take-home examples for each participant, we will conversationally discuss the 10 differences between BIOZONE’s grades 9-12 courses and other, more traditional High School Science textbooks.

Join our interactive workshop where literacy meets exploration! Participants work collaboratively to define a specific bus stop problem to solve. They read about animals using body parts to cast shadows, reflect light, and self-illuminate to get solution ideas. Leave with classroom resources.

World War II provides the powerful context for Real World Science, a STEM-focused, NGSS-aligned program for grades 3–5. Explore how society turns to science during times of crisis, and connect history, science, and literacy to engage diverse learners and build real-world problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

Are you curious about OpenSciEd Elementary? Are you in need of high-quality NGSS-badged elementary science curriculum that is freely available? Are you thinking about content integration and want to know how OpenSciEd Elementary might help? If any of these questions describe you, join Kimberley Astle for this introduction and exploration workshop. Kimberley led the Washington State OpenSciEd Elementary Field Test, served on the National State Steering Committee, and is a WA State-Certified OpenSciEd Fifth Grade Facilitator.

Join us to create visualizations of climate data and learn how you can incorporate them into your classroom. We will learn to ask investigative questions, seek patterns, make meaning, and communicate our ideas.

Come learn how farmers can use molecular biology to find the best animals for their herd. You will run gels to determine which animals would be the best for a farmer who is interested in using his/her milk for cheese production!

Explore adaptations for 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grade Amplify Science units designed to support the understandings being built in the unit, increase student engagement and help students see how the science is relevant in their community by incorporating student experiences, family understandings, school communities and local phenomena.

Get ready to engage students with computational thinking and building STEM skills by utilizing Coding for Climate Action curriculum developed by Amazon Future Engineer. Students learn the basics of computer science and apply their new skills to code a Micro:bit invention for a natural hazard early warning system.

Many local organizations can support teachers with outdoor field experiences. In this session, a former classroom teacher and current environmental educator, with a Cascadia Conservation District (CCD) will discuss specific examples of how field experiences have been enhanced by building collaborative partnerships between schools and community partners.

Explore a powerful set of AI tools students can use as a low stakes AI and EdTech experience that is highly engaging. This session walks through a fun app-smash activity integrating Adobe Firefly, School AI, Canva, and Book Creator.

Hear from scientists doing cutting-edge research in optoelectronics (tech that converts light to energy and vice versa) and try inexpensive activities for students to explore light and energy in order to explain a real-world phenomenon that uses quantum science to support greener agriculture!

With budget cuts eliminating many Science TOSAs, Specialists, and Supervisors, the need to cultivate Science Teacher Leaders has never been greater. What does it take to lead from the classroom? This interactive session provides concrete steps to empower teachers as science leaders, ensuring high-quality instruction and advocacy for the next generation.

Engage in real-world, museum-based investigations guided by scientists. Explore hands-on strategies to deepen critical thinking, integrate California standards across disciplines, and empower students to collaborate, question, and solve problems through free, phenomenon-based digital learning tools.

Come experience a hands-on lesson from OpenSciEd from each grade span, kindergarten through high school. Discover how the new Carolina Certified Version enhanced these high-quality instructional materials, making them more accessible, user-friendly, and safer for classroom use. These enhancements include easier to use materials for less prep, additional assessment to support student sensemaking, support for over 200 languages, and more. Leave with resources so you can try OpenSciEd in your classBHS 103mmediately.

Discover a practical, research-based framework for designing effective, context-specific professional development for educators. Grounded in real-world insights and adult learning theory, this session equips leaders and teachers with tools to identify gaps, improve professional development systems, and drive meaningful change.

Do you teach about salmon with your students? In this workshop, you can put yourself in the “fins” of a salmon and model the lifecycle through an engaging activity, drawing connections to the Next Generation Science Standards, John McCoy Since Time Immemorial, and more!

Washington state has amazing fossil sites and yet they are often a best kept secret. WSTA has teamed with the Burke Museum and UW paleontologists to help teachers and their students get hands on with fossils and the stories they tell about Earth's history.

Learn about how to teach biochemistry, nutrition, human anatomy, homeostasis, and engineering all through redesigning our school's breakfast and lunch menu. Award winning HS biology teachers William Baur and Donna Schatz will lead participants through an overview and key activities of the introductory HS biology unit they designed around their school's food services program.

Join youth climate activists in a powerful panel on lived experience, emotional resilience, and student-led action. Gain insights, data, and strategies to support students’ climate emotions and engagement. Whether teacher, counselor, or district leader, this session offers inspiration, insight, and resources to support youth—emotionally, academically, and as emerging climate leaders.

The nested, multi-causal complexity of the natural world ensures that an infinite supply of unanswered scientific questions and engineering goals will always await curious scientific minds. This session explores ways to accomplish deep, authentic dives into STEM content through student-driven research in ecology and natural resource management.

The second part of the session transitions from conceptual grounding to practical application. Working in small grade-level teams (grades 3–5 or 6–8), teachers will engage in a scaffolded, collaborative design process informed by the NGSA Design Framework. The co-design process begins with selecting an NGSS performance expectation (PE) and unpacking it into smaller-grained learning performances (LPs) that describe what students should be able to do. Each team then develops one or more evidence statements to guide their assessment task design—these statements define the observable indicators of student proficiency aligned to the LPs. With this foundation, teachers will be introduced to Copilot. This chatbot provides a safe, curated environment where teachers can input prompts and iteratively refine AI-generated content. Facilitators will demonstrate how to use prompt templates to generate contextualized phenomena, task scenarios, and question sets aligned with the LPs and evidence statements. Throughout this process, teachers will be supported in customizing and evaluating the AI outputs to ensure clarity, cultural relevance, accessibility, and alignment with local instructional goals. The design cycle will culminate in peer feedback and revision. Each team will exchange tasks with another group, providing structured feedback using a simplified NGSA-informed rubric. Based on this input, teams will revise and finalize their prototype assessment task, which includes a learning performance, corresponding evidence statement, and a multi-part assessment prompt rooted in an engaging phenomenon. The session concludes with a whole-group reflection and synthesis discussion. Each group will be invited to share one insight, one remaining question, or one tension they encountered in working with AI as a co-designer. The facilitation team will highlight emerging themes, reinforce key takeaways, and provide digital access to a toolkit that includes prompting templates, ethics reflection tools, design guides, and continued access to the GPT-powered sandbox platform.

Hear from scientists doing cutting-edge research in solar panel materials science; discover the phenomenon of stained glass solar panels; and try out activities for your classroom that explore how different types of energy can be optimized and controlled to achieve a goal, using student- and budget-friendly circuits and solar panels.

This session will support educators in understanding that climate experts across the globe are calling for the broad recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and climate expertise as fundamental to mitigating climate change and building a just future. Given this, workshop participants will engage in talk activities designed to support non-Indigenous youth in learning and processing these topics and discuss ways to bring these activities and pedagogies into their own classrooms.

In this session, you will learn how to integrate place-based phenomena and locally-relevant problems via project-based learning. You will leave with a design framework and tangible tools for planning NGSS-aligned units that leverage student creativity and community expertise to promote STEM learning as a tool for social and ecological justice.

Improve your equitable assessment of student understanding, grading policies, and lesson scaffolding by collaborating with colleagues and using resources and models from your facilitator with 20 years of middle school science teaching experience.

Join us to unlock the potential of young scientists and enhance your teaching toolkit with innovative strategies that align with STEM, Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), and early learning principles. Together, we can cultivate a generation of inquisitive thinkers eager to explore the world around them!

In this interactive session, participants will explore how to integrate art into their Earth/Space Science lessons. Educators will walk away with NGSS aligned lessons to adapt and implement into their own classrooms. Topics covered: Newton’s Laws of Motion, Forces and Interactions, Earth’s Place in the Universe.

Learn about quantum dots, the scientists who research them, and ways to incorporate these quantum dots into a life science research project in which students explore whether and how a film embedded with quantum dots can make plants grow even better than natural sunlight.

Science education has a reputation for being “sterile” and separate from social and cultural issues. But science is a deeply cultural undertaking. Intentionally teaching science with a social focus lens can disrupt how students perceive the subject and determine whether they adopt a sense of belonging.

Interested in teaching climate change but feeling unsure how to tackle the controversies related to this topic? Come to this session to figure out how to identify local phenomena or problems to make your teaching relevant. Create a starting unit with local anchoring phenomena to engage your students and confidently walk away with standardized classroom ready materials from BSCS Science Learning "Climate Education Pathways" research project.

The second part of the session transitions from conceptual grounding to practical application. Working in small grade-level teams (grades 3–5 or 6–8), teachers will engage in a scaffolded, collaborative design process informed by the NGSA Design Framework. The co-design process begins with selecting an NGSS performance expectation (PE) and unpacking it into smaller-grained learning performances (LPs) that describe what students should be able to do. Each team then develops one or more evidence statements to guide their assessment task design—these statements define the observable indicators of student proficiency aligned to the LPs. With this foundation, teachers will be introduced to Copilot. This chatbot provides a safe, curated environment where teachers can input prompts and iteratively refine AI-generated content. Facilitators will demonstrate how to use prompt templates to generate contextualized phenomena, task scenarios, and question sets aligned with the LPs and evidence statements. Throughout this process, teachers will be supported in customizing and evaluating the AI outputs to ensure clarity, cultural relevance, accessibility, and alignment with local instructional goals. The design cycle will culminate in peer feedback and revision. Each team will exchange tasks with another group, providing structured feedback using a simplified NGSA-informed rubric. Based on this input, teams will revise and finalize their prototype assessment task, which includes a learning performance, corresponding evidence statement, and a multi-part assessment prompt rooted in an engaging phenomenon. The session concludes with a whole-group reflection and synthesis discussion. Each group will be invited to share one insight, one remaining question, or one tension they encountered in working with AI as a co-designer. The facilitation team will highlight emerging themes, reinforce key takeaways, and provide digital access to a toolkit that includes prompting templates, ethics reflection tools, design guides, and continued access to the GPT-powered sandbox platform.

Join students from WWU, PLU, and WSU as they share their research projects via posters! They will also be available to view during lunch.