MnSTA Newsletter, Spring 2020 by MnSTA

MnSTA

Newsletter

Volume 57 No. 3 A Quarterly Publication of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Inc. Spring 2020

Science Distance Learning

Minnesota Department of Education As schools close their doors as part of public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19, educators are faced with how to support the diverse needs of all learners when students are not in school. States and districts should consider: • unequal access to technology; • diverse affective/emotional responses to home lives and the pandemic; • responsibilities learners hold as part of their homes and communities; • access to safe and supportive learning spaces; and • access to peers and/or adults to support learning and sense-making.

Things to Consider

• Adapting classroom instruction to at-home situations will be an evolving process. The immediate tendency is to replicate classroom instruction online or give students busy work and isolated activities. Over time you should use this opportunity to incorporate effective learning strategies, especially those envisioned for our new standards; three-dimensional learning and phenomena-based instruction. • Equity of learning opportunities for all students must be a priority. This includes providing the support that individual students need to accomplish the standards. In the classroom we do this through differentiated instruction. Now we also need to consider the delivery and communication means for students without availability of the internet and adult support. This may necessitate paper or mail delivery, individual phone calls, and study buddies. We also want to provide the opportunity for students with greater resources to learn as much as possible with enrichment and extensions.

• As you think about learning activities and learning progression, consider whether you need to follow your classroom scope and sequence. This could be an opportunity for longer projects that include the integration across standards areas and among content areas such as writing activities that are evaluated for both literacy/ELA and science standards. • Take advantage of the home situation for observational and data collection activities of occurrences at home and data that comes from the news and other resources. Have students develop questions, investigations, and evidence-based explanations. • Bring in the culture and setting of the students. STEM Teaching Tool #31 provides some suggestions for activities, including a strategy called Self Documentation. • Provide guidance for parents and family members who may assist the student in the learning. Consider the multiple home and homeless situations and the demands on families for caregiving, working from home, and shared resources. Some suggestions for families are given at the Council of State Science Supervisors link below. The Council of State Science Supervisors Guidance for Supporting Students’ Science Learning during COVID-19 http://stemteachingtools.org/assets/landscapes/Guidance-for-Supporting-Science-LearningDuring-COVID-19-School-Closures.pdf

National Science Teachers Assn. Resources for Online Learning. (NSTA) nsta.org is also providing free 30 day memberships to access all their resources. Minnesota Science Teachers Association mnsta.org For questions, contact John Olson, Science Education Specialist, at mde.academic-standards@state.mn.us

President’s Message-Josh Tharaldson As we all work to transition our traditional classroom learning to a distance learning model that meets the needs of all students, please know that MnSTA is here to provide assistance and resources to help ensure a smooth transition during this time. One resource I want to highlight is the new forum that was setup for the exchange of ideas on our website. The forum is open to both MnSTA members and nonmembers. To participate, you can go to the MnSTA website at https:// www.mnsta.org/, then click on “Remote Resources” under the Resources tab. Please reach out if we can be of any help throughout the remainder of the school year! Thank you for your continued membership with the Minnesota Science Teachers Association! With your MnSTA membership you are represented by board members who are passionate educators with varied backgrounds and experiences from all areas across the state. We have board members representing every discipline, grade-level, school setting and region. We are very fortunate that these individuals volunteer so much of their time to ensure we continue moving science education forward in the state of Minnesota! In addition to attending our quarterly board meetings, board members serve on committees, host regional workshops across the state, contribute to our social media platforms and so much more. For this edition of the newsletter I wanted to provide you with some of the tasks that our board members have taken on over the past few months and potential opportunities that are available to you as MnSTA members. Please visit our website for specific information on any of the items listed below. Here are some of the items that board members have reported that they have done: *Planned a regional meeting to discuss implementation plans for the new science standards. *Continued to work on the Equity, Inclusion and Diversity committee to ensure all students have an equitable science education. (Board members are engaged in a book study at their meetings.) *Attended MnCOSE and had good conversations with others from our region that made it to the event. *Attended the professional development opportunity

regarding the new science standards that John Olson presented with many other science educators from across the region. *Presented a session at the Gathering of Great Minds, a professional development day, for school districts around the Cloquet area. *Sent emails out to region MnSTA members with information about MDE science standards training, professional development working with SEPA modules and Science Network opportunities at Sourcewell. *Put together an event for the Friday evening social that included trivia rounds at MnCOSE. *Planning to put on a SEPA (Science and Engineering Practices in Action) workshop in my region. *Fielded several requests from districts for assistance with implementation of the new standards. *Created a CHEM specific twitter handle (@CHEM_ MNSTA1) and have been maintaining it since MnCOSE. *Shared out resources and workshop opportunities on our MnSTA Facebook page. *Hosted a MnSTA table at the MESTA conference in Plymouth in coordination with John Olson. *Fielding regional questions from teachers in regards to new standards; potential spring workshop around 3D learning and new standards implementations. *Continued to contact elementary members whose membership has lapsed. *Attended the Education Minnesota MEA conference with the MnSTA booth. I was able to meet and greet many elementary teachers and teachers in training. *Attended the MNCOSE conference and met and assisted NSTA President, Dennis Schatz and sat in on his presentation about solar eclipses and his keynote. *Met with the elementary Share-a-thon presenters and helped them get set up for their session. *Contacted members/non-members regarding attending MnCOSE and helped prepare swag bags for conference attendees and attended The Human Element showing at The Paramount Theater. As you can see from the above list, we have numerous opportunities for you to network with fellow educators, engage in meaningful professional development opportunities and so much more! If you are unsure who represents you on the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Board of Directors, please visit our board list page on the MnSTA website so we are able to better serve your needs as a MnSTA member. Thank them for their service and consider serving on the board. Contact me to express your interest. jtharaldson@mccfreeze.org

MnSTA Newsletter

Teacher Feature-Elizabeth Cakebread Our featured teacher for the Spring issue is MnSTA member Elizabeth Cakebread. Elizabeth is in her 4th year at Ada-Borup High School in Ada, Minnesota where she teaches chemistry, physics, physical science and math concepts. She is the AdaBorup Science Fair coordinator and recently hosted Ada-Borup’s 35th annual science fair. Previous to her teaching assignment in Ada-Borup, she taught at Climax-Shelly High School where she taught 6th and 8th grade math, algebra I and II, senior consumer math, AP chemistry and robotics. She also coached both BEST and VEX Robotics. Elizabeth always knew deep down that she wanted to teach. She always had a passion for math and wasn’t sure how to make a career out of it, so she decided to make a career of sharing that passion with other people. When she took general chemistry as a college elective in the summer following her high school graduation, She realized that she was just as passionate about science. This led to her double major and certifications in math, physics, and chemistry. She feels very lucky to teach a mix of both math and science classes every year of her teaching career. Elizabeth’s goal as a science teacher is to help students appreciate the world around them. She states, “Not every student is going to have a career in science, and that’s okay, but science is everywhere! I want students to think of the “why” things are the way they are, not just take things as fact.” She realizes her students get annoyed at her asking “Why?” some days in response to their statements or questions, but she wants to make them think. She feels critical thinking is such an important skill, but many students don’t realize its importance. She loves to question her students to make them think about what they’re seeing, feeling, or reading about online. It’s important to her that she tries to guide her students to a deeper understanding of the world they live in. When possible, she prefers conversation based lessons. She wants to know what her students are thinking as they dive into new topics. She doesn’t want them to just listen to her all the time. She feels everybody in class learns so much more during class and small group discussions. Recently, her favorite thing that her students do is come to her with science related TikToks. They show her experiments and then they recreate them in class. She loves to take what her students are interested in and make it into a lesson. Sometimes they come with science memes that they want explained which leads to awesome in-class discussions. Even better is when

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they show her memes that they understand because of something she taught them! She enjoys giving her students open-ended projects. A big one she does with every physics class is a Rube Goldberg project. She states, “The creativity displayed each year by the students and their machines is incredible.” Her other favorite activities are soda bottle rockets, balloon rockets, and water balloon launchers (basically a giant slingshot). She loves to get outside to experiment when the weather is nice. In chemistry, she likes to have students work out long problems with neon markers on the black lab tables. She feels it makes it a little more fun and allows students to work together to work through problems as they are figuring out stoichiometry. In her free time, She enjoy baking, playing piano, cross stitching and flower and vegetable gardening. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends. She often find herself doing things like annoying them by telling why the science jokes in The Big Bang Theory are supposed to be funny, or explaining the science behind everyday things when no one asked for an explanation. Principal, Josh Carlson stated about Elizabeth, “Elizabeth Cakebread is a wonderful teacher and person. Her dedication to her students and classroom is exemplary. She has always gone the extra mile for her students, including tutoring students on her prep, daily. She is very well spoken and often seeks out conversations to advocate for the advancement of her classroom and also the school as a whole. Elizabeth is a leader in our school in using 21st Century Learning tools. She does a wonderful job of challenging her students using various technology platforms and integrates those practices into her lessons to meet the new state standards in science.” He adds, “Thanks for supporting one of our best and brightest!”

Elizabeth practicing distance teaching on Zoom with her students before school was closed. She is pictured in the upper right-hand corner.

Teacher Feature-Caroline Little Caroline Little currently teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade science and engineering at Visitation School in Mendota Heights. This is her first year at Visitation School where she also led a group of girls who participated in NASA WEAR this winter and student groups for the National Geographic GeoChallenge. Prior to this year, she taught engineering and French for 17 years at St. Thomas Academy. She was also the Experimental Vehicle Team Moderator and advised a NASA WEAR and NASA HUNCH group of students. Caroline is a National Geographic Course Guide and Certified Educator; helping educators from around the world become certified educators through National Geographic. She is an affiliated Educator for the University of St. Thomas Playful Learning Lab, and mentor to the University of St. Thomas Teach Club for undergraduate students pursuing careers in education. She works with the University of St. Thomas STEPS Camp (Science Technology Engineering Preview) week-long camp for girls in grades 6 and 8 during the summer and is a DiscoverE Introduce a Girl to Engineering Role Model and Ambassador. She was the Microgravity Educator Consultant for OK Go Sandbox (https://okgosandbox.org/upsidedown-inside-out) Caroline’s philosophy is to get her students to SEE themselves as Scientists, Engineers, and Explorers of the world around them. She states, “What they do in and out of the class reflects this each and every day.” When there is no official homework assigned, students know that their only homework is to explore and come to class ready to talk about it. Caroline loves hands-on learning, getting her students to find the answers for themselves, and tries to have her students doing something active every class. She is a big proponent of visual notetaking and tries to have her students create sketch-notes on topics that they are studying. She worked on creating these digitally so students can create them while at home due to Distance Learning. Caroline loves teaching about the rock cycle and space exploration. A student favorite was our Chocolate Rock Cycle Lab, where students created chocolate rocks and observed them change throughout the various stages of the rock cycle. Space Exploration lends us to our engineering and design lesson where students create life-size inflatable Lunar / Mars habitats. When Caroline is not in school, she loves to read, write, draw, and explore the world around her with her daughters. She also loves all things space related,

and rocks and minerals. She states, “Seriously I find rocks fascinating and have been known to pay more attention to what is on the ground when on a walk then to what is right in front of me.” Her principal, Ben Tierney, stated this about Caroline, “Having worked closely with hundreds of science teachers as a professor of science education, science teacher supervisor in the field, science education researcher, and now as a school principal, I can sincerely say that Caroline is among the top science educators I have ever had the pleasure of working with. Her curricular design, instructional practices, and engagement in the science education community are exemplary. Caroline designs extraordinary science and space curriculum for the girls she teaches. Her curriculum always begins with a clear understanding of, or desire to learn about students’ existing conceptual frameworks. Her units and lessons provide fertile spaces for students to build scientific skills and knowledge through constructivist experiences that are seamlessly integrated into their existing frameworks and result in incredibly high retention and engagement in the content. Caroline teaches with a contagious and effervescent enthusiasm for science education. Everyone around her knows that she not only cares deeply for the content, but more importantly cares that her students are able to see themselves in the content, see themselves as future scientists, and know that they will always have a tenacious fan in Mrs. Little. While her teaching is highly engaging and energized, she does so through a steady and resilient demeanor through challenging work. Often, I believe her students learn from her work ethic and explorationminded approach as much as they learn from the content.” Finally, Caroline is involved deeply in the science education community, using her connections and network to improve the experiences of her students. Most recently, Caroline has arranged to bring a NASA downlink to our school next year and has worked with NASA Johnsons in signing on for the Bell Museum’s NASA Grant. Every week I learn of new outside resources Caroline is bringing into her classroom, further engaging her students in space science and continually developing lasting relationships with extraordinary outside partners.” Caroline just heard from the Air and Space Museum that she is one of 30 educators in the US to be a part of the 2020 Teacher Innovator Institute! https://airandspace. si.edu/teacher-innovator-institute

MnSTA Newsletter

Teacher Feature-Caroline Little

Ms. Little Engineering: Caroline Little’s 7th grade Life science class designed, laser cut, and then glued together boxes to be set up around our school to collect used markers. The markers will be sent to Crayola as part of their ColorCycle program and keep them out of landfills.

Caroline on the Partial Gravity Simulator (POGO) at NASA Johnson Space Vehicle Mock-Up Facility, while participating in NASA’s Microgravity University for Educators (2017). The POGO is the same one that every astronaut from John Glenn to Peggy Whitson have trained on before going into space.

The MnSTA Newsletter is published four times each year by the Minnesota Science Teachers Association, Inc. Articles, opinions, book reviews and other information pertinent to Minnesota teachers are welcome. Please limit submission to 1 typed page, e-mail preferred (text file please). Deadlines for submission of articles are: Fall ............... August 1st Winter ............. November 1st Spring ........... February 1st Summer....................April 1st Send all correspondence regarding the newsletter to: Jerry Wenzel 22002 100th Ave Randall, MN 56475 e-mail: jerrywenzel@brainerd.net The MnSTA Newsletter is an exempt program service provided to the membership. A membership form is found on the back page. Materials found in the newsletter may be reprinted without charge.

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MnSTA, Inc. is an IRS 501 (c) (3) Charitable Educational Corpora-tion, incorporated as a tax exempt, non-profit organization with the Minnesota Secretary of State. Donations and dues are tax deductible charitable contributions for itemized deductions on IRS form 1040 Schedule A. The newsletter is an exempt program service provided to the membership. A membership form is found on the last page.

Department of Education How do I improve my distance learning lessons to deepen the learning of my students?

You have gotten past the rush of getting some science lessons out the door. The school required you to put together some packets to send to homes or put John Olson is the science specialist for the Department of education. your instruction online. He will keep us updated on science So you’ve followed education. in the MnSTA newsletter. your unit plans and found some readings and worksheets, you’ve created some video lectures, and you’ve modified your grading strategies. These are all reasonable first steps to make distance instruction manageable. So now you are thinking, “how can I strengthen that instruction so that students are doing scientific thinking above just learning facts”? Here are a few thoughts.

Promoting scientific thinking

The skills of asking questions, conducting investigations, gathering data, using reasoning, and forming explanations are important skills for our students and entry points for learning science concepts. We want to move from students “learning about” to “figuring it out.” While students do not have access to the equipment and tools they would use in the classroom, the environment of the home, yard and the events around them can provide opportunities to advance those skills.

Keeping social interaction

It is probably impossible to replicate the personal interaction you have with your students. You motivate and reward them with your smile, comments, and body language. So personalize your communications, such as lesson directions and feedback in a way that lets your personality show through. Find ways for student-to-student interaction through study buddies, group interaction via phone, and quoting student work.

Attending to equity

Student learning should not be dependent on accesses to devices and the internet. The lessons you provide for students without those resources should also provide the stimulus for students to generate questions, develop investigations, and work with

evidence to develop explanations. MnSTA will be collecting examples of lessons that are designed to be usable for at-home instruction without the need for internet connections and that also maximize student scientific thinking.

Letting phenomena spark the learning

You may have learned about phenomena-based learning through workshops about our new science standards. This instructional strategy provides students with events in nature and the built world that they work to explain. The teacher selects a phenomenon that could lead toward the science concepts (core ideas) that are desired and then designs the sequence of activities that will help students develop explanations. These activities utilize and build investigation and thinking skills often by focusing on particular science and engineering practices. For example, students could be asked to make observations in their yard as the weather changes, such as the melting of snow banks, the buds on trees and the greening of grass. They can generate questions to go with the observations (sometimes called “noticings and wonderings”). These can be feed back to the teachers, e.g. by messages on the teacher’s voicemail or shared document. The teacher may select a more defined guiding question, such as “what factors cause something to change more rapidly in one part of the yard than another?” Students determine what data they could collect, such as temperature by touch or thermometer, soil samples to analyze by moisture (time to dry out or spread on paper towels) and particles using magnifiers such as phone cameras or water droplet magnifiers, and sun/wind exposure. Based on data collected over time students make claims explanations and provide their evidence and reasoning. A set of data and explanations could be given to other students to ask questions and suggest alternative explanations Such an approach make need to occur over time while more direct instruction on other topics may occur. To replace some laboratory experiments students could be asked to make sense of data they are given. Hence the scope and sequence that had been planned for the classroom, where one topic is completed before another is started, could be modified for a project-based approach. Some resources that explain the use of phenomena in lesson is found at this nextgenscience site. Some videos that provide examples of phenomena are at this WonderofScience site. A set of lessons have been collected that illustrate this approach, Phenomenal GRC Lessons (GRC stands for Gather, Reason, Com-

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education municate â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a grouping of the science and engineering practices). Asterisks have been placed by items that use materials normally found at home and usually do not need internet connections. Keeping up your own professional growth Mary Colson, NGSS writer and standards committee co-chair, developed a video describing her journey of changing her instruction to strengthen student thinking and wrote an article making suggestions for starting your own journey. The article and video are available at this MnSTA professional development page. https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/page.cgi/article. html?aid=1484&zine=show

tion

b. Bozeman Science Videos on the Practices 3. Collaborate with some of your colleagues to explore the practices in depth with the Science and Engineering in Action (SEPA) online professional development modules. These explore the practices through activities, videos of classroom examples, interviews with scientists and much more. Start with the first couple modules. The free enrollment is at https://mndepted.instructure.com/enroll/3487YR. 4. Start modifying your current instruction to use the instructional strategies. Mary Colson, NGSS writer and standards committee co-chair, developed a video describing her journey of changing her instrucKey Resources for Science Distance learning tion and wrote an article making suggestions for MN Dept. of Education Academic Standards starting your own journey. The article and video are COVID-19 Resources, which include a document of available at this MnSTA professional development suggestions for science distance learning. page. Supporting Studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Science Learning during You can access the folder of MDE regional workSchool Closures, posted at the STEM Teaching Tools shop resources. They include slides, articles and a list site. This provides guidance for promoting science of outside resources. thinking through at-home learning and also has docuMCA Item Writing Invitation ments for parents and students. We would like to invite you to apply to be part MnSTA Resources for Teaching Remotely proof Building Capacity for Science Assessment: Scivides a Forum for adding resources, a page of online ence MCA-IV Item Writing Workshop in the sumlearning resources, a collection of analog lessons, and mer of 2020. The workshop will be 4 1/2 days total, links to content area resources. https://www.mnsta. starting with a half-day virtual training on June 12, org/cgi/page.cgi/MnSTA_RemoteResources.html followed by in-person meetings on June 24-25 and July 7-8. Approximately 10-15 additional hours may be needed outside of these dates to complete the What are some steps that I can take now to get ready for teaching the new writing assignments. This summer, we are focused on writing engaging grade-level phenomena tied science standards? to the 2019 Minnesota Science Standards and also Many teachers have been introduced to the new generating question ideas for each phenomenon. We standards and some of the teaching strategies. You hope that the summer 2020 workshop goals generate may be tempted to start writing curriculum based on creative thinking, engage with your unique teachthe new standards. But it may be better to develop ing approaches, and build a repository of engaging more of an understanding of the teaching strategies phenomena for the Science MCA-IV. that the support three dimensional learning and try If you are interested in being part of this MCA-IV them out now. This will make you better prepared to item writer workshop this year, contact us for more write curriculum. Here are some steps you may want information or enter your information by April 3, to take. 2020 at this location www.surveymonkey.com/ 1. Get more familiar with the ideas in A Framer/2020MCAWriter. work for K-12 Science Education. It is the guiding We encourage any teachers and educators interdocument for our new science standards. It is availested in becoming a Science item writer to apply. We able as a free download at www.nap.edu. Start with want to grow the impact teachers have on our Scichapters 2 and 3 and if you can go deeper look at ence MCA-IV assessment and look forward to engagchapters 4 and 11. ing with more teachers around the state. If you have 2. Watch some videos that present views of colleagues that might be interested in participating, instruction please share this information. a. NGSS Video Hub, especially the videos on Jim Wood and Judi Iverson the three dimensions and phenomena-based instrucScience Assessment Specialists 651-582-8541, 651-582-8651

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Department of Education Opportunities Note: Because of the Coronavirus outbreak, events may be cancelled or switched to online delivery. News *COVID -19 as a teachable moment

The National Center for Science Education addresses questions students are asking about the current coronavirus outbreak in this article on Evolution and Epidemics https://ncse.ngo/evolutionand-epidemics You can sign up for email updates every Friday https://www.cognitoforms.com/NCSE/ signUpForEmailUpdatesOnCoronaVirusinformationYouCanUseinYourClassroom.

Licensing Board stakeholder input sessions

The Minnesota Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB) is beginning the stakeholder engagement process to create its first long range strategic plan as a new agency. PELSB has scheduled public sessions to gain stakeholder input on this strategic plan. There is an opportunity to participate virtually and you can submit written comments. Contact Yelena.Bailey@state.mn.us for more information. - April 14: 12 – 2 pm – Focus: Teacher Prepa ration - April 20: 9 – 11 am – Focus: Administrators - April 29: 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Focus: Teachers, students, parents and community

Environment Education Portal Updated

The Minnesota Association for Environmental Education is now running the EE Portal @MAEE, http://eeportal.minnesotaee.org the successor to the SEEK website (Sharing Environmental Education Knowledge). exists to share environmental education resources, jobs, and events with classroom teachers, naturalists, and non-formal educators in Minnesota. Organizations can register to share their resources.

Science Licensure

Department of Education science staff have been meeting with staff of the Professional Educators License and Standards Board to clarify the current science licenses and lay the groundwork for potential changes. They prepared a joint fact sheet on the current licenses and opportunities for science teachers to add licenses. This statement is posted on the MDE Science webpage https://education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/ stds/sci/. It will be updated with new developments. Any changes in licensure will have to wait until the science standards have been completed the Minnesota Rulemaking process.

Teacher Events and Workshops

Note: Several of these workshop will be helpful in preparing to teach the new science standards and may be applicable for adding a science license by portfolio.

Earn credits for online professional development:

Science and Engineering Practices in Action Teachers can now get graduate credit for working with the SEPA online professional development modules! Complete all of the modules in their entirety and develop an action plan for implementation of the new science standards. 4 graduate credits available through Hamline University. Please contact Continuing Studies at Hamline University for a registration form gcs@hamline.edu. For questions contact Patty Born-Selly pselly01@ hamline.edu. For more information about and access to Minnesota’s online professional development modules, open the MDE Online Science Courses document https://drive.google.com/drive/ folders/1MCFX3dXyHNNxx89Ikpv-r-mmWijk-j4F.

Exploring the Deep Ocean with NOAA, April 4, Duluth Join NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to learn the importance of ocean exploration and current technologies for exploring the deep ocean. Engage with standardsbased, hands-on activities and online resources to guide classroom learning around ocean science literacy. Focus on ocean health, underwater mapping, remotely operated vehicles and unique underwater habitats. Tour Large Lakes Observatory’s R/V Blue Heron to explore current and future research taking place on the Great Lakes. Participants will receive the books NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer Education Materials Collection Volume 1: Why Do We Explore?, Volume 2: How Do We Explore?, and additional resources. Lessons are designed for grades 6-12, but many activities can be scaled to suit educator needs. Breakfast, lunch and a $75 stipend included. More Information and Registration https://glaquarium.org/education/k-12-learning/ science-institute-for-educators/

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities Project WET Earth Day workshops, April 18 – Henderson, April 22 – Afton

Enjoy the opportunity to share ideas about water with your colleagues. Understand how Project WET is aligned with NGSS standards, and learn about the brand new Climate Change curriculum that Project WET is unveiling spring 2020 in honor of World Water Day and 50 Years of Earth Day! Spend the day getting trained in WET 2.0 and discover new resources available to you! (CEU credits) Check out this video of Project WET https://vimeo.com/100527293. The April 18 https://www.mnsta.org/_Library/ ezine_fliers_open_to_public/Project_WET_Workshop_Flyer_2020-Ney.pdf workshop is at Ney Nature Center and the April 22 workshop is at Afton State park https://www.mnsta.org/_Library/ezine_fliers_open_to_public/Project_WET_Workshop_Flyer_2020_Afton.pdf along the St. Croix River. More information and registration Jeanine.kohn@state. mn.us

Exploring Environmental STEM at Blaine Wetland Sanctuary, May 9, Blaine

Adventure in nature play and hands-on teaching strategies at a unique wetland site with this workshop 9 am – noon. Practice environmental STEM teaching strategies including: the 5E model; nature play; science activities for your site; and how to do field trips. Participants experience the 5E’s...engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate...all at Blaine Wetland Sanctuary! We act out seasons, build different nests, create art connecting natural systems, investigate insulators, identify plants, and more. The Blaine Wetland Sanctuary https://www.blainemn.gov/1387/ is an open space park that holds a special wetland called a fen, some of the rarest plants in Minnesota, and a unique mile-long boardwalk. The BWS park and the online curriculum are free to visitors. Registration at https://apm.activecommunities.com/ blaineparks/Activity_Search/bws-exploring-environmental-stem/2667

MnSTA: Instructional Strategies for the New MN Science Standards, June 12 or Aug. 17, Staples

Learn the pedagogy associated with the 2019 K-12 Minnesota Science Standards and ways to prepare to teach the standards. In this workshop, we will explore some of the significant changes between the 2009 and 2019 Minnesota science standards. Among the changes is the instructional shift from students learning about science content to students engaging

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in the practices of science to figure out something

puzzling, either regarding the natural or the designed world. The workshop will conclude with a look at some of the resources that are available to support Minnesota teachers as they tackle the shift to 3-dimensional teaching and learning. This MnSTA sponsored workshop is led by Mary Colson, NGSS writer and cochair of the Minnesota Science Standards Committee. More Information and Registration https://www. sourcewell-mn.gov/statewide-regional-solutions/ education-solutions/professional-development/newscience-standards.

Computer Science Professional Learning, June 15 – 19, St. Paul

Code.org is offering Computer Science Discoveries and Principles workshop at no cost to most teachers accepted into the program. The professional learning program prepares teachers to offer the CS Discoveries courses for grades 6-10 or the CS Principles course for grades 9 – 12. Twin Cities PBS is partnering with this program which begins with the summer workshop and provides year round support. https://code.org/educate/professional-learning/ middle-high?utm_source=targeted-email&utm_ medium=email&utm_campaign=school-recruitment2020&utm_term=2.13.20&utm_content=middle-high

Physics/Physical Science Workshops, June, River Falls

These are two continuing education opportunities for Physics and Physical Science teachers to be offered at the University of Wisconsin - River Falls in June 2020. More information https://www.uwrf.edu/ PHYS/Summer.cfm Calculus for Mechanics and E&M in High School Physics, June 15-19 - Astronomy Inquiry Methods and Activities for High School Science, June 22 – 26

Cost Rica Professional Development and Field Science using NGSS, June 21-29

Hamline University has partnered with Ecology Project International and offers a 4-graduate credit course in NGSS teaching...Based at a remote wildlife reserve in Costa Rica, teachers conduct field research and gain practice with phenomenon-based learning and the Next Generation Science Standards. Contact EPI https://www.ecologyproject.org/programs/ educator-professional-development/porfessionaldevelopment-courses or Patty Born Selly pselly01@ hamline.edu for more information.

Department of Education Opportunities Teaching in the Outdoor Classroom Workshop, June 22 – 25, 2020, Fergus Falls

All who teach children are invited to … • Explore innovative ways to use an outdoor classroom during this preK-12th immersion workshop held concurrently with the Summer Explorers Biology Camp for youth entering 5th and 6th grades. • Observe professionals and apply outdoor classroom methods by leading the same youth daily, outdoors, in a supportive team teaching environment. • Gain knowledge and real world experience in the prairie pothole ecosystem … at the Prairie Wetlands Nature Center. Free lodging is available. This pre K – 12th grade workshop is for all who teach children. Explore innovative ways to use the outdoors as a classroom with integrated curriculum. Strengthen your outdoor teaching and reflection skills, and apply them to your indoor curriculum. Benefit from the immediate opportunity to apply workshop content with a small group of motivated youth. Gain knowledge and real-world experience in the prairie pothole ecosystem with direct carryover to any geographic location, any age, and any season. Each participant receives certificate for 28 clock hours, hands-on practice using field equipment, printed copy of The Compass to Nature booklet, and much more. Free lodging available in the PWLC dormitory. For more info and to register, visit the Friends of the PWLC web site https://www.friendsofprairiewetlands.com/.

Addressing Disparities in STEM Education: District Leadership Program, June 22-26, St. Paul

The IDEAL Center (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access, and Leadership) at the Science Museum of Minnesota invites school and district leadership teams to apply for the 2020–2021 PAGE District Leadership Program https://www.smm.org/page/register PAGE is dedicated to addressing achievement disparities in STEM education on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, disability, language, and sexual orientation at a systems level. PAGE is an 11-day program with a five-day institute during the summer of 2020, and three two-day Colloquia during the 2020–2021 school year. For more information and to apply, go to https://www.smm.org/page/register. Application due April 1.

Modeling Instruction Workshops, July

The Modeling Method has been intentionally developed to correct many weaknesses of the lecturedemonstration method of instruction typically seen in STEM classrooms. These weaknesses include the fragmentation of knowledge, student passivity, and the persistence of naive beliefs about the physical world. Instruction is organized into modeling cycles which move students through all phases of model development, evaluation and application in concrete situations — thus promoting an integrated understanding of modeling processes and acquisition of coordinated modeling skills. - Physics introduction workshop, Winona State Univ. July 6 – 10, Information and Registration https://mnscu.rschooltoday.com/public/costoption/ class_id/140598/public/1/ - Chemistry workshop Tartan High School, Oakdale, July 13 – 17, Information and Registrationhttps://www.eweblife.com/prm/AMTA/calendar/ event?event=2141 - Biology workshop, Tartan High School, Oakdale, July 13 – 17, Information and Registration https://www.eweblife.com/prm/AMTA/calendar/ event?event=2140

Population Education online professional development, July 6 – August 3

Population Education is excited to announce our online professional development course for science and social studies educators of grades 6-12! Discover student-centered learning strategies that use contemporary issues and real-world data to examine the social and environmental impacts of human population and engage in meaningful dialogue with educators across the world. The course is asynchronous, which means students can work at their own leisure and pace while still abiding by the pre-set submission deadlines. There are weekly discussion boards, journals, and a final project, all built to provide participants with meaningful feedback and materials to use within their own educational setting. Four graduate credits are available. Information and registration.

https://populationeducation.org/teacher-workshops/online-professional-development-course/

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities FDA Professional Development in Food Science, July 12 – 18, Washington DC

This fully funded program from the Food a Drug Administration and the National Science Teachers Assn. provides inquiry-based supplemental curriculum about foodborne disease outbreaks, recalls and nutrition. Included in the program is transportation to and from Washington and all housing and meal expenses. Information about the Science and Our Food Supply curriculum https://www.fda.gov/ food/students-teachers/science-and-our-food-supply. Application for the program http://www.teachfoodscience.org/apply.asp– deadline April 24

Green and Sustainable Chemistry Workshop, July 13-15, Minneapolis

The NSF Center for Sustainable Polymers (CSP) in partnership with the Minnesota Corn Growers Association (MCGA) https://www.mncorn.org/ will be offering a FREE three-day workshop at the University of Minnesota to high school chemistry teachers on green and sustainable chemistry. Participating teachers will receive instruction on green chemistry, industrial applications, and potential impacts to human health and the environment. Shared lesson plans will illustrate how green and sustainable practices apply to secondary chemistry classrooms. Participants will gain hands-on experience with safer, cost-effective labs that minimize waste and are dropin replacements for traditional secondary chemistry labs. Participants will receive a $300.00 stipend and the option to earn 2 graduate level credits from the Colorado School of Mines. They will also receive resources for lab implementation More Information at https://csp.umn.edu/green-chemistry-workshop/ Applications due April 1.

River Institute featuring Waters to the Sea, July 20 – 22, Ft. Snelling State Park Join us this summer as Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) presents its acclaimed Mississippi River Institute, a free, three-day, field-based professional development opportunity for educators. The Mississippi River Institute is designed to increase teachers’ science content knowledge and investigation skills, and help area educators translate their professional experiences into meaningful, engaging classroom investigations. The focus for the institute is on elementary and middle school classroom teachers. This workshop will especially be helpful for teachers preparing to teach the new

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science standards for middle school earth and life science. More Information at https://www.hamline.edu/ cgee/riversinstitute/

Summer Institute for Climate Change Education, July 22-24, St. Paul

Join together with educators from across the country for an impactful training on climate change education presented by Climate Generation. Educators from all backgrounds and subjects are invited to attend and learn new ways to teach climate change. Scholarships are available. More Information at https://www.climategen.org/our-core-programs/ climate-change-education/professional-development/ summer-institute/ • Get hands-on experience with climate change activities for the classroom • Use phenomena-based learning to ignite curiosity about climate change causes, impacts, and solutions • Discover your personal climate story and learn how to incorporate it into a lesson with your students • See how art brings data to life, and use climate fiction literature to teach concepts and guide discussions about the future • Special strand for Minnesota science teachers: Featuring the new Minnesota Science Standards and climate change

Project GUTS Computer Science in Science workshop, July 27-31, Milwaukee

The course is designed to integrate Computer Science (CS) concepts into existing middle school science classes, especially in contexts in which a standalone CS course is not available. Help students from all different backgrounds to engage in scientific inquiry by investigating topics of interest to their local communities and sharing their experiments and findings. Scholarships plus more dates and locations are available. Information at https://teacherswithguts. org/events/project-guts-cs-in-science-5-day-pump-csworkshop-milwaukee-wi

Waterworks! A Drinking Water Institute for Educators, August 3-5, Red Wing

Enrich your water curriculum, investigate drinking water quality, chemistry, engineering, community resources, and practice-based activities for your classroom. This three-day, hands-on workshop allows grade 4-10 teachers of science to gather information from expert presenters about how safe, reliable drinking water is delivered to your community as well as drinking water issues facing Minnesota. Meals

Department of Education Opportunities and resource binder provided. Choose between two graduate credits or stipend. Join the ranks of over 400 teachers that have participated in WaterWorks! throughout Minnesota over the last 20 years. Funded by the Minnesota Dept. of Health and the American Waterworks Association. Application and Information https://www.hamline.edu/education/environmental/cgee/waterworks/

MN Zoo STEM Teacher Workshop, Aug 3-6, Apple Valley

See the Zoo in a whole new way! This four day workshop will engage teachers in utilizing animals and the Zoo as a tool to integrate engineering concepts into their curriculum. Sessions focus on Engineering BY Animals, Engineering FROM Animals (biomimicry), and Engineering FOR Animals. Through hands on activities, expert talks and behind the scenes experiences, see how STEM is being used by aquarists, conservationists, and zoo staff to help care for and conserve wildlife both in the zoo and in the wild. Information and Registration at http://mnzoo.org/education/schools-teachers/stem-programs/

Knowles Academy Summer Professional Development, various topics, dates and locations The Knowles Teacher Initiative announces the availability of 10 professional development courses for teachers that will be offered this summer through the Knowles Academy https://knowlesteachers. org/knowles-academy?gclid=CjwKCAjw3-bzBRBhEiwAgnnLCphI0VysPE48MkbIDZqgBNYsygSQjvBLDMZhYeLF8pCs8vQLLXMFaRoC0JYQAvD_BwE. The Knowles Academy offers state-of-the-art courses that are designed for teachers by teachers. The courses are offered at $100 per course. A description and listing of the courses is at this MnSTA professional development site. https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/page.cgi/article. html?aid=1470&zine=show “Knowles Academy courses are different from other teacher professional development because each offers a sustained learning experience,” said Jeff Rozelle, Vice President of Programs, Knowles Teacher Initiative. “Courses are made up of teachers supporting teachers to improve their classroom practice with long-term support for sustainable change.”

American Meteorological Society Summer Institutes, Various dates and locations

Enhance your knowledge of Earth system science and earn graduate credit through AMS Education’s teacher professional development programs. K-12 courses include Project Atmosphere, Project Ocean,

DataStreme Atmosphere; DataStreme Ocean, and DataStreme Earth’s Climate System. Information at https://www.ametsoc.org/index.cfm/ams/educationcareers/education-program/k-12-teachers/.

Teacher and School Awards and Opportunities

NABT Outstanding Biology Teacher Award

The National Association of Biology Teachers (NABT) recognizes an outstanding biology teacher from each state. Nominees do not have to be members NABT. In addition to an application form, nominees will be asked to submit a video of their classroom teaching, an essay, and four letters of recommendation. For more information, go to the NABT Awards website https://nabt.org/AwardsAbout-More-Information, download an application form https://nabt.org/Awards-NABT-Award-Nomination-Form, download video suggestions, or contact Jim Lane (jim.lane@isd832.net), Life Science Instructor at Mahtomedi High School.

Minnesota GreenSteps Schools program

This new FREE and voluntary program provides support to schools desiring to make improvements in their sustainability practices. It helps schools make goals and realize accomplishments “one step at a time” by connecting with a supportive community of volunteers, businesses, non-profits, and local and state government agencies. The program is modeled after the proven MN GreenSteps Cities program and utilizes the pillars of the US Dept. of Education Green Ribbon Schools program. Schools may select the practice they want to work on and receive resources for addressing that practice. They can build up to the Green Ribbon School award and continue beyond. The program has a campaign to have 50 schools and 50 resource organizations express interest by Earth Day April 22. Learn more at the GreenSteps Schools website https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/mngreenstepschools/home or by emailing mngreenstepssch@ umn.edu.

School Programs and Resources

Green Olympics

Project Green Schools is thrilled to announce the inaugural year of the Green Olympics sponsored by National Grid to be held in schools and communities around the country this Spring, and we invite you to be part of this new way to engage students, schools and communities in environmental action. Participants will compete in environmental games and challenges focusing on energy, waste, food/

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities agriculture, water, climate change and air. Specific challenges will be framed by Project Green Schools along with the option to create custom challenges to show how you celebrate sustainability at your school/ organization! Green Olympics events are environmental awareness and action programs with a fundraising component. You identify a project to “Green Up Your School/Community” and then money raised at the Green Olympics becomes a grant to fund your project and to further the cause of educating and supporting K-12 Environmental Education and Programs. More information https://projectgreenschools.org/projectgreen-schools-green-olympics/ Sign up by March 30 and receive a hosting kit.

Grants for STEM learning

The America’s Farmers Grow Rural Education Program is offering grants up to $15,000 to school districts for increasing interest or improving instruction or learning in STEM areas. Each district must be nominated by a person who operates a farm larger than 250 acres. More Information https://www.americasfarmers.com/grow-rural-education/. Deadline is May 1

Black Ingenuity: Past Present and Future Innovations, Exhibit, Minneapolis

Black Ingenuity features blacks in Minnesota who made an impact in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields through their research, inventions and designs. Visitors will learn about Frederick McKinley Jones, co-founder of Thermo King, whose refrigerated united revolutionized the long-distance transport of perishable goods. The exhibition also features Dr. Reatha Clark King, a hidden figure in the Apollo 11 space mission, and several other innovators including Alexander Miles, Clarence “Cap” Wigington, John J. Henry and Damaris Hollingsworth. The exhibition also highlights programs preparing future innovators such as Minnesota STEM Partnership and Young Builders and Designers. The free exhibit at the Minnesota African American Heritage Museum is open now through May 31, 2020. https:// www.maahmg.org/

.Project Hero: Ecology Quests

Project Hero is a free online platform that offers standards-oriented and authentic project-based learning experience for empowering and engaging students to take action for their local endangered species and ecosystems. Each Quest students undertake is a unique learn-

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ing and activation journey that focuses on locally-relevant environmental issues. We present multi-media content, lessons, and activities for exploring and understanding the threats to local species and ecosystems. Every quest culminates in a hands-on project to empower your students to make a meaningful impact in their environment. Current Quests include Minnesota Freshwater Quest. When you register for a free account as an educator, you gain access to additional teaching resources, tips, and opportunities, including eligibility for grant funds to support your class’s projects. Information https://herofortheplanet.org/

Student Programs, Awards and Competitions Minnesota Online Map Competition

The Minnesota ArcGIS Online student competition is launching in January. All interested Minnesota schools - public, private and home schools - are invited to participate in the competition. Students learn how to use Esri’s ArcGIS Online tools to create digital maps and story maps. There are two divisions - grades 4 to 8 compete in the middle school division, and grades 9 to 12 in the high school division. There are two levels of competition in each division. The first is a simple map-making competition where students make maps based on topics selected by their teachers. The second is a Minnesota researched-based competition where students compete state-wide to be one of the top five entries in their division. For complete details go to the competition website https://www.arcgis. com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=833023ba573 14c29a5d3047e157d917a. Register by April 3.

WOW! That’s Engineering, April 25, Minneapolis Wow! Is a free award winning program for female students in grades 6-8. It includes: • Learning from real engineers and college students • Completing hands-on engineering experiments to learn about STEM fields • Transportation to and from the event • Breakfast and lunch, plus a t-shirt and more! The event from the Society of Women Engineers is at Dunwoody College. While all female middle school students are welcome to attend, we prefer students on the free or reduced lunch programs. Students need to be present for the entire event day, from 9am - 4pm. Registration for each student https://forms.gle/SHuWgfPMeH1gbtcm9 Questions – swemnwow@gmail.com

Department of Education Opportunities Science Technology, and Engineering Preview Summer, June 15-19, St. Paul

Do you know any female students currently in 6th or 8th grade? The University of St. Thomas School of Engineering in St. Paul is hosting their Science, Technology, and Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) free one-day camps to introduce girls to these exciting fields. STEPS one-day camps are scheduled for June 15th through 19th 2020. Application is open through March 15, 2020 and participants are selected randomly by lottery from all eligible applicants. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity! Information and Registration https://www. stthomas.edu/stepscamp/

More Information http://www.cts.umn.edu/education/prospective/national-summer-transportationinstitute?utm_content=&utm_medium=email&utm_ name=&utm_source=govdelivery&utm_term=

High School Renewable Energy Camp, July 13-17, St. Paul

Hamline University’s Renewable Energy Camp will enhance understanding of renewable energy and demonstrate how to design, test, construct, fabricate, and present energy conversion and storage devices. At camp, students entering grades 9 - 12 will: • Interact with local experts to learn the prin ciples of and conduct hands-on experiments Materials Camp at the U of M, June 16 – 19, Min with renewable energy conversion and neapolis storage devices like solar cells, supercapaci The Minnesota Materials Science Camp provides a tors, and lithium-ion batteries. hands-on experience into the world of materials science • Visit local corporations such as Medtronic. and engineering. Students entering their junior or senior • Work with a team to design, fabricate, and year are eligible. test energy conversion and storage devices, - A unique science experience under the as well as analyze and present experimental direction of industry and education based “ results. Materials Mentors” Scholarships may be available. Information and - Combination of mini-demonstrations and Registration at https://www.hamline.edu/cla/phys field trips with extensive involvement in l ics/energycamp/ aboratory facilities to actively explore mate SDSU Natural Resources Camp, July 20-24, rials science & engineering principles Information. http://www.mnasm.org/camp/ Ap- Astonia SD (near Brookings) The SDSU Natural Resources Camp is a great plications due March 31. way to gain exposure to the world of natural reSummer Transportation Institute, June 20 – 31, sources, including fish, plants, wildlife, soils, inverMinneapolis This free two-week summer day camp at the Univer- tebrates, and water. The camp offers opportunities sity of Minnesota for students entering grades 7 – 9 will to gain hands-on experiences in natural resource introduce you to the many aspects of the transportation ecology and management. The camp is intended for high school students, entering grades 9, 10, 11, and field. You’ll go on field trips around the Twin Cities, 12, who have a strong desire to learn more about the participate in hands-on lab activities, and learn from natural world or who have an interest in pursuing a experts about what it’s like to work in transportation. career related to natural resources. - Learn how different parts of the transpor The Oak Lake Field Station is located 22 miles tation system work together to keep you (and northeast of the SDSU Campus in Brookings the things you buy) moving in cars, trucks, County, South Dakota. Space is limited and is avail planes, and boats in Minnesota and beyond able on a first-come, first-serve basis. Lodging and - Take a spin in a driving simulator and learn meals are included in your camp registration ($300). how it’s used to make our roads safer Information. Register by June 12, 2020. - Design and build a model bridge https://www.sdstate.edu/natural-resource-manage- Go behind the scenes on exciting field trips ment/natural-resources-camp around the Twin Cities to places like an -

airport, transit facility, and maintenance facility Tour the University of Minnesota campus and get a feel for college life

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities Summer Student Internship at Seagate, Bloomington To help students prepare for future technician and engineering positions, Seagate is offing a summer internship program at its Bloomington office. Recent high school grads or freshmen can apply for an $18 per hour paid internship. Positions are in production engineering and development engineering. Contact Katie.l.strub@seagate.com for information

Science and Engineering Competitions • • • l • • • • • •

Science Bowl (cancelled) https://www.mn mas.org/science-bowl Minnesota Science Olympiad http:// www.minnesotaso.org Science and Engineering Fair and Sci ence Bowl http://www.mnmas.org FIRST Lego League, FIRST Tech Chal enge, FIRST Robotics https://hightech kids.org/ Supermileage Challenge https://www. mteea.net/index.php/competitions/super mileage Real World Design Challenge http:// www.realworlddesignchallenge.org Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision www.ex ploravision.org NSTA Angela Award – girls grades 5 – 8 https://www.nsta.org/about/awards.aspx MN Scholars of Distinction – high school https://education.mn.gov/MDE/fam/ gifted/sod/ National Youth Science Camp – two Minnesota Delegates http://www.nysf. com/w/programs/nysc/

Minnesota Programs and Competitions

Many competitions, out-of-school programs and field trip opportunities are posted at the Mn-STEM website http://mn-stem.com/stem/ and listed in the Reach for the Stars Catalog of Programs and Activities https://synergyexchange.org/synergy/media/ reach/2018/reach-2018.pdf.

MDE Science Contacts:

John Olson, Science Content Specialist, john.c.olson@state.mn.us Jim Wood, Science Assessment Specialist jim.wood@state.mn.us Judi Iverson, Science Assessment Specialist judi.iverson@state.mn.us Sarah Carter, STEM and Computer Science Specialist sarah.carter@state.mn.us Send submissions for the Science Update to John

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Olson john.c.olson@state.mn.us