MnSTA Newsletter Summer 2020 by MnSTA

MnSTA

Newsletter

Volume 57 No. 4 A Quarterly Publication of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Inc. Summer 2020

Social Justice–Centered Science Teaching and Learning

Some cultures have historically been privileged in particular times and places, and as a result, some ways of knowing and doing science have had more social standing. We work from the stance that scientific ways of knowing and science education are fundamentally cultural and inherently political. All students have a right and a responsibility to learn how science has been implicated in creating many social inequities over time and how diverse scientific knowledges and practices can promote justice. For example, the ice floe knowledge of Arctic Indig enous peoples was not initially brought into the larger scientific conversation on global climate science until sustained relationship building and deep listening between Indigenous and Euro-Westerntrained scientists occurred. This knowledge held within Indigenous communities allowed for refinement of global climate modeling. Tribes and Indigenous peoples are engaged in hundreds of such efforts to understand and respond to climate change. Teachers can foster such cultural bridging in ways that help students recognize their agency to engage in social justice projects in ways informed by the sciences. Specifically, justice-oriented science educators should engage in culturally-based pedagogies that identify and leverage the knowledge and practice resources of students and their communities. Science education can be used to support more just, sustainable, and culturally thriving futures—especially for those who have historically been and continue to be disenfranchised from science (Bang et al. 2017). To do this, we need to teach students that: 1. Making sense of the world has been, and continues to be, universal across diverse cultures throughout

human history and thus people bring diverse experiences and sense-making repertoires to their science learning 2. Decisions made using scientific knowledge are tied to specific values and ideologies, some of which are more powerful in our social decision-making (e.g., giant corporate farms growing hybridized monocrops are more economical than small locally-owned farms that sustainably grow genetically diverse crops, but diverse crops are more resilient to climatic changes than the monocrops); 3. It’s important to know how to develop and apply a wide range of knowledges and practices of science and engineering (along with other knowledge) in ways that support broad social justice movements (e.g., disrupting racial disparities in health and mitigating climate impacts for communities impacted by poverty); and 4. Equally important are how the means and ends of learning and teaching are focused on commitments of human dignity, as well as fostering respect for and responsibility to other living organisms The approaches described in this issue’s articles highlight these dimensions of centering diverse sensemaking, supporting critical social analysis, positioning students to work toward justice, and focusing education on just, sustainable, and thriving futures for people and all living beings. We look forward to your examples and thoughts about how to further this work. Phil Bell and Deb Morrison, NSTA Next Gen Navigator Guest Editor NSTA/Blog/Social Justice in the Science Classroom For links to other resources to explore go to: https://www.nsta.org/blog/social-justice-science-classroom

President’s Message-Josh Tharaldson Greeting MnSTA Members: With the tragic passing of George Floyd in Minneapolis late last month we feel a responsibility to raise our voices when issues and unrest become a part of our daily lives throughout our communities, our state and our country. As a result of these events, our nation has expressed emotions such as shame, guilt, anger, hope and found inspiration in the commitment to change from all races and age groups in America. MnSTA stands in solidarity with disenfranchised populations in the rightful demand for justice and equity. Our children hear, see, and feel the unrest and MnSTA believes all educators have a responsibility to teach tolerance and make science available for all; “It is the mission of MnSTA to stimulate, coordinate, and improve science teaching and learning for all.” Since 2018, the MnSTA board of directors has dedicated a significant portion of each board meeting to work on implementation of a key element of our strategic plan; “to promote and expand equitable, inclusive, and accessible science.” This work will continue and we hope that if you can help us with this goal, we encourage you to share pertinent information related to this topic via our social media pages or consider presenting a session related to this at our annual MnCOSE conference. It is all of our responsibility to teach, lead and listen with empathy in an effort to fully support all students and educators in this changing moment in our country’s history. Please take time to read the official statement on social justice and science education which was recently released from the National Science Teaching Association, their statement can be found on the NSTA website. Now, with the 2019-2020 school year behind us, we can take some time on our summer break to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of the school year. We were presented with many challenges and opportunities with the rollout of distance learning for the last two months of the school year. MnSTA and MDE teamed together to present a webinar to over 150 educators around Minnesota titled “Promising Practices for Science Distance Learning”. We worked together to share resources for distance

learning in our current situation and looked at ways to improve these experiences for our students. All of these shared resources and so much more are available on the MnSTA website. With the conclusion of my term as MnSTA president soon approaching, I want to highlight and share appreciation to our dedicated MnSTA board members. Our regional directors and discipline directors were highlighted for all of the work that they do on our board in the Spring 2020 edition of our newsletter. There are others on our board who deserve special individual recognition for their work throughout each year to ensure that the necessary day-to-day tasks are completed, including management of MnSTA finances by Treasurer Joe Reymann; administrative work of Executive Secretary Karen Bengston; Webmaster Eric Koser; Newsletter Editor Jerry Wenzel; MnCOSE Conference Coordinator Mary Haberman; Database Manager & Web Content Editor Mark Lex and State Science Specialist John Olson. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to science education in the state of Minnesota!

MnSTA’s New Ptresident

Angela Osuji will take over the the presidency of MnSTA during the summer board meeting in July. We thank Josh Tharaldson for his dedicated and passionate leadership as MnSTA’s president the past two years. Anglea is a 7-12 licensed Chemistry, Physics and Physical Science teacher at Washburn High School, Minneapolis Public Schools where she has taught since 1994. She graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and St Mary’s University of Minnesota and holds a Ph.D. in Science Education and a K-12 Administration Licensure. In addition to teaching, she is a 2018-2019 Humphrey Policy Fellows at the Center for the Study of Politics and Governance, Humphrey School of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota. She does summer research with Materials Research Science and EngineerAnglea Osuji.......continuted on page 5

MnSTA Newsletter

Teacher Feature-Jonathan Froelich Our featured teacher for this issue of the MnSTA newsletter is Jonathan Froelich. Jonathan teaches 8th grade Earth Science at South Junior High in St. Cloud. Jonathan grew up in St. Cloud, MN and graduated from Tech High School in 2009. He went to SCSU and double majored in Earth Science and Physical Education. His college years were spent working in retail and coaching soccer at his old junior high school, South. After he graduated, he was a building sub and eventually landed his first and so far only teaching job at South. It was a unique experience for him to work with so many of his old teachers from junior and senior high school. To this day, he still calls them “Ms. And Mr.” instead of their first name. Jonathan enjoys teaching in his content area. He has collected rocks and watched documentaries on Earth Science his entire life. Having the chance to talk about, teach, and watch students learn about his passion is a dream come true. He states, “Each unit has it’s own awesome activity or project that I look forward to every year. The rocks and minerals unit is able to turn each student into an amateur geologist when they identify rock samples. The weather unit ends with students acting as meteorologists creating a weather forecast video for the current weather. Lastly, the solar system unit has one of my favorite activities of the year, creating a scale model of the solar system out in the athletic fields on our campus. Each of these activities, attempts to show students how the world around them was formed, functions and relates to other families of science.” Jonathan uses humor as much as possible. To him, this makes learning more fun, engaging and memorable for his students. He tries to highlight the bigger picture of each lesson for students to make their own connections to other material. Many of the questions he gets from students starts with “So, Mr. Fro what if…?” or “Hey, does this mean that…?”Both of these questions mean students are thinking, or as he calls it digesting the information he is trying to teach. It is moments like this that makes him feel like he is being his best self as a teacher. Jonathan’s philosophy has changed for him as his teaching career evolves. He sees so many quotes from other teachers or educational gurus that seem to align with his beliefs and thoughts on teaching science that it is hard to choose and stick to one. He saw a sticky note two years ago at one of his district professional developments that someone left behind. It is now faded and dirty and barely sticks to his

Summer 2020

laptop but it clearly still reads “All students deserve equitable opportunities to be successful.” He has also had the amazing gift of working with so many great teachers at his school. It was one teacher in particular, the language arts teacher on his team who really showed him what being a teacher is all about. It is not her philosophy statement, but her dedication and actions that showed him what education is all about. He states, “If I had to narrow down my philosophy it would be students and their needs always come first. My collogues and my faded sticky note are a constant reminder of this, and why our jobs are so important every day.”

Students in Jonathan Froelich’s class using the triple beam balance to find mass of different objects

Anglea Osuji.......continuted from page 2

ing Center (MRSEC) as a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) participant. She is a member of various professional organizations, including Education Minnesota, Minnesota Science Teachers Association (MnSTA), National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development, (ASCD), Phi Delta Kappa, Global Minnesota and the United Nations, USA (UN-USA). Currently, she serves as the Chemistry Discipline Director on the Board of MnSTA. She volunteers with various nonprofits, including Habitat for Humanity, the Youth Mentoring Program for Children of African Descent and the Igbo Women League of Minnesota and enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with family. Angela states, “My experiences as a science teacher with global perspectives, a k-12 classroom teacher and instructional specialist from Minneapolis Public Schools, a science and engineering researcher from the University of Minnesota, a facilitator of science and equity professional development, will add value to the leadership of MnSTA. I will bring these experiences as well as those from the current MN State and various national standards committees, assessment advisory boards, and the MnSTA board, to the role of the leadership position that advances the mission of the organization. To the role of the MnSTA President, I will bring passion and be a dedicated advocate on behalf of Minnesota science educators and students and MnSTA as an organization.”

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.

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.

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education How can I reflect on my teaching and build for next year?

The events of the past few months and weeks provide an opportunity to reflect on our actions as science teachers, as an educational institution, and as community members. At the Minneapolis memorial service for George Floyd, Al John Olson is the science specialist Sharpton used the for the Department of education. He will keep us updated on science phrase “take your education. in the MnSTA newsletter. knee off our necks” to highlight oppressive conditions from slavery through the current situation. That phrase made me think back on my days of instruction in urban schools and my current work. Did I “put a knee on students’ necks” by using unsupportive discipline practices, being too busy and schedule-driven to provide individual attention, giving assignments and tasks that limited the curiosity, creativity and potential of students, providing my science knowledge rather than helping students develop their own, and perpetuating an education system that marginalizes certain students? Since many of us are drained from the difficult end of the school year, it is a good time for reflection and goal setting before beginning the process of planning for the unknowns of the next school year. A good launching point is the STEM Teaching Tool Practice Brief 67: Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK12. NSTA also has a collection at Social Justice in the Science Classroom. As you prepare for the next school year, here are some other things to consider. • The instruction model is likely to shift during the school year and include some distance learning and some limited in-school instruction. MDE is providing recommendations for both science instruction for both scenarios at this website: Student Instruction COVID-19 • It is a good time to consider some of the beneficial aspects of distance learning so we can build on them. Look for and contribute to the Resources for Teaching Remotely on the MnSTA website.

Summer 2020

• The timeline for implementing science standards is not likely to change. So begin incorporating some of the teaching practices advocated by the new standards, e.g. phenomena-based instruction, integrating the three dimensions, and engaging students in model development and argumentation. • Watch for professional development opportunities this summer. Many of the workshops that have been in-person have gone to a virtual format and there are more webinars and conferences that are now accessible and affordable. Review the rest of this newsletter and watch for email announcements. Have a good summer of recovery and renewed vision.

Department of Education Opportuni News

Guidance for science In-person and at-home instruction

The Minnesota Department of Education had developed several guidance documents for the Student Instruction COVID-19 Resources webpage https:// education.mn.gov/MDE/dse/health/covid19. A new document provides specific recommendations for returning to in-person or hybrid science instruction with COVID-19 restrictions should be available June 19. It joins the previous Science Standards Support for Distance Learning https://education.mn.gov/ mdeprod/idcplg?IdcService=GET_FILE&DocNam e=MDE032138&RevisionSelectionMethod=latest Release&Rendition=primary. This document draws heavily from the work done by state science leaders across the country through the Council of State Science Supervisors (“CS-cubed”) to support science learning during closures, including advice for science leaders, teachers, families and students. In addition, CS3 has produce several briefs with practical suggestions and resources: • Supporting Equitable Home-Based Science Teaching and Learning during Extended School Closures (for educators) • Phenomena: Not just for the Classroom (for families) • Continuing Science at How with Science Notebooks (for families) • Pass the Science Please: Science Talk Moves (for families) • Teachers Guide: Phenomena, Science Notebooks and Science Talk Moves (for educators) These are available at this STEM Teaching Tools website.

Department of Education Opportunities MnSTA collection of distance learning resources and lesson plans At the urging of Education Commissioner Mary Cathryn Ricker, professional teaching organizations have collected examples of distance learning lesson plans. These are intended to be examples of how lesson plans can be designed, especially for students without internet technology devices. MnSTA has developed a site where teachers can upload lesson plans to share and can access those that are posted. To view the lessons and to contribute go to the MnSTA Resources for Teaching Remotely webpage https:// www.mnsta.org/cgi/page.cgi/MnSTA_RemoteResources.html. You will also find other resources posted there, including suggestions for elementary teachers and links for remote learning resources. MnSTA and MDE conducted a webinar on Promising Practices for Science Distance Learning in May. The recoding of the webinar at MnSTA Resources for Teaching Remotely https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/page. cgi/MnSTA_RemoteResources.html

coordinated modeling skills. The workshops are now offered online. More Information at https://www. modelinginstruction.org/professional-development/ upcoming-workshops/summer-2020/virtual-summercourses/.

Team Teaching with Mother Nature, June 29 – July 1, Savage

Trimming our Sails Workshop Series, starts July 15, weekly online

Great River Educator Workshop, July 8 online and July 29 or Aug 5 Mississippi River

Get introduced and learn more about your local national park right here in the Twin Cities: the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area! Metro elementary educators teaching in grades 3-6 – this free two-part workshop is for you! The Great River Educator Workshop is designed as an inspiring introduction to the Mississippi River and how it can connect to your classroom. The first part of the workshop is an online session 9 am – noon, helping you discover the exciting education programs offered by the park and how you can take advantage of them for next school year. The second part features an up-close look at the river in a kayak! We want you to know more about the great Teacher Events and Workshops Mississippi River and its importance to the Twin CitNote: Check the websites and contact organizers to be cer- ies area through an interpretive paddle on the water. tain that the events are still scheduled. Some organizations Information and Registration at https://docs.google. are waiting to see what changes happen for gathering of com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScupUE05PX_IGc4Td4Xpeople during the pandemic. Ch831j2gKYUK08mc0vZSYyof9rw4Ww/viewform. Be inspired this summer in an exciting workshop offered by Jeffers Foundation at the McColl Pond Environmental Learning Center. This is the muchrequested advanced version of their professional development training. The three days are jam-packed with multi-disciplinary, hands-on activities to engage and inspire your students. Strategies for successful outdoor instruction, a focus on academic standards, an emphasis on STEM and opportunities to share ideas with other educators are special features of the workshop. More Information at https://jeffersfoundation.org/programs/jeffers-workshops/.

Modeling Instruction Workshops, July

The Modeling Method corrects many weaknesses of the lecture-demonstration 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 uses 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

Minnesota and Wisconsin educators for grade 4 – 12 are invited to the virtual workshop series, Trimming our Sails: Land-Based Workshops about the Great Lakes and Inland Waters! Join Minnesota and Wisconsin Sea Grant for a 6-week workshop series that explores Great Lakes Literacy Principle 6: How the Great Lakes influence humans, and how humans influence the Great Lakes. Learn from educators who have participated in shipboard science workshops, researchers, and Center for Great Lakes Literacy staff about Great Lakes science along with classroom and field applications. The workshops occur Wednesday mornings and recordings will be available. More Information at https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/page.cgi/ article.html?aid=1599zine=show.

River Institute featuring Waters to the Sea, July 20 – 22, Hybrid Online Join us this summer as Hamline University’s Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) presents its acclaimed Mississippi River Institute, a free, three-day, online and field-based professional development opportunity for educators. contunued on next page

MnSTA Newsletter

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

Stay-In-stitute for Climate Change Education, July 22-24, Online

This three-day experience will take you beyond your computer screen, and into your backyard and neighborhood to do authentic scientific and social data collection, move your body, and make observations of the world around you. Join a network of teachers from across the country dedicated to teaching climate change as an interdisciplinary issue! • Prepare your students to be global citizens • Use phenomena and place-based learning to ignite curiosity • Support student engagement in climate solutions • Network with educators in climate change education More Information at https://www.climategen.org/ org/our-core-programs/climate-change-education/ professional-development/summer-institute Scholarships are available.

From the Solar System to the Cosmos, July 20 – 24, online

Are you trying to find an innovative way to bring real astronomical data into your classroom? Vera C. Rubin Observatory is developing a series of online astronomy investigations that provide a pathway for students to engage in a rich and interactive experience. During this FREE workshop, you will have an opportunity to work through five different investigations and engage in conversations with peers about how the investigations and related support materials can be adapted to work in your classroom contexts and support your learning outcomes. Each day we will spend two hours online together and an additional hour offline. The online workshop meets 1pm CDT. Sessions will be recorded for those who may have time conflicts. For more details or to register, go to https://mesta.wildapricot.org/page18206

Technology Integration Workshop, July 27-29, Online

TIW is a virtual professional development opportunity for K-12 educators to learn ways to enhance their curriculum through the integration of 21st century technology skills. Participants update a unit plan during the workshop and participate in a virtual job shadow with a corporate volunteer. More Information https://bestprep.org/technology-integration-workshop/

Computer Science Professional Learning, July 27-31, online

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

Smithsonian Leadership Development Institute, July 28-30, online

The Smithsonian Science Education Center is holding its first fully virtual leadership development event this summer. As part of the SSEC’s Leadership and Assistance for Science Education Reform (LASER) programming, the Smithsonian K-12 Science Education: Action Planning Institute (API) will tackle the challenge of ensuring science/STEM education remains a priority in classrooms and communities during COVID-19 and beyond. During this fully customizable program, live and asynchronous sessions will foster critical conversations on topics most relevant to K-12 science education today such as social emotional supports, equity and accessibility, and facilitating three-dimensional science investigations remotely. More Information at https://ssec.si.edu/ event/smithsonian-science-action-planning-institute

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

See the Zoo in a completely 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.

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Department of Education Opportunities 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: http://mnzoo. org/education/schools-teachers/stem-programs/ MN State Centers of Excellence Teacher Train-

ing Institute, Aug 12, White Bear Lake

This program is a professional development opportunity for all types of educators teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) related courses or out-of-school programs. The curriculum and programs on which we offer training are designed to inspire students and put them on track to pursue career pathways to rewarding careers in Minnesota. The workshop is for any STEM educator that seeks to inspire their students through handson, experiential-based STEM activities that connect directly with career pathways in Minnesota agricultural, healthcare, engineering, and manufacturing industries. More information at https://engineering. mnsu.edu/teacher-training-institute/

Exploring Environmental STEM at the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary, August 29, 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 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-exploringenvironmental-stem/2667

Accomplished Science Teaching: Building Student Understanding, online This course from PBS TeacherLine is the first in the Accomplished Science Teaching course series. The courses for PreK-12th grade educators may be taken individually or as a series. This research-based course draws upon data from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards’ performance assessment of science teachers. More Information at http://www.pbs.org/teacherline/catalog/courses/

Teacher and School Awards and Opportunities Green Ribbon Schools

The School of Engineering and Arts (SEA) in Golden Valley was selected at a U. S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools Award recipient for 2020. SEA is a kindergarten to 5th grade school that is rooted in a STEAM (Science-technology-engineering-arts-math) philosophy. Since their program opened in 2012 they have been working to reestablish native plants, orchards and gardens. They have reduced water consumption and their solid waste diversion rate is 56%. The school does not use irrigation and focuses on native plantings. 75% of the property is devoted to ecologically beneficial use. At least 50% of the school’s 201 minutes per week of physical education time is spent outdoors. Teachers are frequently found outdoors teaching required core content in math, language arts, music, art, physical education and science combined with outdoor experiences. The students tend to butterfly gardens, a pumpkin patch, a fruit orchard, a vegetable garden and the school forest. During their time at SEA, students learn from multiple environmental professionals and attend environmentally focused field trips several times each of their school years. For more information about SEA’s program read the Green Ribbon School Award Highlights, https://www2. ed.gov/programs/green-ribbon-schools/performance. html page 89.

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. Learn more https://sites. google.com/umn.edu/mngreenstepschools/home

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities School Programs and Resources

This listing features Minnesota organizations offering resources for distance learning. Many of these programs might be modified by the next school year depending on instruction models that will be in place.

Big River Journey Online!

Students can explore the Mississippi River from home. They will • peer into the tiny world of aquatic invertebrates; investigate a ‘river crime’ spree and learn how Project PEACE by Youth: Promoting Environ- to reduce runoff pollution; mental Action and Community Empowerment • play fun learning games and dive into engagThis project is seeking teachers in Minnesota ing interactives; and nearby states that are interested in supporting • get a captain’s view of the river from the student environmental champions. The program will pilothouse; train teachers to teach students in utilizing EnviroAt- • explore dozens of videos, 360-landscape las, EarthEcho International and Roots and Shoots panoramas, and more! resources along with other data resources to learn These interactive learning stations are available free more about the environmental health of their school/ for schools. All Aboard! http://bigriverjourneyonline. community and choose an environmental health isJust for Kids – Minnesota Valley Wildlife Refsue in their community they want to tackle. Students uge will collect their own data, share and seek input from Enjoy the Outdoors at Home. The US Fish and their peers, report the impact to their school/comWildlife service is offering distance learning packets munity environment and health and begin a call to for outdoor exploration at home, at the refuge or a action. Please join us for our Informational webinar neighborhood park. The elementary grade-banded on June 25, 2020 at 8:20 am CST. More informapackets feature videos from the refuge and hand-on tion at https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/page.cgi/article. activities. More Information at https://www.fws.gov/ html?aid=1612&zine=show refuge/Miinnesota_Valley/visit/just_for_kids.html

3M Science at Home

3M has launched a new, free-to-use digital program for teachers called Science at Home, where 3M scientists and engineers will produce simple, at-home experiments that reinforce core scientific principles using commonly found household items. It is fully accessible now. The content is geared toward students ages 6-12. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/ gives-us/education/science-at-home/?

Bakken Museum Digital Workshops

Some of The Bakken Museum’s most popular education programs are now available as digital interactives! These online versions of shows and workshops are perfectly tailored to various distance learning formats. Workshops feature a Hyperdoc—an online worksheet that follows the videos so students can make predictions, answer questions, and try experiments in our Virtual Laboratory. Programs can be watched as one continuous program or in smaller segments, as a whole class or by students individually. More Information at https://thebakken.org/DIGITAL_OUTREACH/

Explore STEM@Home Education Programs

Youth will complete a series of hands-on activities offline, at-home while receiving guidance from STEM professionals via live video conferencing. Youth can choose to engage with instructors and other youth as little or as much as they want! Twice a day is a scheduled time for youth to connect online, learn about, and reflect on the hands-on, experiential activities for that day. This program from the Minnesota State Engineering Center of Excellence for students entering 6th-9th grade is offered weekly through July 10. More Information at https://engineering.mnsu.edu/virtual-explore-stem/

Minnesota Zoo Distance Learning Teacher Resources

Elementary grades: “Operation: Curiosity and Wonder” are sets of lessons and activities that can be used by schools and families at home. These daily lessons involve exploring natural phenomena. Activities support learners with a range of technology needs, from no or limited technology (pdfs) to those working on digital platforms daily (digital). Students Bell Museum Resources explore their outside environment and make conToday more than ever before the Bell is a museum nections about the natural world. The lessons were without boundaries, sharing virtual experiences, developed with input from MDE, the MN Educaactivities, and ways to dive deeper into the world tion Equity Partnership and MnSTA. The website is around you, whether you’re exploring online, from your window, out in nature, or looking up at the stars. also updated weekly with topics ranging from nature https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/

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Department of Education Opportunities play to backyard science and conservation activities (website). Kindergarten to Second Grade Resources Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Resources https://mnzoo.org/education/schools-teachers/educator-corner/ new-distance-learning/k-2/ Middle School: The 6-8 ZOOMS Mini-Engineering Design Challenges offer opportunities for students to be inspired by nature and use this to engineer a solution to a problem, much like our zookeepers do at the Minnesota Zoo. Show Us Your Mussels lessons are designed to support middle school teachers in teaching students about water quality and how to save endangered native freshwater mussels in Minnesota. These stand-alone lessons integrate English Language Arts, Humanities, and science content to meet state standards. https://mnzoo.org/education/ schools-teachers/educator-corner/new-distance-learning/grades-6-8/ High School: The 9-12 ZOOMS Mini-Engineering Design Challenges offer opportunities for students to be inspired by nature and use this to engineer a solution to a problem, much like our zookeepers do at the Minnesota Zoo. More lessons are being developed in this age range and will be updated weekly! High School https://mnzoo.org/education/schoolsteachers/educator-corner/new-distance-learning/ grades-9-12/

Physics Force Videos

The University of Minnesota Physics Force has been offering large-scale demonstration shows for many years. They now have made video clips of their show and have posted them on the Physics Force YouTube Channel. https://www.youtube.com/ channel/UC_U2XeRRY9XqDjPkV6_72Vg

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 learning 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 the Minnesota Freshwater Quest. Information at https://herofortheplanet.org/

Project WET Distance Learning and Online Resources

Project WET provides water education curriculum supplemental activities that focus on watershed dynamics. Normally teachers receive access to the materials by attending a workshop through the MN Department of Natural Resources. Now the training is available through an online format. By using the online training resources and completing an assignment, teachers will receive the Project WET Curriculum and Activity Guide. The Making a Splash with Project WET website describes the method to accomplish this training. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/ projectwet/making-splash-project-wet.html Project WET also has a suite of free and discounted resources that educators, partners and children can use to learn about water while meeting standards in math, language arts, science and fine arts. Go to Home and Distance Learning Resources. https:// www.projectwet.org/distancelearning

Raptor Lab

The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesotaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Raptor Lab https://raptor.umn.edu/ is an online learning environment focused on providing students with an authentic learning experience in science and environmental education. Using role play, inquirybased learning, and technology the Raptor Lab aims to put students in the shoes of real-world scientists, applying the process of scientific investigation to solve real-world problems. The Raptor Center also has additional resources to Learn about Raptors. https://raptor.umn.edu/about-raptors/learn-aboutraptors

Team Teaching with Mother Nature â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at Home! The Jeffers Foundation fosters environmental stewardship through education. Normally Jeffers educates teachers through in-person workshops on Team Teaching with Mother Nature. Given the current shelter-in-place guidelines, we are seeking ways to connect with teachers, students, and families through short videos encouraging children to get outdoors as part of their learning at home. Some example topic of the video are A Listening Walk, Recycling in Nature, and Seeds are Smart. Access them at Jeffers@Home: Fun with Mother Nature at home. https://jeffersfoundation.org/

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities Three Rivers Digital Learning

The Three Rivers Park District digital programming brings the outdoors to you via Facebook. Tune in to explore nature, meet farm animals, try new art projects, and more http://www.threeriverspark.org/

Waters to the Sea Mississippi River Adventure

students online and in person with hands-on labs that can be done anywhere. This free workshop is designed for middle and high school teachers of STEM subjects. There are several dates available and the Minnesota focused cohort is July 27-31. More Information at https://www.asmfoundation.org/teachers/ camp-schedule/

Watch for 2020-21 information about the following awards programs and consider applying. • MnSTA Teaching Award https://www. mnsta.org/awards.html WolfLink Video Conferencing • Presidential Award for Excellence in The International Wolf Center is offering two-way Mathematics and Science Teaching https://www. videoconferences for free via Zoom. They include paemst.org live wolves in the naturalize habitat and programs • Green Ribbon Schools Award https://eduadapted to your grade level. https://wolf.org/procation.mn.gov/MDE/dse/stds/sci/grn/ grams/educator-resources-wolf-link/video-conferenc• National Board Certification for Teachers ing/ https://www.nbpts.org/national-board-certificaWorks Museum At-Home Engineering Retion/ sources • National Science Teachers Assn. Awards The resources include home engineering activities, https://www.nsta.org/awards-and-recognitiona document of the engineering design process and program links to other resources https://theworks.org/homeScience and Engineering Competitions engineering-resources/ Science Bowl (cancelled) https://www.mn NSTA Distance Learning Strategies and Assess- mas.org/science-bowl ment Webinars, July and August, Online A free learning adventure, offering dozens of multimedia activities, map-based explorations, and short videos on a variety of science, engineering and social studies topics. More Information at https://www.hamline.edu/education/cgee/waters-to-sea.html

In the four-part web seminar series on Distance Learning That Supports Student Sensemaking, participants will explore ways in which they can continue to give students experiences with relevant, intriguing phenomena to create the need to engage in science learning using distance-learning strategies. The focus will be on synchronous and asynchronous online learning, but we’ll also consider how to connect students to their learning communities through smartphones and local computers (no internet access). More information for the July series https://my.nsta. org/event/nsta-web-seminar-series-jul20-topic-studyfor-k-12-science-teachers-distance-l, for the August series https://my.nsta.org/event/nsta-web-seminarseries-jul20-topic-study-for-k-12-science-teachersdistance-learning?utm_source=realmagnet&utm_ medium=email&utm_term=NSTASummerVirtualP rograms%3ADistanceLearningStrategiesandAssess ment&utm_campaign+DistanceLearningwebsemin ar061020

ASM Material Camp for Teachers, July 27-31, online

• 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 l 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/

Learn new ways to connect science to you your

Summer 2020 11

Department of Education MnSTA Biology Rep 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 Olson john.c.olson@state.mn.us