MnSTA Winter 2018 Newsletter by MnSTA

MnSTA

Newsletter Volume 54 No. 2 A Quarterly Publication of the Minnesota Science Teachers Association Inc.

State Science Specialist John Olson Attends United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany

I had the great opportunity to be a credentialed observer at the United Nation Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, Nov 12-17. I was part of an 8 person delegation, sponsored by Minneapolisbased Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy, repesenting multiple sectors including higher education, legislature, legal affairs, youth and K-12 education. The conference of about 27,000 people included official representatives from 196 nations plus many observers from climate-organizations, local governments, businesses and researchers. The conference this year focused on setting the procedures for implementing the ground-breaking international agreement in Paris in 2015 in which nations pledged to take action to reduce greenhouse gasses to keep the global temperature rise at less than 2 degrees Celsius. However several thorny issues, such as financial support for poor countries already suffering the consequences of climate change, added to the drama of the event. There were two main parts of the conference. The negotiations by the country representatives took place in many separate sessions, some rather technical and some emotional. There were many “sideevents” that focused on particular issues. I looked for sessions that dealt with education, the voices of youth and the concerns of less-developed nations. Education was described by one speaker as one of the

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most effective “secret weapons” in the fight against climate change. Here are some of the comments that came from presentations and panel discussions: - Youth voices must be heard since they will experience the consequences of our actions on climate change. - Children want quick action and not delays. They often prod their parents into action. - Teach children to be good stewards in their daily lives. - Combine the head (knowledge) and the heart (actions). - Focus on education for global citizenship, not just local actions. - Focusing on current disasters may spark interest, but often there are not long term benefits. - Turn the first connected-generation into the first climate-aware generation… through the use of technologies, including social media, gamification and video. - Include intercultural learning and relevant content. During my time at the conference I wrote daily blogs which are available at https://www.climategen.org/blog/author/john-olson/ John Olson is the science specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education.

President’s message by Michele Kooman Greetings MnSTA Members! Last fall, the MnSTA Board of Directors conducted a survey to assist us as we begin a strategic planning process for the organization. Thank-you to the 74 members that responded to the survey! I will use some of the actual member comments from two important questions from the survey to help you to understand some of the outcomes of the survey for the MnSTA Board of Directors. From your perspective, what are a few things that MnSTA is doing well? By and large, our Minnesota Conference on Science Education was lifted up as something the organization does well. Comments included: • MnSTA has done a nice job keeping the annual conference going and finding ways to keep it fresh and interesting, especially for elementary and informal science educators who also attend these conferences. • I love the science conference! I have learned a lot and really improved my teaching because of what • After attending conference; it’s great to use the strategies learned and feeling enthused about teaching • MnCOSE conference is really good! Keep offering relevant and engaging sessions! • Organizing the conference every year has to be a lot of work and even though I choose not to attend every year, I appreciate that the opportunity is there. When I have attended it has been well organized and I have gotten a lot out of my time there. Many members also reflected on our role as communicators in science education with you, including: • Keeping members appraised of issues and workshops • Communicating recent developments in Science education • Your social media presence and online resources are improving-GO digital! • Being a voice for science in the State. MnSTA weekly updates. • I get a lot of “networking” information through MnSTA. President’s message....continued on page 4

Department of Conservation by Ed Hessler An Oak Among Oaks, A Maple Among Maples

Once I dragged a lectern out to a field and wrote there, facing the trees, and felt a mouthful loss for words. What could I say to trees that might matter? Nothing but praise. Catherine Barnett, The New School and New York University The subtitle of German forester Peter Wohleben’s The Hidden Life of Trees is What They Feel, How They Communicate—Discoveries From a Secret World. It is not a book I would have been likely to read but it was a gift. It has been a while since I started reading it and I’m still at it. I’ve not been disappointed. Wohleben’s book is a mix of hardnosed empiricism and ideas humans have about consciousness. There are times when it feels a little New Agey. I have not thought about the culture of trees in the way an anthropologist would about another society. As to their “consciousness,” it would be much different—thank goodness, from ours. I’m not a native speaker of tree or trees--except through what is revealed by the methods of science. An emeritus professor of genetics and evolutionary theory at Penn State, Kenneth Weiss, wrote a blog post about the book in The Mermaid’s Tale, focusing on something I’d never thought about: the evolution of tree. Weiss begins by noting that trees are different from animals in that they “have no separated somatic and germ lines.” One thing this leads to is that the cells at their tips (meristems) carry “a wide but individually unique variety of mutational differences from what was found in the founding acorn.” So on a given tree, “there must be a great variety of genotypes.” One thing I do notice and pay attention to every fall is that leaves on some branches color earlier than other branches or that some branches appear very reluctant to let their leaves go. While I’ve not taken notes year-after-year, I look for these patterns in the same trees each year. Why does this occur? I’ve never taken the initiative to ask a botanist/forester or to look at the literature. Weiss had noticed this too and included photographs of two trees in his yard showing these two patterns. Weiss considers the tree “as a very large evolutionary ‘experiment’,” and the tree itself “not a single, organism, but a population of descendants of a founder,” say an acorn or a maplecopter (samara).

Department of Conservation...continued on page 4

MnSTA Newsletter

In Medias Res by Ed Hessler Atmospheric Notes In

a re-analysis of the global carbon budget published in Nature Geoscience September 18 2017, a team of ten researchers concluded that the goal of the Paris Agreement was, well possible. The authors wrote that “ limiting warming to 1.5oC (above preindustrial levels) is not yet a geophysical impossibility, but is likely to require delivery on strengthened pledges for 2030 followed by challengingly deep and rapid mitigation.” In other words, we have about 20 more years IF this analysis is correct. However, atmospheric geophysics is one thing, the “socioeconomicpolitics” is quite another. The Global Carbon Project released a report at COP 23 (Conference of Parties) in Bonn, Germany, November 7 to November 23 2017 that the global climate is getting worse, still heading for 2oC above the standard (pre-industrial level). Sid Perkins writing for Science magazine July 11, 2017 reported on a paper published in Environmental Research Letters on the same date by Seth Wynes and Kimberly A. Nicholas who analyzed “39 peerreviewed papers, government reports, and web-based programs that assess how an individual’s lifestyle choices might shrink their personal share of emissions.” Perkins included a revealing chart on emissions savings per year in terms of tons of carbon dioxide equivalents. Here they are listed in four groups. Group 1 (Less than 1 ton): upgrade light bulbs, hang dry clothes, recycle, wash clothes in cold water, replace gasoline car with hybrid, eat a plant-based diet; Group 2 (Less than 2 tons): switch from an electric car to car free, by a more efficient car, buy green energy, avoid one round trip trans-Atlantic flight*; Group 3 (Slightly greater than 2 tons): live car free;

Group 4 (slightly less than 60 tons): have one fewer child. The takeaway is that four lifestyle changes can make a real difference. “Become a vegetarian, forego air travel, ditch your car, and—most significantly—have fewer children.” On reading Hynes and Nicholas I was interested to learn that they did a textbook analysis of ten textbooks “used in seven of Canada’s ten provinces.” Here are a couple of the findings. “The 216 individual recommended actions from textbooks overwhelmingly focused on moderate or low-impact actions, with our recommended actions mostly presented in a less effective form, or not at all (only eight mentions, or 4%). No textbook suggested having fewer children as a way to reduce emissions, and only two out of ten mentioned avoiding air travel. … Similarly, methods for reducing one’s impact while driving were mentioned almost 30 times, with only six mentions of a car-free lifestyle. Instead, the recommendation category mentioned in the most textbooks was recycling (seven of ten textbooks) and the recommendation category with the most individual actions mentioned was energy conservation (32 mentions).” The short summary is that “educational and governmental materials do not focus on high-impact actions for reducing emissions, creating a mitigation gap between official recommendations and individuals willing to align their behaviour with climate targets.” The Bonn Summit includes about 20000 people, most of whom have flown there from around the planet. The organizers paid considerable attention In Medias Res.......contunued on page 4

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.

Presidents massage....continued from page 2

• I also find the networking that occurs at MnSTA venues to be important. • Bringing science teachers together In addition, solid connections with the MN Department of Education, recruiting and maintaining a very distinguished Board of Directors and the development of recent Position Statements were other strengths conveyed in the membership survey. From your perspective, what should MnSTA do that we are not or do better? Members who responded to the survey, provided insight across two main themes: professional development and communication. Professional Development • Providing PD resources in specific science content • Earlier notification on some professional development- sometimes it gets to us late. • Providing more professional development via webinars and lobbying the State and Federal representatives and senators. • MnSTA conference is getting very expensive. • Get more teachers involved (more teachers at the conference or events could bring the cost down.) So maybe not hunting opener or weekends for teachers involved in that. • Ensuring equity in science education; addressing science for all. • Need to keep connecting with preservice and new teachers • There is very little offered for anyone north of the Cities • There are not enough regional opportunities throughout the year to connect with educators in our regions. This is where we “grow” leaders in science. Communication • More interactive website (more pictures, links, activities, videos) - less large blocks of text • Better communication with the higher education sector • Newsletter - could it be shown in the email, even a teaser • More social media posts on best practices, current science, etc. • The emailed updates are formatted terribly. In addition, respondents also asked us to focus on lobbying of the state legislature across challenges in science education, MN achievement gap and the MnSTA budget, among others. We are grateful to those who completed the survey. Your collective comments will help guide our strategic planning for the orga-

nization. You can anticipate additional updates of the MnSTA Board strategic planning process in this column in forthcoming editions. Do not hesitate to contact me for further information or questions about this process (mkoomen@gustvaus.edu). Department of Conservation...continued from page2

As the tree grows, “working through meristems everywhere (above ground) on the tree are cells with new genotypes screened for suitability in its environment at each time during the tree’s life.” Weiss wonders what would happen if seeds were planted from an early coloring/leaf clinging branch and examined their life history characteristics. I imagined doing the same with the meristem seeds/fruits year-after-year. These are experiments in the long term! However, like Catherine Barnett, I can’t imagine not continuing to wonder and offering nothing but praise. In Medias Res.......contunued from page 3

to making it a green event locally but the carbon footprint is substantial. A UN document notes that “all of the unavoidable emissions from COP23 will be offset by the government of Germany by purchasing certified emission reduction credits, preferably from Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects registered in small island developing states. The focus on these countries is in recognition of the fact that Fiji has the presidency of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn.” * Atmosfair’s online calculator shows the carbon cost of air travel. It is a killer and some of it is avoidable. Hessler is the Executive Secretary of MnSTA

Mark Peterson, right, demonstrates how to use yeast spheres to study the demcomposition of hydrogen peroxide in water and oxygen at MnCOSE in November. Peterson teaches at BenildeSt. Margaret’s School.

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Teacher Feature Our featured teacher for this issue of the MnSTA newsletter is Nicole Hosek. She teaches 5th grade at Glacier Hills Elementary School of Arts and Science in the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan Public Schools District 196. She has a been a 5th grade teacher for 12 of her 16 years in the district. Her favorite subject to teach is science. She loves the hands-on aspect that get at student understanding in a different way. She enjoys watching students learn new things and then being able to explain their learning in a variety of ways. She tries to teach in a personal way. She tries to connect with students at their interest levels and give them multiple ways to learn and understand. She states, “All children have the right to learn and grow educationally, emotionally, and socially. Through real-life experiences, students can show their understanding and grow as learners and people in society.” Principal Scott Thomas stated, “Nicole understands the power of the intellectual struggle. She creates the conditions for students to have high level challenges that require collaboration, creativity, communication and applied knowledge. In order for students to trust in the learning, they must trust her and their classmates. By creating a trusting environment for learners, they are willing to take risks, ask questions, and innovate.”

MnSTA acknowledges the Center for Global Environmental Education (Hamline University) for providing space and office services.

Nicole Hosek with one of her students outside her school building.

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Presidential Awards The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching is the highest distinction for teachers in these areas. It is awarded to two teachers from each state, generally one math and one science. The award includes professional activities in Washington DC., a reception with the president or his representative and a cash award of $10,000. The award is given to secondary teachers in odd numbered years and to elementary teachers in even numbered years. Up to five Minnesota science finalists are selected by a local committee and forwarded to the national organization for selection of the awardees. The White House will announce the Awardees. Here are our 2017 Minnesota Science Finalists:

Stacy Bartlett teaches biology and coding at Stillwater Area High School. She is a graduate of Wartburg College with a Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. Prior to teaching in Stillwater she was a science teacher and one of the co-founder of the Math and Science Academy in Woodbury. She has extensive background in curriculum and assessment writing at the local state and national levels, and has consulted, advised and presented for several organizations, including the Science Museum. Stacey states that she attempts to “create lessons that strive for understanding, utilize inquiry, are relevant, model the active process of science, tie together prior & new knowledge, and create personal meaning.”

Marta Stoeckel-Rogers teaches Physics, earth science and AVID at Tartan High School in Oakdale. She is a graduate of Valparaiso University with a Master’s degree from Boise State University. Marta is a leader in her district and has given many presentations, especially in the area of instructional technology. Her physics instruction is based on the modeling cycle, which begins with model development stage in which students generate conceptual and mathematical models of a phenomenon. They compare their models to develop a common model and then deploy the model on new problems.

State Science Specialist John Olson presenting the Presidential State Finalist Award to Marta Stoeckel-Rogers at MnCOSE on November 10.

James Lane is a biology and engineering teacher at Mahtomedi High School. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota with a Master’s degree from Hamline University. In his past he was an interpretive naturalist at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley and a camp instructor at Como Park Zoo. In his instruction, James likes to use the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning method aka POGIL. This process involves inquiry activities that develop models that build on each other. The models are developed through an intentional cycle of questions. James was not available for a picture as he was presenting at the National Biology Conference.

State Science Specialist John Olson presenting the Presidential State Finalist Award to Stacy Bartlett at MnCOSE on November 10.

We are currently awaiting the announcement of the 2016 Awardee from our Minnesota Finalists, Jim Schrankler of Como Park Elementary School and Jill Jensen of Glacier Hills Elementary School in Eagan.

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MnSTA Science Teaching Awards The MnSTA Science Teaching Award, is presented each year to teachers at two levels: elementary and secondary. To demonstrate their qualifications for the award, the applicants must provide a description of their teaching practice, a listing of their teaching and professional activities, and a proposal for use of the funds. Each awardee receives a fund of $1000 for a project that benefits their students. Recipients of the award are expected to share the results of their project with other teachers. The judges for the award are members of the MnSTA board of directors. The 2017 award for an elementary teacher goes to Kelli Ellickson of Cedar Park Elementary STEM School in Apple Valley. Ms. Ellickson is a science specialist teacher and works with grades K-5. She is a graduate of the University of St. Thomas with a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota. Kelli is highly involved in professional development and professional activities, including presentations at MnSTA and NSTA and involvement in environmental and gardening partnerships. Ms. Ellickson states that her “key values are curiosity, collaboration and courage.” She believes in nurturing a child’s sense of curiosity, inspiring collaboration and working through challenges.” The award funds will be used to convert the school’s current garden shed into a year-round gardening classroom with insulation and ventilation and the addition of student temperature probes. Local businesses are also contributing to the project.

The 2017 award for a secondary teacher goes to Phil Sinner of Renville County West High School where hit teaches biology, chemistry, physical science and physics. He is a graduate of St. John’s University with graduate studies at Northern Arizona University. Phil served as a regional director on the MnSTA board and also was a facilitator for the Building a Presence program. Mr. Sinner states that his approaches to teaching involves, what he calls, “pedagogical discontent.” He is constantly seeking instructional methods that he feels “would bring students to a better and deeper understanding of the content.” He finds “high student engagement methods very appealing and sees good results from Modeling” strategies. The award funds will be used to purchase LabQuest data collection devices that are compatible with the school’s new Chrome books.

MnSTA president Michele Koomne presents the MnSTA science teacher award to Phil Sinner at MnCOSE

Watch for information about the 2018 award and prepare to submit your entry. The application is due in early fall.

MnSTA president Michele Koomen presents Kelli Ellickson the 2017 elementary science teacher award at the Minnesota Conference on Science Education (MnCOSE) on Nov. 10. in St. Cloud.

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Department of Education What new ideas about science assessment might support our next science standards?

ed in the STEM Teaching Tools http://stemteachingtools.org, which are two-page research briefs with links to supporting documents and activity guides. A few that are helpful for designing formative assessments are: • #18 How teachers can develop formative (This series of arassessments that fit a three-dimensional view of Sciticles in preparation for ence Learning http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/18 the science standards #26 How can assessments be designed to review in 2018-19 is ar- • engage students in the range of science and engichived at https://www. neering practices? http://stemteachingtools.org/ mnsta.org/MN_Scibrief/26 ence_Standards.html) • #29 Steps to Designing a three-dimensional In previous articles I assessment http://stemteachingtools.org/brief/29 have described how On a larger scale, Achieve, Inc. had teachers John Olson is the science specialist research on science write Classroom Sample Tasks for middle and high for the Department of education. He learning collected school blend content, practices and concepts from will keep us updated on science eduin A Framework for cation. in the MnSTA newsletter. science, math and English/Language Arts. For example, a middle school assessment task on antibiK-12 Science Education https://www.nap.edu/ otic resistance assesses content related to genetics, catalog/13165/a-framework-for-k-12-sciencenatural selection, probability, graphing, constructing education-practices-crosscutting-concepts (Framearguments and literary research. These tasks have work) might influence our next Minnesota science extensive documentation. They are posted at https:// standards. Many of its ideas for instruction are nextgenscience.org/classroom-sample-assessmentgreat supports for our current Minnesota standards tasks. and the assessments that support instruction and MDE science staff are working with our collearning. So it is wise for teachers to start studying leagues from several other states to develop prothe assessment practices that have been developed fessional development resources related to threeby various organizations, which are based on the dimensional science formative assessment that Framework ideas. we will start to share with district leaders and at First, a quick aside: You may have expected that conferences. this article might focus on changes to the MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment), so let me comment on that briefly. When the next Minnesota science standards are published in their final draft form in spring 2019, the Mn Department of Education (MDE) assessment division will start the process of preparing the MCA IV to assess the new standards. This assessment will likely begin in the spring of 2022. Most states that have recently adopted new standards are based on the Science and Engineering Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas from the Framework. If those “dimensions” are the basis of the next Minnesota Standards, the MCA will likely contain items that reflect the integration of these dimensions. Several organizations are developing tasks that integrate the three dimensions in formative assessTeachers designing and building a roller coaster at the Minnesota Conference on Science Education Conference in St. Cloud ments within classroom instruction and summative on November 10. The session, entitled “Using Picture-Perfect assessments, such as common assessments. Several Science Books in the Elementary Classroom” was facilitated by great resource for formative assessment are includBrenda Walsh, NSTA District IX Director

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Department of Education Opportunities News

New Board Will Oversee Educator Licensing

As of January 1, the MN Board of Teaching and the MDE licensure division will be combined into a new state agency, Professional Educator Licensing and Standards Board (PELSB). It will oversee the transition to a new tiered licensure system. As a result, all active standard five-year license expiration dates will be extended by one year. Visit this MDE site for information about the transition. http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Lic/lic/index.htm This link goes to the new PELSB website: https:// mn.gov/pelsb/

Equity presentations available

Dr. Deb Morrison from the University of Washington, led a workshop for the Science District Leaders Network on Nov. 29. The slides for her presentation, STEM Teaching Tools: Professional Learning Resources for Equitable 3D Instruction are available to the public.https://docs. google.com/presentation/d/1NcIoDLXMVu1T_ PucbPJy2LpMW1kmBfzVj6P-bNN56E4/ present?ueb=true&slide=id.p3 The presentation used several of the teaching resources (STEM Teaching Tools) http://stemteachingtools.org that have been develop by the University of Washington on teaching practices. Most are two page pdfs with links to examples. Go to the STEM Teaching Tools; and follow @STEMTeachTools (Twitter); and facebook.com/STEMTeachingTools Deb also gave the keynote at the STEM Network/Ignite conference: Equity Research in Practice: Exploring Options for Closing Opportunity Gaps in STEM Learning.https://docs. google.com/presentation/d/1OLrqtT9rU8Q9_ S1lqzpF_2FNcUOz3qAcEHvByGiMqsM/ present?ueb=true&slide=id.p3

MDE Statewide Testing Teacher Newsletter

The Statewide Testing division at the Mn Dept. of Education has a newsletter for teachers. It includes news about new developments in assessments, hints for interpreting data from statewide tests, resources for teaching, and announcements of professional development and test development opportunities. To receive the Teacher Newsletter electronically, email mde.testing@state.mn.us.

Science and Engineering Practices in Action (SEPA)

A new series of Minnesota-developed web-enhanced science professional development modules

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are now available. These are designed for groups of teachers, such as PLCs or regional groups, to study together ideas for teaching science. The resources for group activities and discussions, including videos of classroom instruction, are delivered online and the groups can select members to be facilitators. The SEPA modules are developed by Hamline University and are based on A Framework for K-12 Science Education, a compilation of current research that will likely influence on our next science standards. The first two sets of modules are available and more will be added during the year. You can experience the SEPA modules at several free workshops being organized by the MnSTA regional directors. For more information about exploring and using the SEPA modules, contact lee.m.schmitt@ gmail.com

Preparing for the Science Standards review in 2018-19

Starting next summer a standards committee will be review our current standards and recommend any revisions. John Olson has written a series of articles for the MnSTA Newsletter that provide information about the review process and also describe ideas that may influence the next science standards. They are archived at the standards page at the MnSTA website. Here are direct links to the articles: https://www. mnsta.org/MN_Science_Standards.html#2 1. When will we get new standards? Will we adopt national standards? (December 2016) 2. What are science teachers saying about our current science standards? (March 2017) 3. What new ideas about science learning might guide our next science standards? (May 2017) 4. What new ideas about science instruction might guide our next science standards? (September 2017) 5. What new ideas about science assessment might guide our next science assessments? (Jan. 2018) Note: Timelines that are mentioned in the articles, especially in the first article, are in flux.

Teacher Events and Workshops

Learn to Love Nature in Winter, Jan. 6, Savage

The Jeffers Foundation is presenting this FREE teacher training on Saturday 8:30 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 3:30 at McColl Pond Environmental Learning Center. Earn 7 CEUs and learn techniques for outdoor instruction in the winter. Get teaching aids including Jeffers Journals for your class. Lunch and snacks are provided. For information or to register: David Grack david.grack@ charter.net or 763-684-1455.

Department of Education Opportunities Engineering for Animals, Jan 23, Duluth

Great Lakes Aquarium provides an engaging space for students to experience authentic STEM learning. Learn how our resident animals help students explore engineering and develop problem solving skills! Animal exhibit design requires considering multiple perspectives. The Exhibit Design Class can enhance an on-site visit (and many extensions beyond a field trip) challenging students to think critically to engineer and problem solve just like our animal care staff, exhibit designers and conservationists. Guest speakers include two of our very own talented exhibit designers – answering questions like; how we invite visitors to engage with a space, design elements to tell a meaningful story, what animals do need to lead healthy enriched lives, and what is the best way for husbandry staff to clean or feed behind the scenes? All participants in this workshop will qualify to apply for 2 free classes for up to 25 students each! The workshop from 4:30 – 7 p.m. is FREE and includes a light dinner at 4:15. Go to the Aquarium PD site for this and more workshops. https://glaquarium.org/learning/for-teachers/professional-development/

Climate Change and the Mississippi, Dec. 9, Bloomington

Did you know we have a national park area in the Twin Cities? Attend Climate Generation’s one-day workshop at Fort Snelling State Park to discover the science, impacts, and solutions of climate change happening right here along the Mississippi. You will hear from experts working in the field and engage in practical hands-on activities to take back to your classroom. Attendees may be eligible to receive bus stipends to support a climate change field trip for your class to Fort Snelling State Park! For more information go to https://www.climategen.org/whatwe-do/education/professional-development/workshops/upcoming/

Mn Earth Science Teachers Conference, Feb. 2, Plymouth

Get to know your fellow Earth science teachers from across the state at the Minnesota Earth Science Teachers’ Association Annual Conference. Concurrent breakout sessions feature master Earth science educators and noted geoscience professionals. Classroom resources will be given to all attendees. This conference supports the teaching of the MN Earth and Space science benchmarks articulated in the MN Academic Standards in Science. Find out about the

keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and possible tours or register via hard copy form here. More information can be found at https://drive.google.com/ file/d/0B0I6k93tJYcYYkx6MzRSTWlPQm5RNzd4 MjFzZ3d5N3VQTmww/view

Minnesota Modeling Instruction Workshops, July 9-20, Shokopee Shokopee High School will host three different Modeling Workshops this summer: o Mechanics – Jim Reichling and Eric Gettrust o Chemistry – LeeAnn Richardson and John Vaden o Biology – Anita Schuchardt  July 16-20 only Contact Casey Rutherford crutherf@shakopee.k12. mn.us For more information go to the Workshops website https://modelinginstruction.org/professional-development/upcoming-workshops/summer-2018/ or Modeling Instruction website https:// modelinginstruction.org/sample-page/synopsis-ofmodeling-instruction/

Project Learning Tree Workshops Through a suite of activity guides ranging from early childhood to high school, PLT offers award-winning lessons designed for indoor and outdoor classroom use. Interdisciplinary, handson lessons are designed to engage students in math, science, social studies, language arts, art, music, and P.E. Information at http://shop.plt. org The only way to get PLT is to attend a workshop!  PLT K-8, Feb 3, Savage  PLT Online Workshops: Tremendous (k-2), Early Childhood, K-8 *Schoolyard Gardens Schoolyard Garden Conference, March 2, Chaska

Schoolyard Gardens provide an incomparable, hands-on opportunity for students to meet academic standards, engage with community partners, learn about agriculture, healthy eating, cultural competency, and connections with natural systems. Whether you are a beginner or schoolyard garden veteran, join us at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to learn innovative strategies for sustaining and engaging diverse learners in a thriving schoolyard garden. Conference Webpage http://www.arboretum.umn. edu/schoolyards2018.aspx.

Talk Climate Institute, March 12 – 13, St. Paul Join Climate Generation: A Will Steger Legacy for this two-day intensive workshop designed to

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Department of Education Opportunities empower people to talk about climate change. Understand the powerful factors that shape opinions, gain the practical skills needed to influence behavior, and inspire commitments to solutions.https://www.climategen.org Participants will have the opportunity to: • Learn about climate change and how to decipher credible sources • Understand what influences people to make decisions and how to communicate effectively to inspire solutions • Cultivate your own personal climate story and learn how to use it as a tool to build understanding • Learn about innovative solutions and commit to taking action on the individual and community level.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recruiting teachers and educational leaders to bring public health into middle and high schools across the United States and beyond. Selected fellows tour CDC’s state-of-the-art facilities and work with CDC scientists to design innovative lessons using today’s emerging public health topics. Apply now by January 15, 2018. For more information, visit the program’s website https://www.cdc.gov/careerpaths/ scienceambassador/overview.html.

Teacher and School Awards and Opportunities

CDC Public Health Fellows, July 16-20, Atlanta

Engineering education courses and certification

The University of St. Thomas Center for Engineering Education provides flexible engineering education for teaching professionals and will be offering two online courses this spring. These courses are designed to develop an understanding of engineering and build educators’ engineering portfolio. Participants take the courses that fit their learning needs with a four course sequence which leads to a Graduate Certificate in engineering education. The spring courses, which are $1200 each, are EGED 530 Fundamentals of Engineering and EGED 531 Engineering Design. Find more information at the program website https:// www.stthomas.edu/cee/ and contact deb.besser@ stthomas.edu.

Amazon Rainforest Workshop, July 1-11, Peru

Scholarship and grant funding is available for the Educator Academy in the Amazon Rainforest. This is a cross-curricular workshop for formal science educators. Highlights include: • Service Learning “sustainability” Global Education

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A specialized track for HS bio and environmental science educators featuring field work with the indigenous community • Citizen science projects and field research • Rainforest canopy walkway Get details at this website http://amazonworkshops. com/educator-academy/

Teacher workshops at The Works Museum

The Works Museum offers professional development for elementary educators. Learn engaging ways to facilitate collaboration, creative problem solving, spatial thinking, and other engineering habits of mind with students. These workshops introduce teachers to the engineering requirements in Minnesota’s STEM standards and offer experience with hands-on engineering design challenges for the classroom. For more information go to https://theworks.org/ educators-and-groups/teacher-workshops/

National STEM Scholars program for middle school teachers

Ten National STEM Scholars receive advanced education in the development of STEM projects for classroom implementation, spend a full day with a national thought leader in STEM education and build a national network of colleagues for information sharing. STEM Scholar classrooms also have an opportunity to speak with astronauts on the International Space Station during the school year and work directly with providers of space technology education nationwide. Participants selected through a competitive application receive:  Advanced education and leadership professional development on the campus of Western Kentucky University June 3-9, 2018. All expenses – travel, lodging, meals – are included  A notebook/tablet (Chromebook or similar) to facilitate ongoing collaboration  A credit of up to $2,500 for technology and supplies to implement a classroom Challenge Project  Sponsored attendance at the National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) Conference in St. Louis in April 2019. All expenses – registration, travel, lodging, meals – are included  Year-long mentorship and support provided by Western Kentucky University faculty Applications are available at this site and are due February 1. https://www.wku.edu/gifted/nss/application.php

Department of Education Opportunities Green Ribbon Schools Award

After a long delay the US Department of Education announced that it will again offer the Green Ribbon School Award for 2018. This award honors Pre-K-12 schools, districts, and higher education institutions that have accomplishments in all three of the following pillars: - reducing environmental impact, - improving health and wellness and - providing effective environmental education. Applying for the award helps the school community analyze and set goals for energy and water usage, waste reduction, nutrition programs, environmental instruction and other sustainable practices. The revised deadline for Minnesota applications is March 7. The application and further information are posted at this site http://education.state.mn.us/ MDE/dse/recog/grn/, although the applications have the previous schedule of dates. They will be replaced soon with the correct dates. For more information and to indicate your interest in applying, contact John.C.Olson@state.mn.us.

Presidential Award nominations and applications are now available.

Nominate exemplary science teachers (including yourself) for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This is the most prestigious award in this field and includes recognition activities in Washington DC and a $10,000 award. This year, teachers of grades K-6 are eligible to apply. The application describes content understanding, instructional strategies, assessment practices, professional development and leadership. The process of preparing the application provides professional growth. The application is due May 1. For information go to the PAEMST website https://www.paemst.org

Summer Outdoor Recreation Teaching

The Outdoor Recreation School of the Three Rivers Park District is seeking enthusiastic, professional and adventurous teachers with outdoor recreation experience to apply for Seasonal Outdoor Recreation Educator positions. Recreation Educators work with a diverse range of groups including summer camps, youth agencies, social clubs, adults and families. Contact ann.schinas@threeriversparks.org for more information.

School Programs and Resources

International Wolf Center Virtual Fieldtrips – WolfLink Programs

Imagine your student’s reaction if they came faceto-face with a wolf! Through two-way video conferencing, our educators and ambassador wolves will keep your students on the edge of their seats while learning about these mysterious predators in a LIVE program from northern Minnesota! You and your students will see our live wolves in their naturalized habitat while meeting interdisciplinary state and national education standards. Six different lessons are offered that have been developed by wolf experts specifically for your grade level. Teachers can also order a Wolf Discovery Kit http:// www.wolf.org/programs/educator-resources-wolflink/wolf-loan-box/– a big box full of hands-on wolf and prey artifacts like bones, fur, and more! For more information, email wolflink@wolf.org or call 218365-4695, ext. 124.

ExploraVision Competition

If you’ve been considering adding more projectbased learning in your classroom, think about participating in ExploraVision, the world’s largest science K-12 competition. Not only does it give your students an exciting, hands-on learning experience to develop new technology, but teachers who coach an ExploraVision team can use it as an opportunity to work toward the goals of the Next Generation Science Standards by engaging students in problem solving and critical thinking. All it takes is a teacher sponsor like you to encourage your students to participate and win prizes for their scientific innovations. More information is at the Exploravision website https://www.exploravision. org.

Clean Tech Competition

The Spellman High Voltage Electronics Clean Tech Competition is a unique, worldwide research and design challenge for pre-college youth. The program encourages scientific understanding of realworld issues and the integration of environmentally responsible energy sources. Each year, the Clean Tech Competition addresses an issue that is grounded in core technological competency areas and focuses on the next great engineering challenges. The competition is designed to foster a deeper understanding of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) related concepts, recognize outstanding talent, and prepare the next generation of globally competitive innovators.

MnSTA Newsletter

Department of Education Opportunities The challenge for 2018 is “Solving Climate Change” and this will allow for a wide variety of problems and solutions. Any High School student 15-18 years of age is eligible to participate in teams of 1-3 people. There’s no registration cost; there’s a chance to win $10,000 and a professional mentor! Visit the competition website for more details.

https://www.cleantechcompetition.org Female STEM Role Models

SciGirls from TPT (Twin Cities Public Television) has produced a dozen video profiles of females in STEM careers that could be used in instruction and other activities. These engaging videos feature women in various careers from chemistry to aviation to welding. They are available at this SciGirls website https://tpt.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/rolemodel-profiles/#.WlGEPv25ITB. These and many other women in STEM have a searchable biographical profile at the FabFems website https://www.fabfems.org. There you can make contacts for classroom visits, video conferencing, or even lab visits.

Student Programs, Awards and Competitions National Youth Science Camp – Inform your Seniors

Two Minnesota students completing their senior year will spend three weeks in July in the mountains of West Virginia with all expenses paid. They will interact with students selected from all states and several countries as they explore many science topics, meet prominent scientists and collect field data. In addition they will have selections of canoeing, horseback riding, camping and other recreational activities. Teachers should encourage students with leadership qualities, an interest in science, and a love of the outdoors to apply. There are often few applicants. This award is coordinated by MDE. For information go to this site http://www.nysf.com/w/programs/nysc/ or contact john.c.olson@state.mn.us. The deadline is March 1.

Genesys internships for current HS juniors

Genesys Works is a competitive professional skills development and paid internship program for incoming high school seniors. We provide an opportunity to gain real-world skills like public speaking, Microsoft Office, business technology, and more – all while having fun! Genesys Works provides a paid corporate technology internship where students will work for 12 months at a top Twin Cities company like 3M, Medtronic,

General Mills, or Ameriprise Financial, all while earning $12,000 their senior year! We also provide college and career support through our college access programming in which 100% of our students are

accepted to college, and we guarantee all participants acceptance, too! Applications are now being accepted until March 1 through this Genesys website http://www.genesysworks.org/about-us/ locations/twin-cities/. You may call their office with questions (651)-789-0088 Science of Agriculture Challenge

Do you have students with strong interests in STEM, including bio energy, design, robotics, machinery, forestry, invention, structures, food security, materials, natural resources, geography, water quality, conservation, engineering, economics, food science, animal health, habitat, or any other food, fiber, agriculture or natural resources related subject? Through the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Youth Development and Minnesota 4-H, youth in grades 6 through high school in teams of 3-5 (any age combination) can participate in the projectbased Science of Agriculture Challenge. Winning team members can win up to $1000 each in scholarships, and all teams will attend the Challenge event to be held at the University of Minnesota in June. More information is at this link https://www.mnsta.org/cgi/ page.cgi/article.html?aid=770.

ACCESS STEM Scholarships

High achieving, low income students can receive scholarship of up to $9000 for STEM study at St. Cloud State University and four partner community colleges. This NSF funded program also provides academic support services and help with career pathways, internships and jobs. Information is at this SCSU website https://www.stcloudstate.edu/cose/ resources/scholarships/access-stem.aspx

Science and STEM Competitions

This is the time of the year to organize your teams and inform your students. • Science Bowl, http://mnmas.org/science-bowl/ science-bowl • Science and Engineering Fair, http://mnmas.org/ science-engineering-fair/about-state-scienceengineering-fair • Science Olympiad http://www.minnesotaso.org • FIRST Robotics http://mnfirst.org • FIRST Tech Challenge, FIRST LEGO League, and Renewable Energy Challenge http://www. hightechkids.org/home

Winter 2018

Department of Education •

MEA

NSTA student competitions: Bright Schools, eCybermission, ExploraVision http://www.nsta. org/about/competitions.aspx

Minnesota Competitions and Programs

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://issuu.com/synergyexchange/docs/reach_ for_the_stars_2017-2018.

MDE Contacts: Dawn Cameron “Dawn (MDE) Cameron” dawn. cameron@state.mn.us, Science Assessment Specialist, Jim Wood jim.wood@state.mn.us, Science Assessment Specialist, John Olson John Olson john.c.olson@state. mn.us, Science Content Specialist, Doug Paulson doug.paulson@state.mn.us, STEM Integration Specialist, Send submissions for the Science Update to John Olson

MnSTA past president Lee Schmitt gives a session to teachers at the Minnesota Educator Adademy in October entitled Science and Engineering Practices: Free and Fun Professional Development for Teachers of Science.