Session I

Ethics & Energy: Teaching Science with AI

Explore the free Illinois Climate Education Hub, a database for K-12 science. We’ll showcase Gen AI’s Energy Use to help students analyze the environmental footprint and ethics of AI including student activities. Discover renewable energy resources and tools designed to build critical thinking and pedagogical innovation in the age of AI. Learn to use tech to empower, not replace, science inquiry.

AI, Sense-Making, and the Future of Chemistry Teaching

Explore MMLI, an AI-enabled high school chemistry curriculum designed to support three-dimensional, phenomenon-based learning. Participants will experience a sample MMLI activity and examine how AI can scaffold scientific reasoning, modeling, and sense-making while keeping students actively responsible for interpreting evidence, asking questions, and constructing explanations.

If You Can’t Beat’Em, Join’Em! Teaching Students to Use AI to Evaluate Claims

AI is everywhere, but are students using it wisely? Explore lessons from Generation Skeptics that teach students to use AI to evaluate the claims and images they encounter online. From updated CRAAP and lateral reading strategies to hands-on AI investigations, help students become critical thinkers—not passive consumers.

Physics Anchoring Phenomena

Unit anchors used by Lane Tech Physics teachers will be presented. Using select anchors, attendees will take on the role of students in making observations and then developing questions that could be used to investigate the phenomenon in order to develop physics concepts and understanding.

Models in Motion: Helping Students Make Their Science Thinking Visible

In this hands-on session, participants will explore the science and engineering practice of Developing and Using Models by stepping into the shoes of K–12 learners. Teachers will assume the role of the student as they create, revise, and refine models that represent their own learning and understanding of phenomena. Through this immersive experience, educators will uncover how modeling deepens sensemaking and progresses across grade levels. Participants will leave with ready-to-use modeling routines, templates, and strategies that make student thinking visible.

Inspiring the Artemis Generation: Connecting with NASA

NASA’s Artemis missions offer exciting opportunities to connect students with STEM learning and future careers in science, engineering, and technology. This session will share classroom strategies, hands-on activities, educator resources, and outreach ideas that use NASA’s return to the Moon to increase student engagement, curiosity, collaboration, and STEM career awareness.

Sensors Out, Engagement Up: Hands-On Vernier Connections for Illinois Science Teachers

This workshop is hands-on from the leader in hands-on science for 45 years! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll use Vernier sensors and Vernier Connections the way your students will: ask a question, collect live data, argue from evidence, and see the “aha” when the graph tells the story.

We’ll rotate through quick investigations in middle school science, biology, chemistry, physics, and environmental science. You’ll try the probes, run short experiments, and explore Connections lessons that already have Illinois NGSS built in—so you’re not hunting for alignments after school.

Then we’ll connect the dots teachers actually care about: how those same practices—planning investigations, analyzing data, and explaining phenomena—show up on the Illinois Science Assessment and ACT Science. Leave with lessons you can use Monday, setups that work with equipment you may already have, and a session that feels more like a lab than a lecture. Bring your laptop or chromebook and Vernier will bring the equipment and hands-on fun.

Let’s Rock: Mining and Geoscience

Attention science teachers: Do your students like rocks, minerals, fossils, and Minecraft?  Explore the lucrative and ready-available career opportunities in the mining industry, right here in Illinois.  Need content ideas?  Learn more about our annual Teachers Workshop (PDCH or Grad Credit), this July in Southern Illinois.  Need a guest speaker?  Invite us to your classroom or career day to share curated presentations and activities on mining and geoscience.  Mined minerals are all around us, and we can’t wait to share our world with you!