Sand & Sense-making
Like sand through the hourglass... so is high quality sense-making! As you may have noticed there has been quite a bit of buzz around the term / practice of sense-making lately and when it comes to thinking about how others think, it conjures very deep thoughts for the summer!!! Figuring out how students make sense of the world around us is hard work, but it's also so exciting and beautiful. Student sense-making to me is like spending a day on the beach and allowing yourself to wonder about the clouds or the volume of sand around you. To take a moment to examine the sandcastle you built and about the journey of each piece of sand and how it came to rest in just that spot for you to use. It's easy to just build the castle and walk away, but it's another thing entirely to think about the waves and where the sand will go next! Great stories lie within the adventures we allow ourselves to take. So, I fully acknowledge that this might not be something everyone is doing on their summer break, but for me there is something about this sensation of adventure that makes it SO worth it. I feel that way about our students' learning journey and digging in too. They dig into the sand of our content, build a body of knowledge and then go on to greatness (SHOUT out to a former CT Bulldog who was at the TONY awards this week!). I hope regardless of your plans for summer, you take some time to wonder... It's a great season for sense-making! Please reach out and let me know if there is any way I can help this summer and thank you for all you do.
-Meg
Upcoming Professional Development
Collaboration Meetings
Science Curriculum Leaders Collaboration
June 20th , 4pm (Zoom Registration Link)Science Teacher Collaboration,
June 21st, 4pm (Zoom Registration Link)
Kansas Association of Biology Teachers (KABT) has two exciting events coming up!
You do not need to be a member to participate (but they are super fun and you should consider joining for $15):
July 7-9th – join the group adventuring outside of Denver, CO to hike and explore at Dinosaur Ridge (see dino tracks and learn cool stuff!). Camping will be on a private property near Dinosaur Ridge so no reservations are needed. See the QR Code for more details about the trip.
Saturday, November 18 – The fall conference will be held at Quivira Wildlife Refuge in Stafford, KS. Speaker applications are currently being accepted (see QR Code or https://forms.gle/jXHUGye3kxMitZEy8). Conference topics typically span a wide range of teaching life sciences. If you choose to drive up the night before, we have a block of bed & breakfasts set aside in Ellinwood, KS – including the historic jail! Spend the night in jail with Bio Colleagues and learn new stuff! More information to come or email kel@tuel.us to be notified as details become available. Conference registration will be $15 which covers the cost of lunch. First year teachers and pre-service teachers are free to attend!
Program Reviewers Needed for
Higher Education Program Reviews in Fall 2023
Higher Education Program Reviews in Fall 2023
Have you ever wondered how different teacher preparation programs work? Have you ever wanted to be part of the conversation around this work? Program reviews help maintain strong educator preparation in Kansas and are a vital part of each college education unit’s accreditation process. Each educator preparation program in Kansas must be approved by the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE). Program reviewers review current programs and newly proposed programs for alignment to program standards. Preparation program standards are different from classroom standards.
KSDE currently is seeking program reviewers for fall 2023. There will be training opportunities provided for those interested, with a chance to sign up before the fall 2023 program reviews take place.
Reasons to become a program reviewer:
Give back to the profession. Make sure standards are maintained in Kansas educator preparation programs.
Build a network outside your district. Earn Professional Development points (confirm with your local PDC).
The flexibility to travel to Topeka or conduct reviews via Zoom. Pick which programs you review based on your content area and schedule.
KSDE pays your district for the substitute on the day of the program reviews.
Fall 2023 program reviews are for:
Bethel College MidAmerica Nazarene University Tabor College Washburn University
Numerous programs need to be reviewed, so please sign up for all programs you are qualified to review. Again, reviews will be held in person and via ZOOM. Reviews will take place in person at the Topeka Center for Advanced Learning and Careers (TCALC), 500 S.W. Tuffy Kellogg Drive, in Topeka. Program reviews start at 10 a.m. and are scheduled to end at 3 p.m. However, reviews may conclude earlier if the review(s) are completed.
Please click the link below to complete the fall 2023 program review sign-up: https://ksde.sjc1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WyJ0fx5n5ClXsG
For more information or questions, email HEAccreditation@ksde.org.
Elementary Science Specific
In this kindergarten Great Minds unit, students make sense of how tugboats maneuver massive ships through crowded harbors. Students use several models to investigate the effects of stronger and weaker pushes and pulls. Students draw on their new knowledge to investigate how to prevent a tugboat from bouncing too far from its dock. They design, test, and improve a dock cushion as a solution. The unit was reviewed by NextGenScience's cadre of expert reviewers.
See the unit and the corresponding EQuIP Rubric for Science evaluation report here.
Learn more here: (LINK)
The Smithsonian will host the National Education Summit on July 18–20. The free three-day event is an opportunity to explore critical issues facing teachers and network with others both virtually and in person. The Summit will focus on sustainability, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math), the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past” initiative, arts education, and more.
The event also will feature presentations by nationally recognized experts, including 2023 National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson; award-winning actor, author, and anti-bullying activist Maulik Pancholy; psychiatrist and thought leader Dr. Pamela Cantor, and Smithsonian educators who are at the forefront of pedagogy and practice. NSTA staff members Holly Hereau and Patrice Scinta will be among the speakers in the Life on a Sustainable Planet sessions.
Teachers of all subject areas, preK–12; librarians; media specialists; administrators; and others are invited to attend. Educators can receive certificates of completion for the number of hours in which they participated. Register at https://s.si.edu/EducationSummit2023. More information about the Summit can be found at (LINK)
Visit Monterey Bay (California) Aquarium’s live Sea Otter Cam to excite young learners (grades preK–2) about studying otters, then extend learning with an interactive Otter Spotter course. The course presents narrated videos of sea otters’ behaviors and habitat, along with interactive activities for students to model otter movements. Students can sway with the otters in their kelp forest habitat and move like an otter (e.g., groom, sleep, crack a clam on their chest, share food with pups, and so on). Other student activities include making a sea otter puppet, coloring pages about sea otters’ favorite foods, and using a sea otter behavior checklist to track observed otter behaviors (e.g., diving, eating, rolling, resting) during the course videos.
Secondary Science Specific
EdReports Announces First High School Life Science Evaluations
EdReports recently released their first series of evaluated Life Science Curriculums and shared a staggering statistics that "92% of high school science teachers report using no comprehensive instructional materials in their classrooms." Teachers and students deserve quality curriculum to drive classroom experiences and hopefully these new evaluations will help as we continue to strive for standards allignment in high school classrooms.
Read the full evaluations here: LINK
Eligible schools, universities, museums, libraries, and planetariums interested in receiving historic NASA objects for their STEM programs have until June 30 to apply for the 60th screening of the NASA Artifacts Module. Artifacts for loan may also be associated with achievements or improvements in technology, our understanding of the universe, and important or well-known personalities. NASA has thousands of items available, ranging from decommissioned programs, science instruments, small hardware flown in space, and other major agency activities for loan through that represent the history behind the science and technology of NASA. Since 2009, NASA has loaned more than 13,000 artifacts from its extensive collection to organizations across all 50 U.S. states. Following their application, NASA anticipates notifying recipients in July. Called custodians, applicants will be required to pay associated packaging, handling, and shipping of any artifact.
Learn more about borrowing from NASA here: LINK
The Smithsonian will host the National Education Summit on July 18–20. The free three-day event is an opportunity to explore critical issues facing teachers and network with others both virtually and in person. The Summit will focus on sustainability, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math), the Smithsonian’s “Our Shared Future: Reckoning With Our Racial Past” initiative, arts education, and more.
The event also will feature presentations by nationally recognized experts, including 2023 National Teacher of the Year Rebecka Peterson; award-winning actor, author, and anti-bullying activist Maulik Pancholy; psychiatrist and thought leader Dr. Pamela Cantor, and Smithsonian educators who are at the forefront of pedagogy and practice. NSTA staff members Holly Hereau and Patrice Scinta will be among the speakers in the Life on a Sustainable Planet sessions.
Teachers of all subject areas, preK–12; librarians; media specialists; administrators; and others are invited to attend. Educators can receive certificates of completion for the number of hours in which they participated. Register at https://s.si.edu/EducationSummit2023. More information about the Summit can be found at (LINK)
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) is holding the following two competitions.
June Social Media Contest (deadline June 30). ORISE wants to know what kind of lesson plans you would like to see in their free lesson plan library. To enter the contest, follow ORISE on social media, complete a brief survey, and comment your feedback on new focuses or types of lesson plans on ORISE’s social media post. Three randomly selected winners will receive the Back-to-School Supplies Bundle, which contains
10 Drawer Cart
Post-it Flip Charts
Flip Chart Markers
Paper Mate Flair Pens
Black and Multicolored Expo Markers
and more!
Back-to-School Lesson Plan Competition (deadline July 31). ORISE wants to see your best back-to-school STEM lesson plans. Teachers of any grade level or subject are invited to submit a STEM lesson plan that includes back-to-school activities. Three teachers who submit lesson plans will be selected to receive mini-grants of up to $1,500 to help buy equipment for their classroom. First prize is a $1,500 mini-grant; second prize, a $1,000 mini-grant; and third prize, a $500 mini-grant. Learn more here: LINK
Differentiation Discussion
Ting, Tag, Tong: Emergent Bilingual Students Investigating and Constructing Evidence-Based Explanations About Sound Production (Article and image from NGSS NOW Newsletter)
Researchers Enrique Suarez and Valerie Otero share findings from their study of a group of multilingual third grade students who explored a guitar and used onomatopoeias to explain why the strings produced different sounds. Based on their findings, the researchers argue that a focus on the “right” scientific or academic vocabulary can limit multilingual learners from sharing and building on their conceptual thinking and cultural resources.
Keep in touch via Facebook: Wendell G Mohling Foundation.
Website: wendellmohlingfoundation.com
Email: mohlingfoundation@gmail.com.
Phone: 785-764-9625, Carol Mohling
Wendell G. Mohling Foundation Auction
Are you a K-12 Kansas teacher who currently teaches science? Would you like the opportunity to apply for funds so that you could experience attending a National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) National Conference on Science Education this year? In 2006, the Wendell G. Mohling Foundation began selecting a teacher each year, to receive a $1000.00 scholarship award to attend a NSTA conference of their choice. The application deadline is September 24, 2023, so you still have plenty of time to complete and send in your application.
The application with requirements can be downloaded by going to the foundation website at www.wendellmohlingfoundation.com and click on “Apply” at the top of the page. This year there will be 2 national NSTA conferences to choose from: October 25-28, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri, and March 20-23, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.
Questions? Contact Kay Neill, Foundation Chair at neill1703@gmail.com or by phone at 1-620-342-4677.
Registration is open for the From Lab to Classroom Professional Development Workshop, presented by Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC). This experiential-based professional development workshop, organized by KFAC in partnership with the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center and Kansas State University, will be held onsite in Manhattan, Kansas August 1-3, 2023 with additional virtual learning to follow. Educators will gain the knowledge and tools they will need to implement science research and practices regarding crop improvement and biotechnology into their classrooms.
Participants will leave the workshop with reinforced knowledge of research methods, instructional strategies, lessons, and activities that can be immediately implemented into their classrooms with little or no additional effort. Participants will discuss basic crop improvement methods, including breeding, doubled haploid production, and DNA extraction, at the Kansas Wheat Innovation Center with dedicated time in the research laboratory. Participants will also learn about GMOs and gene editing with time to explore societal viewpoints and the challenge they present to the agriculture industry. Ending the workshop, participants will discuss how this research can be used in the classroom for deeper learning on the covered topics. For a full draft agenda, click here. Registration closes June 15th!
This workshop will be limited to 24 participants. Participants will pay $25 when registering for the workshop. Participants can get a reduced-rate hotel room at the Bluemont Hotel by calling to book or clicking the link following registration.
Additional Opportunities
From Outside of KSDE
An Evening with Astronaut Ellen Ochoa (In Person)
Ellen Ochoa—inventor, astronaut, and space center director—is a pioneer like no other. She made history as the first Latina to go to space, blazing a trail for other marginalized kids who dream of the stars. There were few minorities in leadership when she joined NASA—so she changed that, becoming the first Hispanic and second female director of the Johnson Space Center.
Dr. Ochoa earned a bachelor's degree in physics from San Diego State University and a master's degree and doctorate in electrical engineering from Stanford University. Prior to her selection as an astronaut in 1990, she was a research engineer at Sandia National Laboratories and NASA Ames Research Center, where she investigated optical systems for performing information processing. She is a co-inventor on three patents and author of several technical papers. She flew in space four times aboard the Space Shuttle, logging nearly 1,000 hours in orbit.
The lecture will be in person at the Linda Hall Library in Kansas City, Missouri.
Registration will open March 9, 2023.
Visit here for additional details: (LINK)
Help Identify High-Quality Instructional Materials with EdReports
EdReports is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower educators with independent, credible, evidence-rich information about instructional materials to ensure students have what they need to be college and career-ready. They are now accepting applications for reviewers for reviews of K-12 science instructional materials starting in April 2023. Apply now to engage in deep professional learning on the Next Generation Science Standards with a national network of skilled educators.
Learn more about EdReports here and apply to become a reviewer here.
The Ecology School in Maine (Stipend)
Join The Ecology School in Maine this July for an engaging and inspiring professional development opportunity. Teachers will be challenged to explore water’s connection to human systems and its impacts on the environment. Immersed in field-based ecology lessons, attendees will have opportunities to network and collaborate with colleagues from schools around the country to reimagine their teaching to include outdoor learning, place-based experiences, and community partners.
Offered in two cohorts: July 17 - 20 and July 27 - 30, 2023.
**The Institute is free for teachers, and attendees will receive a $250 stipend and be reimbursed for most travel.**
Click here to learn more & apply to attend this special weekend for educators.
Smithsonian Global Goals "Biotechnology!" Community Research - PD Academy
The Smithsonian Science Education Center is hosting a free, intensive 10-hour professional development academy the week of June 12-15th from 7-9 pm Eastern Time on our Global Goals "Biotechnology!" Community Research Guide for youth ages 11-18 (this guide is freely available at: https://ssec.si.edu/biotechnology).
This professional development will support educators by offering hands-on biotechnology activities with simple materials; guidance for student-driven place-based investigations about biotechnology in their community; and, support for facilitating conversations around ethical dilemmas in AI and biotechnology--all in relation to how biotechnology may help us achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's).
Educators will also have the opportunity to hear from research mentors featured in the Biotechnology Guide as they speak about the Biotechnology workforce. Participants can ask the biotechnologists questions to enrich the educator cohort's understanding of the field.
For more information visitthe Smithsonian Science Education Center event page at:(https://ssec.si.edu/ssec.si.edu/event/biotechnology-academy); or, contact, Jacqueline Kolb, at kolbj@si.edu.
USPTO National Summer Teacher Institute (St. Louis)
Taking place in St. Louis, Missouri, from July 16 to 21, the United States Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) National Summer Teacher Institute (NSTI) is a multi-day professional development training opportunity for K-12 educators to learn about intellectual property and the educational resources the USPTO offers to engage students in authentic, real-world projects and problem-based learning in STEM and across all fields of study.
If selected, your flight and lodging are covered for the duration of the program for teachers residing more than 50 miles from the NSTI venue in St. Louis, MO. Teachers who reside less than 50 miles from the venue will receive all the benefits of the program aside from travel and lodging support. Federal travel rules apply.
Learn more about NSTI and how to apply at www.uspto.gov/TeacherInstitute.
