This toolkit brings together the essential tools and checklists you'll need to analyze instructional materials, plan your project, collect evidence, and prepare for your conference presentation. Whether you're beginning to explore lessons or finalizing your implementation story, these resources will help guide your thinking, highlight opportunities, and ensure alignment with the goals of the NSTA conference.
A self-monitoring tool to track your pathway and readiness to ensure all components of your implementation and presentation are complete.
Helps you analyze potential lessons or assessments for NGSS alignment, STEM integration, and student engagement before implementation.
Guides your planning, documentation, and reflection throughout the project, including rationale, evidence collection, and personal insights.
Used by cohort leads to provide feedback on your implementation plan and ensure alignment to program expectations.
Sets the expectations for your conference presentation, aligned with NSTA's goals around STEM, sensemaking, and equity.
We are working with instructional materials that have been reviewed and rated has high-quality, with strong alignment to NGSS, STEM disciplines, and sensemaking practices. The purpose of the evaluation tool is not to judge their quality, but to help you:
Uncover the embedded strengths within a lesson or assessment
Recognize what's present in terms of STEM practices, students engagement, and relevance
Identify which resource is the best fit for your classroom goals, teaching context, and students' needs
This tool is especially useful as you begin to connect your select resource to your implementation theme and plan for evidence collection.
🔔Use this early in Stage 1 to guide your resource selection and start drafting your STEM Implementation plan.
The Implementation Workbook helps you bring your project to life. You'll:
Document your selected lesson or assessment
Articulate adaptations and rationale
Plan how you'll gather student evidence and reflections
Connect your work to your selected presentation theme
🔔All fellows are required to submit a completed workbook for the cohort lead feedback
The rubrics we will be using provide transparency and direction:
Use the STEM Implementation Plan Feedback Rubric to understand how your plan will be reviewed
Use the STEM in Action Presentation Rubric to prepare a clear, theme-aligned presentation for the NSTA Conference
As you move toward implementation and presentation, it's essential to stay organized and on top of deadlines. The Project Completion Checklist will help ensure you've completed all required steps. Here's what is included:
✅Confirming your presentation format (poster or speed sharing)
✅Selecting your theme and submitting your proposal draft for feedback
✅Finalizing and submitting your STEM Implementation Plan Workbook
✅Implementing your selected lesson and collecting student evidence
✅Preparing your conference presentation aligned to your selected theme
✅Submitting your final presentation materials and confirming logistics
🔔This tool is designed to be used as a way to self-monitor and double-check that you're ready to present with confidence
We know this process can raise questions, spark new ideas, or leave you needing clarity. That's why we host weekly office hours, dedicated for you to drop in, ask questions, and get guidance.
🗓️Every Thursday
⏰9:30–10:30 AM ET
⏰12:30–1:30 PM ET
⏰3:30–4:30 PM ET
Join us on zoom, feel free to drop in anytime during the hour. Bring your implementation plan, questions, challenges, or ideas. You're also welcome to just listen and learn from others
🔔A personal calendar invite with the zoom link has been sent to your email. If you don't see it, check your spam folder or contact your cohort lead.
Remember, this is a space for support, not perfection! Come as you are!