Problem solving is an essential skill for science students but many problem solving labs are only extensions to our science curriculum. This presentation will provide methods for converting your current laboratories into problem solving labs. It will also focus on simple methods for teaching students the process of inquiry through the scientific method and helping students to master summarizing these experiences in conclusion paragraphs.

What is the relationship between a star's color, temperature, age and brightness? What is an A.U.? How far is a light-year? Using Star Cards, participants will explore absolute and apparent magnitude, as well as the varying distances to stars in the same constellations. All students will receive a set of color-coded Star Cards, ready to use in the classroom.

Become familiar with the "Illinois Biodiversity Field Trip Grant" and the "Schoolyard Habitat Action Grant" programs from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Illinois Conservation Foundation. Learn tips for writing these grant applications as well as common pitfalls. See what other educators have done with their grant awards.

Explore the opportunities available to science teachers attending the free 2012 IL Oil & Gas education conference. Presenters will highlight the IL industry, the science involved, and its commitment to a clean environment. Attendees will receive a classroom ready lesson plan complete with Learning Standards: 11-13, except E. Elementary and Late HS.

Take your classes to a unique learning laboratory to experience math and science applications. Illinois' own, Six Flags Great America provides a thrilling setting for understanding the laws of physics and mathematical applications. Resources, sample activities and park information for educational planning and enhanced student participation will be available at this presentation.

Improve your ability to incorporate Language Arts, Math, and Social Studies content into situational inquiries to solve real-world problems. Attendees will cover planning and delivery of effective Problem-Based lessons to diverse student populations using lab notebooks.

This presentation will detail how to transform a traditional "cook book" type lab into an engaging inquiry-based lab. A cook book lab dealing with solubility rules and precipitation reactions turned inquiry-based will be presented as well as strategies for transforming your own traditional labs into inquiry-based labs.

Using National Geographic's FieldScope GIS, Northwestern University has developed curriculum for high school students to analyze water data. Two units allow students to study Water Availability across the US and around the world, and Human Impact on the Watershed addressing the relationship between land cover change and stream flow.

EcoCasting has developed computer models of aquatic ecosystems that allow students to investigate real world questions. Based on current science research, EcoCasting teaches core ecosystems content, including food webs, biomagnification, and the effects of invasive species (the round goby), while teaching the research process of scientists investigating anomalous Great Lakes data.

"Biodiesel in the Classroom" will walk you through the chemistry, engineering, safety, environmental impact, ups and downs of producing biodiesel. We will also discuss cross-curricular ideas and grant resources to help you get started making fuel from waste oil available from your own cafeteria!

Participants will be immersed in engineering hands-on, activities and approaches to science that engage the entire family -- from strollers to walkers. Specifically we will model family science night experience, share organizational tools and strategies to increase family science participation. Lessons and resources included.

How do students get involved in real research that benefits the scientific community? Over the last two years students have had the opportunity to view the stars themselves and be a part of the Dark Energy Survey through my inclusion in the DOE's ACTS program at Argonne National Labs. What did they learn and how can we duplicate the program?

At the end of this session you will be able to walk away with over 50 strategies (Literacy, Vocabulary, Inquiry, Culture) that will help access and engage English Language Learners in your classroom. Handouts and online/digital versions will be provided.

Do you have unused science equipment sitting in cabinets or on shelves that might be of use to other science students around the Chicagoland area? Science Connexion (scienceconnexion.org) is a new non-for-profit that will will pick up your unused science equipment for free and store it until we can find a new home for it. We will also try to find equipment that your classroom is in need of. Come learn about this great new service!

We will present several electronic laboratories. These web-based "e-Labs" allow students and teachers to explore data from the Large Hadron Collider as well as an array of classroom cosmic ray muon detectors. Students use their web browsers to search for, select, view and analyze data.

Through dynamic collections, innovative educators, and novel environments, museums provide students and teachers with unique and valuable learning experiences. Museums of Chicago come together on this panel to share learning opportunities and resources. Representatives from John G. Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Science & Industry, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, and Lincoln Park Zoo will highlight programs they provide.

In this session ideas for differentiating anatomy, chemistry, and problem solving activities and projects to meet the educational needs of special populations and a variety of learners will be discussed. Gardner's Multiple Intelligences will be reviewed. Participants will complete various hands on activities. Student created work will be displayed and classroom tested lesson plans will be shared with participants.

P18*
    Friday, 10:00-10:50 am, 50 min, North Pavilion 4
    Problem-Based Learning, K-12
Pond Study: Problem-Based Learning
Presenter: Laura Riley, Westmont Junior High School

What factors indicate to you that this is a healthy ecosystem? What factors tell you that this is an ecosystem that is not very healthy? Should this land area be developed or left in its natural condition? Environmental education linked with problem-based learning creates an engaged, inquiry based, student-centered instructional strategy in which students work collaboratively to solve real-world problems.

Get a chance to try some tried and true fluid activities. Topics include Bernoulli, "what is a fluid?", and the difference between viscosity and density. All materials used will be common classroom or household items. Activities are appropriate for a wide range grades. Ready to use activity sheets with grade specific extensions and standards alignment will be included.

Explore how to build an underwater robot and create an underwater robotics program in your own school. Participants will leave the session understanding how they can bring underwater robotics to their school, how to connect it to their curriculum, and they will take away curriculum resources that can be utilized in their own classrooms.

Save money and improve your microscope's performance by learning how to perform basic cleaning and troubleshooting procedures. Bring your old and neglected microscopes and learn how to disassemble, clean, and troubleshoot them. Great for those who need to get all their hand me down microscopes in good working condition!

Learn how to easily incorporate fun and exciting inquiry activities into your classrooms using ScholAR's new In-the-Bag Inquiry Activity series. These easy-to-perform demonstrations are designed to engage your students and then incorporate guided inquiry exercises so they can further explore and understand the concept. Participants will learn how to perform three different In-the-Bag inquiry demonstrations and two In-the-Bag learning activities.

Discover the unseen and microscopic world by learning how to use a simple digital microscope and then gain experience by performing three middle school level activities. Participants will learn how to make observations, measure objects, capture images and videos, edit and add labels to images, and convert cookbook labs into inquiry activities.

Learn how your students can use astronaut photography of Earth to join NASA in the exciting process of exploration and scientific discovery.

A fast-paced and energetic workshop that goes far beyond how to use the RED (Really Easy Data) units, this workshop will focus on how to integrate the RED technology into your classroom. Hands-on Activities include: - Cooling water activity using the temperature probe - Cartesian Diver activity using the gas sensor - Pressure in a Column Inquiry activity

During this session participants will learn how to incorporate various learning strategies and activities that have been traditionally used in English or reading classes and modified to fit the needs of students in the science content area to allow common language within the middle or high school. Lesson plans as well as student samples will be shared for activities such as literature circles, writing circles, making inferences, vocabulary strategies, and more. Handouts available.

Electric cars emit no carbon dioxide when being used. However, the charging process may generate more carbon dioxide than similarly sized gas powered cars do while being used. In this talk two stoichiometric calculations will be presented that demonstrate that an electric car can produce as much or more carbon dioxide than a typical gasoline powered car.

This presentation will describe how a general and special education teacher fostered science literacy among fourth-graders in two inclusive science classrooms. A research overview will provide current recommendations regarding content instruction for English learners, students with disabilities, and general education students. Examples from weekly lessons will reflect adherence to district curriculum while also meeting the needs of all learners.

I will present observations and sample work from several courses I have taught in the past 5 years that emphasize the characteristics and techniques of scientific reasoning. This approach was initially developed to address the needs of science education students, but seems to address a need among physics and other science majors, as well.

Science Power is a new on-line, interactive, differentiated, supplementary science program for elementary and middle schools. Special features: correlated with Illinois curriculum standards and most popular textbooks, differentiated and lexil-leveled lesson texts, read aloud, hands-on experiments, critical thinking exercises, extension learning projects, graphic organizers and assessment component.

This poster session will highlight "Fresh and Salt," a collection of activities connecting Great Lakes and ocean science topics to enhance teacher capabilities for accessing science information. Designed for grades 5-10, Fresh and Salt encourages integration of Great Lakes and Ocean Literacy Principles into instruction. A wide range of instructional modes are represented including, data interpretation; experimentation; simulation; mapping; and decision-making.

To nurture a stewardship ethic in 4th-9th graders, Sea Grant has developed many classroom teaching resources fostering interactive learning and an appreciation for protecting our aquatic environment. New invaders lurk as threats to Lake Michigan and associated Illinois watersheds. Educators will participate in and receive hands-on activities from curriculum including the Attack Pack, ESCAPE, Nab the Aquatic Invader, and many more.

In working with Aurora University, Illinois Math and Science Academy, Packer Engineering, and The Robert Crown Center, we have developed a problem based learning program to bring into the classroom. Participants will learn about the program and be involved in a problem based learning activity. View data that shows increased test scores by using this process. Ideas for implementing the process in the classroom will be available.

Students of all skill levels tend to skip over words that are new to them hoping that somewhere along the line the definition will pop up. REfS, Reading Exercises for Science helps build science literacy for readers of all skill levels. Participants will find this method helpful in developing reading for understanding in science.

Chemistry, physics, special education teachers, and reading specialists will share their journey with implementing literacy strategies in the classroom. Activating background knowledge, previewing, text marking, visualizing, and predicting changed the way these teachers approached scientific word problems. Data and templates will be shared.

The Physics of Toys is designed to introduce students to Physics concepts, Nature of Science objectives, and Technology goals associated with Illinois state standards. As an REI team, this activity can be adapted successfully to all levels of students.

The goal of this session is to provide participants with the strategies for using scientific probeware in a biology course. You will gain hands-on experience using the probeware and will experience the benefits to student learning and mastery of laboratory skills and biological concepts.

Participants will learn about current research challenging our understanding of the impacts that environmental exposures have on individuals and society. Participants will also learn about approaches and resources they can use to engage their students on these relevant issues that will increase their science and health literacy, and also (hopefully!) influence life-long learning and awareness of environment and health.

Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and California science teachers prepared two posters for the American Astronomical Society, wrote a refereed paper for the Astronomical Journal, learned how to do scientific research with deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired students and stalked famous scientists with NASA paying the bill. We're living the dream, baby! Find out how you can, too.

This poster describes how teachers included visually impaired and hard of hearing students in a NASA research project using Spitzer Space Telescope data.

Learn how to plan activities and a budget for a K-8 family science night. Activities with an astronomy theme will be presented including straw rockets comparing a popular, science-supplier launcher to an inexpensive, D.I.Y. launcher any teacher can make. Come hear about our success and what we learned and would change for future successes. Make-and-take a straw rocket you can test launch and get a FREE CD containing activities while supplies last.

Biology teachers began meeting in 2008 at the DuPage ROE to discuss essential Biology course material. These teachers, from over eight districts, created the Essential Biology Curriculum and a corresponding assessment. This presentation will provide an overview of the process and the products from these teachers, along with how assessment data is used for professional development.

Explore how social media including Edmodo, Twitter, and Facebook can be used to engage students in current scientific research and individualized instruction.

How do you take students from "just the text" to a connected learning experience? Through the Math Science Project at Southern Illinois University Carbondale using Action Research, I involved my class in an ongoing learning experience. I wanted to help them better understand environmental science. What we learned together, was much more.

Zoo Genetics is a free curriculum developed by a high school biology teacher and a wildlife genetics researcher. The activities in this project look at real world conservation issues and how modern genetics helps to answer questions. This curriculum is being updated as new research projects emerge and is available online to any teacher around the world free of charge.

Organizations throughout Illinois work collaboratively with schools to provide curriculum support. How do those partnerships begin, who are the key players, and why is it beneficial to teachers and students alike? Three model partnerships will be discussed: 1. Channahon District 17 (Channahon) - Pilot curriculum partnership. 2. Lincoln Way Central High School (New Lenox) - Freshmen restoration field work incorporated into ecology unit. 3. Nequa Valley High School (Naperville) - Integration of local historic site into teaching prairie ecology.

This workshop will briefly describe the NEIU MSTQE program, an integrated Math-Science program for preparing pre-service middle school math & science teachers, in which content courses consist of linked math-science course pairs. Then, participants will engage in activities from the various course pairs, demonstrating the math-science connections. These course pairs are: Physics/Geometry; Biology/Algebra; Chemistry/Number Theory; Environmental Science/Statistics; and Ecology/Calculus.

Animal observations provide an opportunity for your students to engage in inquiry activities using methodology developed by Brookfield Zoo scientists. Teacher classes, student classes and curriculum available at Brookfield Zoo support you in teaching biology topics. Receive lists of classes and opportunities.

Frustrated with students who cannot explain their final answer? A physics teacher teamed with a literacy coach share how they incorporated common reading and thinking strategies to help students break down the process of solving physics problems and become better meta cognitive thinkers. This allowed the students and teacher to illustrate and assess the why and how of their answers.

As school improvement plans place more emphasis on reading, content area teachers are being asked to promote reading strategies in their classrooms. Attendees will be provided with concrete activities that encourage active engagement with the text and aide in vocabulary acquisition.

The Pulsar Search Collaboratory is an awesome project that allows students to analyze authentic data from the world's largest steerable radio telescope, the Green Bank Radio Telescope. Students analyze the data to help astronomers look for Pulsars. An added bonus of this project is that students can develop a rapport with radio astronomers!

Students are looking for opportunities for careers that will last a lifetime. Biotech is one of those options. This workshop provides an overview of opportunities in biotechnology.

We have designed aids to assist our students in the process of reading science texts and analyzing example problems. Our reading aid assists students in dissecting the text to gain relevant and pertinent information. Our problem solving aid is designed to make students aware of their own thought process as well as the process within text-based examples.

Network science is a growing field of study that embraces ideas from computer science, sociology, and mathematics. This presentation has two objectives - introduce participants to network science and provide a motivating lesson for high school students using a dataset about hip-hop collaborations.

Northwestern University is looking for STEM teachers within 30 minutes of the Evanston campus to partner with a PhD candidate for the entire 2012-2013 school year. Exceptional teachers will be chosen to share their teaching and communication skills with a carefully selected graduate student. The graduate student will share his/her cutting edge scientific research in your classroom, spending 10-15 hours each week both in the classroom and working with faculty and staff from NU's School of Education to develop resources that fit in to your existing curriculum. Come learn more!

Graduate science education students in a teacher preparation program developed interdisciplinary units of study for course credit in their science methods course. Students will profile their work and demonstrate a variety of inquiry-based science activities designed for middle schools students.

This interactive session will present several new online curricular units for high school science classrooms. Grounded in inquiry-based learning, students control actual laboratory equipment over the Internet. Math/science students control usually inaccessible equipment and analyze their own data.

Here are a few ideas for circuits labs that you can try out! Topics include: resistors and resistivity; resistors and capacitors in parallel and series; Ohmic versus non-Ohmic resistors, RC-circuits; Multi-battery circuits and Kirchoff's Laws. We will provide an overview of each setup and answer questions as you work.

Are you a science department chairperson, administrator, or lead teacher? If so, please join us as we explore today's most relevant educational issues including; common core and college readiness standards, laboratory safety, literacy, assessment, and curriculum design. The session will consist of several brief presentations, followed by a group discussion. Come prepared to share your expertise!

A review and discussion of safety issues facing instructors of secondary science today. All participants will have the chance to bring their particular issue(s) to the table and possible solutions brain-stormed by the group. Negligence, liability and proactive safety techniques will be discussed and demonstrated, as time permits. A serious, productive discussion/workshop as to "Safety First" for today's student laboratory.

During this session, museum educators from Chicago informal learning institutions will share strategies for planning and implementing science investigations at museums and zoos. Participants will discuss the structure of focused field trips, designed to engage students in science investigations outside of school. Specific examples will be provided. Participants will brainstorm connections they can make between curricula and field trip locations.

Come and experience activities which integrate science, mathematics, engineering, and technology concepts and principles. Activities will be aimed for the students in grades K-8 using inexpensive materials. This session will also discuss the importance of STEM learning as it relates to the student's cognitive development and the Illinois Learning Standards.

This presentation will showcase various STEM activities such as using iPad accelerometers to measure student-made earthquakes; force and motion sensors to measure student-made roller coasters; conductivity sensor to determine water quality; other mobile-based tools to measure the human circulatory system. Additionally, the use of QR scans will be discussed for ease of access to on-line resources for STEM activities.

There are about 300,000 known materials currently. Material scientists test the materials. Testing materials that might be useful for a design is a process which is a part of STEM. Material strength is one criterion measured of materials. The purpose of this presentation will provide an example of a test that can be conducted safely in the classroom.

In Fall 09, Spring 10 and Fall 10 semesters, at Joliet Junior College, non-science major astrobiology students were asked to do two group projects to help them master the important concepts of this course. In this presentation, we will provide details of the projects and the results of modifying the projects from one semester to another based on student feedback.

Allowing students to design their own labs seems to help them understand material better and earn better scores on test. By accepting responsibility for their own learning, students are better able to apply the information they have understood to real life problems. Some ideas and thoughts are presented for implementing this inquiry based approach in both middle and high schools.

Three ready to go labs that focus on getting students to use critical thinking skills. Participants will have the opportunity for hands on experimentation with the material. Presentation will provide the labs as well as review activities to ensure mastery of subject areas.

Students are often tracked into a level of science with little opportunity to move. We are investigating how to encourage and support diagonal movement between levels. We will discuss our process of identifying students best prepared for diagonal movement, essential skills for courses to help teachers make recommendations, supports to aid students, and data analysis of student grades after movement.

As a teacher Kristin Kaduk was able to travel to the island of Borneo this past summer. Through her Master's program at the University of Miami-Ohio and Project Dragonfly she experienced scientific inquiry and community-based conservation while working with local people and researchers. In this session, Kristin will share her experiences and provide information regarding the program for K-12 educators.

The wolf vs. moose, a predator - prey relationship, provides an excellent opportunity to study population ecology on an island, Isle Royale National Park. As the wolf population is in peril, the cause and effect relationships are of great interest to naturalists.

If you are retiring soon or thinking about retiring, this session is for you! Teachers Reserves is a new, emerging organization in ISTA that plans to provide opportunities for retired educators with passion about their expertise to re-serve education - teachers and students. With many experienced teachers retiring, new teachers will appreciate a resource like Teacher Reserves.

Wildlife conservation of endangered species can be significantly improved when molecular genetic data is incorporated into management strategies. Lion populations across Africa are declining rapidly. Genetic analysis of lions throughout Africa has revealed hidden phylogenetic structure and mating strategies that will change our current assumptions and enhance population management. Data are included in our genetic exercises for teachers to use.

The Presidential Award for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching is the highest honor a teacher can receive in the United States. It celebrates excellence in the classroom and begins teachers on a lifelong journey that enables awardees to have a voice in the direction of science education in our country. Listen to the experiences of past awardees and how it has changed their lives.

Critical issues regarding students' abilities to interpret the role of experimental error in their data, in order to truly learn from experiments in physics.

Champaign School District Unit 4 designed a new fourth grade Woodland/Forest Ecosystem unit with the assistance of personnel from the Champaign County Forest Preserve District. Incorporated in the unit is a field trip to Homer Lake Forest Preserve. During our session we will discuss the design process, the pilot program, and the benefits to the teachers, students and non-formal educators.

During a new second grade Insect Unit, students in Champaign School District study the "Big 5 Insects" and take a field trip to the new Pollinatarium at the University of Illinois for a hands-on experience with insects. During the session we will discuss the unit design, pilot, adoption, and professional development process, and how we designed the field experience at the Pollinatarium to enhance the Big Ideas of the unit and meet the needs of our second grade students.

Where does our water come from? Where does our water go? How does human activity affect our water resources? Sixth grade students seek answers to these questions during a unit of study entitled "Fresh Water Resources". The presenters will share a unit overview, lists of material resources, and how to incorporate the materials in the unit learning experiences.

Do you need class time for inquiry, hands-on activities, labs, etc? Why not try flipping your classroom. In a flipped classroom, students watch and listen to your lectures for homework freeing up class time for collaborating, researching, crafting, creating differentiating, and mastery learning. Sounds impossible? Think its too daunting? Come to our presentation and explore the possibilities.

We will present technologies currently being used in our classes and provide student examples of technology use. There will also be time for collaboration on other ways to use these technologies specific to content areas.

This workshop will show how you can have your students do real science! We will discuss the Aurora, Illinois Mastodonts: their geologic and cultural history, scientific significance and a description of the 2004 Aurora Mastodont Project. We will then process screenwash from the 2004 excavations, and discuss how this project can be used in your classroom, using provided lesson plans.

The Illinois Wind for Schools program is bringing wind energy into middle and high school classrooms across the state. The program incorporates classroom curriculum and instruction, design and experimentation activities, real-world data collection, data manipulation, energy forecasting, and scientific analysis. Learn about how your classroom can get involved in this exciting program!

This hands-on session will give participants a chance to experiment with features of the LabQuest that are especially appropriate in the physics classroom. See how you can use LabQuest in place of other physics equipment for a number of experiments.

We are studying electron impact dissociative ionization of molecules. I will talk about a home-made electron gun, which provides the electron beam source for the experiments. The electrons are produced from a tungsten filament in a vacuum. They are pulsed and focused to the molecular target by ion optics. The electron gun has been tested to work in the lab.

Creating ionic bonds with Legos.

Carbon dating is used to provide ages of artifacts of biological origin as old as 50,000 years. Carbon dating has been used to date artifacts of hair, bone, cloth, wood and plant fibers. Useful carbon (carbon-fourteen) is produced in the upper atmosphere when air molecules are bombarded with solar radiation. Carbon-fourteen remaining in an archeological sample determines the age.

Come join us to explore the design and implementation of an ecoregionally-based native plant curriculum. "From Salmonberry to Sagebrush", is an innovative framework model that can be applied nationwide. The curriculum gives teachers the tools to customize lessons for the place they teach, while still meeting state and national education standards. Lessons encourage exploration of the natural world through science, cultural studies, mathematics, arts and reflection.

This session will describe how one district has devoted resources to allow the science adoption process to be systemic with professional development imbedded in the development and implementation of the science program.

Want to WOW your students? Raise understanding of a concept that is low across the state? This informative, interactive, fun session will revive your interest in physical science and make you eager to try it in your classroom. Experience basic principles of force and motion and come away with ready to use lessons for your 3rd - 6th grade classes.

The Morton Arboretum developed three programs to introduce students in grades 7-12 to STEM careers. The Macgyver youth volunteers, Restoration Stewards and Science Camp Counselor in Training programs are consistent with the Illinois STEM Framework, emphasizing career exploration, social learning, and leadership. This presentation will share program highlights and research on students' interest in STEM careers.

Many science teachers are aware of the existence of alternative conceptions - notions held by students that are contrary to those generally accepted by mainstream scientists. Authentic alternative conceptions are tenaciously held, and doggedly resistant to change. Only carefully managed efforts by teachers will effectively address them. The presenter proposes two emphases within the context of the "standard model" for more effectively overcoming alternative conceptions.

Can you make a PET bottle float in the air with a big BLOWER?  In this session, you will enjoy our show to get the PET bottle floating in the air without holding it. You will watch more fascinating items including paper roll, molecular models, and even a round bottom flask. It is not just a show. It is The Bernoulli's science show!!!

Join a Lincoln Park Zoo educator to discover new ways of incorporating animal explorations into your curriculum. From observing bird behavior in the schoolyard to collecting data on the preferences of classroom animals, participants will learn how to guide student activities that parallel the work of zoo researchers. Participants walk away with ready to use lesson plans and resources.

Try your hand at re-envisioning field trips! This engaging session will share new investigation models that lead to student-inquiry and process skills aligned with state standards as well as taking a fresh look at old favorites. Attendees will receive a variety of free learning materials to support self-guided experiences while retaining the free-choice nature of a zoo visit.

Move past step-by-step science experiments and empower students to launch their own inquiry-based research project. Learn to support varying developmental levels in conducting authentic animal behavior (ethology) studies, promoting the use of scientific inquiry skills and building connections to work of zoo researchers. Discover a valuable online resource for implementation and receive a free "Building Young Researchers" curriculum guide.

To reverse the progressive decline in science interest in fourth- and fifth-grade girls, we developed a six-week after school science program in two high-need schools. The goal was to expose girls to science and to college-age female role models. Results suggest that knowledge of and interest in science began to increase. Session participants will engage in some of the program's activities.

This fall, world population is reaching seven billion people. Discover innovative, interdisciplinary, hands-on activities to broaden students' awareness about global interdependence, competition for finite natural resources and the challenges ahead for creating sustainable, healthy societies. Engage in games, role-playing and creative problem-solving activities to build students' knowledge and skills in life sciences. Free CD-ROM of activities.

Collaborative industry-education partnerships provide real-world, problem-based learning experiences that address the common-core standards and develop learners' 21st century skills. Such authentic, STEM-centered, collaborative inquiry experiences develop learners' confidence and competence in both content and process skills. Participants will briefly engage in the problem investigation, which includes a hands-on activity, and they will explore the embedded learning and assessment of outcomes.

The annual Clean Water Celebration (17 years strong!) is a perfect opportunity to present your classrooms environmental science projects or to come learn about our aquatic environment. You will learn how to become involved with this event and about educational outreach programs based on environmental projects you can bring back to your classroom.

SkyNet provides users with opportunities to take images of the nighttime sky using its worldwide network of telescopes and digital cameras. Afterglow is SkyNet's exclusive photometric interface. We will discuss how to create and analyze light curves using Afterglow.

SkyNet provides users with opportunities to take images of the nighttime sky using its worldwide network of telescopes and digital cameras. We will discuss the use of this network and the acquisition of images.

We have called upon our youth to be the next generation to make a positive impact on our environment. Who's teaching them how to do this? Join Todd Katz, NBCT a freshman biology teacher at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School to learn how every teacher of any class can teach and motivate kids to do the extraordinary. Handouts provided!

Educators have long known of the negative effects testing anxiety has on students. Until these effects are mitigated, educators will continue to struggle properly evaluating the academic progress of students with this condition. In this study, a set of tutoring methods was specifically designed to address these challenges in an algebra-based College Physics course and implemented with encouraging results.

Walk through the process of investigation - prediction, experimentation, observing and collecting evidence, and analyzing results. Then use what you've learned to explain a phenomenon or defend an answer to a driving question by writing an evidence-based scientific explanation. You will learn how to use the claim/evidence/reasoning framework with your students, which is central to the Common Core State Standards.

I will present individualized homework assignments I have used with my own students in an attempt to 1) make physics relevant, 2) make connections with families, and 3) provide unique learning experiences for each student. I will provide examples of "Table Talk" family discussions, take-home labs, writing assignments, art projects, and student-created homework problems. Rubrics and assessments will be discussed.

Stewardship offers students an opportunity to connect with natural areas. Crafting a restoration program that reinforces core scientific principles and methodologies in ecological restoration was the easy part, getting students to wear the protective clothing was a bit more challenging! Join us as we highlight the development and implementation of the School Restoration Stewards Program at The Morton Arboretum.

The actions of work, heat, power, and lifetime for ants and elephants are analogically related to photons and electrons to show similarities through Planck's constant of "action" and the Heisenberg principle. Growth/decay as a resonance condition suggest roles for gravity and photon-electron interactions. Panpsychism is explored through a "staedic" thermodynamic analysis of personal swimming.

Research has shown that children have become "disconnected" from nature. What better place to "reconnect" them than in their own schoolyard? Find out how you, as their teacher, can help to create an outdoor living laboratory using native plants that will not only teach your students stewardship but also beautify your school grounds.

We all know the temptation that exists in teaching physical science equations first with verification later! Stop by to reconsider how equations can be taught through the use of the learning cycle instead. Participants will observe how equations can be introduced after inquiry-based experiences. Interested participants are asked to bring their favorite lesson or equations taught for Activity-Before-Content rearrangement.

Participants will construct and investigate parachutes, providing the opportunity to do an inquiry and become familiar with skills necessary for successful science learning through inquiry.

The focus of the current STEM education is on mathematics and science and not on the engineering technology. This presentation will encourage learners to become a part of the solution and increase interest in the STEM areas. Activities will include using every day materials to build structures, bridges, and paper/straw towers. STEM skills are used to solve problems through hands on activities.

Notebooking provides teachers the tools to develop skills necessary for students to be successful in a 21st century workplace. Participants learn how to incorporate notebooks using lessons from the research-based STC-Secondary, developed by the Smithsonian Institution. Take away free material to start integrating notebooking in your classroom.

Project Based Inquiry Science (PBIS) lets students get excited about science. There are developed projects and driving questions that really matter to students. In the context they explore, investigate and build understanding of scientific content and reasoning. Watch what happens when students flex their creative muscles on projects they care about. You will be engaged in an activity that you can take to your classroom.

In this workshop, we will perform a series of guided-inquiry activities that prepare students to do a voice-over of a sports video and explain the physics of the action appearing on the screen. Watch what happens to the quality of students when they take ownership of the real-world scientific challenges that matter to them. Leave with a practical hands-on activity that you can do in your classroom. We will also focus on how differentiated instruction can make physics accessible to all.

The light intensity from a fluorescent tube can be modeled as the field of a finite line. Curve fitting of the light intensity data is used to explore the expected relationship and behavior at the distance limits. The experiment is a simple demonstration of the concepts of Gauss' law for point, line, and surface distributions.

This presentation will cover how a standard physics class has been changed into one that is self paced and proficiency graded. The presentation will also cover adjustments that were made to the course based on student feedback and experiences. The methods used to make this course self paced and proficiency graded should be transferable to other courses.

This workshop will show elementary, middle, and high school teachers how to make fun and effective games that they can use to enhance the learning and retention in their classrooms. These games aim to improve students' skills in classifying, comparing, and contrasting science concepts and vocabulary words as well as provide applications and examples. The games can be used as enrichment activities, review materials, or as assessment tools.

These activities are fun, work with virtually all students, and teach quality science skills. The activities can easily be scaled up or down to match the level of the students. Little special equipment required. While the focus is on classroom use, a little planning could create a grade-level or entire-school science day!

New developments in computing software enable students to access powerful visualization techniques such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) Spectral Analysis to observe and measure phenomena such as string vibration and musical sound generation in a classroom laboratory setting. From such observations the student can draw direct numeric and scientific inferences about the physical and mathematic nature of musical scales.

Water rockets, Rube Goldberg, robots, towers, bridges. Opportunities for inquiry, critical thinking, application and learning through play.

Join us to learn about how a team of teachers collaborates to raise student achievement and interest in technological design and physical science. The team will share how they adapt activities to reach 5th- 6th grade students ranging from gifted to special education. Participants will experience integrated activities such as Newton cars and bridge building which address Goals 11B and 12D.

This paper presents an online lab for high school students related to the topics of universal gravitation and circular motion. The students use the PhET simulation My Solar System to create circular orbits for a planet orbiting a central star. The students vary the radius and determine the speed necessary to create a circular orbit for each radius. They then plot the data and use this to calculate "G", the universal gravitational constant for the PhET "universe." Other variations to this activity will also be discussed, including binary star systems.

The Atom Smashers (2008, 54 min) follows a group of Fermilab physicists as they race to find the Higgs boson, a yet-undiscovered subatomic particle that could explain how matter--and therefore life--can exist. A screening of the film will be followed by a question and answer session with the filmmakers.

The Khan Academy has recently received attention and funding for one man's effort to reform education by posting short educational videos online. Although the public and the media have embraced the Khan Academy, some educators are questioning how effectively students learn scientific concepts through the Khan Academy videos. Both the pros and cons of the Khan Academy will be presented.

Students identified as developmental learners are a growing population in community colleges. These students need opportunities to gain the expertise and knowledge necessary to complete a transferable science course. This presentation highlights instructional strategies employed to provide these learners with a quality lab-based science experience. Strategies are founded on a constructivist epistemology and include reading and laboratory practices.

Zone leaders will review Local Physical Science Alliance (LPSA) professional development activities that took place locally and statewide during the 2010-2011 school year. Ideas about activities for the "new season" will also be discussed.

Models for creating a student interest-driven research program with middle and high school students will be presented. Led by experienced facilitators, teachers participating in a spring professional development program will share the exciting range of new models they are implementing.

The College of DuPage is attempting to teach a college level algebra/trig based physics course completely online with simulations used as labs. I will discuss our current methods used to evaluate the success of this course. I would also like to use this talk as a starting point to form a local discussion group on the topic of online physics courses and their evaluation.

Come learn how a group of teachers became informed, reflective practitioners and how they have begun changing their teaching through research of literature and a cycle of teaching, reflecting, critiquing, revising, and reteaching. Their stories will be presented through a video documentary as they share what they have learned through this professional development opportunity. Some of the teachers may be in the audience for Q&A.

Our students will make up the PTA's, school boards, and governments of tomorrow. Their understanding of how the field of science functions, categorizes what is considered scientific, and incorporates new knowledge is essential to the integrity of the science field and science education. This presentation will give tips and tools for addressing students' misconceptions about science, using the example of teaching evolution.

When a teacher begins to tell a story a noticeable calm permeates the classroom as students settle down to listen. Storytelling goes beyond engaging students and is a powerful tool in helping students to make meaning of science concepts and their connections. We will introduce strategies such as conceptual mapping to explore the power of story and its impact on student learning.

Learn strategies for improving parent involvement in education, school and school-related activities. Emphasis will be placed on year round communication techniques, engaging and involving Latino parents, attracting more fathers/father figures, and creating positive experiences for everyone involved.

Drawing is more than just creating pretty pictures. When students draw in the science classroom they look more closely at specimens they are studying, improving their observation skills. Scientific illustrators work for museums, botanical gardens and arboreta and illustrate textbooks and websites for the medical and scientific communities. Learn about scientific illustration and techniques for the classroom.

We will discuss procedures utilized at our certified Illinois Department of Public Health drinking water laboratory and our Woodridge environmental wastewater laboratory. Also to be included is our research stream study project being conducted in cooperation with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

This presentation will introduce teachers to using computational tools such as WebMO and Excel to teach students about UV and IR Spectroscopy. Student materials and instructions to utilizing these tool will be provided.

Tired of hearing, "You can just teach science by reading nonfiction text."? WE ARE! Come experience activities that demonstrate how teaching hands-on and minds-on science reinforces literacy and math skills. Don't stop teaching science to prepare for standardized tests. Learn how using the scientific method will help you prepare your students for these tests and beyond!

I will describe elements of a new program for in-service teachers to be offered in Fall 2012. I will demonstrate multimedia learning modules used in the courses, a new web application designed to improve problem solving, and a new inexpensive hardware system that the teachers will use to create lab activities that can transfer directly into their high school classes.

In this session we will discuss/illustrate the use of demonstrations for teaching science. While demonstrations are a powerful tool for promoting student engagement, they are sometimes used unsuccessfully. Participants will be engaged in various demonstrations and will leave with a packet of common demonstrations used in physics and physical science classrooms.

Come see demonstrations of hands on projects with some of the very best logging equipment in the market. Illinois based Fourier Education will demonstrate the integration of their data logging solutions with the It's About Time Project Based Inquiry Science series (PBIS). Activity samplers will be provided to attendees.

Six universities in Illinois currently have Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship programs for pre-service secondary science and math teachers. Representatives from some of these projects will describe how their Noyce program supports pre-service teacher development and retention. An interactive panel discussion will then follow on the role of scholarship programs such as Noyce in pre-service teacher education in Illinois.

Fermilab's Summer Secondary Biology Institute offers biology content and laboratory experiments across a wide variety of high school biology topics, applicable to a basic course, an AP course, or anything in between. Come explore an activity from the institute and learn more about how to get involved!

Fermilab's Summer Secondary Chemistry Institutes offer chemistry content and laboratory experiments across a wide variety of high school chemistry topics, applicable to a basic course, an AP course, or anything in between. Come explore an activity from the institute and learn more about how to get involved!

We will share our experience in implementing standards-based grading (a.k.a. standards based assessment and reporting) in our regular and honors physics classes over the past two years. This methodology has helped students focus on learning and understanding and not collecting points for a grade. It has helped us focus on defining meaningful standards and providing helpful feedback.

Are you tied to your computer when presenting PowerPoint slides to students? Would you like a Smart Board for your room? How about a set of clickers? Is the cost holding you back? Low cost alternatives are available. Come see and use these possibilities.

Why do we use breadboards and color-coded resistors to teach circuits when students very rarely encounter them outside of school? We will discuss the use of household wiring to teach series and parallel circuits and demonstrations involving 120 Volts (wall outlet power) will be shared.

Attendees will travel through the electromagnetic spectrum, multi-wavelength astronomy, and airborne astronomy. Attendees will assemble their own mini-filters and receive materials, links and support contacts to enable them to incorporate their new knowledge into their own classrooms. The experience of flying on NASA's SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) will be shared, professional, student and community enrichment possibilities explored and the application process explained.

Explore the issue of conservation of energy and how it relates to energy conservation through a SEPUP research based hands-on approach to teaching energy concepts. This investigation determines the best combination of metals to use in a unique "wet cell" battery. Explore variables that effect energy transformations. The activity is extended by designing an investigation to test the role of concentration on energy production. Preview the "hot bulbs" activity. Join us for a great hands-on experience.

Enhance student interest and understanding of selective gene expression by integrating an understanding of GMO's and their potential use in addressing sustainability issues. Participants use model chromosomes to explore how genes are "turned off and on" by transcription factors. These engaging activities are part of a research based "Science and Global Issues" course developed through NSF funding at the University of California-Berkeley. Take home some standards based materials to use next week!

Inquiry based instructional strategies have been shown to positively influence critical thinking and problem solving skills. Using inquiry based learning models in the biology classroom has led to a positive increase in engaging students as active learners. Participants will survey units based on inquiry learning models and take with them lessons that can be readily implemented in the biology classroom.

Science Olympiad - an opportunity for your students to put their classroom learning into practice. Science Olympiad provides all students with the chance to "demonstrate" their skills through numerous scientific events. Science Olympiad is especially suited for integrating technological design concepts. Come discover how you can organize a Science Olympiad team and compete in regional and state competitions.

The workshop audience will gain science knowledge from books and technology inquiry, then explore by role-playing literacy and science methods to develop descriptive information skills. Motivation and instructional planning for all learners will be provided through hands-on activities, science knowledge, and strategic reading and writing. Look forward to program handouts, books, reference lists, electronic sounds, presentation slides, and materials.

This session presents a capstone STEM activity for a unit on projectile motion. Students engage in developing a launching device that requires the integration of concepts from 1- and 2-dimensional motion, teamwork, engineering, problem solving and perseverance. Students are asked to ultimately predict the range of a tennis ball they will launch from a water balloon launcher.

This introductory activity consists of stations that chemistry students can interact with in order to begin to understand gas laws.

Everyone knows what photosynthesis is, and yet very few would know how to visibly and clearly demonstrate the process of energy flow in it. This session will share ideas to visualize the process of photosynthesis and respiration using cheap and easily-obtained materials to teach biology and chemistry in an integrated way.

Have you recently or are you currently considering transitioning your freshmen science curriculum to physics for all students? Come to the collaborative presentation to discuss the transition process to physics and curricular decisions made through this process. We would like to share and gain others' insights about the curricular content targets used and the skill targets developed through this first course in high school science. We will also discuss accommodations that we have been developing to meet the needs of students with special education learning needs.

Learn how you and you students can build real working speakers using simple instructional materials including coffee cans, pie pans, wire and magnets. This engaging activity can be used in your classroom to involve students in first hand experience with the concepts of electricity, magnetism, sound, circuits, energy transformation and technological design. You students will be talking about this exciting activity for weeks!

On the Moon activities are effective, innovative ways to engage students in the engineering design process, encourage their interest in space exploration, and inspire them to pursue a career in engineering. In this workshop participants complete the challenge to design a lunar lander to land astronauts on the moon and an air powered rocket to launch to the moon.

Science content and thinking processes are vital for our children to understand the world around them and solve complex problems. With an already crowded curriculum, how do you add Environmental Education to the mix? Learn about the new Environmental Education standards, how to get your kids outside and ways to make science fun.

Climb the Learning Tree with us through this updated and award-winning national environmental education program! Educator-friendly guides offering Differentiated Instruction sidebars, correlations to learning standards and FUN make these guides worth exploring! Sample hands-on life science from the Pre K-8 guide as well as data collection extensions for Illinois forests from the NEW High School Forest Issues guide.

Thinking about incorporating technology, engineering and math in your science classroom? This short presentation will introduce ways to tweak lessons and incorporate STEM concepts.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) is seeking classrooms to help incorporate a seven county regional plan called GOTO 2040. See how your class can help CMAP reach its goals and how you can teach science concepts authentically.

Inquiry is a common term used in science education. Explore how inquiry may be used in any outdoor area. Attendees will be able to review the process of inquiry and use simple tools to conduct inquiry investigations outside, possibly involving temperature and soil.

Learn how students have operated a remote telescope from their computer to image planets and deep space objects. Discover how your students can request and analyze their own images of the universe. Experiment with mirrors and lenses found in telescopes and cameras using hands-on learning stations. Ready-to-use lesson plans and details on accessing the Skynet telescope network given.

The presenter, a retired engineer and CEO, will describe ways to increase student interest in STEM. An overview of free teacher and student summer STEM camps will also be provided. Grade 6-12 teachers and high school students are eligible to attend these free summer camps located at universities throughout the state and country. Classroom kit given away at this session!

ISTA proudly piloted an innovative program to recognize excellence in science teaching and learning at the school building level. The 2011 award recognizes schools whose Critical Mass Teams for science embody a special creativity and dedication in their work. The Niles North High School team will share their winning application, as we explain how to apply for the next cycle.

ISTA is expanding its career-building tradition focusing on our new pilot program for mentoring initial-certificate holders. This program will be explained with a special orientation for making the most of our conference and the resources that we can share with you. Pre-service participants are also invited, as well as experienced leaders who might be able to mentor.

Focus for new teachers and pre-service teachers---with ideas for resources, strategies, mentoring and insights about how ISTA can network with you during this school year.

The 2011 Illinois Science Education Conference partners will share the near- and longer-term future plans and opportunities for our organizations.
  ISTA - Illinois Science Teachers Association
  ISAAPT - Illinois Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers
  CSAAPT - Chicago Section of the American Association of Physics Teachers
  IACT - Illinois Association of Chemistry Teachers
  IABT - Illinois Association of Biology Teachers
  EEAI - Environmental Education Association of Illinois
We invite you to join us and add your ideas for what Illinois teachers, classrooms and schools need for more effective science teaching and learning.

ISTA continues our Career-Building initiative with teacher-educators whose passion and expertise guide our teachers-to-be. Teacher-educators are invited to learn about the latest updates in our fields and share their questions, challenges, and successes.  Our fields include ISBE, NCATE, and the emerging national standards project.  ISTA leaders will share their plans for more integral networking with you, your colleagues and students.

Pre-service candidates are invited to become a part of the growing ISTA network for career-building experiences and resources. Candidates will have an opportunity to discuss issues that affect the future of teaching, obtaining and maintaining credentials, professional development as well as the future of teacher education. Candidates are encouraged to attend. Plan to make some connections with other pre-service candidates and seasoned veterans available to pass on wisdom, only gleaned from years in the profession. Candidates will also have an opportunity to interact with an ISTA board member and learn the benefits of joining a professional organization.

Workshop participants will get the opportunity to experiment with the Video Analysis feature of Vernier's Logger Pro program. For each activity participants will capture, graphically display, and analyze the data from videos filmed in the workshop using available Flip cameras. Participants will be provided with a copy of the book Physics Video Analysis and CD. This is a AAPT/PTRA sponsored workshop.

Advance signup and and a fee of $30 is required by October 17. Make out a check to ISTA (specifying PTRA WORKSHOP FEE) for $30 and send to ISTA, PO BOX 312, Sherman, IL 62684 with your registration. If registering online, send the $30 check to the above address after registering online.

Using a photoactive polymer, students can easily create a device to "print" real 3-D plastic objects that they design in your classroom. This University of Illinois activity is easy, inexpensive, and integrates engineering with chemistry for an interdisciplinary activity. This is an activity students will never forget.

Nanoparticles offer interesting opportunities to solve modern problems. Participants will make nanoparticles and learn how to apply them to either a chemistry or biology classroom. They will see how these particles offer promise for new technologies but also new challenges to overcome.

Get hands on with nanotechnology. We highlight the elementary principles related to nanotechnology, and why size matters so much when it comes to the behavior of matter. Quite simply, when things are very small, different properties become apparent. This allows scientists, mathematicians, and engineers to create novel materials that have the potential to impact almost all aspects of our lives.

A panel of pre-service teachers will present a six week internship in which they used inquiry and problem solving to entice 6 to 18 year olds to learn math and science. Join them as they share DVD's, reflections, best lesson plans and new found insights for teaching math and science.

Dialogues are two-person conversations, used in class, developed around topics and concepts in grades 4-12 physics, biology, chemistry, earth science, and environmental science. Dialogues are used to introduce students to the ideas being studied in class by engaging students in a lively interchange, and in doing so they learn about key points of that topic.

The emphasis on research based teaching practices although ongoing, has received recent attention due to current legislative changes pushing the need to differentiate and reach all learners. In this session participants will learn how to use the "Doing What Works" website to enhance learning in math and science for all students. Doing What Works (DWW) is a website devoted to translating research based practices into practical tools to improve classroom instruction.

Learn how physics connects to other sciences.  Use 21st Century skills and the engineering design cycle while participating in activities.  See how the active physics principles work with everyday life.  Take home activities ready for the classroom.