NWESD Science Announcements and Opportunities

The Next Generation Science Standards describe an ambitious transformation in how students and teachers engage in the work of the class. And until now, there have been few examples of fully-developed published materials to help teachers do it. Enter: the open educational resource (OER) known as OpenSciEd. In this one-day workshop,  participants will gain understanding about the OpenSciEd instructional model, how to access and navigate the online instructional materials, and will have time to  focus on exploring the storyline of the unit that they choose.      While  no 1-day workshop is a substitute for  a full  and complete  training ,  orientations  are  very helpful  to those just beginning to crack the materials open and  try them out .     If  you’ve  been curious about OpenSciEd but  haven’t  known where to begin, this class is for you!  Come ready to engage in “Student Hat” learning (that is, experience some learning as a student to consider it from a student perspective) and “

The Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) Field School  is looking for applicants! The DIG is a professional development and scientific outreach program for K-12 teachers and students operated by University of Washington, Virginia Tech and the Burke Museum. Over four days each summer,  the DIG brings teachers from across the country out to active research sites in Montana or Arizona to participate in fieldwork with leading scientists in paleontology and geology. Teachers in the program have the unique opportunity to participate in authentic research, learn new ways to bring Next Generation Science Standards to their classroom, and can earn continuing education credits.   The DIG Program also provides K–12 educators and their students with free educational resources  available throughout the year. With these resources, students participate in real research as they look for

Good morning Teaching and Learning Colleagues,   Hope you are staying warm and being safe out there in this beautiful/harsh weather. Team, I am reaching out to ask for your support. Can you all please support the NWESD Migrant Education Program team by spreading our MesoAmerican Pre-Colombian Indigenous Math PD opportunity near and far to all your educator staff/district leader contacts in school districts/buildings who reside in our NWESD 189 region?     This is a rare and unique opportunity for districts and educators in our region. This workshop is also helpful for districts who have in their comprehensive plans to close/reduce math gaps and to increase equity with alternative ways of meeting the unique needs of students in Math.   It is important to note that math teachers Carlos and Sara are coming from Mexico City to bring us MesoAmerican Pre-Columbian Indigenous tools, resources and strategies to support students continue to develop and grow in math and lif

We just released new reviews of Certified Versions of OpenSciEd from Activate Learning and Kendall Hunt. Learn more and share with your colleagues! ​​​​ Title: Activate Learning Certified Version of OpenSciEd Copyright Year:  2023 Publisher: Activate Learning Grades:   6–8 Alignment:  Meets Expectations Usability:  Meets Expectations     Title:  Kendall Hunt Certified Version of OpenSciEd Copyright Year:  2022 Publisher: Kendall Hunt Grades: 6–8 Alignment:  Meets Expectations Usability:  Meets Expectations   These reports would never have been possible without the dedication and countless hours of work from our educator reviewers. Thank you #edreportsnetwork! Learn more about our review process and explore our interactive feature to find out  why materials matter .

  Battelle Climate Challenge science_4_all Jan 10 Battelle is running a climate challenge for high school students called the Battelle Climate Challenge. Students in grades 9-12 are tasked with researching and addressing climate-related hazards in their communities, such as drought, wildfire, flooding, and extreme heat. They must propose an original climate action in a 200-word explanation and present it visually […] Read more of this post    

SMATE Open House! The Science, Math and Technology Education (SMATE) Department at Western Washington University (WWU) warmly invites you to join us at the Learning Resource Center in WWU's Science Lecture building. Our objective is to cultivate connections between K-12 educators and SMATE Faculty and Staff, fostering collaborative efforts to enhance each other's work and leverage synergies within our educational community. SAVE THE DATE! February 7, 2024 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM Feel free to drop anytime and stay for as much as you like! Explore our space and avail yourself of the resources. Gain insights into field trips, including interactive, differentiated science stations tailored for elementary, middle, and high school students. Connect (or re-connect) with SMATE's faculty and staff. And help think in some brainstorming sessions with us to explore ways to better support K-12 teachers. For more information, please visit: https://smate.wwu.edu/ Please RSVP: Digital Invit

Attention teachers within commuting distance to South Lake Union!!   The Hutch Fellowship for Excellence in STEM Teaching is a two-summer program for secondary science educators seeking an in-depth biomedical research experience at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle's South Lake Union neighborhood. The Fellowship provides financial support for a total of $20,000 per Fellow. The program engages teachers in two summers of biomedical research experience in a Fred Hutch lab, curriculum design and scientific communication projects, and additional school year follow-up. Teachers design innovative curriculum materials to bridge the research experience with their own classrooms. The program is designed for middle and high school life science teachers, although it is open to other STEM teachers as well. Applications are due by March 15th, 2024. Learn more and apply at https://bit.ly/HutchTeacherFellows . Questions? Contact Kristen Bergsman, PhD at bergsman@fredhutch.org

Attention teachers who have OpenSciEd experience and ideas! A call for crowdsourcing support from OpenSciEd! :)  Your voice matters! Share your expertise, win a gift card.  We continually get feedback from teachers using our materials that they would like support with addressing two persistent challenges: Providing lesson plans/resources during their absence. Supporting absent students when they return to the classroom.  We're collecting ideas and solutions to these problems to create a resource guide for all teachers to use in their classrooms. We will also present our findings at NSTA in Denver, CO, and during our free Back-to-School webinars this summer. But to make this possible, we need your expert input!  We're conducting two brief surveys on the problem areas: Substitute Teacher Plans :  We want to hear your strategies for ensuring seamless learning even when you're away. Share your go-to resources, planning tips, and any creative solutions you'

Are you looking for an opportunity to map out specific ideas for connecting your OpenSciEd science unit to your region, community, and students? Would you like to gather in-person with your peers to brainstorm ideas together? Do you need STEM and Equity Clock Hours? Join us for a FREE Saturday session (including lunch and travel) on February 3rd at the Brightwater Education Center near Woodinville. Staff from IslandWood, NWESD and OESD will facilitate a series of short introductions to opportunities, followed by ample time to brainstorm and develop ideas for localizing your OpenSciEd Unit to your community. You will have an opportunity to expand on ideas for unit specific related phenomena, adapt unit transfer tasks and develop ideas for connections to local community assets. Leave with a plan for ideas to try out when you teach the unit with your students. This workshop is a follow up to our online “Introduction to Localizing OpenSciEd” workshop. If you did not attend that workshop yo

Our amazing colleagues from Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association, Re Sources, Wild Whatcom, and Common Threads Farms have teamed together to offer these well-received classes around Climate Science! Offering 1: Hope and Resilience Experience how people across Whatcom County are finding climate solutions that can inspire hope and resilience in the classroom! These field-based workshops focus on solutions that support equity and justice. Teaching for the Climate Collaborative, for its sixth year, along with community experts, will guide participants through activities that illustrate how Climate change is affecting different stakeholders and ecosystems. A post field-day workshop will gather participants back together to work on bringing lessons back to the classroom. Three workshops to choose from! 2/10 Salmon and Watersheds 2/24 Circular Economies 3/7 Bring it to the Classroom See the flyer for more information and for registration information! Offering 2: Teaching Outside Teach for

  Announcing a book study for WA State Teachers: Teaching Climate Change by Mark Windschitl! Bookstudy for Mark Windschitl’s Teaching Climate Change Northwest ESD regional science teachers have learned so much from Ambitious Science Teaching experts Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thomsen, and Melissa Braaten. In his latest book, Mark Windschitl explores directing students’ powerful sense-making abilities toward a future of increasing global temperatures climate responses.   Joining this 4-part book study will provide Ambitious Science Teaching familiar teachers with a community of people with whom to engage in your own sense-making and to consider connections to practice.   The first 15 people to register will have their registration fee waved, will receive a complimentary copy of the book, and will receive 10 STEM clock hours paid for by NWESD’s ClimeTime project. Folks registering after the first 15 will have a registration fee of $32, will need to provide their own copy of the book [ Ama

The Washington State Department of Ecology is pleased to announce an asynchronous  online course for  for Teachers of Grades 3-8: Sustainable Design: Innovation to Reduce Global Im pacts When: Starts February 1st. Open for three weeks. Earn 10 STEM Clock hours ($30). How: Registration is a mere $10 and you can do so on  P dEnroller .   Explore Sustainable Design and Green Chemistry through an asynchronous Canvas Course. The course will guide you through an introduction to green chemistry and sustainable design, include classroom lessons that incorporate science and engineering, provide green chemistry career explorations, highlight freely available resources and provide some time for implementation planning.   Initially designed for 6th-8th grade classrooms but additional resources for upper elementary have been incorporate as many of the concepts are relevant and transferable.   If you want to take the course but the $10 is a barrier, please let us know. And please share this informa