instructional strategies
In-Person opporunities
Half-Day (3-5 hours)-$600
Full-Day (6 hours or more)-$1200
*Costs may vary depending on number of participants
NGSS-ifying Science Lessons
With the adoption of Wisconsin Standards for Science, and the lack of available resources that are truly aligned with NGSS, this is a perfect time for teachers to find, evaluate, and revise/modify existing Open Educational Resources (OER) materials to be used in creating an exemplary science unit/lesson. In this session you will learn about the open licensing requirements and how to modify/revise an existing science lesson (yours or someone else’s) that utilizes strategies from Einstein’s NGSS Playbook.
Talk Moves – Productive Discussion Techniques
In this workshop you will experience how to facilitate productive discussions, learn how to use sentence stems and prompts that encourage students to communicate with clarity and purpose, and foster discussions that help students to understand each other’s thinking and clarify their own arguments
Cohesion of storylines using Summary Tables
Sample 6th grade Summary Table
Have you ever wanted to empower students to feel empowered about their own learning? Driving question boards get students asking questions to chart the course for the investigations and the summary table becomes public record of the learning experiences. When done well, students will know exactly why each activity was needed to help them answer key questions to put together all of the pieces to construct deep understanding.
Phenomenal Science
How do we harness the power of the new WI Standards for Science to get our students engaged? The answer lies in the way in which they experience learning science. Phenomenon-based science instruction transforms “learning about” into “figuring out.” The shift that takes place puts the students in the driver’s seat to construct explanations of phenomena that they experienced.
Three-Dimensional Assessments
What is the best way to measure student learning in today’s science classroom? In this full-day workshop we investigate a variety of methods and formats of classroom assessments to identify the qualities that make it three-dimensional as prescribed by NGSS. Participants are encouraged to bring along one of their current assessments to run it through the “Must Have” checklist of quality 3D assessments. Time will also be spent applying that knowledge to revise or create a new one.
blended opportunities
Making Sense with Science Notebooks
You spent hours preparing a highly engaging lesson. Everyone in class participated and the level of energy in the room was almost toxic. You feel you’ve nailed the objectives and are confident the kids have achieved the “I can” statements you had written on the board. That is until you give a quiz the next day and half the class fails it. They seemed to have grasped the concept yesterday. If there was only a way you could have known about the misconceptions students carried with them into class that might have been barriers to their sense making of that lesson? Join Einstein Project facilitators in this topic study based on using science notebooks intentionally and consistently. Each participant will choose a book from the suggested list to use for reference during our discussions. Participants will collaborate using a variety of resources, to understand how students of any age are able to make their thinking visible using their science notebook as a tool for sense making.
Suggested book list:
Science Notebooks in a Student-Centered Classroom, by Jessica Fries-Gaither, 2022, NSTA Press
Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms, Michael P. Klentschy, 2008, NSTA Press New Science Notebooks: Writing about Inquiry, Lori Fulton & Brian Campbell, 2003, Heinemann
Offered virtually or in-person at the Brown County STEM Innovation Center on the UW-Green Bay campus
Contact kim@einsteinproject.org for more information
Ambitious Science Teaching Book Study
Ambitious Science Teaching by Mark Windschitl, Jessica Thompson, and Melissa Braaten. "Ambitious Science Teaching outlines a powerful framework for science teaching to ensure that instruction is rigorous and equitable for students from all backgrounds. Drawing on emerging research on core teaching practices and their extensive work with pre-service and in-service teachers, the authors present a coherent and aligned set of resources for educators striving to meet the considerable challenges that have been set for them."
Make this the year you invest time in yourself by improving your instructional delivery in science.
Cost: BYOB (Buy Your Own Book)
Format: In-person or Virtual
In-person discussions will take place at the Brown County STEM Innovation Center on UW-Green Bay campus.
Contact kim@einsteinproject.org for more information.
On-Demand Topics
Becoming an Einstein Educator!
If you're a new teacher or using an Einstein Kit for the first time, this is the resource for you. This series of brief tutorials will walk you step-by-step through the logistics of setting up an account, placing a reservation, and your responsibilities for receiving and returning a kit.
Introduction to NGSS
This introductory session will explore the basics of NGSS. We will begin with a look at the National Research Council’s Framework for K-12 Science Education. Here we will be introduced to the three dimensions of NGSS; the Science & Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts. We will then take a look at the layout of the standards document and be introduced to the Performance Expectations. We will end with a look at available resources for learning more about NGSS.
Developing & Using Models
Models are representations of real objects or systems that are often not readily understood due to scale or complexity. True scientific models go beyond the traditional 3D representations used in in classrooms. They are often referred to as conceptual models or explanatory models because they are used as a means of explaining understanding. While they include components of systems and the relationships that exist between them, they are often incomplete and inaccurate. Part of the scientific process involves the testing of models against reality and refining them to provide more thorough explanations. Modeling in the classroom can involve whiteboards, diagrams, physical replicas, mathematical formulas, and computer simulations.
Science & Engineering Practice - What are models? (video)
Developing and Using Models (website)
Developing Driving Question Boards & Unit Storylines
Driving question boards provide an opportunity for students to feel in control of their own learning. The driving question gets at the heart of what students should learn within a unit of instruction. Student begin to add other questions that support the original driving question. These questions then get organized to plan the necessary investigations to figure out answers to the questions. When used well students bring in their own evidence from life experiences and conduct investigations to generate answers for other questions. In the end students will put together all of the pieces to solve the overall question for the unit.
Introduction to Science Notebooks
Science notebooks provide opportunities for students to make their learning and thinking visible. As students document their science learning they strengthen their language and organizational skills. Science notebooks can contain a wide variety of entries that will be used daily by students including, vocabulary, diagrams, class notes, documentation of investigations including data tables and conclusions. Interactive science notebooks offer the opportunity for students to document their learning and make sense of their understanding.
California Academy of Science - This website contains advice on how to set up student notebooks and establish routines for using them. It includes a gallery of teacher and student notebooks which can be helpful to see the variety of ways teachers have used this technique with students. You’re going to want to bookmark this site for referencing often.