Mi-STAR team members will present at MSTA

Please join us at the Michigan Science Teachers Association Annual Conference! The conference takes place from March 3-5 in Lansing, MI. The Mi-STAR team is excited to be presenting the following sessions of interest to teachers, coaches, and administrators.

Middle School Educators, the first three sessions are designed to support you in implementing the new Michigan Science Standards (MSS) in your schools and classrooms:

Stability and Change in Michigan Ecosystems: An Example Mi-STAR Unit
On Saturday, March 5^th (8AM – 9:45AM): Join Mi-STAR expert teachers, Robin Allen and Barbara McIntyre (Midland Public Schools) as they explore an MSS-aligned Mi-STAR unit with you. Robin and Barbara are two of the many teachers who have been working closely with the Mi-STAR team to help develop and test curriculum units. Middle School teachers will benefit from this hands-on session about how to teach several MSS performance expectations through Michigan ecosystems and the phenomenon of invasive species. Teachers will leave the session with a better understanding of how to apply MSS to teach ecology in the middle grades. Handouts will be provided so you can take the information back to your school! (Location: Capital 2)

What’s in Your Walls? Teaching Sustainability through NGSS
On Saturday, March 5^th (8AM – 9:45AM): This session will be led by Mi-STAR expert teachers Gwen Windiate and Sheri Turner (Bangor Township Schools) with Mi-STAR staff member Emily Gochis. They will explore a classroom unit about testing and selecting sustainable building materials using hands-on activities. You will walk away from the session with handouts to help you apply parts of the unit in your own classroom. (Location: LC – 201)

Three-Dimensional Learning in Your Classroom: Applying NGSS through Michigan Themes
On Saturday, March 5^th (10AM – 10:45AM):  Mi-STAR senior teachers Jennifer Grivins (Eaton Rapids High School), Dawn Kahler (Kalamazoo Public Schools), and   Brenda Bergman (Mi-STAR Director of Research and Operations), will facilitate a hands-on activity to unpack the three dimensions of the MSS toward building an integrated lesson. This exploration will help you identify ways to engage students with Michigan specific 21(Location: R – Capital 2)

Mi-STAR-related sessions of interest for teachers and administrators include:

Examples of How Higher Education is Supporting Teachers with NGSS
On Friday, March 4^th (10AM – 11:45AM): Brenda Bergman (Mi-STAR Director of Research and Operations) will join leaders from the University of Michigan, CREATE for STEM, Hope College, and Wayne State to highlight ways higher education is supporting the implementation of NGSS. The panel will discuss and highlight examples from current professional development projects and research. There will also be opportunities for attendees to discuss the challenges, successes, and progress associated with individual projects. The panelists will provide insights into project funding and grants. (Location: LC – Banquet 6)

 

Click here to register for the conference: (2016 Conference Registration – Michigan Science Teachers Association)