The Next Generation Science Standards are placing greater emphasis on science savvy and how well students grasp and use the ways scientists probe nature and test ideas. This workshop uses hands-on puzzles such as The Paradox of the DNA Tube and The Parable of the Color-Changing Pencil to expand participants’ cross-cutting talents in framing questions, using if-then causal reasoning, exploring how science is different from other ways of knowing and testing ideas, and coaching the careful crafting of conclusions. As well as direct experience, emphasis will be put on using language arts skills in teaching science savvy; former UW–Madison President Thomas Chamberlin’s essay on “The Method of Multiple Working Hypotheses” will be held up as an exemplar of innovative use of language skills in advancing how scientists view and do science. Registration required: /workshops

Stem cell research is expanding the frontiers of science and medicine, and is an exciting and relevant topic to include in classroom experiences. At this workshop, teachers will explore the unique characteristics of human pluripotent stem cells, their role in science and their contributions to human health. Teachers also will try hands-on activities related to regular maintenance and culturing of stem cells in the laboratory. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

Helping students to read scientific texts has long been a challenge for science teachers. This presentation will focus on strategies that teachers can use to help students negotiate scientific texts while at the same time meeting the demands of the newly implemented Common Core Standards. Attention will be paid to text difficulty, the distinct challenges presented by scientific texts and comprehension strategies. Participants will learn how to assess text difficulty and help children who struggle with reading. Examples of engaging science texts at various reading levels will be shared as well as helpful strategies for teaching vocabulary and reading comprehension strategies. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

Join us for a special screening of Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s (HHMI) new documentary film and learn how it can enrich your teaching about the nature and power of the scientific method. Participants will be the first ever to learn about and receive the brand new, classroom-ready resources designed to help you connect the film to your existing curriculum. Teacher-developed lessons, tips and activities addressing discipline-crossing key concepts that emphasize connections between the earth and life sciences, such as the process of science, including gathering and assessing evidence will be demonstrated and distributed. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

Join Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) for an exciting hands-on workshop about evolutionary concepts in high school biology and middle school life science, such as natural selection, ecological genetics and the evolution of genes. View two films in the short film trilogy “The Making of the Fittest,” stories crafted to engage students with memorable examples of the evolutionary process in action, and work through activities that address concepts introduced in the films. Each film takes the audience on an adventure – to the deserts of the American Southwest and to the Antarctic, where they encounter fascinating creatures and pioneering scientists who have revealed how the fittest are made. Participants will receive free classroom-ready lessons, worksheets, demonstrations and hands-on activities to support the films. This workshop is appropriate for middle school life science and all levels of high school biology. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

This workshop will give teachers of grades 3-5 the tools for incorporating engineering into their science curriculum in accordance with the National Science Education Standards. The focus will be on learning about what engineering is (and is not) and on creating hands-on activities that extend existing FOSS science kits. Design challenges and engineering problem solving will be at the core of these new activities. Teachers will come away with a newly created lesson as well as a useful model for planning additional lessons. Incorporating common core literacy and math standards into the science and engineering curriculum also will be addressed. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

This event will feature a playtest of the Citizen Science game as well as workshops focused on place-based learning, lake ecology and limnology and ideas for developing curricula and lessons plans around these topics. Teachers also will hear firsthand accounts of how the game and other augmented reality experiences have been used to supplement and enhance curricula, including an insider’s story from a teacher who has successfully used the Citizen Science game with students. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

The UW–Madison Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC) education group presents a hands-on teacher workshop on using liquid crystals (LCs) to introduce science and engineering concepts in the classroom. Participants will learn about the structure and properties of LCs, including how they interact with light, a property that enables LCs to be used in TV screens, digital watches and smart devices. Participants will have the opportunity to work with different forms of LCs and learn how to synthesize LCs that change colors at a variety of transition temperatures, which then can be used for inquiry-based investigations in the classroom. The fun, visually appealing activities presented in this workshop can be used with late elementary (4th and 5th grade), middle and high school students. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

NOVA’s “Finding Life Beyond Earth” program tells the story of how powerful telescopes and unmanned space missions at the forefront of the search for life beyond our planet have revealed a wide range of dynamic environments in the solar system. The new data are forcing scientists to expand their ideas about life and what kinds of worlds could support it. It may well be that life is common in the universe – the rule, and not the exception. NOVA has developed a collection of seven activities and accompanying video excerpts from the show that explore questions at the heart of the search for extraterrestrial life, such as “What is life?” and “Where do we find habitable conditions?” Educators can mix and match the activities to help kids understand the biology, physical science, technology and Earth and space science related to the search for life. In this workshop, learn about the teacher resources NOVA has to offer and participate in a hands-on activity from the Finding Life Beyond Earth Education Collection. Participants will receive all the necessary materials to incorporate the search for life beyond Earth into their classroom, including a data DVD with the seven activities and accompanying video excerpts from the program, a solar system classroom poster and a classroom set of planet temporary tattoos. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops

The Next Generation Science Standards will be final in 2013 and pending the State Superintendent’s approval, will become Wisconsin’s new state science standards. These standards are different from the current state science standards because they weave science content and concepts with science and engineering practices to illustrate student performance expectations in science for grades K-12. They will provide teachers with model pathways for implementing the standards and set the science education agenda for the next fifteen years. This session will provide participants with a glimpse into those standards. The session also will help participants begin to implement them in their classroom, school or district. Registration required: http://discovery.wisc.edu/workshops