RISTA+2011+Breakout+Session+Description

=__BREAKOUT SESSION DESCRIPTIONS __= =SESSION I: 10:15-11:00 - //Participants Choose One// = **// “NASA’s Missions To The Sun” - //** Richard S Varner, Education Specialist, AESP, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center __ Suggested Audience - Elementary and Middle School __

** NASA has currently 16 missions assigned in its Heliophysics division to study the sun. There are three primary questions that drive this research: ** ** This presentation will introduce elementary and middle school teachers to some of the resources and Sun-Earth Day events available through NASA online and provide for hands-on activities that are easily reproducible in the classroom. This presentation is pertinent to the Sun-Earth relationships associated with Next-Generation Science Standards, (NGSS) for Earth and Space Science (ESS) Core Idea 1 and PS3.A: Descriptions of Energy. **
 * 1) ** What causes the changes in the sun? **
 * 2) ** How does the Earth respond to its place in the Heliosphere? **
 * 3) ** What impact does the sun have on the people of Earth? **

// “Writing Better Assessments” - //** Rudolf Kraus, Rhode Island College ** **__ Suggested Audience - Middle and High School __** ** We all have to assess our students and think about how our students are doing. But how often do we think about how our assessments are doing? Are they clear and fair? Do they provide useful feedback to us? How well do they align to our objectives, or to GSEs, or to NECAP goals? Learn some quick and easy methods to improve the assessments you use with Dr. Rudolf Kraus from Rhode Island College. //Participants are asked to bring two assessments they would like to improve; one test or quiz, and one lab report.// **

// “Seawater Analysis” - //** Paul Tiskus, Rhode Island College ** **__ Suggested Audience - Middle and High School __** ** The effects of temperature and salinity of water apply to the principles of loading cargo ships and to the health and stability of estuaries. In this hands-on workshop participants will estimate the salinity of a seawater sample by constructing a drinking-straw hydrometer and develop a standard-curve method to calibrate the instrument. **

// “Biotechnology: A Cross-Curricular Approach” - //** Ken Kurkoski, David Mather, and Caroline Savery, Teachers, Warwick Veterans Memorial High School ** **__ Suggested Audience - High School __** ** As one of the potential premier areas for employment, biotechnology offers the individual challenges in the areas of science, ethics, and the law. In 2009, Warwick Veterans Memorial High School launched a Biotechnology and Health Sciences Academy that utilizes a cross-curricula approach in science, English, and social studies for teaching students the required skill set needed to pursue a career in biotechnology while examining the ethical and legal complexities of the field. This session will showcase our cross-curricula model, the design of the two biotechnology courses in the program, an overview of available resources, and a frank discussion on the realities of implementing a new program in the current era of budgetary cuts and fiscal conservatism. **

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=SESSION II: 11:45-12:30 - //Participants Choose One// =

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**// “Biodiversity In The Urban Garden” - //** Leo Pollock, Southside Community Land Trust; Dr Rudolf Kraus, Rhode Island College; and Vanessa Venturini, RI Natural Historical Survey __ Suggested Audience - Elementary School __ Students in Southside Community Land Trust’s (SCLT) garden club programs over the past year were observing and documenting biodiversity in urban food gardens and understanding their contribution to the health of the urban environment. We will present the methods and lessons from this exciting, EPA-funded project that brought together the Southside Community Land Trust, Rhode Island College, and the Rhode Island Natural History Survey. We will share our materials and experiences with this project, so that elementary science teachers can do the same with their classes and school communities! Warning: this workshop will cover the birds and the bees.

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “Forensic Science And Its Mystery” - //** James Jabbour, Director, Applied Forensic Sciences Program, <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">Mount Ida College <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">__ Suggested Audience - High School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">Explore Forensic Science and its application to the Life and Natural Sciences. This presentation will provide educators with strategies to connect science classes to real life situations. Topics such as DNA, hair, and skin analysis, fingerprinting, firearms, and blood spatter trajectory and their relevance to the Social Sciences and Law will be examined

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “BLOSSOMS: Interactive Video For High School Science And Math Classes” - //** Richard Larson, Founder and Director, Learning International Networks Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">__ Suggested Audience - High School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">BLOSSOMS represents **Blended Learning Open Source Science Or Math Studies**. [|http://blossoms.mit.edu] The web site contains over 50 highly interactive videos for high school science and math classes. Each video is to be experienced in ONE CLASS session. The aims are (1) to enhance critical thinking skills; (2) to excite students towards STEM careers; and (3) to enhance cultural awareness. BLOSSOMS pedagogy is a unique Teaching Duet, where half of the teaching is from the video teacher and the other half is from you, the regular live in-class teacher. Teachers support this pedagogical approach, as they remain in front and in charge of the class.

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “Do-It-Yourself Biotech Equipment: Building And Using Biotech Equipment” - //** Don Salvatore, previously with Boston Museum of Science and the MassBioEd’s BioTeach Program <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">__ Suggested Audience - High School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">Can’t afford the high cost of biotech equipment? Why not make it? In this workshop, you will learn to make equipment such as an incubator, a hot water bath, a sterilizer, an electrophoresis box and a centrifuge for a fraction of the cost of the professional models. In performing a few simple labs, you will also learn of some grocery-store substitutes for more expensive reagents. Little to no previous building experience is required

=<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin: 0in; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">SESSION III: 1:30- 2:15 - //Participants Choose One// =

= = <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “HIPPY Comes To RISTA!” - //** Diane Lakeland, Ocean State Hole Instruction Program for parents of Pre-school Youngsters; Gerrie Bastia, Warwick School Department; and Stephen Lakeland, POW!Science! Presenter/LaSalle Academy __ Suggested Audience - Elementary School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">After reading 2 articles in NSTA Reports, “It’s time for more early childhood science” (December 2010) and “Making a Night of Science” (February 2011), we decided to ask Diane Lakeland (Coordinator, Ocean State Home Instruction Program for Parents of Pre-school Youngsters (HIPPY)) to share some hands-on activities from the HIPPY program and the recent HIPPY Science Night in Pawtucket. Gerrie Bastia (lately Warwick School Department) and Steve Lakeland (POW!Science! presenter and LaSalle Academy) will join in the fun and games (and you might be surprised at who else turns up !). <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “Earth Systems” - //** Debra Turchetti-Ramm, Grade 4 teacher, S.D. Barnes, Johnston and Cynthia Morissette, Environmental Education Coordinator, Narragansett Bay Commission __ Suggested Audience - Elementary School __ Understanding Earth as a system – Earth System Science – requires a quantitative exploration of the connections among all parts of the system. This presentation will begin with an overview of Earth’s systems: Geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Resources will be provided for teachers to conduct activities to explore each system with their students. The hydrosphere will be explored in a hands-on approach as we create our own watershed and observe the effects of pollution on different watersheds. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “The Essence Of Science Teachers’ Perspectives On The Elicitation Practices During Instruction” - //** Comfort M. Ateh, Providence College __ Suggested Audience – All Levels __ This presentation will share how teachers’ voices on their elicitation of students’ knowledge during instruction inform their formative assessment practice. The presentation is based on a study conducted at 10 high schools in California and involved exemplary science teachers. Teachers were videotaped during the instruction of a regular lesson and interviewed about their elicitation practices. Teachers indicated the purposes, strategies, and challenges of eliciting students’ knowledge during instruction. The results of this study will enable the conference participants to reflect on and enhance their elicitation practices, which represent the core of their formative assessment practices. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “HabitatNet: A Global Biodiversity Monitoring Project” - //** Daniel J. Bisaccio, Director of Science Education, Brown University __ Suggested Audience - Middle and High School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">Come join teachers and students from all over the world collecting biodiversity research and find out how you can join a teacher institute this summer in the Yucatan. HabitatNet's purpose is to give students an opportunity to collect data, conduct research, and purposefully make a difference with regard to a most important global issue….conserving biological diversity. The goal of HabitatNet is to enable teachers and students from around the globe (1) to establish permanent biodiversity monitoring projects at their home sites and (2) use telecommunications, via email and world wide websites, to communicate investigations, findings, and questions regarding biodiversity issues and management.

<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: #d9d9d9; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">**// “Using RISEF To Meet Standards And Bring Authentic Research Into Your Classroom” - //** Mark Fontaine, RI Science and Engineering Fair and Peter McLaren, RI Department of Education __ Suggested Audience - Middle and High School __ <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">This presentation will describe all the ways that participation in RISEF can be used to meet state standards, requirements for senior projects, and portfolios. Additionally, multiple models for the administration of school fairs will be discussed. Both Dr. Fontaine and Mr. McLaren will discuss how authentic and independent student research can motivate students to reach their full potential. <span style="font-size: 10pt; line-height: 19px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px; text-indent: 0in;">Return To RISTA spring Conference