The K-12 Science Scoop
Coming to you from the Region 17 Education Service Center!
Science Learning Lineup
March 2022
"Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known." - Carl Sagan
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Presenters Needed
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Calling all Physics and Calculus Teachers
Melanie can be reached at, Melanie.Ungar@ttu.edu
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Now Accepting Public Comment on Proclamation 2024
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Upcoming Professional Development with Region 17
March 31st
8th Grade Science STAAR Review
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=850145
April 1st
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=850149
5th Grade Science STAAR Review
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=850146
June 6th
PhD Science K-5
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=851792
June 10th
STAAR Redesign- All content areas
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=864632
June 23rd & 24th
Panhandle STEM Conference at Region 16
https://www.escweb.net/tx_r16/catalog/conference.aspx?conference_id=863889
June 28th
Corn in the Classroom K-5 Workshop
https://txr17.escworks.net/catalog/session.aspx?session_id=857606
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Save the Date
Be looking for registration links to come soon!
Lead4Ward STAAR for Science
June 16
Lead4Ward Intervention Social Studies & Science Workshop
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Additional Learning Opportunities
Texas A&M's 11th Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program
The Mitchell Institute for Fundamental Physics and Astronomy at Texas A&M University invites high school teachers to the 11th Mitchell Institute Physics Enhancement Program (MIPEP), to be held in person at Texas A&M campus on June 12-25, 2022. The participants should expect two weeks of standards-based training, including classes with experienced Texas A&M professors and master teachers, hands-on labs and demonstrations, ideas for low-budget physics demos, tours of Texas A&M facilities, popular lectures by top researchers and astronauts, and networking with colleagues. The goal of MIPEP is to help teachers develop a deeper understanding of physics concepts, explore effective instructional strategies, and experience laboratory activities that will enhance their classroom instruction and impact student performance in physics. The preference will be given to new and crossover high school physics teachers who don't have a lot of college training in physics.
The teachers who complete the program will receive 80 credit hours of Continuing Professional Education, including 34 credit hours of G/T curriculum and 6 credit hours of G/T annual update.
The program is completely free for teachers, including tuition, 2-week lodging, travel reimbursement, and meal card. More information and the application forms can be found at https://mitchell.tamu.edu/outreach/mipep/
The forms need to be emailed to master teacher Dr. Janie Head, mhead@lcisd.org, (281) 682-1123, and Amanda Barreiro, amanda@physics.tamu.edu, (979) 458-9249. The early application deadline is April 11. After that, the first round of acceptance letters will be emailed and subsequent applications will be accepted depending on the available space. We have the capacity for up to 28 teachers.
Fostering a STEM Mindset
Partner with the Texas Mobile STEM Lab to refocus common classroom activities to engineering design challenges using an adaptable framework to make any activity into an engineering challenge. We’ll describe K-8 examples that illustrate how easy it is to make small tweaks to existing activities to fit an engineering design challenge template using supplies found in most classrooms and other low cost materials. Presenters will also review the TEA-approved K-8 Texas Mobile STEM Lab curriculum and the free resources available, including lesson plans, slide decks, rubrics, and career connections. In the longer workshop, participants will have a chance to design their own lesson plan with small group feedback using the model presented. Participants will leave the sessions with the ability to create integrated STEM activities, or modify an existing activity, using the engineering design challenge framework.
To register reach out to Joe Wilkerson at joe@learningundefeated.org
Petroleum Science & Technology Institute for Texas high school STEM teachers
The University of Texas at Austin is offering its Petroleum Science & Technology Institute for Texas high school STEM teachers in-person this summer (July 18-22, 2022). All expenses are covered, and teachers who fully complete the program receive a stipend of $900. The deadline to register is May 2, with rolling admissions after that date if space is available.
More information and registration at https://www.pge.utexas.edu/about/strategic-plan/petroleum-science-and-technology-institute.
Science Safety Courses
The Science Safety courses are three one-hour courses designed to provide safety guidance to elementary, middle, and high school science educators. The courses are offered as a courtesy to educators and may not provide all the science safety guidance that schools and districts find necessary to meet laws and rules.
The courses are live in the catalog: https://register.tealearn.com/
Direct Links:
For questions on implementation, please contact Emily Tipps, Learning Management System Lead at Emily.Tipps@tea.texas.gov.
On-Ramps Quantum Computing Course
The new On-Ramps Quantum Computing course is a physics-based course that supports the latest Texas science standards in quantum physics as well as covering several STEM-relevant topics in classical optics, computer programming, cybersecurity, and linear algebra. More information about the course can be found at https://onramps.utexas.edu/what-we-offer/distance-ed/qc/. Teacher training and professional development are offered in the summer and throughout the school year.
Teachers or administrators wishing to find out more about the program can contact partnerships@onramps.zendesk.com.
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STAAR Information
Science STAAR Redesign
To find more information on the STAAR Redesign please visit the embedded links below.
New Question Types Scoring and Reporting Guide
Additional STAAR Resources
Eduphoria
wizer.me
formative.com
edulastic.com
TEKS Resource Assessment Center is working on an update to include new item type designs.
Wizer.me
Here is a sample of the item types you can create with wizer.me. Making it a great resource to get students ready for the new STAAR item types.
Edulastic.com
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Curriculum Information
High School Science TEKS
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Need s'more information about events and opportunities at the ESC? Click on the image below to access other content areas' newsletters!
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Haley Maldonado - Region 17 ESC
Email: hmaldonado@esc17.net
Website: https://www.esc17.net/page/ci.science
Location: 1111 West Loop 289, Lubbock, TX, USA
Phone: (806) 281-5865
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/17Science1
Twitter: @17Science1