#ILSciCom events are always free, virtual experiences using the Zoom platform which can be utilized from any device with internet connection. We encourage participants to connect with a microphone and camera so that they can fully participate and interact with our guest speaker(s) and community. The goals of all #ILSciCom events are to foster a supportive, statewide, virtual professional learning network of science educators, find new ideas, share the wonderful things happening in science education in the state of Illinois, and spread the joy and wonder of science.

Upcoming Events
  • Wednesday, March 4, 2020: Illinois Science Teachers Association Storylines
Three-dimensional learning that incorporates the disciplinary core ideas, the science practices and the cross-cutting concepts is the driving force of the Next Generation Science Standards. In order to better integrate the different topics typically taught in the high school biology classroom, storyline units that are coherent and phenomenon-driven have been created so that students can make sense of how science works in real world situations. For example, units have been written to address the phenomena of albinism, for the teaching of genotype to phenotype, group hunting in lions to address social behavior and genetic relatedness, and tusklessness in elephants to introduce keystone species and natural selection. These units, written as part of an Illinois inter-district collaborative, have proven to be great models of how three-dimensional learning can be applied in today's biology instruction and lead to students becoming self-directed learners and thinkers. Registration for this event can be found here: ​https://forms.gle/Z8Fs3T5LYbQqCvaz9

#ILSciCom Video Archives and Resources:

  • Wednesday, February 5, 2020: Lacey Wieser, an EdReports Science Content Specialist, returned to #ILSciCom! EdReports is an independent nonprofit organization designed to improve education by providing reviews of K-12 instructional materials. Lacey discussed the process they use to review instructional materials and share information about the soon to be released reviews of Middle School curricula. If watching the recording, please fill out this quick feedback form before and after you view the session to ensure that the work we are doing is helpful and effective. Thanks!
  • Wednesday, January 15, 2020: NGSS in the Inclusive Classroom At a large, suburban public high school in Glenview, Illinois, a Biology team has adapted the Illinois Storylines for use in the lowest level of general education Biology offered. Modifications of this curriculum have been created by science and special education teachers to meet the needs of students from diverse learning and behavioral backgrounds, including special education students. Strategies and the process of modifying the storyline while maintaining the rigor and integrity of the curriculum will be shared, as well as access to their team's drive of modified materials. To have access to this drive, please send a gmail address using this contact form. A copy of the presentation can be found here: http://bit.ly/ILSciComJanPresentation. Also, lease take a moment to help us measure out impact by taking the pre and post surveys for this session here: http://bit.ly/JanSciCom.
  • Illinois Science Assessment (December 11, 2019): We were joined by Director of the Illinois Science Assessment at Southern Illinois University, Angela Box. Angela spent time responding to the questions of participants and shared resources she thought would be useful. You can find a summary of the questions, responses and resources shared here: #ILSciCom ISA Summary
  • Creating a Positive Classroom Climate (November 14, 2019): On  our first ever cross-curricular #ILCom, guest speaker Krystal Clifton discussed strategies for fostering a positive classroom environment. Krystal is a 4th grade teacher in a diverse school district where 100% of the students in the district receive free lunch. One of the biggest struggles her district faces is a 28% chronic absenteeism rate. Krystal shared with us strategies for fostering a positive classroom environment by building relationships and rapport to support the risk-taking and authentic learning we want to see in the classroom.​ A copy of Krystal's slide deck can be found at: http://bit.ly/CreatingPosClassEnv  Please take a moment to  help us measure our impact by taking the pre and post surveys: http://bit.ly/Nov14PrePost
  • ​Talk Science (November 11, 2019): This month we were joined by Dr. Sarah Michaels. Dr. Michaels is a Professor of Education and Senior Research Scholar at the Hiatt Center for Urban Education at Clark University. A sociolinguist by training, her work emphasizes the ways that teachers can support academically productive talk in the classroom, as a tool for promoting powerful learning for students. She is the co-author of the often referenced, and highly regarded "Talk Science Primer" and the Illinois Science Educators' Book Club book, Ready, Set, Science: Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms. Together we discussed the importance of students making their thinking visible and how to accomplish this in science classrooms.  These are some of the resources that were referenced in this session:
  • Science and Writing (October 14, 2019): For this event we will combined #ILSciCom with #IL_ELACom to discuss the topic, "Science and Writing:  Connecting to the Science and Engineering Practices." We discussed how ELA standards overlap with Science and Engineering practices and ways that science and ELA teachers can support each other in delivering these standards.
  • Dr. Heidi Schweingruber (September 25, 2019): We were excited to talk to the director of the Board on Science Education at the National Research Council, Dr. Heidi Schweingruber. Dr. Schweingruber co-directed the study that resulted in the report A Framework for K-12 Science Education. She is also a co-author of Ready, Set, Science! Putting Research to Work in K-8 Science Classrooms, which is the subject of the Illinois Science Educators Book Club this fall. In this event, Dr. Schweingruber will be shared the goals in the writing of Ready, Set, Science!, the impact she is hoping it makes, and why it is important for science educators to be reading the book today. 
Please take this pre/post survey if you watch this recording. Thank you!
  • Phenomena Finder Tool (May 9, 2019): Barbara Hug, along with graduate students James Planey, Harrison Davis, and Danielle Cozzola, shared the Phenomena Finder tool they have created to help teachers identify grade-level appropriate, standards-aligned phenomena as they plan for phenomena-driven instruction. This team will introduced us to the tool and walked us through all the features it has to offer. This link will take you to the google doc of supporting information they shared. After watching, complete this brief post survey. 
  • Phenomena Driven Instruction (April 4, 2019): Rebecca Schumacher, 6th-grade teacher at Hickory Creek Middle School, and Nicole Vick, high school science teacher at Abingdon-Avon School District, shared some examples of Phenomena Driven Instruction they have facilitated in their classroom as well as the resources they use to support this instructional shift. We discussed how their students’ learning has evolved as they move toward full implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards for Science. After watching, complete this brief post survey.
  • EdReports (December 18, 2018): Lacey Wieser, an EdReports Science Content Specialist, shared information about the science curriculum review process and the reports that will be released February 28, 2019.
  • Stanford NGSS Assessment Project (October 18, 2018): Dr. Jill Wertheim from the Stanford NGSS Assessment Project. She shared insights on designing NGSS aligned classroom assessment items and the resources hosted at the Stanford NGSS Assessment Project website.