WSST Conference 2025: Full Schedule

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8:00am CDT

IL Storylines - Sharing Sessions

Saturday April 5, 2025 8:00am - 8:50am CDT

Are you using the Illinois Learning (IL) Science Storylines? Would you like to share your experiences and connect with others who are also implementing them in their classrooms? Then join this session to network with fellow educators, exchange ideas, and discuss best practices for using the IL Storylines to enhance science teaching and learning. Whether you're a seasoned user or just starting out, this session offers a supportive space to collaborate and learn from one another.

Speakers

Tom Davies

Saturday April 5, 2025 8:00am - 8:50am CDT
Herietta

Biology/Life Science Pedagogy/Teaching Strategies

9:00am CDT

Meet your District 2 Director (CESA 9 & 10)

Saturday April 5, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT

Herietta

This informal session will begin with a brief introduction of myself, my role as a director, and my journey with WSST. Following this, participants will have the opportunity to share insights and hear from other members in our district. Together, we’ll network and exchange ideas on staying connected year-round, organizing socials, and planning professional development opportunities tailored to the unique needs of educators and enthusiasts in our district.

Speakers

Tom Davies

Saturday April 5, 2025 9:00am - 9:50am CDT
Herietta

General WSST

10:00am CDT

Collaborating to Make Student Learning Local: Examples and Inspiration for Local Watershed Investigations in High School Science

Saturday April 5, 2025 10:00am - 10:50am CDT

Herietta

Several high school science teachers in the Chequamegon Bay area who share a common desire to make student learning experiences locally relevant have been connected through their involvement in the Rivers2Lake program. Rivers2Lake, run by the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, offers year long professional development and mentorship in inquiry-based, place-centered, outdoor learning to regional teachers. Among other support offered through the program, teachers gain access to a library of NGSS-aligned lessons and field trip opportunities. In this session, teachers will share stories of how they are involving local rivers, estuaries, and Lake Superior in student investigations this school year, offer space for attendees to share their own stories about how they’re creating connections to local watersheds, and offer inspiration for where those ideas could lead them. Together the teachers are collaborating on using the stories they share, the Rivers2Lake curriculum library, and Rivers2Lake partner resources to build a NGSS aligned storyline unit investigating local waterways that could be used by regional teachers and start an annual symposium for their students to connect and share their investigations with one another.

Speakers

Andy Pokrzywinski

Teacher, Ashland High School

I am a secondary science teacher who has taught in Minnesota, Alaska, and Wisconsin. My special interests include the integration of STEAM, experiential, and place-based learning. For the past seven years, I have been working with Argument-Driven Inquiry as a strategy for integrating... Read More →

WSST Conference 2025

8:00am CDT

Tom Davies

9:00am CDT

Tom Davies

10:00am CDT

Andy Pokrzywinski

Emma Holtan

Beth Hoagland

Dustin Long

Kevin Zak