CALIFORNIA SCIENCE EDUCATION CONFERENCE
OCTOBER 30-NOVEMBER 2, 2008
SAN JOSE CONVENTION CENTER

MINI-UNIVERSITIES

CSTA is pleased to offer three Mini-University courses for K-6 teachers. These nine-hour courses offer in-depth content instruction in the areas of life science, physical science, and earth science.

Each course will be held in three parts over three days:

Part 1:  Thursday, October 30, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Part 2:  Friday, October 31, 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Part 3:  Saturday, November 1, 8:00 am - 11:00 am

EARTH SCIENCE

MU1: The Earth is Constantly Changing!

Become a geologist! You will be actively engaged in labs covering rocks, minerals, landform creation, topographic maps, and much, much more! Emphasis will be placed on working in science lab teams and management of group learning and science materials. You will leave with energy, ideas, and enthusiasm for teaching geology and with a CD to include all of the curriculum and activities. Rock Out! Fee: $35 (for all nine hours)

Presenter: Anne Marie Bergen, District Science Teacher, Oakdale Joint Unified School District

About the Presenter: Anne Marie Bergen coordinates and teaches the Oakdale Joint Unified School District's Science Program. Program components include hands on labs, teacher professional development, coordination of outside science presenters, and creation and coordination of special projects: Dinner with a Scientist, Salmon Project, and Passport to Science. Honors include: 2003 California Teacher of the Year, 2005 Amgen Award for Science Teaching Excellence, member of CalTAC (California Teacher Advisory Council.)

LIFE SCIENCE

MU2: Explorations for Your Classroom: Cycles, Systems, and Climate Change

Incorporate the tools of experimentation and investigation for K-6 in classroom explorations for a better understanding of the carbon cycle; polar ecosystems and sea level rise; plant adaptations to a Mediterranean climate; and impact of climate change on coral reefs and marine ecosystems. Participants will observe, describe, compare, sort, draw, record, predict, measure, analyze, estimate, classify, identify, write, graph, and question. and leave with lesson plans that address California science content standards, as well as background information and resource materials. Fee: $35 (for all nine hours)

Presenter: Lorie Topinka, Chair of Teacher and Student Services, California Academy of Sciences

Co-Presenters: Helena Carmena, Teacher and Student Services Educator, California Academy of Sciences; Jill Bible, Teacher and Student Services Educator, California Academy of Sciences; Megan Schufreider, Student Services Educator, California Academy of Sciences

About the Presenter: Lorie Topinka is currently Chair of Teacher and Student Services at the California Academy of Sciences and has worked at the Academy in the Education Division since 1997. She received a Master’s degree in Environment and Community (2002) from Antioch University in Seattle which helped expand her knowledge of and passion for environmental literacy and issues of sustainability.

PHYSICAL SCIENCE

MU3: Simple, Fun, Cheap, and Profound Physical Science Activities

The course's main goal is to learn by doing. Participants will build the world’s simplest, cheapest generator to help students understand electricity and magnetism. We will build the world’s simplest, cheapest oboe (not the best sounding) in order to gain better understanding of the properties of sound. These are just two examples out of a large collection of exciting activities designed to captivate and guide the student into a deeper level of understanding of science.Fee: $35 (for all nine hours)

Presenter: Modesto Tamez, Science Educator, Exploratorium

About the Presenter: Modesto has 34 years of teaching experience, eighteen in the classroom teaching K-12 and sixteen as teacher in residence at the Exploratorium. During the last sixteen years, Modesto has had the opportunity of teaching activity based science for thousands of teachers and students through out the world and across the country. Learning by doing (cheaply) is his motto.