Calling all middle school teachers! If you’ll be attending the NSTA National Conference on Science Education in Chicago, then please join me at the Meet Me in the Middle Day on Friday, March 13 from 10:00 am-4:00 p.m. This “conference within a conference” is brought to you by the National Middle Level Science Teachers Association and the NSTA Committee on Middle Level Science Teaching who have partnered up to bring you a day full of fun and learning.

Those of us who teach in the middle know that it is education’s best kept secret–it’s hard not to have fun when surrounded by energetic kids who are starting to be able to grasp abstract concepts. We also know how challenging it can be at times to find lesson that are perfectly aligned to the age level we teach. Meet Me in the Middle Day (MMITM Day) will feature a dozen sessions geared towards meeting the middle school science teacher’s unique needs. This Who’s Who in Science Education will feature Page Keeley, Christine Royce, Ken Roy, Michael Bowen, Dick Moyer, and many more. You’ll also have an opportunity to learn how to make foldables from Dinah Zike’s organization and learn about engineering practices in middle school chemistry from the American Chemistry Society. We’ve carefully selected some fabulous presentations for you, including:

• Formative Assessment
• Merging Literacy and Science
• Science Safety
• Data Literacy
• Building Better Partnerships with Your Administrator
• Foldables
• Everyday Engineering
• Engineering Practices
• Science on a Shoestring
• NGSS and You
• NSTA Learning Center

Be sure to also check out the Round Table discussions that will run from 10:15-10:45 a.m. and 11:00-11:30 a.m. Round Table discussions offer you a chance to sit down and interact with table leaders on a variety of topics.

We’ll end the day with a bang as nearly 100 presenters eagerly to share their ideas during the Middle Level Share-a-Thon from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in Vista S406a. We’ll have lots of yummy treats and dozens of door prizes that include a microscope, educational software, NSTA books, NSTA memberships, and an iPad. Author Nicolas Nicastro (author of Circumference) will also be on hand for the event.

This day-long celebration of middle school science is brought to you with generous support from Carolina Biological, It’s About Time, Lab-Aids, and PASCO.

For additional details about the event, please go to nmlsta.org. Be sure to plan on attending from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 13 in McCormick Place (Convention Center) at Vista S406a. I look forward to seeing you there!

Patty McGinnis (pattymcginnis1@gmail.com); NSTA Middle Level Science Teaching Division Director

The mission of NSTA is to promote excellence and innovation in science teaching and learning for all.

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