Join the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and NCCAT as we look at ways to enhance student literacy skills through the natural world. Take a critical look at the human connection with nature through American literary greats. Learn to use nature journaling as a tool to motivate your students and improve their writing. Study the environment and participate in citizen science projects using informational texts and digital tools. Discover ways to sharpen your students’ skills in reading, writing, and researching through the natural world.

With the changes being made to Google Expeditions and apps like Google Poly, how can you continue to place the power of virtual reality into the hands of your students? What if you and your students could create virtual reality projects to experience our state, local and national parks as well as historical sites. Join us to collect digital artifacts of the beautiful places in our state and learn how to use smartphones, iPads and mobile devices, the Streetview app and free websites like Round.me to create virtual reality projects that not only foster engagement, critical thinking and creativity, but engender something unique to virtual reality; empathy and a connection to the beauty and history of our state. You will be inspired by your surroundings to create an interactive VR experience, then share it to GoOpen NC.  Student created VR can be used as a choice in any situation where teachers would normally use traditional digital projects like slide presentations, posters, infographics, and brochures.  The end products can be viewed through Google Cardboard, Goggles, or using a simple link.

Integrate STEAM into the elementary classroom by teaching a growth mindset through literacy and picture books. Learn the basics of teaching a growth mindset and the fundamentals of STEAM integration. Discuss ways to improve student learning by exploring and developing hands-on STEAM lessons that are directly aligned with ELA standards and focus on specific picture books. 

Writing well allows students to process and organize their thoughts and feelings and to communicate effectively with a range of audiences. Writing well is also one of the most difficult skills to teach, and many find the task overwhelming. The grading alone taxes the commitment of even the best of our profession. In this program, we will examine ways to write and how best to introduce various writing techniques to your students while providing useful, timely feedback. Participants will have the opportunity to practice writing, receive and give feedback, and collaborate on best practices for supporting adolescent writers. 

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Our physical, psychological, and emotional wellbeing are interconnected. Through experiential lessons learn  about the latest research on the connection between our environment and our genetics. Participants will study light, circadian rhythms, genetics, body systems, macromolecules, and more found in science standards grades 3—12. Literacy, science, and social studies will be featured in our activities as we discover how to make science standards applicable to our students’ lives. 

Digital learning is a broad category that encompasses the use of digital resources and technology to enhance and differentiate instruction. The number of available options, however, can be overwhelming. Participants in this session will gain experience with free, high-quality tools for: video and audio production, blended lessons, curating digital content, formative assessment, and coding. The program will also incorporate hands-on experiences with inexpensive technology that could be used to enhance instruction. Participants will explore these digital tools as students to best determine how to use them effectively as teachers, then leave NCCAT with a virtual toolbox of new techniques to take back to the classroom.