Tel: 916-278-5487
Super SIRC Workshops
Review our 2023 Workshops Below
Check back for our 2024 workshops!
2-Hour Science Workshops
Morning 2-Hour Workshops
Forces and Interactions – Pushes and Pulls
Orchard Suite (2nd Floor)
Kelli Quan, Elk Grove Unified
During this workshop we will investigate what the practice of Planning and Conducting an Investigation might look like in a kindergarten and third grade classroom. Through the lens of a student we will explore our own understanding of forces and interactions while reflecting through the lens of a teacher on what that could look like for third grade students to build upon their kindergarten learning.
Designed for Kindergarten and 3rd grade teachers
Standards addressed: K-PS2-1, 3-PS2-1
Changing Properties
Summit Room (3rd Floor)
Sarah Caves, Stonegate K-8, Washington Unified
This session will follow the chemical change DCI as it spirals from 2nd through 5th grade. Engage in hands on model building and experimental design, and practice grade level appropriate strategies and science.
Designed for 2nd and 5th grade teachers
Standards addressed: 2-PS1-4, 5-PS1-4
It's Lit! An Investigation of Horsetail Falls
Cottonwood I (2nd Floor)
Amy Kraft, Curriculum Specialist, Sacramento County Office of Education
Light phenomena are found everywhere, including in nature and technology. In this integrated-NGSS workshop we’ll focus on modeling to explain how technology uses the same light-matter interactions as water to produce some glowing effects. This workshop is sure to be a de-light.
Standards addressed: MS-PS4-2, MS-ESS1-1
California's Energy Tradeoffs
Folsom Room (3rd Floor)
Brian Ellis, Vista del Lago High School, Folsom-Cordova Unified
Learn how students can evaluate the costs and benefits of real-world energy technologies using the "Generate!" game from the US EPA. Qualitative and quantitative models will be used to demystify the process of electrical power generation for a wide range of learners.
Standards addressed: HS-PS3-1, HS-PS2-5, HS-ESS3-2
How Do We Get Biodiversity Anyway? A unit about speciation
Pacific III (3rd Floor)
Liz Shoemaker, Emerson Jr. High, Davis Unified and Chris Griesemer, Sacramento Area Science Project Director
In this two hour workshop, we take up dinosaurs and their feathered descendants, building on our model for natural selection to figure out what species are and how we get more of them. If you’re familiar with MBER-Biology, this unit picks up our where our Galapagos finch story left off. We will also examine assessments and articulation with the middle school evolution standards. All secondary life science teachers welcome.
Standards addressed: HS-LS4-5, (MS-LS4-1 is also touched on)
Engineering Explorations
Pacific I (3rd Floor)
Ingrid Salim, Emerson Jr. High
Engineering is the science version of solving real- world problems and can serve both to engage all students and deepen their learning. Participants in this workshop will consider all the facets of posing an engineering challenge for students of any age and will develop an outline for a project with their own students tied to the NGSS. We will consider the continuum between a guess and check approach vs. a design approach and how to move students towards the latter. A number of examples by grade level will be introduced.
Afternoon 2-Hour Workshops
Behavioral Studies With Worms
Folsom Room (3rd Floor)
Lorie Hammond
Using real worms, we will explore ways you can make behavioral experiments in a TK-2 classroom that explore the scientific practices. You will take home a Zine with all of the information on how to do this.)
Designed for K-2nd grade teachers
Energy: A Storyline from the California Science Framework
Orchard Suite (2nd Floor)
Corinne Lardy, PhD, Associate Professor, College of Education, Sacramento State
Participants in this workshop will engage in a series of sense-making activities about energy, as part of a larger instructional segment from the California Science Framework designed for 4th Grade. A focus of this workshop will be using phenomena to anchor science activities in upper elementary school and integrating the engineering design cycle with Disciplinary Core Ideas. (Note that while the science concepts addressed in this workshop are focused at the 4th-grade level, we will discuss how strategies used can be applied across grade levels.)
Designed for 3rd-5th grade teachers
Relating Energy Transformations to Earth Science with Engineering
Pacific III (3rd Floor)
Steven Ramsay, Laguna Creek High School, Elk Grove Unified
Reframing the traditional rube goldberg to an energy transformation device like a generator! This covers three different NGSS standards, PS 3-1, 3-2, 3-3 as well as linking to ESS 2-2. The three standards are blended into a multi unit engineering project where students work to combine different energy transformations together to maximize the rotation of a rod to model how a generator works. This then ties into an assessment explaining how hydroelectric power is generated.
Designed for Middle School and High School teachers
Standards addressed: PS3-1, PS3-2, PS3-3, ESS2-2
Sensemaking with the Activity Series
Cottonwood III (2nd Floor)
Jay Brennan and Arlene Laurison, Sheldon High School, Elk Grove Unified
In this hands-on workshop, participants will explore a variety of activities that help students make sense of metal reactivities. Expect to come away with a number of interesting and engaging labs that help students recognize the relevance of chemistry. Activities will focus on comparing solid metals with ionic metals, utilizing the activity series to predict products, and using these concepts to engineer batteries. This workshop will emphasize the value of engagement, communication, and student-driven investigation using the NGSS approach.
Standards addressed: HS-PS1-1
Exploring Cell Differentiation With Different Phenomena
Summit Room (3rd Floor)
Sharon Ferrell, Vista del Lago High
Explore different phenomena to introduce the concept of cell differentiation. In this workshop participants will get hands on experience in using play doh and live planaria as phenomena to begin an exploration of cell differentiation. Participants will be able to practice handling and manipulating live planaria.
Standards addressed: HS-LS1-4
What Does It Take To Stay Alive? A Body Systems Unit
Cottonwood I (2nd Floor)
Michele Hetland, Fern Bacon Middle
Do you like teaching with a storyline? Would you like to learn how? This body system unit is for you! A full unit, complete with a compelling storyline, hands on activities, readings, a CER, and even some assessments. You’ll learn how to get your students critically thinking and motivated to come up with their own evidence to solve a science mystery.
Standards Addressed: MS-LS1-8, MS-LS1-3
1-Hour Workshops
1-hour workshops will be repeated in the morning and afternoon unless otherwise noted.
Climate Justice: Going Beyond the Science of Climate Change and putting Putting People at the Center of Our Work.
Pacific III (3rd Floor)
Chris Griesemer, Sacramento Area Science Project Director
Speaking to climate change in our California classrooms is not particularly controversial and has the backing of state initiatives and standards. So, why push further to engage youth in conversations about climate justice? What is climate justice? And how can we navigate this sensitive, sometimes political landscape in our communities while recognizing that we owe our youth opportunities to learn how to be (radical?) agents of change.
Engaging English Learners in Science through Discourse (morning only)
Orchard Suite (2nd Floor)
Kelli Quan, Elk Grove Unified
This workshop will show you how you can develop students’ language through science while exemplifying the integration of English language development and science and engineering practices. We will demonstrate how English Learners can be supported with discourse and academic language to further engage in sensemaking. Participants will learn strategies and scaffolds that they can implement in their classrooms on Monday! Elementary examples will be used, which can be applied to secondary Newcomer classes.
Making Sense of Sensemaking
Pacific I (3rd Floor)
Ingrid Salim, Emerson Junior High
Participants in this workshop will learn or revisit strategies for sensemaking around specific phenomena. Participants will see examples of a number of tools and strategies including whiteboard work, agree/disagree, different dialogue and writing prompts, reading strategies and synthesis tasks and will have the opportunity to create at least 3 for their classes. Participants will leave with a toolkit of strategies.
Planetarium Show (CLOSED - At Capacity)
Kyle Watters, Physics and Astronomy Department, Sacramento State
Come see a show in the Sacramento State Planetarium! You will get to experience a typical planetarium show, which has three distinct components: first, there will be an interactive live tour of the night sky and the solar system by your host; second, we will play a professionally-produced full-dome movie; and third, there will be time for a Q&A session with your host. Come travel across the solar system and throughout the galaxy without leaving the comfort of your reclined planetarium chair!
Workshopping Your Science Lesson
Cottonwood III (2nd Floor)
Susan Rubert, Director, Sacramento Area Science Project
Have a lesson or lesson series that isn’t working for you or your students? Do you have a part of your curriculum that isn’t engaging your students? Bring your materials and collaborate with peers to redesign something that will work better for you and your students. Examples of what you might do include, more engaging and relevant phenomenon, more student driven, add discussion protocols, clarify the product outcome, and map out where the evidence is coming from to lead to a claim.
Writing Effective Grant Proposals (afternoon only)
Orchard Suite (2nd Floor)
Deidre Sessoms, Associate Dean, Instruction & Student Success, Sacramento State
Have you wanted to find external funds to support your classroom activities, but weren’t sure how to get started? This session will provide you with the basics! You will leave with links to funding sources; best practices for successful proposal writing; and a copy of a funded proposal.