STEM Summer Institute 2026

Visit the School Services of Montana table to check in, gather information, and receive your badge.

We will unpack why and how to integrate data literacy skills into current instruction across grades 5-8 subject areas in strategic and consistent ways. The data literacy topics will focus on creating and making sense of data visualizations in age-appropriate ways. We will explore turnkey strategies to enhance students’ data skills within our existing curriculum. Through hands-on activities, reflection-based discussions, and planning time, we will expand the tools in our toolkits and build our confidence and enthusiasm for teaching data literacy, foundational to future data science learning. 

Data investigations provide meaningful opportunities for students to reason, communicate, and make sense of the world around them. In this interactive session, educators will experience research-based instructional routines that promote mathematical discourse, curiosity, and critical thinking through authentic data. Participants will engage as learners, explore adaptable routines for grades K–5, create a slow reveal graph, and receive ready-to-use lessons, templates, and printable resources designed to support immediate classroom implementation.

This presentation invites secondary teachers to explore how place can make data more meaningful, relevant, and engaging for students. Teachers will consider how local contexts, community issues, and students’ lived experiences can be used as entry points for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data. Through examples and discussion, participants will examine ways to connect data literacy with place-conscious teaching, so students see mathematics as a tool for understanding their communities and the world around them.

Come see the museum exhibits, including the FROGS!  Planitarium shows will be available, the Museum of the Rockies will offer information sessions for educators, and curiosity tables will be on display.
Appetizers and drinks for all.