Place-based environmental education projects for upper elementary students showing examples of how to weave together Next Generation Science Standards with the rich cultural heritage of Montana’s tribes through Indian Education for All initiatives. Beginning with an exploration of Yellowstone’s extremophiles, where students analyze energy flow and chemosynthesis while honoring the traditional stewardship and sacred connections of the Crow and Shoshone people to this unique landscape. Building on traditional native knowledge from a variety of environments, students learn how resources of the land were used for survival. The theme of environmental mastery travels through the biomes; tundra, prairie, desert, and deciduous forest, highlighting Indigenous engineering, investigations into pH natural chemistry, long-term observation to translate temperature data into a physical tapestry of environmental change and finally, the "Prairie’s Renewal" project demonstrating the intentional use of cultural burning by Plains tribes as a sophisticated tool for ecosystem management and nutrient cycling. Collectively, each project emphasizes that science is deeply embedded in the history of the land, encouraging students to develop a profound sense of stewardship by combining modern scientific inquiry with the enduring wisdom of Indigenous perspectives.
Connie Michael is a 5th grade teacher at Crow Agency Public School in Crow Agency Montana. She has taught for 36 years. Having moved to Montana ten years ago, Connie spent the first part of her career teaching in k-2 bilingual classrooms in Central Washington. She is National Board... Read More →
In this hands-on session, educators will explore a simple beadwork tool using pony beads and wooden dowels to investigate patterns, counting, and mathematical structure through culturally grounded design. Participants will experience the activity as learners, reflect on connections to student choice and social-emotional learning, and consider ways to adapt the tool to grade-level standards and classroom contexts. This session models how tactile, culturally meaningful materials can humanize mathematics and deepen student engagement across grade bands.
This session explores how NotebookLM can serve as a reliable, teacher‑curated knowledge hub in STEM classrooms where students often struggle with attention during lectures and face increasing risks of misinformation from open‑ended AI tools. By consolidating vetted articles, datasets, and reference materials into a single notebook, teachers can limit unreliable sources while giving students a safe space to verify concepts and support their lab investigations. The approach reduces the need for heavy lecture and note‑taking, allowing more time for hands‑on, inquiry‑driven activities while ensuring students build understanding from accurate, intentional resources.
Vryann James L. Sison is a science educator whose experience spans secondary, senior high school, and college-level teaching in both the Philippines and the United States. He currently teaches Earth Science, Foundations of Science, and Robotics at Hardin High School in rural Montana... Read More →
Data shapes modern life: from apps to news to decisions in health, business, and government, yet most students graduate without exposure to data science concepts. As Montana focuses on integrating data science skills into state standards, understanding what curriculum-agnostic data instruction looks like across all grade levels becomes essential. This session explores why data science is critical for all K-12 students, not just future data scientists, and demonstrates how it increases student engagement by connecting to real-world problems students care about. You'll see how data literacy develops from elementary through high school, discover what age-appropriate instruction looks like across grades and subjects, and explore ready-to-use activities that bring these concepts to life. Whether you teach math, science, social studies, or other subjects, you'll leave with grade-appropriate entry points and practical strategies for infusing data literacy into your classroom, preparing students to thrive as informed, critical thinkers in our data-driven world.
Join us for a walkthrough of Code Girls United’s AI Academy, a free AI resource built for classrooms and afterschool programs. Designed to be practical and accessible, our AI Academy includes explainer videos, structured lessons, and hands-on activities that help middle and high school students develop AI literacy, critical thinking, and responsible technology use
