About Us
The services of the content area instructional specialists (literacy, mathematics, science) funded through the Arkansas Department of Education are provided without cost to the public schools of Arkansas. All registration fees charged for attendance to all professional development workshops sponsored by the Institute for Math and Science Education (IMSE) are to cover the administrative expenses incurred by the IMSE in the preparation and the presentation of the workshop.
National Board for Professional Teaching Support Site Meetings
| Registration Fee: Free to state supported NBPTS candidates |
| Saturday, September 12, 2009 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Saturday, October 10, 2008 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Saturday, November 14, 2009 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Saturday, December 12, 2009 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Saturday, January 9, 2010 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Friday, February 5, 2010 | ------Time: 10:00-6:00 |
| Saturday February 6, 2010 | ------Time: 8:30-12:30 |
| Saturday March 13, 2010 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
| Saturday April 10, 2010 | ------Time: 8:30-3:30 |
Science Mini-Grants
Grade 5-8
Echols Rm 115
September 4, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $50.00
If you teach in Crawford, Logan, Scott or Franklin counties, come let us HELP you apply for $500 worth of Science consumables for your classroom. The Arkansas Science Technology Authority has made available a $500.00 mini-grant opportunity for science teachers of grades 5-8. The grant focus is to fund materials necessary for teaching an inquiry-based science unit. ASTA has also made available a STUART grant to a team of teachers in the amount of $5,500.00 for utilizing the response system in the classroom. A teacher from each of the 5-8 grade levels can apply.
Frog Math: Predict, Ponder, Play
Grade PK-3
Echols Rm 117
September 4, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Frog Math is an engaging, creative unit that has been endorsed by mathematics educators nationwide for its application of guided-discovery methods through cooperative, interdisciplinary activities. In an artful interweaving of mathematics and literature, this lively series jumps off from one of the well-known Frog and Toad are Friends stories, "The Lost Button." The story leads to free exploration of buttons, then sorting and classifying and a game of Guess the Sort. Students design their own buttons and use a graphing grid to organize data. Things turn amphibian again when students try to guess the number of small plastic frogs in a jar (and the number of lima beans in a handful) to develop the valuable life-skill of estimating. A Frog Pond board game helps students develop strategic-thinking skills; Hop to the Pond is an experiment in probability and statistics. Participants will receive the GEMS book Frog Math upon completion of this workshop.
W.O.W.! The Wonders of Wetlands
Grade K-12
Echols Rm 117
September 15, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:00
Registration Fee: Free
Wetlands provide tremendous benefit to our environment, economy, and well being. They are also powerful places in which to learn. Join Project WET for this one-day workshop to learn skills and methods for teaching about water and wetlands. You will participate in fun, hands-on activities from the Project WET and W.O.W.! The Wonders of Wetlands guide. You will walk away prepared to present activities to students and the public. Come prepared for both indoor and outdoor settings. Participants will receive a Project WET and WOW! The Wonders of Wetlands guide and more.
SciKeys Biology Module: Properties of Water and Photosynthesis
Grade 10
Echols Rm 117
September 17,18, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: Free
The Arkansas Science Specialists have developed a series of integrated, authentic inquiry-based modules aligned to the state biology standards. This extensive two-day training will include all materials free of charge for this initial year of training. Teachers will also be provided with on-site instructional coaching upon completion of this professional development. All modules include high-yield strategies and assessment tools. Participants will investigate the properties of water and its significance to life. Additionally, photosynthesis, including light dependent and light independent reactions, will be explored.
GEMS Parent Partners Part I
Grade PK-12
Echols Rm 117
September 21, 2009
Time: 4:00-6:00 Registration Fee: Free
Great Explorations in Math and Science Parent Partners provides parents and other caregivers with concrete, practical things they can do to help their children succeed in school. Focused on elementary science and mathematics education, many of the materials relate to education in general. Research shows that students and schools are most successful when parents and teachers work together as active partners. Parent Partners can help transform schools into vibrant educational communities. This workshop is especially designed for educators and activist parents seeking to increase parental involvement in their children’s education.
GEMS Treasure Boxes
Grade K-3
Echols Rm 117
September 25, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Treasure Boxes is an engaging unit in which students use collections of small, interesting objects in an innovative series of mathematics activities. From postage stamps to bottle caps, a child’s precious collections can be natural starting points for these content-rich standards-based mathematics activities. Motivated by the appeal of the treasure boxes, your students actively observe, compare, describe, organize, communicate, record, and draw conclusions. Participants will receive the GEMS book Treasure Boxes upon completion of this workshop.
Group Solutions
Grade PK-4
Echols Rm 117
October 1st, 2009
Time:8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Group Solutions is one of the most popular GEMS guides. Group Solutions helps teachers to harness the cooperative potential of youngsters, bring them together over puzzles in logic, and allow their social dynamics to fall into place. This unit brings cooperative learning to the fore in highly motivating ways, providing young students with early and valuable experience in working and solving problems together. In groups of four, students participate in more than 50 highly involving, cooperative logic activities. Each student receives a clue to a problem and must share the information with all other group members to find the solution. The entire group is responsible for resolving the problem, and the solution can only be discovered by amassing and connecting all the clues. This unit is particularly adaptable to the multilingual or ESL classroom, allowing other-language speakers to use nonverbal manipulative skills, and facilitating language and concept development in English. Participants will receive the GEMS book Group Solutions upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Crime Lab Chemistry
Grade 4-8
Echols Rm 117
October 16, 2009
Time:8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Crime Lab Chemistry strengthens science content and student inquiry abilities by providing multiple experiences for students to visualize the molecular nature and behavior of matter, as they create and revise their own models and consider the advantages and limitations of models. Crime Lab Chemistry draws upon students’ interest in and enthusiasm for solving mysteries to convey important scientific concepts, methods, and techniques. The unit conveys key physical science concepts, including separation of mixtures, solubility, and pigments. Participants will receive the GEMS book Crime Lab Chemistry upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Parent Partners Part II
Grade PK-12
Echols Rm 117
October 19, 2009
Time:4:00-6:00
Registration Fee: Free
Great Explorations in Math and Science Parent Partners provides parents and other caregivers with concrete, practical things they can do to help their children succeed in school. Focused on elementary science and mathematics education, many of the materials relate to education in general. Research shows that students and schools are most successful when parents and teachers work together as active partners. Parent Partners can help transform schools into vibrant educational communities. This workshop is especially designed for educators and activist parents seeking to increase parental involvement in their children’s education.
Wiki Wonderland
Grades Preschool
Thursday, Oct 22 - Friday, OCT 23, 2009
ime: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $50.00
Discover the wonders of Wikis by creating your own free wiki space. You can customize your wiki with links, documents, sound, pictures, and videos. If you can use a keypad and mouse then you can create your own wondrous wiki space. Discover how your wiki space can be used to keep parents informed about important information such as up-coming events. Participants will earn 12 hours of technology credit.
GEMS Sifting Through Science
Grade K-2
Echols Rm 117
November 13, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Sifting through Science exposes students to physical science activities that extend the natural curiosity of young students by providing them with objects and time for free exploration, challenges to focus further explorations, and opportunities for meaningful reflection. Throughout the unit, students engage in many of the same kinds of activities that scientists do, as they observe, predict, test, communicate, record, and apply their findings. Participants will receive the GEMS book Sifting through Science upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Parent Partners Part III
Grade PK-12
Echols Rm 117
November 16, 2009
Time: 4:00-6:00
Registration Fee: Free
Great Explorations in Math and Science Parent Partners provides parents and other caregivers with concrete, practical things they can do to help their children succeed in school. Focused on elementary science and mathematics education, many of the materials relate to education in general. Research shows that students and schools are most successful when parents and teachers work together as active partners. Parent Partners can help transform schools into vibrant educational communities. This workshop is especially designed for educators and activist parents seeking to increase parental involvement in their children’s education.
Build It! Festival
Grade K-8
Echols Rm 117
November 20, 2009 Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Build It! Festival weaves mathematics concepts into engaging, hands-on construction activities. This GEMS festival guide includes a wide assortment of classroom learning-station activities that emphasize construction, geometric challenges, and spatial visualization. Introductory activities, such as Architect/Builder, involve students in free exploration of materials and lay the foundation for such mathematical challenges as Create-A-Shape, Dowel Designs, Polyhedra, Symmetry, Tangrams, and What Comes Next? The guide provides geometry background for the teacher, and a list of useful literature connections. Many of the eight main activities connect strongly to the real world and potential careers. For extra dynamics, the unit can culminate in a festival for the entire school! Participants will receive the GEMS book Build It! Festival upon completion of this workshop.
SciKeys 5th Grade Module – Light Energy
Grade 5
Echols Rm 117
November 23, 24, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: Free
The Arkansas Science Specialists have developed a series of integrated, authentic inquiry-based modules aligned to the state 5th grade standards. This extensive two-day training will include all materials free of charge for this initial year of training. Teachers will also be provided with on-site instructional coaching upon completion of this professional development. All modules include high-yield strategies and assessment tools. Participants will investigate the properties of light including absorption, reflection, and refraction. A light box and color wand will be provided for teacher use in the classroom.
SciKeys 7th Grade Module – Newton’s Laws of Motions
Registration Fee: Free
November 23, 24, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Echols Rm 119
Grade 7
The Arkansas Science Specialists have developed a series of integrated, authentic inquiry-based modules aligned to the state 7th grade standards. This extensive two-day training will include all materials free of charge for this initial year of training. Teachers will also be provided with on-site instructional coaching upon completion of this professional development. All modules include high-yield strategies and assessment tools. Participants will investigate Newton’s Laws of Motion by constructing toys, using balloons and launching rockets to observe these laws of motion.
In All Probability
Grade 3-6
Echols Rm 117
December 4, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) In All Probability will have students dive into probability as they play games using coins, spinners, dice, and Native American game sticks. They investigate chance and probability with concrete materials, learn how to gather and analyze data, make predictions, and draw conclusions. As they gain direct experience, they also build confidence in their ability to explore probability and statistics. The guide provides background information on these themes, with information on real-life connections and careers. The activities provide a solid basis for the development of much-needed (and often neglected) real-life understandings and skills, stressing cooperation along the way. This unit has a strong emphasis on multiple ways to gather and analyze data, and on how to stimulate discourse and discussion to build individual and class knowledge. Participants will receive the GEMS book In All Probability upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Fingerprinting
Grade 4-8
Echols Rm 117
December 18, 2009
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
In Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Fingerprinting students investigate the similarities and variations in fingerprints. As crime lab scientists they seek to solve a fictional mystery. In the process, they develop and refine key science and mathematics abilities, and gain experience distinguishing evidence from inference. Using a simple technique not requiring ink, students take their own fingerprints. They devise their own classifications, learn the standard system, and bring what they’ve learned to the mystery. Participants will receive the GEMS book Fingerprinting upon completion of this workshop.
Early Adventures in Algebra
Grade 1-2
Echols Rm 117
January 14, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Early Adventures in Algebra is designed to build a foundation in algebraic thinking for students in the early primary grades. Using the compelling context of "Zero the Hero," students learn the important role zero plays in our number system. In a series of activities, including engaging games and challenges, students solve for unknowns, explore the concepts of equality and inequality, and represent and analyze mathematical situations using algebraic symbols. Throughout the unit, the teacher facilitates classroom discourse and encourages students to explain their thinking. Sample teacher-student dialogues are featured, based on real classroom interactions. Participants will receive the GEMS book Early Adventures in Algebra upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Invisible Universe
Grade 6-8
Echols Rm 117
January 15, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Invisible Universe deepens student understanding of the electromagnetic spectrum, as students consider many real-life uses of wavelengths other than visible light. Students investigate wave motion, and then experiment at “invisible” energy stations, including a TV remote control (infrared), AM and FM radios, and black lights (ultraviolet). They learn that invisible light energies are powerful avenues of inquiry in astronomy, allowing students to detect, make images of, and learn about objects and phenomena in space that we cannot see with our eyes or with visible light telescopes. Participants will receive the GEMS book Invisible Universe upon completion of this workshop.
Algebraic Reasoning
Grade 3-5
Echols Rm 117
February 11, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30 Registration Fee: $75 Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Algebraic Reasoning contains activities designed to help build a solid foundation in algebraic reasoning for students in Grades 3-5. Within a compelling and challenging context, students are introduced to Professor Arbegla's "Fabulous Function Machine." A letter from the Professor herself then describes a malfunction in the machine that students are asked to solve. Other letters with problem-solving challenges are received over the course of the unit as students gain essential algebraic understandings, learn about equations, and apply what they've learned to problems related to area, including the design of a bedroom floor plan. Throughout the unit, students write in journals and the class keeps adding to an "Algebra Toolkit." Participants will receive the GEMS book Algebraic Reasoning upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Involving Dissolving
Grade 1-3
Echols Rm 117
February 19, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Involving Dissolving provides students with hands-on experiences with solutions and dissolving. The concept of dissolving can be grasped at different age levels. Even very young students can observe how a dissolving solid “disappears” when mixed with a liquid, thus supporting the definition of dissolving as “when a solid seems to disappear.” However, reaching the understanding that the solid is still in the liquid, even though it can’t be seen, is more difficult. In Involving Dissolving, your students conduct experiments in which substances dissolve and then are “brought back.” They make solutions, and watch with inquisitive eyes as liquids evaporate and solids crystallize. Participants will receive the GEMS book Involving Dissolving upon completion of this workshop.
Height-O-Meters
Grade 6-10
Echols Rm 117
March 5, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Height-O-Meters introduces the important principle of triangulation (determining location with the use of angles and degrees) and its application in professions from forestry to astronomy. The guide includes a design for simple cardboard clinometers ("Height-O-Meters"), with which students determine the height of the school flagpole and compare the heights to which styrofoam and rubber balls can be thrown. Students develop skills in predicting, estimating, making and calibrating scientific instruments, measuring in degrees, graphing, calculating, and interpreting data. Although the GEMS book Height-O-Meters is currently out-of-print, participants will receive a copy of the teacher’s guide upon completion of the workshop.
GEMS Environmental Detectives
Grade 5-8
Echols Rm 117
March 13, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Environmental Detectives is a substantial unit that conveys solid scientific content and research-related inquiry skills, while placing science learning in a real-world context. Students become aware of the interconnectedness of the natural world and the complexity of many environmental problems. They discover that science and society are inextricably linked, and that most solutions require compromise. In Environmental Detectives, students will grapple with a complex, interdisciplinary scientific investigation. Students hear statements of various “suspects” in the “crime.” They study and discuss reference materials, including records, newspaper articles, charts, graphs, and even “secret documents,” and integrate this information with their own test results. Participants will receive the GEMS book Environmental Detectives upon completion of this workshop.
Math Around the World
Grade 5-8
Echols Rm 117
April 2, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Math Around the World is a journey through the world of mathematics! Games and diversions from across the globe and throughout time have relied on numbers, geometry, probability, and logic. Discover the intriguing patterns of Topology Networks that originated in Zaire. Play Game Sticks, a version of a game played by Native Californians. Challenge your spatial skills by building Geometric Constructions that were first developed in England. Try to solve our Lo-Shu puzzles, classic magic squares that came from China. Participants will receive the GEMS book Math Around the World upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Liquid Explorations
Grade 1-3
Echols Rm 117
April 9, 2010
Time:8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Liquid Explorations provides students with a series of fun, fluid filled activities. Students will explore the properties of liquids. Additionally, they play a classification game, observe how food coloring moves through different liquids, create secret salad-dressing recipes, and make an “Ocean in a Bottle.” Liquid Explorations provides rich experiences in physical science for primary students as they observe and experiment with various liquids. Participants will receive the GEMS book Liquid Explorations upon completion of this workshop.
Messages from Space
Grade 5-8
Echols Rm 117
May 7, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Messages from Space takes advantage of our fascination with extraterrestrials to catalyze study of the solar system and beyond. The activities create an exciting context for students to engage in creative learning, gaining a great deal of astronomical knowledge. The unit begins when students attempt to decode a fictitious message from outer space. Imagining that they are scientists, students begin to analyze where, in the solar system and beyond, there may be conditions favorable for life. They investigate how our solar system and other planetary systems may have formed, and consider how what we know about the solar system fits into a bigger picture of the universe. Throughout, students consider whether life could exist "out there" and, if so, how we might communicate with those lifeforms. In doing so, students also gain valuable experience distinguishing science fact from sensationalized fiction. Participants will receive the GEMS book Messages from Space upon completion of this workshop.
GEMS Oobleck: What Do Scientists Do?
Grade 4-8
Echols Rm 117
May 21, 2010
Time: 8:30-3:30
Registration Fee: $75
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS) Oobleck: What do Scientists do? brings the excitement and effectiveness of activity-based science to all! Students investigate the properties of a strange green substance said to come from another planet. The class holds a scientific convention to critically discuss and debate their findings, then students design a spacecraft capable of landing on an ocean of Oobleck. Students compare the methods to those of professional scientists, such as those on the Mars Viking mission. Participants will receive the GEMS book Oobleck: What do Scientists do? upon completion of this workshop.
NSF College Ready in Mathematics and Physics
“Mathematics Master Teacher Workshop” COHORT YR2
Grades 7-12%BR Echols Conference Center
June 20-26, 2010
Time: 8:30-5:00
Registration Fee: Free to CR Grant Partners
Please register at http://collegeready.uark.edu/Home.html Only teachers from participating College Ready in Mathematics and Physics Grant partnering schools who teach math or science 7-12 can register. Please see website for more information. These workshops (concentrated in summers) extend over three years (69 hours per year), can carry graduate credit, and will cover topics in mathematics that are taught in the 7-12 standards as well as AP calculus and AP statistics with the content sequenced/tailored to the needs of the teachers in each group. Cohorts are planned to begin in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The strands of mathematics to be addressed this summer will be defined by the participating teacher. Workshops have limited numbers of participants. REGISTER TODAY!
NSF College Ready in Mathematics and Physics
“Mathematics Master Teacher Workshop”COHORT YR1
Grades 7-12%BR Echols Conference Center
July 18-24, 2010
Time: 8:30-5:00
Registration Fee: Free to CR Grant Partners
Please register at http://collegeready.uark.edu/Home.html Only teachers from participating College Ready in Mathematics and Physics Grant partnering schools who teach math or science 7-12 can register. Please see website for more information. These workshops (concentrated in summers) extend over three years (69 hours per year), can carry graduate credit, and will cover topics in mathematics that are taught in the 7-12 standards as well as AP calculus and AP statistics with the content sequenced/tailored to the needs of the teachers in each group. Cohorts are planned to begin in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The strands of mathematics to be addressed this summer will be defined by the participating teacher. Workshops have limited numbers of participants. REGISTER TODAY!
The services of the content area instructional specialists (literacy, mathematics, science) funded through the Arkansas Department of Education are provided without cost to the public schools of Arkansas. All registration fees charged for attendance to all professional development workshops sponsored by the Institute for Math and Science Education (IMSE) are to cover the administrative expenses incurred by the IMSE in the preparation and the presentation of the workshop.
5210 Grand Ave. • P.O. Box 3649