Description
NSTA Minneapolis 2025 Conference Session
Spark students’ curiosity as they practice thinking like scientists via immersive virtual field trips! This session explores how 360° settings can serve as powerful stimuli for observation, questioning, and sense-making in upper elementary classrooms. You will investigate ready-made virtual field trips related to NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas in Earth Materials and Systems (ESS2.A), Biodiversity and Humans (LS4.D), and Human Impacts on Earth Systems (ESS3.C), and explore lesson materials to guide your students in a process of generating questions and turning them into purposeful, investigable scientific questions. You’ll leave with all the resources you’ll need to implement these experiences within your classroom context! Grounded in place-based learning principles, this inclusive and student-centered model of engagement supports diverse learners by connecting abstract concepts to real-world contexts, making science more meaningful and memorable for all.