KEY INFORMATION

• LOCATION: virtual on Zoom
• DATE & TIME: Sunday, May 3rd, 2026, from 11am – 2pm
• LED BY: Juliette Guarino Berg, Kate Macaulay, and Kathy Renfrew (bios below)
• CTLE AVAILABLE: 3
• THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR: Elementary science educators interested in storytelling, anchoring phenomena, and sensemaking using an OpenSciEd model.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Join us for a hands-on, interactive workshop designed for elementary science educators who want to strengthen sensemaking in their classrooms. Led by “The Science Lady,” renowned teacher/educator Kathy Renfrew, plus elementary specialists and memberships of STEMteachersNYC’s leadership, Juliette Guarino Berg and Kate Macaulay, this session will explore how storylines, anchoring phenomena, text connections, and iterative modeling can deepen student understanding and engagement in science.

Using OpenSciEd units as model frameworks (Grade K Forces and Motion and the Grade 4 Energy Transfer: Collisions units – you can choose which to concentrate on) you will experience science learning in both student mode and teacher mode. In teacher mode, you will unpack the power of an anchoring phenomenon, how it sparks curiosity, surfaces students’ ideas and questions, and drives a coherent storyline across an entire unit. In student mode, you will step into the role of learners, engaging in the OpenSciEd Investigation Routine to gather evidence and develop models to answer questions, like “How can we move things to where we want them to go?” and “Why does an object’s motion change?” Using simple, everyday and found materials like boxes and balls, you will explore forces, motion, and/or collisions, and have time to collaborate with colleagues, revise your thinking, and engage in rich scientific discourse, experiencing firsthand the kind of joyful, sensemaking science we want for our students.

Whether or not you currently use OpenSciEd, this workshop will highlight the core elements of strong, equitable science instruction that transfer across curricula.

WORKSHOP LEADERS

Kathy Renfrew is a seasoned elementary science educator who has served as a classroom teacher, science coach, curriculum writer, and education specialist, including roles with the Vermont Agency of Education, MySci at Washington University, Sibme, and the Wade Institute for Science Education. A National Board Certified teacher and recipient of the 2000 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching, she has contributed to the development and implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards in Vermont and continues to support educators as a coach, reviewer, and active leader in multiple science education organizations, while advocating for high-quality elementary science instruction.

Kate Macaulay has been teaching elementary science for 20+ years at Hunter College Elementary School in New York City. She brings a love of STEAM, creativity, and hands-on exploration to her teaching. Kate is passionate about collaboration and is always looking for ways to spark curiosity and build joyful learning communities.

Juliette Guarino Berg is an elementary science specialist who has served as a STEM educator, curriculum developer, coach, and professional development leader in New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area for almost two decades. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Science Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Juliette received her B.A. in Biological Sciences and Comparative Literature from Binghamton University in 2008 and her M.S. in Childhood Education from Hunter College in 2012. She holds New York State Professional Certificates in both Childhood Education (Grades 1-6) and Adolescent Biology Education (Grades 7-12). Juliette is currently the Director of K-12 STEM Consulting and School Support with the nonprofit organization STEMteachersNYC.

ABOUT STEMteachersNYC

Since 2011, STEMteachersNYC has delivered professional development workshops for teachers, by teachers, about teaching. We are an approved CTLE and NYCPS MTAC vendor. All workshops over 2hrs offer CTLE. Below is some important information, but please see our official Registration FAQ on our website for full details and policies.

Pricing: workshop/event pricing reflects a desire to offer affordable professional learning experiences. Some workshops are subsidized and offered at a discount or for free. Some workshops include extra materials costs. Often, there is both a “Full Price” ticket for people who can pay full price and for schools/organizations paying for their staff to attend, and a “Teacher Price” ticket for teachers/educators paying out of pocket. If price is a barrier to your participation, please keep reading for several options.

CUNY & other partner campus pre-service students: If you are training to be a teacher, we want to welcome you to attend our workshops for free! Please email registration@stemteachersnyc.org for details and to see if you qualify.

Want to pay by invoice or purchase order? We encourage you to ask your school or organization if this is a possibility. Please see the Registration FAQ for the process, which includes a template letter with messaging geared towards administrators.

Are there discounts available? Often, yes! In the summers, we offer Early Bird and Teacher discounts alongside a Full Price ticket meant for those whose school or organization is funding their ticket. In the summer, we also have full scholarships, and a Fellowship available. All year, we announce specials and discounts on our social media (@STEMteachersNYC on Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook), and in our Weekly Newsletter – sign up here. Additionally, we partner with several organizations and CUNY to offer free tickets to teachers and pre-service teachers involved, and if at any time price is a barrier to you purchasing a ticket, please contact us at registration@STEMteachersNYC.org

Refunds, cancellations, and other registration/ticketing policies or changes: Please see the full Registration FAQ for details and policies.

Please note: We take screenshots, photographs and record video of our workshops in order to publicize a positive image of science teaching, and of STEMteachersNYC – a recognized 501(c)(3) non-profit organization – and to support future teacher leaders. If you register, you are agreeing to be photographed and to have your voice and image video-recorded. You are also agreeing to relinquish all your rights to the photographs and video recordings.

If you do not wish to be photographed or video-recorded – you must inform us before the workshop starts. For in-person workshops, we may take one photograph of your face so that we can erase your image if we happen to catch it by chance during the workshop, and we will do our best to avoid you.

Have more questions? Please see the full Registration FAQ for further details and policies, or contact us directly:

• Registration or ticketing questions – registration@STEMteachersNYC.org
• Questions about invoice/PO issues – bookkeeper@STEMteachersNYC.org
• Any other questions – info@STEMteachersNYC.org