It's been nearly 5 years since I drafted the very first Data Puzzle lesson. If someone would have told me (Jon) in 2020 the profound impact Data Puzzles resources would have my life, I would have never believed them. The Data Puzzles community is a remarkable one. I've been so fortunate to work with and learn alongside so many talented educators, data specialists, curriculum developers, and professional scientists over the years and it is YOU ALL that have made Data Puzzles what it is today and YOU ALL who will help shape what it will become in the future.

Speaking of the future, the National Science Foundation grant I mentioned in last week's newsletter is funding that we will use to integrate new data sensemaking practices into Data Puzzle resources and research how these data sensemaking practices, combined with professional learning trainings, help build teacher confidence working with data in their classrooms. Before we roll out these data sensemaking practices, we need your feedback! More specifically, we need the help of at least 20 middle school (MS) science teachers!

Starting in just a few weeks, we will be be piloting a series of virtual workshops focused on these new data sensemaking practices and gathering feedback from workshop participants. This feedback in invaluable as it will help us modify and improve future webinars and professional learning events!!! Participants will receive a $75 Amazon gift card. 

Inclusion criteria: Please note that you are eligible to participate in the events below if you are a 1) middle school science teacher, and 2) willing to try out these data sensemaking practices with your students. 

Each event will be limited to 12 participants. Register today!

Data Sensemaking Practices in the Not All Warming is Equal lesson

Tuesday, March 4th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm MT, and Thursday, April 17th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm MT

Join data educator Kristin Hunter Thomson and curriculum developer Jon Griffith in our first-ever pilot series focused on specific data sensemaking practices in the context of the Not All Warming is Equal Data Puzzle lesson! Participants will engage with the Notice, Think, Wonder strategy in the context of long-term temperature and atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets, all in service of getting at the lessons big idea(s): global temperatures are rising, but some parts of the world are warming faster than others. 

Register Here

Data Sensemaking Practices in the Megadrought lesson

Tuesday, March 18th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm MT, and Thursday, April 24th, 4:00 - 5:00 pm MT

Join data educator Annette Brickley and curriculum developer Jon Griffith in our first-ever pilot webinar series focused on specific data sensemaking practices in the context of the Megadrought in the Colorado River Basin Data Puzzle lesson! Participants will engage with the Zoom In strategy in the context of long-term temperature and precipitation datasets, all in service of getting at the lessons big idea(s): Changing temperature conditions and precipitation patterns are altering the availability of freshwater in the Colorado River Basin. 

Register Here

Kristin Hunter Thomson

As the founder of Dataspire Education & Evaluation, Kristin specializes in building and delivering transformative data and science education professional development for K–16 teachers, reaching educators in more than 40 states and five countries. An invited speaker, panelist, and keynote speaker at various education conferences, Kristin is recognized for her engaging workshops and research-based programs, and is a regular contributor to NSTA journals.

• Read Kristin's latest article, "How Can We Help Students Explore Data in Their Sensemaking?" published in Science Scope just last month!

Annette Brickley

Annette is a data science educator who works alongside Kristin supporting teachers and their students in building important data literacy skills by delivering innovative professional development. An oceanographer by training, Annette also works as an education consultant for the Northeast U.S. Shelf Long Term Ecological Research (NES-LTER) project and organizes the NES-LTER Data Jam.

• Check out these middle/high school NES-LTER datasets

• What's a Data Jam? Watch this video to learn more

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Contact us: jonathan.griffith@colorado.edu