NSTA Anaheim Conference Resources

Summary

Your one-stop hub for everything we shared at NSTA Anaheim

Welcome, NSTA Anaheim attendees! If you connected with Switch Classroom during the conference, this page is for you.

Instead of scanning multiple QR codes or searching across the full Switch Classroom website, you’ll find everything we featured right here. Session descriptions, lesson links, and featured collections are all organized below so you can quickly access what you explored with us.

Below, you’ll find direct access to all the resources we shared.

Quick-Start Alignment Guides

Want to quickly see how these resources fit into your course?

These Quick-Start Guides help you plug Switch Classroom lessons directly into your curriculum:

Session Resources

APES Exam Toolkit: Strategies That Work
Teachers explored high-impact strategies to support student success on the AP Environmental Science exam. This session focused on breaking down free-response questions, strengthening data analysis skills, and helping students connect concepts across units for deeper understanding and improved performance.
- Access the APES Exam Toolkit collection here.

Zap! Squish! Light It Up! Play-Doh Circuits for Grades 4–12
Participants built and tested Play-Doh circuits to model conductivity, resistance, and series versus parallel circuits. This hands-on session sparked creativity and problem-solving while demonstrating how tactile learning can make electricity concepts stick for students across grade levels.
- Access the Play-Doh Electric Circuits Teacher Guide here.

Fuel for Thought: Teaching Energy Tradeoffs and Transformations
Teachers engaged in activities that model energy systems, examining benefits, limitations, and real-world trade-offs. Through discussion and modeling, participants explored ways to help students think critically about energy decisions and sustainability.
- Access the Energy Transformations and Energy Trade-Offs resources here.

Catch the Breeze! Build & Test Windmills With Recycled Materials
Participants designed, built, and tested wind turbines using simple materials. This engineering-focused session emphasized iteration, data collection, and real-world connections to renewable energy.
- Access the Building a Windmill Hands-On Teacher Guide here.

Small Stories, Big Science: Engaging Students with Real-World Earth Science
Teachers explored how short, story-driven Earth science resources can spark curiosity and deepen understanding. This session highlighted ways to connect current events and real-world phenomena to core science concepts.
- Explore the EarthDate collection here.

Featured Resources & Collections

Sunshine and Science (Vol. 2)
A curated set of engaging, classroom-ready resources focused on energy, climate, and real-world applications.
AI & Energy Collection
Explore emerging tools and resources that help integrate artificial intelligence into science teaching and learning.
APES Resource Collection
A comprehensive library of AP Environmental Science lessons, activities, and supports aligned to course standards.
Flinn Scientific Collection
Optional materials kits and lab supports to make hands-on energy investigations easier to implement.
EarthDate Website Collection
Engaging videos and supporting materials that connect Earth science concepts to real-world data and storytelling.